About this Masterclass
DNA is widely considered the universal code of life, and stores all the information needed to instruct our bodies to look and function the way we do.
In this session students will learn all about DNA and its structure and function within our cells. They will explore genetic traits that are passed on in our DNA code and de-code some DNA sequences to reveal the characteristics they code for. They will then use the same principles, to write their own simple code that will change the characteristics of a game character.
Length: 2 hours (see the session leader notes for ideas on how to shorten the Masterclass)
Note: Worksheets and supporting documents are provided in .docx format as well as pdf format, to enable adaptations. These should be opened in desktop versions of word processing software to preserve formatting and layout.
Resources needed
- 1 copy of Worksheets 0, 1 & 2 per student
- 1 copy of coding wheel sheet per student
- 1 copy of Protein library sheet between 2/3 students
- Laptops, computers, or tablets with internet access (Google Chrome and Safari are currently both supported), 1 per student ideally
- Scratch editor https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/editor
- 2 strawberry pencils, 6-8 cocktail sticks and 12-16 gummy bears per student
Optional:
- 1 copy of DNA Base Pair Match up worksheet per student (extension worksheet 1)