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16 September 2020 Modeling RNA Translation with Craft Supplies
Andrea M.-K. Bierema
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Abstract

Students often struggle with the concept of protein synthesis, which incorporates two main processes: transcription and translation. This article describes an activity in which students use craft supplies to physically model the process of translation. The teacher creates the modeling kits, and then students use a worksheet to prepare the kit for a specific amino acid sequence. They practice the process of translation, including the start, tRNAs movement through the ribosome, the amino acid chain building, and the stop. This article describes how to create the model kits and implement the activity in the classroom. We have performed this hands-on activity in college classrooms as large as 170 students. Students appreciate the hands-on approach and find the activity extremely useful in understanding translation. While students model translation, the teaching team identifies and helps students overcome any misconceptions and gaps in their knowledge.

© 2020 National Association of Biology Teachers. All rights reserved. Please direct all requests for permission to photocopy or reproduce article content through the University of California Press's Reprints and Permissions web page, https://www.ucpress.edu/journals/reprints-permissions.
Andrea M.-K. Bierema "Modeling RNA Translation with Craft Supplies," The American Biology Teacher 82(6), 409-412, (16 September 2020). https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2020.82.6.409
Published: 16 September 2020
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KEYWORDS
model
pipe cleaners
protein synthesis
translation
tRNA
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