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merry poptarts hohoho and enjoy the life of obesity, eating 10 poptarts per day. You'll look like Santa. <-- ohmygosh so mean!!!!
 * [[image:Screen_shot_2011-11-29_at_10.58.56_AM.png align="center"]] || **__ Dividing Cells __**  || [[image:Screen_shot_2011-11-29_at_11.01.54_AM.png align="center"]] ||

media type="file" key="dna-rna2.swf" align="center" width="360" height="270"

The Mitosis Song! media type="youtube" key="JHRBJgq50dk" height="315" width="420" URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHRBJgq50dk


 * Essential Question **

** What is the fact and fiction of the statement "DNA is like a tightly wound rubber band **   ** doing the same job as a hard drive in your computer" **

** 1.What is DNA and where is it found? **  ** DNA, another name for Deoxyribonucleic acid is one kind of nucleic acid, and is the genetic material that carries information about an organism and is passed from parent to offspring. The information in DNA also directs all of the cell's functions. Most of the DNA in a cell is found in the chromatin in the nucleus. **   ** 2.What does it look like (its structure) and what is it made from? **   **It is arranged into a double helix, and it comes in long strands called chromosomes. It can also be referred to as a “twisted ladder”. Each strand of DNA in a cell contains millions of pairs of molecular compounds called bases. The four chemicals that make up the DNA are thymine, guanine, cytosine, and adenine.** ** 3.How and why does it copy itself? **  ** The two sides of the DNA molecule unwind and separate. Then, the nitrogen bases pair up with the bases on each side of the DNA molecule. Then the The order of the bases in each new DNA molecule exactly matches the order in the original DNA. **   ** 4.What are genes and where are genes found? **  ** Genes are the factors that control a trait. They are located within the DNA strands of chromosomes. **




 * __ Essential Questions __**

** Compare and contrast a photocopier and a muscle cell? **   ** Compare and contrast chromosomes and playing cards? **   ** 1.What are the advantages + disadvantages of both sexual and asexual reproduction? **

** __Sexual:__ ** ** Advantages: ** - From the joining of two different individual, there can be genetic variations - Selective breeding--> able to favorably influence offspring - Allows natural selection ** Disadvantages: ** - Less population growth - Much slower process - Requires high energy use - Difficult to find a mate (in some species)  ** __Asexual:__ ** ** Advantages: ** - No need to find a mate  - Allows quick reproduction (doubling) for populations   - Less energy is required for reproduction ** Disadvantages: ** - Offspring is identical as the parent due to lack of genetic variation  - Possible for population to go extinct with major changes in the environment   ** 2.Name 3 organisms that reproduce sexually and 3 that reproduce asexually. ** ** Sexual: lions, dogs, cats. A **** sexual: sea sponges, bacteria, jellyfish. **   ** 3.What is the relationship between the cell cycle, mitosis and meiosis? **  Mitosis is part of the cell cycle. Meiosis is another process. These two ways of reproduction are not related. ** 4.What are the cell cycle and meiosis used for? **  ** The cell cycle is used for healing. If some cells are lost, the cell cycle is used to created more of the identical cells. Meiosis is used to make sex cells. Meiosis is for sexual reproduction, while the cell cycle is used for asexual reproduction. **   ** 5.What is similar about the cell cycle and meiosis? **  ** Both the cell cycle and meiosis are used for reproduction. **   ** 6.What is different about cell cycle and meiosis? **  ** The cell cycle creates identical cells, but in meiosis the new cells reproduced are not identical. **



**__ Resources Available __**

Foundation Science 2 – pp 48 – 53, 56 - 57
 * Textbook ** Prentice Hall – pp 18, 29, 55-62, and 92 - 98

"DNA, Genes, + Chromosomes" "Genes + Traits"
 * Videos ** Biology Essentials -"Genetics + Heredity: The Blueprint of Life"

Generations - "Mitosis and Meiosis" NeoSci - "Cell Division"

[|**www.brainpop.com**] ( saspuxi – 123456) – “Asexual Reproduction”, “DNA”, “Genes”, “Mitosis” [|**http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/index.html**] - do the “Tour of the Basics” – “What is DNA?” and “What is a Chromosome?” - do the “Build a DNA Molecule”
 * Websites **

[|**http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/tryit/dna/shockwave.html**]** - ** try copying DNA [|**http://www.stolaf.edu/people/giannini/flashanimat/molgenetics/dna-rna2.swf**]** - use Firefox - ** copying DNA movie (don’t worry about the fancy names)

[|**http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/baby/divi_flash.html**] - M&M compare + contrast [|**http://biologyinmotion.com/cell_division/**] - practice mitosis and meiosis [|**http://www.cellsalive.com/meiosis.htm**] - play movie or go frame by frame, use the magnifier [|**http://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/notebook/courses/guide/movie/meiosis.htm**]** - ** meiosis movie [|**www.explorelearning.com**] - (saspuxi – 123456) – “Building DNA” [|**http://activity.ntsec.gov.tw/lifeworld/english/genec_0.html**] - “Genetic Codes” then have a look at the different sections

[|**http://www.abpischools.org.uk/page/modules/genome/dna2.cfm?age=Age%20Range%2014-16&subject=Biology**] - Genes + DNA

[|**http://www.abpischools.org.uk/res/coResourceImport/resources04/cancer/index.cfm**] - Cell division and cancer

**__ Possibly Useful Images __**








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Remember that when two DNA molecules are joined together, each molecule is called a chromatid and the two of the molecules are called a duplicated chromosome. When a DNA molecule(and proteins) is not attached to another one then that single molecule of DNA is not a chromatid but an unduplicated chromosome.
 * Chromatid vs. Chromosome **