Final Course
Have participants think about the activities they did with DNA and come up with some general conclusions about the importance of DNA in general and particularly in retaining information for the organism. Have participants talk about how their views of the importance of DNA has changed as they move through these lessons. Encourage them to compare differing thoughts and views. The goal is to have participants use the new terms introduced in the three lessons and come to some conclusions about the concepts introduced. Try to bring out the important points of the lesson. If needed, use the targeted questions below to stimulate discussion.
- Explain why you think DNA is important for the functioning of your body? For a strawberry plant?
- What are some characteristics of a corn plant that might be influenced by its genes?
By reading the information in the genome, its A's, G's, C's and T's, it is possible to determine what different parts of the DNA are responsible for what traits.
- Can you explain what happens when changes in the DNA occur?
- How could such changes possibly affect the ways plants survive drought and frost?
- Speculate about how learning about DNA sequences and how to modify them could help address difficulties in energy production, and in human nutrition? (We learn more about that in Lesson 5.)
Next: Dessert