Teaching the Chemical and Structural Properties of DNA

A pinch of adenine, a dash of thymine and ta-da, you have life! Well, it's not quite that simple, but through this series of activities and experiments young scientists learn about the structure of DNA and how it contains the recipe for...

Young chemists have unknown compounds they need to sort. Performing three different tests on each, the chemical behaviors they observe become the basis for data analysis. 

A fuel cell is where the jailer keeps gas guzzlers. Scholars review chemical reactions, chemical bonds, and chemical structure in order to apply these concepts. Participants construct fuel cell kits, using electrolysis to run the car and...

It has been decades since the discovery of DNA. Still, activities such building this DNA model allow blossoming scientists to better understand the components that form this overall structure. During this activity, they will also...

Two pages of neat notes introduce chemistry novices to chemical reactions. Opening with a simple description of what constitutes a chemical reaction and progressing to the practice of balancing reaction equations, this worksheet is...

This lesson demonstrates differentiated instruction at its best. Over the course of 2-3 class periods, young chemists have the opportunity to gain a thorough understanding of metals and their chemical properties from a variety of...

DNA is not just in humans — it is present in all living cells, even those we consume every day. Assist your class as they extract DNA from a banana through using chemicals and filtration. 

Introduce biology classes to the structure of DNA, the role of genes, and how mutations occur with this nifty resource. After viewing an animated video, discuss the accompanying Think questions and then explore the myriad of additional...

Learners review what they already know about DNA. After reading an article, they discover a new technique to map the course of evolution. In groups, they create ways to present this material to younger children and research DNA's uses.

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines! Explore the cumbustion reactions driving the world's automobiles and the chemical solutions used to keep their engines cool with this fun instructional video.