Building Life's Molecules: Macromolecules, Enzymes & Biochemical Reactions
Shared by A STEM Educator
Students will be able to distinguish the structure and biological function of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids; model dehydration synthesis and hydrolysis; and explain enzyme action and the effects of temperature and pH on reaction kinetics using lock-and-key and induced-fit models.
Lesson Overview
Students explore the four major biological macromolecules, how monomers assemble into polymers via dehydration synthesis and break apart via hydrolysis, and how enzymes catalyze reactions — including how temperature and pH affect enzyme function.
Materials
- Paper
- Pencils
- Whiteboard and markers
- Basic calculator or phone
Scaffolded Task Progression
(a) How many water molecules were released building a 6-monomer chain?(b) How many water molecules are needed to completely break that chain back into individual monomers? Show your reasoning.
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