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Traits and Reproduction

Lesson 2.2: Gathering Evidence About Genes

Lesson purpose: for students to deepen their understanding that genes are instructions for proteins and to address the common misconception that genes themselves physically make proteins�

Please refer to this lesson’s Materials & Preparation section in the digital Teacher’s Guide or the print Teacher’s Guide for information about preparing to teach this lesson, including any applicable safety notes. Below are links to resources used in this lesson.

Hemophilia, Proteins, and Genes

Printable Article: “Hemophilia, Proteins, and Genes”

Protein Molecules Reference

Gene Instructions copymaster

Mutations for Physical Models Instructions copymaster

Traits and Reproduction Investigation Notebook, pages 39–43

Traits and Reproduction Glossary

Traits and Reproduction Multi-Language Glossary

Note: These materials are made available exclusively for use by students and teachers for whom the corresponding materials have been purchased or licensed from Amplify. Any alterations you make should only be shared within your own school or district. Any other distribution or reproduction of these materials is forbidden without written permission from Amplify.

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Warm-Up

Activity 1

5 MIN

Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

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Investigation Notebook pg 40

Activity 1

Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

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Modeling the Role of Genes

Activity 2

25 MIN

Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

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Activity 2 - Screen 1

Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

Today, we will continue to investigate this question:

Investigation Question:

How can organisms make different protein molecules for a particular feature?

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Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

Activity 2 - Screen 1

In this article, you read about proteins your body makes to stop bleeding.

Based on your reading, what other types of proteins do you think your body makes?

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Key Concept

Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

Activity 2 - Screen 1

5.

Genes are instructions for proteins.

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Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

Activity 2 - Screen 1

Our Investigation Question asks how organisms can make different protein molecules for a particular feature. We know that organisms can make different protein molecules because they have different genes.

Now, we need to figure out what role genes play in making proteins.

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Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

Activity 2 - Screen 1

Today, we’ll use a physical model to learn more about how proteins are made in the cells.

Let’s look at two claims about the role that genes play in building proteins.

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Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

Activity 2 - Screen 2

Each group will receive an envelope and a bag with pieces inside.

The pieces represent the building blocks of proteins.

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Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

Activity 2 - Screen 2

The envelope represents the nucleus of the cell, which contains genes.

Inside the envelope are instructions. Each instruction represents one copy of a gene.

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Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

Activity 2 - Screen 2

You will work in groups of four to model the role genes play in building proteins.

Two students will be readers, while the other two will be ribosomes.

Readers

Ribosomes

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Modeling the Role of Genes

Investigation Notebook pgs 41–42

Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

Activity 2 - Screen 2

Discuss and Reflect

Discuss the reflection questions with your group and record your answers.

Readers Give Instructions

Ribosomes Make Proteins

Each reader takes one of the instructions from the envelope and reads it out loud to one of the student ribosomes.

Each ribosome builds a protein based on the instructions from the reader.

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Investigation Notebook pgs 41–42

Activity 2 - Screen 2

Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

👉Teacher action:

Prompt students to build proteins. Circulate as students build their models, discuss the reflection questions, and then record their individual responses.�

On-the-Fly Assessment 6: �Reasoning About Genes as Instructions for Proteins�Look for: Listen to several groups of students as they discuss the models they created and which claim they feel best describes this process. You can also evaluate their submitted responses after class. By this point, all students should understand that genes contain instructions for proteins. However, some students may think that genes make proteins directly as opposed to providing instructions that are then carried out somewhere else in the cell.�Now what? If any of your students seem to think that genes make proteins directly, guide their thinking by asking them to recall the hands-on activity. You can ask students what the paper instructions represented and what the students represented themselves. Ask students how the proteins were made. Students should see that the instructions on the paper represented the gene, and the students building the proteins represented the ribosomes. If students still struggle with understanding the role of genes, you can use the next lesson’s Sim activity to guide them as they make more observations. After pressing on a particular spider, point out the location of the genes (the nucleus). Also, point out where the proteins originate (the ribosomes). Just as the students reading the instructions and those building the protein molecules did not interact directly at any point during the modeling activity, the genes do not directly build proteins.

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Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

Activity 2 - Screen 2

Based on the activity you just completed, which claim is best supported?

What role do genes play in making proteins?

�Claim 1: Genes provide instructions and build proteins.

Claim 2: Genes provide instructions for making proteins, but they do not build the proteins themselves.

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Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

Activity 2 - Screen 2

Some groups built two copies of the same protein while some groups built two different proteins.

Why might this be the case?

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Key Concept

Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

Activity 2 - Screen 2

6.

Each gene version provides a unique instruction to make a specific protein molecule in an organism’s cells.

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Vocabulary

Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

Activity 2 - Screen 3

a specific form of a gene that provides instructions for making a particular protein molecule

gene version

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Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

Activity 2 - Screen 3

Genes are instructions for making proteins, which determine the traits of an organism.

There are different versions of each gene. Each gene version is a unique instruction for making a specific protein molecule.

Different versions of a gene can also be called alleles.

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Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

Activity 2 - Screen 3

In the activity you just completed, there were two different sets of instructions.

The instructions were for gene version A1 or gene version A2.

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Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

Activity 2 - Screen 3

Some groups had two copies of the same gene version, so they made two of the same protein. Other groups had two different gene versions, so they made two different proteins.

A2

A1

A2

Instructions for Gene Version A2

Instructions for Gene Version A1

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Introducing Mutations

15 MIN

Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

Activity 3

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Activity 3 - Screen 1

Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

What do you already know about mutations?

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Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

Activity 3 - Screen 1

You will now model what happens when there is a mutation in a gene.

You’ll use the same model as before, but this time, you’ll add in two new steps.

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Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

Activity 3 - Screen 1

For this activity, you’ll switch roles so readers are now ribosomes, and ribosomes are now readers.

Readers

Ribosomes

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Modeling Mutations

Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

Investigation Notebook pg 43

Activity 3 - Screen 1

Introduce the Mutation�Each reader receives a new step. This represents a mutation in the gene. Place the new step over the indicated step number from your previous instructions.

Ribosomes Make Proteins�Each ribosome tries to follow the instructions to build a new protein. You can only add pieces to your protein if you are able to follow the instructions exactly.

Record Observations�Observe what happens when there is a change to a gene and record what happens to the protein.

Stage 1:

Stage 2:

Stage 4:

Stage 3:

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Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

Activity 3 - Screen 1

Before you begin modeling mutations, take apart the protein molecules you built in the last activity.

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Investigation Notebook pg 43

Activity 3 - Screen 1

Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

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Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

Activity 3 - Screen 1

What were the results of adding a mutation to the gene?

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Vocabulary

Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

Activity 3 - Screen 2

a random change to a gene that sometimes results �in a new trait

mutation

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Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

Activity 3 - Screen 2

In a mutation, the gene version changes. That means the instructions to build the proteins change, which can cause the protein to be shaped differently.

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Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

Activity 3 - Screen 2

Mutations that affect the trait of an organism are very rare. Most mutations result in a new protein that does not affect a trait because it does not interact with other proteins.

Very rarely does a mutation occur with instructions for a protein that will interact and affect a trait.

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Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

Activity 3 - Screen 2

Take apart the protein molecules and put the pieces in the bag.

Return the instructions to the envelope, keeping the mutations separate.

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Homework

Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

Activity 4

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Activity 4

Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

For this activity, you will watch a video about the Scottish Fold cat and learn how mutations lead to new traits.

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Activity 4

Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

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Traits and Reproduction: Lesson 2.2

End of Lesson

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