Unit 5 Reflection

This unit was about the copying of DNA and what factors contribute to it. The copied DNA is called mRNA. DNA is the master copy and RNA is the copy of the copy. The factory that makes the DNA copies is called the operon. We also learned about how mutations occur and what a flaw in the DNA or RNA system can cause. I under stood most of this information very well and could explain parts of it to another person. Some of my weaknesses are remembering the names of parts that are involved in making DNA, and decoding DNA into RNA. I can work on both of these by going over the unit again and studying. I will be able to decode DNA quite easily if i just ask for help and practice remembering the substitutes for the letters that are in DNA. Some of my strengths in this unit were understanding the processes of replication and copying such as semi conservative replication. The major concepts i learned from this unit were DNA replication, translation and walking the dogma. After i went to Mr. Elliot for help on how to walk the dogma and understand how to translate DNA into RNA language everything else became easier. I feel that at the end of this unit i am now a better student with even more knowledge to share with others. One thing that i would have liked to learn more about, or go into deeper detail with would be mutations. Its very interesting how even the smallest flaw can affect a human in such a big way. This unit was very helpful to my understanding of how DNA is copied and how it is used. Overall this was a great unit for my personal needs and understandings, and i feel i am a better student today than i was a week ago.