Recombinant DNA workflow, restriction enzymes, ligation, transformation safety.
Your PLTW coursework: Biomedical Innovation ▸ Problem 6: Molecular Biology in Action ▸ "Activity 6.1.1 Restriction Enzyme Challenge"
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. Find it in Clever with your Microsoft sign-in, right next to Schoology.
Week overview - Recombinant DNA Workflow: cutting, joining, and moving genes safely
Map the from cut through ligation and , and set up the practices that make it possible.
- 1In your notebook, list the steps in order: cut, join, insert, grow.
- 2Define , , , and in your own words.
- 3Draw a and mark where a would cut to open it.
- 4Show how joins a gene of interest into the opened .
- 5Run the virtual cloning and record each step you complete.
- 6List two practices required when working with engineered organisms.
- • You will be able to sequence the steps.
- • You will be able to explain the role of restriction enzymes and .
- • You will be able to state 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.
outline with four ordered steps, named or reagent for each, specificity explanation, and positive/ identification with 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 and the rules that surround it.
- Monday bioethics debate fits: should there be limits on engineering organisms for human use?
- Reminder: your graded cloning is submitted on the class site.
Your PLTW coursework this week
Do this: Advance your PLTW molecular biology problem by completing the and plan in the online course shell.
- • Restriction enzymes cut DNA at specific sequences and joins fragments.
- • A carries a gene of interest into a competent host cell.
- • Sequence the steps of a .
- • State the practices for working with engineered organisms.
📋 PLTW evidence due: a completed diagram and a cloning 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday | Fri, Apr 30 | Engineered organism debate | One sentence stating whether engineered-organism benefit justifies biosafety risk, with a specific reason grounded in containment or patient benefit. |
| Monday | Mon, May 3 | 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.
2 panels from the illustrated semester.
Fiction. There is no such student. The lessons, labs and dates are the real planned course; the student, the classmates and the conversations are invented.
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 Clever, then myPLTWHow to get there: open Clever and sign in with your Microsoft (district) account. Both myPLTW and Schoology are in Clever. Do the activity in myPLTW. Turn the work in on this site or hand it to Mr. Mendoza, because that is the step that counts as submitted. Schoology only shows your report-card grade later.
You can't do those from home: do this instead: Virtual cloning .
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
Teacher-posted resources
Classroom documents for this lesson are posted in Schoology. Open Clever, then Schoology, and find each one by the name shown on its card.
Open this when the class reaches this activity and use it to complete the required lesson artifact.
Placement rationale
Matched Molecular biology and cloning by path:Biomedical-Innovations/Problem-6_Molecular-Biology/00_Problem-Overview; keywords:molecular biology, . 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 and cloning by path:Biomedical-Innovations/Problem-6_Molecular-Biology/6.1_Molecular-Biology; keywords:, 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 and cloning by path:Biomedical-Innovations/Problem-6_Molecular-Biology/6.1_Molecular-Biology; keywords:, cloning. Score 142. Visibility: student-schoology (student-facing resource; link through Schoology rather than local path).
How to get there: open Clever and sign in with your Microsoft (district) account. Both myPLTW and Schoology are in Clever. Do the activity in myPLTW. Turn the work in on this site or hand it to Mr. Mendoza, because that is the step that counts as submitted. Schoology only shows your report-card grade later.