Macromolecules
Macromolecule project:
Our first project was about macromolecules and learning what each of them are and what they do for our body. We all researched one macromolecule and created a digital poster on them. We included pictures, facts, foods that they're found in, and their functions in our bodies. Then we came together and shared our visual representations so that we all learned about each macromolecule.
Murder in a Meal:
For this project we had to analyze the meal of the victim who was murdered by one of three restaurants. The victim loved to eat at Old Chicago Pizza, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Biaggi's Restaurante Italiano. This lead us to believe that one of these restaurants murdered this person. After using indicator solutions and finding what macromolecules were in his stomach, we concluded that Biaggi's Restaurante Italiano killed the victim since there was no protein found in his autopsy, only carbs and lipids which are both found in his usual meal at the Biaggi's.
Content:
Macromolecules- molecules that are composed of thousands of atoms or more. They are made up of small singular units called monomers. A bunch of monomers make up a polymer. The 4 main macromolecules are proteins, carbohydrates, nucleic acids, and lipids. They are important cellular components and each of their functions are necessary for the growth and survival of living organisms. Both projects were based off of these macromolecules. We created digital posters of them for the first macromolecule project, and for murder in a meal we used the information we knew about macromolecules and indicator solutions to find what restaurant murdered the guy.
Indicator solutions- an indicator solution is a substance that changes color in response to a chemical change. It helps us figure out if there is a certain macromolecule in a food or drink. A different indicator solution corresponds to each macromolecule, so when you put the solution in foods or drinks they'll change colors. Certain colors show a positive result while others show a negative one. We used indicator solutions in our food lab we did (electronically) and we also used them in our murder in a meal project in order to find the murderer results. We looked at everything in the victim's stomach and used indicator solutions to see what he had eaten right before he died.
Carbohydrates- Carbs are the sugars, starches and fibers found in fruits, bread, grains, etc. They're a source of energy for the body. We used carbs in every project we did about macromolecules. We researched them and also analyzed them in food.
Proteins- Proteins are large molecules that our cells need to function properly. The structure and function of our bodies depend on proteins. They are essential to building muscle mass. We also used proteins in both projects. We got to learn about them and then analyze them in the murder in a meal project.
Lipids- Lipids are fat-like substances found in your blood and body tissues. They make up the building blocks of the structure and function of living cells. They are an essential essential component of the cell membrane. Lipids were used in each project as well. We researched about them and checked the victim's stomach for them too.
Nucleic acids- Nucleic acids are present in living cells, especially DNA or RNA. They work in the cell to store and express genetic information. We used nucleic acids in the murder in a meal project and the digital poster project. We created one poster just for nucleic acids, and then looked for them in the autopsy of the victim who was murdered.
Monomer- a monomer is a single molecule and they make up polymers and macromolecules. In our first macromolecule project, we had to include the monomer of each macromolecule. protein: amino acid, carbohydrate: monosaccharide, lipid: fatty acid, and nucleic acid: nucleotide.
Polymer- a polymer is a chain of monomers. We used polymers in our first project because we had to research the macromolecules and find the polymer of each and the info to our digital posters. protein: polypeptide, nucleic acid: DNA and RNA, lipid: phospholipid or lipid, and carbohydrate: polysaccharide.
Reflection:
Both of these projects were really fun and I learned a lot from them both. I didn't know much about macromolecules before, but now I know a lot and I have been looking at my food differently ever since I learned about them. My group for the macromolecule digital posters was Mahalia, Charley, and Gabby. I liked that project since we got to research macromolecules and that is where I learned mostly everything. But I loved the murder in a meal project more because it was just more fun. My group for that one was James and Jack. I liked how we got to be investigators for a day and use evidence from the murder and analyze it all in order to come up with a verdict on who murdered the victim.
Two of the 6 C's that we did well in were definitely conscientious learning and collaboration. We did good with conscientious learning because of our time management skills. We used our time wisely during the murder in a meal project and were able to get all of our work done super fast. We also excelled in collaboration during that project because we put all of our ideas together and talked to one another which contributed to our timing skills.
However, two C's that my other group and I could've improved on were communication and collaboration. During our breakout room, we barely talked to each other and that made it difficult to learn about their macromolecules since we all did our own. Collaboration is another thing we could've done better in. I definitely could've stepped up and been a leader in this group since none of us were talking or sharing ideas. For these reasons, I did poor in this category and could've been better.