Name: Jeff Pilla

Date: 4/13/2015
Gene Expression Lesson Plan

Category

Background
(4 parts)

Criterion
Name of Course/Class:
Honors Biology/Gene Expression
Grade Level:
Grade 9
Technology/Resources/Materials:
Teacher: Socrative, Microsoft PowerPoint, Edmodo, Projector, Projector Screen, Laser Pointer, Slide Changer, Computer, IPad, iLeap, Google Docs,
Google Forms
Students: Socrative, Edmodo, DNA Codon Table, Paper, Pencil, Google Docs, Google Forms, Chromebooks (one for each student)

Accommodations/Modifications:

Parker requires a seat in the front row of the classroom (closer to the point of instruction)

Ashley, David, and Mario are only required to create a protein chain from a gene that is 9 or 12 base pairs long, begins with a start codon, and
ends with a stop codon with an accuracy of answering 5 questions correctly out of 10

Orient the leaner:

(4 sections)

Essential Questions:

Why are the genes we receive from our parents important?

What will happen to a protein if a gene is modified? What will happen to a person?
Objectives:
Given required materials (DNA Codon Table, Socrative) and information received in class about base pairs, compliment base pairs and gene expression,
students will be able to determine the protein chains from 10 written gene that are 12, 15, or 18 base pairs long, begin with a start codon, and end with a
stop codon with an accuracy of correctly determining at least 7 protein chains.
Standards:

5.3.12.D.2: Predict the potential impact on an organism (no impact, significant impact) given a change in a specific DNA code (NJCCCS for
Science)
Interdisciplinary Standards`:

8.1.12. A.3: Participate in online courses, learning communities, social networks, or virtual worlds and recognize them as resources for lifelong
learning (NJCCCS for Technology) (*NOTE* Student posting to Edmodo creates participation in social network)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.4: Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are
used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 9-10 texts and topics.(Common Core)

ISTE 2. Communication and collaboration b.: Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and

formats (ISTE)

Instructional
Design:
(8 events)

Anticipatory Set/Hook/Daily Review:

The teacher will then begin a class activity. This activity will be completed with the following directions.

One student will be assigned by the iLeap app to be the leader (The Gene)
o This student will write on a piece of paper (The mRNA) an ordered list of 5 student names.

Another student will be assigned by the iLeap app to be the organizer and read the paper aloud(The Ribosome)
o This student cannot be someone already on the list
o This student will bring each student listed on the paper to the front of the classroom one by one and organize them in a straight line

The 5 students at the front of the class will be the workers (The Protein) and decide on an action to complete.
o The action must be simple and school appropriate.
o
For example: The students may choose to draw school appropriate images on the board.

After this action is completed, a new student who has not participated yet will be assigned by the iLeap app to be the new leader.
o The leader will write on a piece of paper an ordered list of 5 student names.
o This leader must choose 3 students who have not participated yet and 2 students on any previous list.

A new organizer will be chosen by the iLeap app. That student will read the paper aloud. They will also bring the students to the front of the
classroom as previously done before.
o This student cannot be someone who has already participated or somebody already on the list.

These 5 students will be the workers and complete an action that is different from what has already been done.
o The action must be simple and school appropriate

After this action is completed, a new student will be assigned by the iLeap app to be the new leader.
o If there are still students who have yet to participate, the teacher will choose one of these students to be the new leader instead of using
the iLeap app.
o The leader will write on a piece of paper an ordered list of 5 students.
o This leader must choose students who have not participated in the activity yet. If all students have participated, then the leader may not
replicate any list that has already been created.

A new student will be chosen by the iLeap app to be the organizer and read the paper aloud. They will also bring the listed students to the front
of the classroom as previously done before.
o
If there are still students who have yet to participate, the teacher will choose one of these students to be the new organizer instead of
using the iLeap app.

