Instructify

April 15, 2009

The scenario at PBS’s DNA Fingerprinting site begins with a young man who discovers his “most valuable possession – his NOVA holographic lollipop,” turned into a “sticky mess.” The possible culprits are Jimmy’s seven sisters. Luckily, DNA samples from all of them are available and all you have to do is create a DNA fingerprint from the saliva left on the lollipop.

A shockwave animated lab table opens up for you to create the fingerprint. It offers you step-by-step instructions on what to do, and most importantly from an educator’s perspective, explains the purpose behind each step. So, not only do you follow the directive to “Pour the restriction enzymes into the DNA,” but you also understand that the restriction enzymes act like little chemical scissors to prepare the DNA for running on a gel. After you complete all of the steps and create your fingerprint, you get to match the fingerprint to the suspects and determine who licked the holographic design off the lollipop, and who will consequently be punished with no dessert tonight.

For an educator, this website offers a way to explain what many kids see happen in fragments on their favorite shows like CSI. By completing this activity and analyzing the results, students should understand some of the science behind what they see on TV. For additional, and slightly more advanced information and animations on this topic, check out DNA Detective from the Dolan DNA Learning Center. Some of your advanced students might find the applications of DNA fingerprinting interesting. With either website, you are sure to motivate your young CSI-minded students to learn some real science. -REBECCAH HAINES

PBS’s DNA Fingerprinting site

DNA Detective