Macy Blum's Blog

  What Did You Learn This Week? This week, we revisited the babies we created in last week’s activity. We learned that dominant genes have a 75% chance of being inherited, while recessive genes have a 25% probability. Additionally, we discovered that dark skin color is linked to the dominant gene, which is directly passed down from the parents. This relates to genotype , the combination of alleles an individual has for a specific gene. The genotype influences the phenotype , or the physical expression of traits—such as skin color in this case. How Can You Apply What You’ve Learned to Your Future Teaching? I can incorporate what I learned into my future classroom by having students participate in the same simulation we used. This activity demonstrates how DNA codes for proteins, allowing students to observe how codons (sequences of three nucleotides in DNA or RNA) encode specific amino acids. The simulation also illustrates how mutations can occur, impacting genetic traits. This ...

What did you learn this week? This week, I explored the importance of DNA packaging. I learned that DNA is efficiently packed inside the nucleus without becoming tangled, which helps protect genetic information from damage and plays a key role in regulating gene expression. This regulation ensures that specific genes are accessible when needed. In class, we built a DNA model to demonstrate the precise order in which DNA is packaged. Are you able to relate what you learned to what you already knew? In previous years, I learned about dominant and recessive genes, where dominant traits are represented by uppercase letters and recessive traits by lowercase letters. This week, I expanded on that knowledge by learning about phenotypes. I now understand that a phenotype refers to the observable traits resulting from gene expression. While I previously knew that dominant genes are expressed, I did not know the specific term for it until now. How can you apply what you've learned to your te...