During this lesson, I worked with Rebecca and Anna.

We chose to do a

strawberry DNA experiment in order for our students to learn about what DNA is and

what it is utilized for. I honestly think the best moment for me was when our science

experiment didn’t work and we had our “students” trying to look up and figure out

other ideas to make it work. This stood out to me in particular, because it showed that

they cared and were interested in what we were doing. We even tried one more time,

but changed a few factors. However, we were unsuccessful. In order to keep up more

moments like this in the future, I would try more hands-on activities like this in order to

keep students engaged. The most challenging moment was when the experiment did

not work how we expected it to. This was a little disheartening, because we all wanted

to see the DNA.. I would try to prevent this in the future by trying out the experiment

more ahead of time. I would say that even though our experiment was unsuccessful,

our lesson as a whole was a success. Our objective was “I can define and explain DNA.”

Our “students” were still able to explain what DNA is and certain characteristics by the

end of the lesson. We had a video and other information that they learned to ensure

that they learned what they needed to from the lesson. I thought our “students” were

productive. As I was going around helping them out with the experiment, they were

asking me questions about what to do, why we chose a strawberry, etc… They paid

attention for the most part and answered all of the questions asked of them. The

lesson overall had its ups and downs, but the students still learned what they needed
to. Therefore, I consider it successful. It also shows students there are trial and error

doing science experiments.

https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/strawberry-dna/

Teacher: Rebecca Nonnenmann, Josie McDermot, Anna McInville

Date: 12/9/2021

Subject / grade level: Science, 3rd Grade

Materials:

● Strawberries
● Isopropyl Alcohol
● Dish soap
● Salt
● Forks
● Ziploc bags
● Plastic cups
● Strainer
● Water

NC SCOS Essential Standards and Clarifying Objectives

3-LS3 Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits Students who demonstrate

understanding can:

● 3-LS3-1. Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence that plants and animals have
traits

inherited from parents and that variation of these traits exists in a group of similar organisms.

● 3-LS3-2. Use evidence to support the explanation that traits can be influenced by the

environment.

Lesson objective(s):

I can define and explain DNA.

Differentiation strategies to meet diverse learner needs:

● Have strawberries premashed

● Assist in straining the strawberries
● Have mixture of soap, water, and salt premixed
● Measure out all the ingredients ahead of time so students just need to combine
● Have vocabulary typed and printed for students to glue in notebook

ENGAGEMENT

● Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6368Y-OfU9U (stop at about 1:00)

● Trade Book: My First Book about DNA by Katie Woodard
● Question:
○ What has DNA?- all living things
○ What does DNA do?

EXPLORATION

Vocabulary:

● DNA- a molecule; a group of atoms stuck together in the shape of a double-helix;

genetic code that determines all the characteristics of a living thing
● Octoploid- having 8 copies of each type of DNA chromosome (strawberries are these)
● Extraction- the action of taking out something

Experiment:

● Pour 90 ml of water in a small container

● Add 2 tsp (10 ml) of dish soap to the water
● Stir in ¼ tsp of salt into the mixture until the salt is dissolved
● Put a strawberry in a plastic bag
● Pour the mixture into the bag with the strawberry
● Remove as much air as possible from the bag
● Seal the bag
● Use your hands to mash up the strawberry
● Pour the mushed strawberry through a strainer into a glass or bowl
● Press the mashed bits of strawberry through the strainer (allows more of the mixture to
be in the container)
 ● Add 1 tsp (5 ml) of cold isopropyl alcohol to the solution
● There should be a white layer on the top of the solution. This is the DNA
● Use a fork to remove the DNA from the solution

Questions:

● What happened when you added the isopropyl alcohol?

● Did you notice a change?
● What do you think the white layer might be?
● Why do you think the strawberry needed to be mashed?
● How did the mixture of water, dish soap, and salt affect the strawberry?

EXPLANATION

Strawberries are perfect for this experiment because they:

● Yield way more DNA than other fruits

● Are octoploid meaning they have 8 copies of each type of dna chromosome (humans
are only diploid or have two copies of each chromosome)

For the DNA to be extracted, all materials used in this experiment are necessary. Here is the
role of each material

Soap - dissolve cell membranes

Salt - releases DNA strands by breaking up protein chains that hold the nucleic acids together

Isopropyl alcohol - DNA is not soluble in isopropyl alcohol, especially when it is cold so it stays
together while everything else dissolves

Answer the following questions in your science notebooks:

Why are strawberries good for DNA extraction?

What is the role of the different materials used in this experiment?

Draw a picture of the experiment in your science notebook

ELABORATION

Talk at your tables about the following questions

What is DNA?

How did you see DNA in this experiment?

What other objects could you use in a DNA extraction experiment?

EVALUATION

Assessment:

● Observe students as they are doing the experiment

● Look through their science notebooks after the experiment to check for understanding
● Check for understanding of the concept of DNA while students are discussing during
the elaboration section