Summary

One of the things that I have noticed in teaching first year Biology is that the traditional way of instruction involves teaching each unit as a discrete chunk of information, for the most part unrelated to the rest of the material and without much application. This is not a successful way to get our students to learn and understand the material, and definitely is not the way to increase their interest in the sciences.

The goal of these lessons, packaged under the title "A Day in the Life of a Protein," is to select an example that is not only real world, but also is connected to many of the topics taught in the course. The specific protein used here is Hemoglobin A, looking at the mutation leading to sickle cell anemia. Other proteins could be substituted into this model as needed.

Curriculum Units

• Chemistry of Life
• DNA and Protein Synthesis
• Genetics
• DNA Technology and Human Genetics
• Evolution and Natural Selection
• Human Body Systems