Classroom Strategies
This unit will rely on accessing prior knowledge of electronegativity and polarity and using models to identify combinations of chemical structures and their interactions. Secondly, this unit will develop media literacy, in which students will read samples of news articles related to CRISPR. They will compare the facts that they have acquired to the Black Lightning television series. Finally, students will work in teams in a hands-on activity in order to model biochemistry at the molecular level.
Below is a suggested timeline of topics and activities. Activities marked with an asterisk (*) are ones developed with focus on the benefits and controversies of manipulating biology.
- Day 1: Science Fact, Fiction, and Opinion: Exploring the Biochemistry in Black Lightning*
- Day 2: Intermolecular Forces
- Day 3: Lewis Structures of Amino Acids
- Day 4: Function of Amino Acids
- Day 5: Developing CRISPR Literacy*
- Day 6: Review of Nucleic Acids, DNA, and RNA
- Day 7: Making the Cut with CRISPR*
The order of the topics allows me to alternate between familiar and unfamiliar information to my students. ‘Science Fact, Fiction, and Opinion’ is designed to use media from the Black Lightning television series to engage students on the topic of gene manipulation. This opens the door for me to teach the intermolecular forces and Lewis structures of amino acids so that students can gain some insight of how proteins are able to get their shapes through the intermolecular forces. Since Cas9 is a protein, students will be ready to read literature and understand how this protein works. Following their introduction to Cas9, I will tap into their prior knowledge of nucleic acids and DNA from biology. The unit will culminate with the students having to read RNA and DNA sequences to determine if Cas9 will edit a DNA given an RNA sequence. Lessons on intermolecular forces, amino acids, and DNA can be taught according to your perspective of the content. While the suggested timeline spans seven days, I could see myself extending the unit to 10 days at most, especially if I believe my students need the extra support.
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