Protein Synthesis Simulation......A Fun & Engaging Cooperative Learning Activity

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Protein Synthesis Simulation

Want to engage your students in one of the single, most important processes of Biology? This easy-to-make, inexpensive kit will help deepen your students’ understanding of the intricacies of Protein Synthesis. Students will begin with a DNA template and will use pieces in the kit to simulate transcription and translation. Students will use a handout in which they will be filling in a number of blanks in order to thoroughly review this process. On the handout, students are given clues as they proceed through the activity but must still think on their own in order to generate their answers. I would recommend groups of 2-3 students for this activity. From start to finish, you will need approximately 50 minutes of class time.

During the activity students will practice:

• Base-pairing mRNA nucleotides to a DNA template
• Correct placement of the mRNA START codon in the ribosome.
• Base-pairing mRNA nucleotides to tRNA nucleotides
• Moving mRNA through ribosome focusing on the location of tRNAs and Amino Acids
• Placing peptide bonds between Amino Acids
• Disassembling the Ribosome/mRNA/Polypeptide complex as a result of the ribosome reading a STOP codon

Included in this kit:
Student Handout & Key
Thorough Instructions regarding how to make the kits
Pictures of each stage of Protein Synthesis (what the student models should look like)

Not Included:
White Cardstock paper (1 piece/kit)/Colored Cardstock paper (2 pieces/kit)
6 white index cards/kit; 6 colored index cards/kit
Velcro Strips with adhesive on the back (1 package) – easy to find on Amazon or at Walmart

Vocabulary Terms Covered in Simulation:

DNA template, nucleus, complimentary DNA, Transcription (initiation, elongation, termination), mRNA, codon, mRNA modification, Translation (initiation, elongation, termination), ribosome (small & large subunits, P-site, A-site), tRNA, anticodon, Start codon, Stop codon, amino acid, polypeptide, protein

**When my own students take part in this activity, they have already taken notes on Protein Synthesis and have watched several animations reviewing the process.

**If you don’t feel like your students have adequate background knowledge or a handle on the vocabulary, this activity can be easily modified by simply filling in blanks on the Student Handout with vocabulary terms your students haven’t covered. This would just give them a little more guidance as they proceed through the activity.