Recombinant DNA workflow, restriction enzymes, ligation, transformation safety.
What to do if absent- CER:
- Claim, Evidence, Reasoning — make a claim, back it with evidence, explain your reasoning.
- SOP:
- Standard Operating Procedure — the exact steps to follow (especially in a lab).
- Tracker:
- Your PLTW progress log where you record completed evidence.
- myPLTW:
- The PLTW course site where you do the online activities — you open it through Schoology.
Week overview - Recombinant DNA Workflow: cutting, joining, and moving genes safely
Map the recombinant DNA workflow from restriction enzyme cut through ligation and transformation, and set up the safety practices that make it possible.
- 1In your notebook, list the recombinant DNA steps in order: cut, join, insert, grow.
- 2Define restriction enzyme, ligase, plasmid, and competent cell in your own words.
- 3Draw a plasmid and mark where a restriction enzyme would cut to open it.
- 4Show how ligase joins a gene of interest into the opened plasmid.
- 5Run the virtual cloning workflow and record each step you complete.
- 6List two safety practices required when working with engineered organisms.
- • You will be able to sequence the recombinant DNA workflow steps.
- • You will be able to explain the role of restriction enzymes and ligase.
- • You will be able to state safety practices for cloning work.
Daily lessons this week
Open any day for its full lesson, the work due that day, and guided notes.
One sentence stating whether engineered-organism benefit justifies biosafety risk, with a specific reason grounded in containment or patient benefit.
Recombinant DNA workflow outline with four ordered steps, named enzyme or reagent for each, restriction enzyme specificity explanation, and positive/negative control identification with safety rationale.
Quick intro to the week
- Hook: scientists can cut a gene from one organism and paste it into another, and today you learn how that is done safely.
- Today's goal: walk the full cloning workflow and the safety rules that surround it.
- Monday bioethics debate fits: should there be limits on engineering organisms for human use?
- Reminder: your graded cloning workflow is submitted in the PLTW course shell.
Your PLTW coursework this week
Do this: Advance your PLTW molecular biology problem by completing the recombinant DNA workflow and safety plan in the online course shell.
- • Restriction enzymes cut DNA at specific sequences and ligase joins fragments.
- • A plasmid carries a gene of interest into a competent host cell.
- • Sequence the steps of a recombinant DNA workflow.
- • State the safety practices for working with engineered organisms.
📋 PLTW evidence due: a completed recombinant DNA workflow diagram and a cloning safety plan in the course shell.
All PLTW activities are completed inside the PLTW course environment — this page only gives direction.
This week's PLTW tracker
Your week at a glance. Check off each deliverable as you finish it, then submit so Mr. Mendoza can see how the class is pacing.
Use the code Mr. Mendoza gave you, not your name. Saved on this device.
| Day | Date | Focus | Key deliverable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Fri, Apr 16 | Engineered organism debate | One sentence stating whether engineered-organism benefit justifies biosafety risk, with a specific reason grounded in containment or patient benefit. |
| Tuesday | Mon, Apr 19 | Workflow notes and controls | Recombinant DNA workflow outline with four ordered steps, named enzyme or reagent for each, restriction enzyme specificity explanation, and positive/negative control identification with safety rationale. |
- M: engineered organism debate and workflow notes
- T: control rationale
- W–F: no school
Due by week's end: Molecular workflow plan.
Lab day — what to bring & watch
This explainer accompanies the PLTW lab protocol — watch it before lab.
What to do when absent
Most days, this class is your PLTW coursework — and PLTW is online and individual. So being out usually just means doing exactly what we did in class, from home.
Open Schoology (CMSD) and keep goingHow to get there: open the CMSD website, click Clever, sign in with your Microsoft (district) account, then open Schoology from Clever.
You can't do those from home — do this instead: Virtual cloning workflow.
Class still runs. A substitute will post today's plan — complete the online activity above; it's built to be self-guided. Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:
Learn.Genetics (University of Utah): cloning and recombinant DNAVocabulary
Virtual resources
Teacher-posted resources
Classroom documents for this lesson. Ones marked “Open the file” open right here; the rest are posted in Schoology. Use the label on each card to choose the right move.
Open this when the class reaches this activity and use it to complete the required lesson artifact.
Placement rationale
Matched Molecular biology workflow and cloning by path:Biomedical-Innovations/Problem-6_Molecular-Biology/00_Problem-Overview; keywords:molecular biology, recombinant dna. Score 146. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
Open this when the class reaches this activity and use it to complete the required lesson artifact.
Placement rationale
Matched Molecular biology workflow and cloning by path:Biomedical-Innovations/Problem-6_Molecular-Biology/6.1_Molecular-Biology; keywords:recombinant dna, cloning. Score 142. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
Use this if you were absent, got stuck, or need another pass before you submit the lesson artifact.
Placement rationale
Matched Molecular biology workflow and cloning by path:Biomedical-Innovations/Problem-6_Molecular-Biology/6.1_Molecular-Biology; keywords:recombinant dna, cloning. Score 142. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
How to get there: open the CMSD website, click Clever, sign in with your Microsoft (district) account, then open Schoology from Clever.
Standards this week
WebXam practice
Drop your Week 13 here. Use a clear file name (your initials + project). Routine work still goes to Schoology (via the CMSD portal).
Upload a project