Puzzles

DNA, RNA, & Crime, Oh My! (Modified Snorks Activity)

Liz BelasicLeave a comment

This is a fun and creative activity to tie all of the following concepts together into one lesson: DNA sequencing & transcription, mRNA translation, amino acid codons & proteins, genotype, phenotype, recessive & dominant alleles & traits.

 

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Students will help solve a crime based on DNA evidence left on a lollipop at the crime scene. There are 3 versions of the same scenario that will identify 3 different criminals so you can use them for 3 classes – this avoids having the kids tell the next class who the suspect is ;). Each student will receive one of the 4 DNA samples – you can have students work individually, or have a group of students work on suspect 1, another on suspect 2, etc. (Sorry – I do not have an answer key to post)

Directions: Worksheets: DNA-RNA-Crime-Snorks-2018 & Amino Acid Codon Wheel, & additional resource: 20 Amino Acids

  • Step 1 – students will transcribe the DNA sequences into mRNA sequences
  • Step 2 – using the Amino Acid codon wheel, they will determine the amino acid for each codon
  • Step 3 – using the chart, they will find protein using the sequence of amino acids
  • Step 4 – using the proteins, they will determine the phenotype
  • Step 5 – using the phenotypes, they will determine the genotype(s)
  • Step 6 – is their suspect the criminal?
  • Step 7 – they will draw a mug shot of their suspect using the phenotypes they decoded

This lesson was modified from the one found on Biology Corner: https://www.biologycorner.com/worksheets/DNA_snorks.html 

 

Welcome to my blog!

Liz Belasic6 Comments

I hope you are enjoying your summer! August will be a busy month as teachers prepare for a new school year. If you are a new teacher, or a veteran teacher, looking for new science lessons and ideas to add to your curriculum, my website is here to help. Everything I have posted is free for you to use in your classroom. All of my Google Slides can be edited to meet your needs – here is a quick tutorial to help you make modifications.

To help you find what you need quickly, there are several options available:

Search box in the upper right corner – click on the magnifying glass and enter key words to find lessons.

Tag cloud – scroll down, on the right you can choose either a topic or standard. Each blog entry also has tags on them to help you find related lessons.

Category Menu – scroll down on the right and look for lessons related to your topic, such as ‘Life Science’ or ‘Skills’

Enjoy the rest of your summer and best wishes for the 2018-19 school year!

 

Password Game: Holiday Edition (free)

Liz Belasic1 Comment

My students enjoyed playing “Password” and I created a Holiday Edition that I used just prior to our Winter Break. Here are the details:

Google Slides: Holiday Password (link)

Set up:
  • 2 chairs in front of the whiteboard, with their backs to the board.
  • 2 students stand behind desks facing the board and the seated players
  • rest of students on teams off to the sides.
  • students on each side will determine what order they go in.
  • once the round is over, the students giving the clues will now be the guessers
  • the seated person who was a guesser, goes back to sit with their team
  • a new person from the team stands to give clues
  • all students will rotate through
holiday-password-public
Classroom set up with 20 students, modify as needed
Giving Clues/Points
  1. Team 1 – gives first clue to their partner in the chair
  2. Student in chair guesses.
  3. If they are correct, their team earn 5 pts
    1. their team will then rotate, team 2 stays where they are
  4. If Team 1 is incorrect, Team 2 gives the second clue to their partner
    1. If they get it right, they earn 3 pts, everyone rotates
    2. If they are incorrect, Team 1 gives the next clue
  5. If Team 1 is right, they earn 2 pts and everyone rotates
    1. If Team 1 is incorrect, Team 2 gives the final clue
  6. If Team 2 is right, they earn 1 pt and everyone rotates
    1. If Team 2 is incorrect, no points, everyone rotates
Next round:
  1. Team 2 gives first clue, continue following steps above
  2. Each team has an opportunity to start a round, alternating rounds.
  3. If either team guesses it on the first try, the other team will stay since they did not have a chance to guess.
  4. Add up points and see who wins.

Vocabulary Bundle – Google Draw Template for Cut & Paste Activities

Liz Belasic11 Comments

Updated 7.14.22 – Thank you for sharing this Google Slide Template for Cut & Paste Vocabulary! Submitted by James from Oklahoma.

Google Drive Link

Older Entry

I created new templates to create your own vocab cut and paste worksheets. The files are located in the Google Drive Folder and were made using Google Draw.

To edit the template, you will need to select:

  • “File” then “Make a Copy”
  • Rename the copy
  • Make edits for your science unit

vocab-template-page-1-termsvocab-template-page-2-definitions

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Google Drive Folder (link): I have all of my vocab sheets posted in one folder so they are easy to find and access. If I find or create any more vocab sheets, they will be included in this folder.