These 5 students will be the workers and complete an action that is different from what has already been done.
o The action must be simple and school appropriate
After the activity is over. The teacher will tell students how they had just completed gene expression. They will then describe each job the students did
and relate it to each jobs counterpart. (For example: relate the job of the leader to the function of a gene) The teacher should also remind students about
the previous lesson on proteins when describing the job of the workers. (A proteins function is based off of what it is made out of)
Input/Modeling or Present Information:
The teacher will first introduce the students to necessary vocabulary for the lesson. Paper copies of the following vocabulary words, along with
definitions, will be provided to the students.
1. Gene Expression: Two-part process in which information from a gene is utilized to create a functional product. This product is normally a

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

protein.
Transcription: Part 1 of gene expression. Process where the information from a gene is used to create a piece of mRNA
Gene: Section of DNA that is encoded with specific information on how to make certain products.
mRNA: Stands for Messenger RNA. Made up of the base pair compliments of the gene it came from (Note: RNA contains Uracil instead of
Thymine)
Translation: Part 2 of gene expression. Process where a ribosome chains together amino acids to create a protein based on the information
given by mRNA.
Ribosome: A Biomolecular Machine that is in charge of building proteins from amino acids. It reads mRNA using a codon system
Codon: Section of mRNA that gets read by the ribosome. It is 3 base pairs long. Each codon along the mRNA chain tells the ribosome which
amino acid should be chained next in the protein.

The teacher will use the iLeap app to call on students to read the definitions. A new student will be selected for each vocabulary word. The teacher will
then begin to describe the process of gene expression in 2 sections.
1. Transcription
a. The teacher will present the students with a PowerPoint presentation via projector and projector screen. The presentations will utilize
animations that depict transcription. During the presentation, the teacher will give commentary of the process. Commentary must
include vocabulary words described above when applicable. Techniques of how to easily determine mRNA from a gene should be
discussed. A video from YouTube will be embedded in the PowerPoint to provide further explanation of transcription.
2. Translation
a. The teacher will present the students with a PowerPoint presentation via projector and projector screen. The presentation will utilize
animations that depict translation. During the presentation, the teacher will give commentary of the process. Commentary must
include vocabulary words described above when applicable. Techniques of how to easily determine a protein chain from mRNA should
be discussed. A video from YouTube will be embedded in the PowerPoint to provide further explanation of translation. The essential
question What will happen to a protein if a gene is modified? What will happen to a person? should be incorporated into this section.
Check for Understanding/Provide Learner Guidance:
At the end of each of the two sections, the teacher will administer questions to the students via Socrative to check how well the students were able to
understand the information in the PowerPoint. Students will log in to their chromebooks to complete the Socrative assignments. There will be 3 multiple
choice questions per section. The following questions will be asked.
1. Transcription
a. What is a gene?
b. Which nucleotide is not found in mRNA?
c. If a gene has base pairs TAC, what will the complimentary mRNA be?
2. Translation
a. What is in charge of reading the mRNA?
b. How many base pairs make a codon?
c. What product is the result of translation?
The questions will be paced by the teacher. Students will have about 20 seconds to answer each question. The percentages of answers to each question
will be shown to the class without showing which student had which answer. If the teacher is unsatisfied with the percentage of students who answered
correctly, the teacher may attempt to clear up confusion. For example, the teacher may explain why certain answers are incorrect. The teacher will also
provide the students with the following on Edmodo for future reference.
1. The PowerPoint on transcription as well as the questions asked about transcription on Socrative.

2. The PowerPoint on translation as well as the questions asked about translation on Socrative.
Guided Practice with coaching /Elicit Performance:
Students will be paired into groups of two. Each group will be given a paper list of 4 genes and a DNA Codon Table. From these genes, each pair will go
down the list and create the protein chain that the gene calls for. Each gene will be 9, 12 or 15 base pairs long, begin with a start codon and end with a stop
codon. To begin, one student in each pair will take the first gene and complete the transcription portion of gene expression. The second student will then
take the results from the first student and use them to complete the translation portion of gene expression. After the completion of each gene, the students
of each pair will switch roles so that each student completes transcription twice and translation twice. The teacher will walk around the room to check the
progress of the students and answer any necessary questions. The students are also encouraged to help out their partner if they are able to help and to use
techniques discussed in class.
*Note* If a group must be a group of 3 due to the number of students in the class, the group will have 2 members work on the same portion of gene
expression. For example, if Amanda, Nathan, and Charles work together, Charles and Amanda may both complete the transcription portion of gene
expression together. However, they will each have to provide their own results to Nathan. When it is time to switch roles, Charles and Amanda will both
complete the translation portion together. However, they will each produce their own protein chains from Nathans results.
Independent Practice/Provide informative feedback:
Students will create their own gene and determine the corresponding mRNA and protein chain to that gene. All work will be done on student
chromebooks. The teacher will provide a Google Docs template for the student via Edmodo. This template will include a space for the following areas.

