Week 7 Blog Post

 

What did you learn this week?

This week I learned more about the structure of DNA as well as how an organisms traits are determined by alleles that are given to them by their parents. I specifically learned about the structure of DNA and what goes into forming the double helix structure, for example, the different bases. When discussing traits, I learned about genotypes and phenotypes. A genotype is the two alleles an organism is given (one from each parent), and a phenotype is the observable trait. 

 

Are you able to relate what you learned to what you already knew?

I have learned previously both about the structure of DNA and traits. I learned about these things awhile ago so there were some parts that I forgot over time. When learning about these topics in high school, we didn't do any hands-on activities like we did in lab, so I think I have a better understanding of DNA and traits now then I did when I first learned about them. 

How can you apply what you've learned to your future teaching?

I really like the idea of making the structure of DNA with candy. I think it was both engaging and informative. By separating the candy by color, assigning each one a base, and then pairing the bases up while making the DNA, it allowed us to really consider which bases are paired with each other. This is an activity that I would want to bring into my classroom when teaching about DNA.