For immediate release
News Release from
Canadian Federation of University Women –
Cranbrook Club
DNA Presentation by CFUW Member
Recently at one of the CFUW Cranbrook monthly meetings, member Ann Rice designed a program she hopes
to use for a grade 7/8 science class presentation about DNA.
Ann is a retired Biology teacher from College of the Rockies where she taught for 30 years. “It was not until the
1960s that DNA was taught as part of the general science curriculum in schools,” said Ann, “even though
scientists all over the world, but especially in Germany, started studying it in earnest in 1869.”
DNA stands for DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID. DNA is found in the nucleus of
every living cell of mammals and in the nuclei of all other cell types; from ameba
to moss to pine trees to gold fish. DNA molecules are the masters of the cell,
they control the activity of the cell every millisecond of its life. DNA is also known
as the genetic material, and each strand of DNA in a cell is a chromosome. A
very specific section of a strand of DNA that controls one cell function is called a
gene.
DNA strands, more properly called molecules, are made up of building blocks
called nucleotides which are linked into long chains which make up the DNA
molecules. These chains can be hundreds of thousands of nucleotides in length.
Interestingly, there are only four types of nucleotides used in the building of any
DNA building block of every species from bacteria, pine trees to you! Each DNA
molecule is actually two strands of nucleotides held together by hydrogen bonds.
However, they are not paired up haphazardly, but rather in only one way. Ann
used excellent working tools to demonstrate this: red & blue gloves & mittens
with the labels of the nucleotides on the mittens and gloves, and showed how they are linked together.
The group then had the fun lab of extracting DNA from strawberries and the results
are pictured here. The entire club enjoyed all her handouts on DNA, how to create
a DNA strand model from paper and the use of visual tools. We are sure the grade
7/8 classes she presents this to will thoroughly enjoy their learning of DNA.
The Cranbrook Club has 12 members locally and is a member of CFUW National,
a non-political, voluntary, self-funded, bilingual and non-governmental organization
of women university graduates in 110 clubs across Canada that works to improve
the status of women and girls, education, peace, justice and human rights. CFUW
holds special consultative status at the United Nations (ECOSOC) and belongs to
the Sectoral Committee of education of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO.
CFUW is the largest of 61 national affiliates of the International Federation of
University Women (IFUW).
www.cfuw-cranbrook.com