Escape the Nucleus! (A Genetics Escape the Room Activity)

This genetics review activity is both very rigorous and very fun. I have taken advantage of the "escape the room" craze to create an online escape. This lesson should be at the end of a genetics unit, as it requires students to have the following knowledge and skills: 1. Dominant and recessive traits 2. Using Punnett Squares to determine offspring ratios 3. Chromosomal sex determination 4. Sex-linked recessive traits 5. Determining genotypes from pedigree charts 6. Reading gel electrophoresis results 7. DNA mutations 8. Protein synthesis.

Station one: First, students use a Punnett Squares to determine offspring ratios. They will then use these offspring ratios to find a secret escape code using a decoder.

Station Two: Students determine which individuals in a pedigree chart are carriers. Each carrier is labeled with a letter or number written in Morse Code. If they determine the carriers correctly, and translate the Morse Code message correctly, they will obtain the secret escape code to escape station two.

Station Three: Students must read gel electrophoresis results to obtain the correct directions for a grid map. By getting the correct answers and following the directions carefully, they will be able to move onto station four.

Station Four- Students will need to carefully mutate a set of DNA codons according to the directions included in station four. The mutated codons themselves are the secret escape code.

Station Five- Students will need to perform protein synthesis correctly to obtain the amino acid code to escape station five, and ESCAPE THE NUCLEUS!

Purchase includes a word file for easy editing and a pdf for easy printing. This file includes a teacher key. Please remind your students that their codes will have to be in all capital letters without spaces, or else they won't be able to escape!