Biomolecules

1 - Introduction to Biomolecules

Anchoring Phenomenon: A baby is born and seems perfectly healthy, but after a time exhibit strange symptoms that could lead to physical impairment or even death. What is causing the problem? Can the child be saved?

Unit Essential Question: How do cells make the molecules they need and get rid of the molecules they don’t need? What happens if steps in this process aren’t working?

Team building

    • Helium Sticks

Jigsaw

What is similar/difference about the stories?

    • Write your questions on Post-It notes and bring to the poster paper at the front of the class

    • As a class, organize similar questions together - we will investigate these questions throughout this unit.

Activity

Pre-Assessment

2 - Intro to Fats (A Slippery Biomolecule That Hates Water)

Opening

    • Finish sorting biomolecules

Lecture

    • "Leuko" is white (referring to myelin which covers and makes neurons look white) whereas "dystrophy" refers to "abnormal development."

    • Watch: Amoeba Sisters Biomolecules Video

Poster

    • Research online about fats and make a poster with your group.

    • Be sure to cover these four fats:

      • Saturates Fat

      • Unsaturated Fats

      • Trans (hydrogenated fats)

      • Triglycerides

    • Be sure to include a picture/drawing of the fat, what kind of shape, length does it have, where do you find this kind of fat?

Closing

Essential Question: What are biomolecules?

Phenomenon: Biomolecules have structures we can use to organize and understand them

3 - Adrenoluekodystrophy (ALD) & Long, Straight Fats (LCSFAs)

About LCSFA & ALD

    • ALD is the most common peroxisomal inborn error of metabolism, with an incidence estimated between 1:18,000 and 1:50,000. You can read about ALD here.

Long Chain Saturated Fatty Acids (LCSFAs) accumulate in ALD patients

LCSFAs are Bad for Nerves

Answer these questions:

        • What is ALD?

        • What are LCSFA?

        • Why are the build up of LCSFAs bad? What cells types do LCSFA damage?

        • Where are LCSFA normal broken down?

        • What is wrong in ALD, why don't LCSFA get broken down in ALD patients?

Closing

Inquiry Cube activity

https://www.myelin.org/ald-adrenoleukodystrophy/


4 - Genetics of ALD (an X-linked Disorders)

Warm up

    • DNA KWL: What do you know about DNA? What do you want to know about DNA? What do you want to know about how ALD is passed down?

    • Preassessment (GoFormative)

Introduction

Activity

Closing

    • What did you learn about DNA (this question at end of task set)?

    • What would a a ALD pedigree look like?

EQ: How is ALD passed parent to child? Why are more boys affected?

Phenomenon (return to anchoring phenomenon): A child is born and seems perfectly healthy, but after a few years starts to exhibit strange symptoms. What is causing the problem? Can the child be saved?

5 - DNA Biomolecule Extraction

EQ: What is DNA? How does its structure determine its function?

Phenomenon: Some individuals are born with genetic disorders while some are not.

Activity

DNA extraction activity with strawberries (45 min.)

Lab with colored pictures

6, 7 & 8 - Lorenzo's Oil Movie

Lorenzo's Oil movie

This movie is from the early 90s...get current:

Activity 1

    • Read about a different case: Baby Mathew

    • Slideshow for Metabolism

    • Teacher assigns pairs of students to a metabolic disease from the “inborn errors of the metabolism” diagram. There are 15 diseases in the GoFormative and each student pair is given a number 1-15. Students answer the question number for their assigned disease on the GoFormative: Genetic Diseases of the Metabolism

    • After answering their assigned question, each student pair writes a CER paragraph claiming whether or not their assigned disease could be Matthew’s diagnosis (question #16). Class discusses which of the potential metabolic diseases they think baby Matthew really has.

Activity 2

    • Intro slideshow to assist with the Muscular Dystrophy activity (60 min.) (Slideshow is also linked in activity, so no need to present it separately)

    • Students are not required to take notes on these slides because they use the content in the activity.

Cell Biology, "At Your Service"

EQ: How can we harness the power of bacterial metabolism to make food?

Phenomenon: There are bacteria in my yogurt?!

  • Slideshow for Yogurt & Incubator Engineering

  • Yogurt Engineering Student Portfolio

  • Teacher Notes about Yogurt Engineering

  • Introduction to fermentation

  • Video: Yogurt - Good Milk Gone Bad (“Good Eats: Video - $1.99 on YouTube)

  • Student Roles: Food Scientist, Quality Control/Testing Specialist, Structural Engineers (optional--only if students will be building incubators) - if no incubators are not being built, consider groups of 3 instead of groups of 4

POGIL Activity

EQ: What are the functions of biomolecules and how are they put together and broken apart?

Phenomenon: Biomolecule subunits can be rearranged to change their structure and function.

Carbon Compounds Handout

Enzymes Make and Break Biomolecules


EQ: How do organisms make and break molecules?

Phenomenon: A moth only eats sugar but the moth is not made of just sugar (and would NOT taste sweet).

Homework: Amoeba Sisters Enzymes Video and Handout


(can also be assigned in GoFormative)

DNA structure

  • Students work in groups of 4 to complete DNA structure patterns inquiry with Components of DNA drawing. Split the drawing into 4 sections, so that each student is creating about 3 nucleotides. Each group produces an 8-base chain of nucleotides (sequence: TGTACAAC) and then base-pairs the other nucleotides. Sample final image can be seen here. (90 min)

DNA Replication

Transcription & Translation