3c: Engaging Students in Learning and 1b: Demonstrating Knowledge of Students with Protein model made from a baby toy

Continuing with the theme...

In my last post I showed a blood model that I use to help my students understand that oxygenated blood tends to be a red color and deoxygenated blood tends to have a deep red color with the blood model.

blood models

Here is another way I use simple materials to demonstrate a concept to my students. I use baby pop-it beads to show the relationship between amino acids and proteins. 

  

Each bead represents an amino acid (I wrote the names of different amino acids on each in permanent marker) and a long chain of them represents a protein.

    I keep my eyes pealed for these babies at garage sales because eventually someday I would like to have so many "amino acids" that I can make a protein chain that is long enough to twist and make a shape that would be a better representative of a protein's tertiary structure.

What do you use as models in your class?

originally posted on ballinwithballing.blogspot.com