Siddharth Sharma's Blog

 1. In lab, we learned about natural selection. Natural selection is the process by which organisms adapt to their environment and develop traits to survive. We played a bunny game to simulate the process of natural selection. We played a game with beads that showed how the organisms with the best traits will survive. 2. I was able to relate what I learned to what I knew. I knew that the organisms best fitted to their environment will survive. 3. I can apply what I learned to my teaching career. I really liked the online bunny simulation to show the process of natural selection. I will definitely use more online simulations in my lessons.

 1. During lab, we learned about genetic mutations. We also reviewed genotypes and phenotypes. I had a better understanding of how mutations occur through the central dogma process. It has to do with the base pairs, and these base pairs can change in some way that affects the amino acid sequences. 2. I can apply what I learned in my teaching career by designing a lesson in which students can digest information better. I feel that the central dogma process can be confusing and overwhelming to digest, and as a future educator, I will hope to make graphic organizers for my students. A step by step graphic organizer will help them understand the material better. 3. One question I have is how extensively should I teach the central dogma process to elementary students? I don't remember having an extensive understanding of DNA in elementary, and I learned about mRNA in middle school.

 1. Today in lab we checked on our flowers. Because they are fast growing plants, they do not have a long life. The flowers were starting to die. We learned about DNA and protein synthesis. We simulated genotypes and how a human offspring's physical traits are derived from their parents. We also got to create a DNA model using candy. 2. I was able to relate what I learned to what I already knew. I think having a better understanding of DNA replication will allow me to explain the process to my students. I hope to find creative ways to teach DNA replication to my students. 3. I will apply what I learned to my teaching career by using the genotype lab in class. I believe it is a simple way to teach and simulate genotypes and recessive/dominant traits. We get 23 chromosomes from each parent, and flipping a coin is an appropriate way of simulating that process because it is a 50/50 chance of getting a specific trait.