Below are some fun ways to incorporate vocabulary into your lesson plans:

  • Cut & Paste: Have students cut out the definitions and paste or tape them next to the correct word.
  • Flashcards: Students will cut out each vocab word and paste it to the front of an index card, then they will cut out and paste the correct definition on to the back of the index card.
  • Find Your Partner: Give half of the class a vocabulary word and the other half of the class a definition. They will look for their partner and record their answer. Have them come to you to pick up a new word and a new definition and find new partners.
  • Quiz, Quiz, Trade: Using the flashcards, give each student one vocab word. They will go around the room and quiz each other. After quizzing each other, they will trade flashcards and find a new partner.
  • Matching: Create a vocab set by laminating and cutting out the words and definitions. Place the words and definitions into a ziptop bag. Have each student or pair of students match the words with their definitions.
  • Go Fish: Using the matching set above you can play Go Fish. Deal out 3-5 cards per player (depending on the number of students and vocab words) and place the rest upside down in the center. Students will ask each other for a vocab word or a definition, if they don’t have it, they will say “Go Fish” and the student will pick a card from the pile. If they have a matching set, they will place it down. If not, they will add the card to their hand. The first person to place all their cards down wins.
  • Old Maid: Using the matching set above, you can remove one of the vocab words or definitions from the set. Students will deal out all the cards. Students will pick a card from the person to their right. If they have a matching set, they will set it down. The first person to place all their cards down, wins, the person left with the vocab word or definition without that doesn’t have a matching card is the “Old Maid”.
  • Dominoes: Using the matching set above, you can have 3-4 students shuffle the words and definitions and deal out to each student. Have one person start by placing a vocab word on the table. If the next person has the definition, have them place it on the table touching the vocab word. The next person will place a vocab word on the table touching the definition of the previous word, and so on until all the words and definitions are used. The first one to get rid of all their cards wins.  If a students doesn’t have a definition or new vocab word to put down, they will skip their turn.
  • Stations: You can set up stations around the room with different vocabulary activities and students can rotate through the stations.

To make any of these games more challenging, you can combine 2 or 3 related sets of vocab into the mix. If you have any other fun ways to review vocabulary, please add to the comment section below.

Note: If you are having trouble seeing the handouts in ‘preview mode’ and it seems to be stuck in the loading phase, click on the boxed arrow (pop-out button) on the top right to open the pdf and view the rest of the pages.Screen Shot 2016-08-04 at 8.47.20 PM.png

Tangrams or Geometric Puzzles

Liz Belasic2 Comments

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Students can create their own Geometric, or Tangram-like, puzzles. A classic tangram has 7 pieces (link), but with this template, students can make their own puzzles with as many pieces as they would like to use.

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In the sample photos above, I created a puzzle with 12 pieces. After students have made their puzzles, they can trade puzzles and try to solve them. You can also combine/shuffle 2 puzzles together and try to create one large rectangle, or 4 puzzles together to create one large square.

When coloring in the puzzle, darker colors help hide the grid lines. You can also use the patterns each student has created as a cutting template – glue the template onto a piece of construction paper, cut out the pieces, flip, and use the construction paper side as your puzzle pieces.

Download the puzzle template (Geometric Puzzle Template pdf )

Highlights “Hidden Pictures” help sharpen observation skills

Liz Belasic3 Comments

Updated July 2016

Screen Shot 2016-07-21 at 2.46.00 PM

I love “Hidden Pictures” by Highlights magazine. On their website, they release several new puzzles each month and I download and save each one to my google drive so that I can select from different themes throughout the school year. My 6th & 7th grade students really enjoy working on these puzzles and will try to find all the pictures for each one.

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You can complete the hidden pictures online using an iPad or laptop, or you can print them out as B/W pdfs

I hand out one or two picture finds whenever we have assessments (or for holidays) for students to color in with either a highlighter or colored pencils/makers while they wait for everyone to finish their quiz or test. Once their assessments have been collected, they immediately ask each other where the items were that they couldn’t find and spend the alst few minutes of class finishing up the puzzles. There are usually a few items that stump the majority of the kids.

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Hidden Pictures as pdf files

Looking for the hidden items helps the students sharpen their observation skills. They are looking for shapes and patterns, looking with a purpose, and evaluating spaces where items could be or can’t be located in. My favorites are the hidden items that are found in the ’empty space’ of the drawings.

Bookmark the website and add it to your favorites!  https://www.highlightskids.com/hidden-pictures 

 

Science Scramble Puzzles

Liz BelasicLeave a comment

Science Scramble Puzzles

You can access them as a Shared Google Drive Folder (Click for link)

I always like to have puzzles handy for students to work on when they have finished their classwork, or if they completed a test and are waiting for other students to finish, or just for fun!

I have 72 science themed scramble puzzles (Scrabble-like) based on Physical and Earth Science vocabulary words. There is a Master List that shows all the words and which number puzzle it is. Each file is saved as the answer, too. Students can make 3, 4, 5, and 6 letter words and calculate their scores based on the letter values within each word they find. There is one 7 letter science word answer for each puzzle.

Have fun!