The King of Dinosaurs or a Chicken Dinner?

This lesson uses the fundamentals of protein synthesis as a context for investigating the closest living relative to Tyrannosaurus rex and evaluating whether or not paleontologist and dinosaur expert, Jack Horner, will be able to "create" live dinosaurs in the lab. The first objective is for students to be able to access and properly utilize the NIH's protein sequence database to perform a BLAST, using biochemical evidence to determine T rex's closest living relative. The second objective is for students to be able to explain and evaluate Jack Horner's plans for creating live dinosaurs in the lab. The main prerequisite for the lesson is a basic understanding of protein synthesis, or the flow of information in the cell from DNA to RNA during transcription and then from RNA to protein during translation. You will find downloadable handouts of the necessary documents for the lesson. To complete the lesson, you will need the handouts and ideally computers with Internet connections so that students can complete the BLAST on their own or in groups. The computers are not a requirement, however, because the video has an optional segment that goes through the BLAST step-by-step and shows students exactly what they would see if they were doing it themselves. There is an optional reading assignment from WIRED magazine at the close of the lesson, and the article can be accessed for free on-line at . The lesson should take somewhere around 90 minutes, a portion of which is group or classroom discussion based on prompts from the video or the handouts.
Resource ID#: 37826 Type: Lesson Plan
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Direct Link: https://web.mit.edu/blossoms/videos/lessons/king_dinosaurs_or_chicken_dinner_one_paleontologist’s_quest_activate_atavistic_genes

General Information

Subject(s): Science
Grade Level(s): 9, 10, 11, 12
Suggested Technology: LCD Projector, Overhead Projector
Instructional Time: 1 Hour(s) 30 Minute(s)
Resource supports reading in content area:Yes
Freely Available: Yes
Keywords: Protein synthesis, protein sequence data base utilization, DNA, RNA, transcription, translation.
Instructional Component Type(s): Lesson Plan,  Worksheet,  Problem-Solving Task,  Video/Audio/Animation,  Student Center Activity
Instructional Design Framework(s): Direct Instruction, Predict-Explain-Observe-Explain, Cooperative Learning
Resource Collection: MIT BLOSSOMS

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