In My Classroom #10: Protein Folding

Welcome to the KABT blog segment, “In My Classroom”. This is a segment that will post about every two weeks from a different member. In 250 words or less, share one thing that you are currently doing in your classroom. That’s it.

The idea is that we all do cool stuff in our rooms and to some people there have been cool things so long that it feels like they are old news. However, there are new teachers that may be hearing things for the first time and veterans that benefit from reminders. So let’s share things, new and old alike. When you’re tagged you have two weeks to post the next entry. Your established staple of a lab or idea might be just what someone needs. So be brief, be timely and share it out! Here we go:

Last week I used a very simple, very low-tech but highly effective way to teach protein folding.  After teaching my students how to read the genetic code, I gave them a strand of DNA for which they would transcribe and translate to find the amino acid sequence.  Students then used those little marshmallows and strung them on a strand of thread, much the way many of us strung popcorn garland for the holidays.

They wrote on each marshmallow (with sharpies) the name of the amino acid.  I provided each student a chart which gave them a basic chemical description of each amino acid (polar, non-polar, etc..)  We then walked through how the primary structure of their protein would fold.  With each fold they would use toothpicks to hold their marshmallows in place – representing whichever type of bond formed.  When we were done – volla!  A 3D protein!  (My students have not had chemistry yet, so we needed to cover basic chemical bonding….but they generally got the idea.)

I just finished grading their assessments late last week, and the majority of students have a decent understanding of tertiary structure of proteins.  I like taking an abstract concept and turning it into something concrete!  Now….its Drew Ising’s turn……..tag!