The building blocks of living organisms are the nucleic Minds on: Performance Task:

acids. They serve as the blueprint of life they are

responsible in encoding, transmitting, and expressing The Create a 100-word
genetic information. students essay titled,
will make “Nucleic Acid:
an online The Blueprint of
Nucleic acids are formed from polymerization of research Life”. The essay
nucleotides. Each nucleotide has three components: about the should give
structural emphasis on the
1. A phosphoric acid molecule phosphate (PO43-); formulas of structure,
2. A five carbon sugar molecule, pentose; and the composition, and
3. A molecule of a nitrogen-containing base. following importance of
(p. 359) nucleotides: Nucleic Acids to
thymine, the cell’s bodily
There are two types of nucleic acids. These are the adenine, function.
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). cytosine,
and Standards:
guanine.
The students will
DNA RNA
Hands on: be graded based on
the following
Deoxyribonucleic Ribonucleic acid The criteria:
acid students
will make a a. Organizatio
Definition A nucleic acid that The information model of n of ideas
contains the genetic found in DNA the b. Content
instructions used in determines which nucleotides c. Argument
the development and traits are to be they have d. Spelling
functioning of all created, activated, researched. and
modern living or deactivated, They will Grammar
organisms. DNA's while the various use
genes are expressed, forms of RNA do polystyrene (Refer to Rubrics 4
or manifested, the work. balls, in the appendices)
through the proteins plastic
that its nucleotides cups, or
produce with the discarded Traditional
help of RNA. materials of
their Identify the word
Function The blueprint of Helps carry out choice. in each number.
biological guidelines DNA's blueprint
that a living guidelines. ______1. A
organism must Transfers genetic Authentic: nucleic acid that
follow to exist and code needed for contains the
remain functional. the creation of The genetic instructions
Medium of long- proteins from the students used in the
term, stable storage nucleus to the will add development and
 color to functioning of all
and transmission of ribosome. their modern living
genetic information. nucleotide organisms.
model for
Structure Double-stranded. It Single-stranded. presentatio _____2. They
has two nucleotide Like DNA, RNA n. serve as the
strands which is composed of its blueprint of life
consist of its phosphate group, they are
phosphate group, five-carbon sugar Hands on: responsible in
five-carbon sugar (the less stable encoding,
(the stable 2- ribose), and four The transmitting, and
deoxyribose), and nitrogen- students expressing genetic
four nitrogen- containing will be information.
containing nucleobases: grouped
nucleobases: adenine, uracil and they _____3. It is
adenine, thymine, (not thymine), will composed of its
cytosine, and guanine, and conduct an phosphate group,
guanine. cytosine. experiment five-carbon sugar
on (the less stable
Base Adenine links to Adenine links to extraction ribose), and four
Pairing thymine (A-T) and uracil (A-U) and of DNA nitrogen-
cytosine links to cytosine links to from containing
guanine (C-G). guanine (C-G). banana nucleobases
using
Location DNA is found in the Depending on the household
nucleus of a cell and type of RNA, this reagents. _____4.
in mitochondria. molecule is found Comprised of
in a cell's nucleus, Minds on: adenine (A) and
its cytoplasm, and guanine (G)
its ribosome. The
students ____5. Comprised
Stability Deoxyribose sugar Ribose sugar is will analyze of thymine (T),
in DNA is less more reactive the data cytosine (C), and
reactive because of because of C-OH obtained uracil (U).
C-H bonds. Stable in (hydroxyl) bonds. from the
alkaline conditions. Not stable in experiment.
DNA has smaller alkaline Key to correction:
grooves, which conditions. RNA
makes it harder for has larger grooves, Authentic: 1. DNA
enzymes to "attack." which makes it 2. Nucleic
easier to be The acids
"attacked" by students 3. RNA
enzymes. will design 4. Purine
their own bases
Propagatio DNA is self- RNA is experiment 5. Pyrimidine
n replicating. synthesized from on bases
 extraction
DNA when of DNA
needed. using the
material of
Unique The helix geometry The helix their
Features of DNA is of B- geometry of RNA choice.
Form. DNA is is of A-Form.
protected in the RNA strands are
nucleus, as it is continually made,
tightly packed. DNA broken down and
can be damaged by reused. RNA is
exposure to ultra- more resistant to
violet rays. damage by Ultra-
violet rays.

(pp. 359-360)

Deoxyribonucleic acid is different from RNA due to the

sugar molecule that they contain. RNA contains the sugar
ribose while DNA contains a sugar known as deoxyribose.
The prefix deoxy- indicates a removal of oxygen atom.
(p. 360)

One prominent feature of DNA is its double-helix

structure. A double helix has two chains of DNA that are
coiled together in such a way that the bases are in the
interior of the coils.
There are two purine bases. These are the adenine (A) and
guanine (G). on the other hand, there are three pyrimidine
bases. These are the thymine (T), cytosine (C), and uracil
(U). the latter is not found in DNA but in RNA.

In a DNA structure, A and T complement each other like

the G and C does. When a cell divides, the DNA double
helix comes apart. Each chain contains the same genetic
information and becomes a template for the production of
a new complementary chain. This process is known as
genetic replication.

Ribonucleic acid, unlike DNA, is single stranded. There

are three types of RNA. These are the transfer RNA
(tRNA), messenger RNA (mRNA), and ribosomal RNA
(rRNA). They are all essential in the process of building
proteins from DNA.

RNA employs the same base pairing as DNA except for

thymine , which is replaced by uracil.

The three bases of a code are known as codon, and their

complementary in tRNA are called anticodon.
(pp.361-363)