The created gene,

The corresponding mRNA

The corresponding protein chain

The short response to the essay question

The short essay will be in response to the following question.

How did you determine the corresponding mRNA and protein chain from your created gene?
Each student will save their document and post their work on to Edmodo. The following rules will be applied in a rubric.

The gene must be 12 base pairs long,

The gene must begin with the base pairs TAC and end with the base pairs ATT

Excluding the first and last 3 base pairs that are already provided to the student, the gene must contain at least 1 of each type of DNA base pair.
(Adenine, Guanine, Thymine, Cytosine)

The appropriate mRNA that corresponds to the created gene must be found

The appropriate protein that corresponds to the created gene must be found

The student must use all vocabulary from earlier in the essay response
The student is also encouraged to use techniques discussed in class. The teacher will provide feedback to each student after their assignment is completed
via the rubric.
Closure:
The teacher will give a brief overview of the process of gene expression. The teacher will also remind the students of the class activity and how it relates
to gene expression. At various parts of the overview, the teacher will open up the floor to questions. If there is extra time due to students not asking many
questions, then the teacher may use the iLeap app on the IPad to begin asking the students random questions that pertain to the lesson. Such questions
could include (but are not limited to)

What do you believe was the most difficult part of this lesson? What did or didnt you understand about it?


If there was one part of this lesson you would like to understand better, what would it be?

Did you come up with any new tricks that helped you figure anything out?
Assessment:
The teacher will administer a quiz via Socrative which the students will take on their chromebooks. The quiz will be short answer format and 10 questions
long. It will consist of the following format. Scrap paper for work will be provided to the students.

Each question will have a gene of various lengths. There will be 3 questions with genes that are 12 base pairs long, 4 questions with genes that
are 15 base pairs long, and 3 questions with genes that are 18 base pairs long.

For each question, the student will have to determine the correct protein chain that corresponds with the given gene.
Ashley, David, and Mario will be given a different quiz via Socrative that is short answer format and 10 questions long. It will consist of the following
format.

Each question will have a gene of various lengths. There will be 5 questions with genes that are 9 base pairs long and 5 questions with genes that
are 12 base pairs long.

For each question, the student will have to determine the correct protein chain that corresponds with the given gene.
All students will be given a DNA Codon Table for assistance.
Enhance/Transfer:
Students will be asked to discuss the question Why are the genes we receive from our parents important? The teacher will discuss how when a person
says they look like their parents; it is because of how the genes they received from their parents are expressed. The teacher will also describe how certain
diseases occur because of the genes that are passed along through generations. The teacher will also let the students know that this lesson will connect to
the next lesson on gene mutation.

Recommendation:

Student / Teacher Feedback:

The students will be given a web link to a survey on Google Forms and be asked to answer the following short answer questions on their chromebooks.
The questions will be paced by the students.
1. On a scale from 1-10, how much did you enjoy this lesson? Give reasons as to why you liked or disliked this lesson.
2. What is 1 specific thing you learned in this lesson? Explain what it is you learned.
3. If you had to change one thing about this lesson, what would you change?
The teacher will read the responses on his/her own time outside of the classroom. The teacher will then answer the following questions.
1. What percentage of your students met the objective of the lesson?
2. What is one thing you would like to change about the lesson?
3. Was there any technology that did not truly help with this lesson? If so, are there any other type of technology available that could be substituted
in?
Student and Teacher feedback will be saved for future review.