Making Proteins from DNA

11th GradeScience65 min

Learning Objective

I can describe the steps of protein synthesis, including transcription and translation. I can write an mRNA transcript from a DNA template. I can determine the amino acid sequence from an mRNA transcript.

Lesson Flow

Watch Video

5 min

Protein Synthesis

Teacher's Pet

Guided Notes

13 min

Key concepts students will learn:

  • The first step of protein synthesis is transcription, which occurs in the nucleus and involves making a copy of a section of DNA.

  • During transcription, RNA polymerase unzips the DNA and matches RNA nucleotides to the DNA template, replacing thymine with uracil in the mRNA strand.

  • The second step of protein synthesis is translation, which occurs in the cytoplasm and involves ribosomes reading mRNA codons to add the correct amino acid using tRNA.

Practice

20 min

12 questions • Multiple choice & Short answer

Exit Ticket

5 min

Given the following DNA template strand: TAC GCT TCC ATT, transcribe the corresponding mRNA sequence and then determine the amino acid sequence using the standard codon table. Show all steps.

Teacher Guide

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  • Answer keys for all questions
  • Differentiation strategies
  • Extension activities
  • Printable student handouts