Chromosomes, Genes and Proteins - Transcription and Translation

✓ Engaging powerpoint
✓ Recaps previous learning
✓ Lots of AFL tasks and activities
✓ Exam question examples

This lesson on Chromosomes, Genes and Proteins is designed for KS4 Science students enrolled in the CIE Cambridge IGCSE Biology 0610 (2023-25) course. This is the first lesson in the topic 17 Inheritance.

The lesson recaps previous learning from other linked topics to ensure students have a strong foundation before diving into the material. It also includes concise and easy-to-understand information and a variety of quick assessment for learning tasks to help students solidify their understanding of the topic. There is a strong emphasis on answering exam questions, with examples and the mark scheme included in the presentation.

Objectives:

• State that chromosomes are made of DNA, which contains genetic information in the form of genes
• Define a gene as a length of DNA that codes for a protein
• Define an allele as an alternative form of a gene
• Describe the inheritance of sex in humans with reference to X and Y chromosomes
• State that the sequence of bases in a gene determines the sequence of amino acids used to make a specific protein (knowledge of the details of nucleotide structure is not required)
• Explain that different sequences of amino acids give different shapes to protein molecules
• Explain that DNA controls cell function by controlling the production of proteins, including enzymes, membrane carriers and receptors for neurotransmitters
• Explain how a protein is made, limited to: the gene coding for the protein remains in the nucleus, messenger RNA (mRNA) is a copy of a gene, mRNA molecules are made in the nucleus and move to the cytoplasm, the mRNA passes through ribosomes, the ribosome assembles amino acids into protein molecules, the specific sequence of amino acids is determined by the sequence of bases in the mRNA (knowledge of the details of transcription or translation is not required)
• Explain that most body cells in an organism contain the same genes, but many genes in a particular cell are not expressed because the cell only makes the specific proteins it needs
• Describe a haploid nucleus as a nucleus containing a single set of chromosomes
• Describe a diploid nucleus as a nucleus containing two sets of chromosomes
• State that in a diploid cell, there is a pair of each type of chromosome and in a human diploid cell there are 23 pairs

This lesson would also be adaptable for all GCSE students (whether AQA, Edexcel, OCR) and great for KS3 Science or as a GCSE revision resource.