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Escape the Mad Scientist's Lab! (A Biotechnology Escape Room Activity)
Embark on an exhilarating biotechnological adventure with this captivating escape room!
In a race against time, students find themselves trapped in Dr. Znorgberg's diabolical laboratory, armed only with their acquired biotechnology prowess. The fate of the world hangs in the balance as they strive to outsmart the nefarious scientist and his impending clone army.
This dynamic review activity seamlessly combines rigor with excitement, taking a page from the popular "escape the room" trend to create an immersive online experience. Designed to cap off a comprehensive biotechnology unit, students will put their knowledge to the test in five thrilling stations:
Gel Electrophoresis Challenge (Station One): Unravel the mysteries of gel electrophoresis results to unveil a crucial shape. Armed with a decoder ring, students decode the escape sequence, setting the stage for their ultimate breakout.
Artificial Selection Maze (Station Two): Navigate through a maze of choices by answering multiple-choice questions on artificial selection. Each correct answer leads them closer to freedom, as they decipher the escape path to victory.
Cloning Conundrum (Station Three): Distinguish between examples of cloning and non-cloning scenarios. As students make their choices, they compile a binary code that will serve as their key to liberation.
Recombinant DNA Quest (Station Four): Tackle questions about recombinant DNA, unlocking vital pieces of the escape code as they progress.
GMO Cipher Challenge (Station Five): Armed with newfound knowledge of GMOs, students merge two sections of code using a cunning "zig-zag cipher." The decoded solution guides them to the final step: deciphering their escape code with the help of an alphabet grid.
This biotechnology escape activity is more than a review—it's an adrenaline-pumping journey that empowers students to apply their knowledge in a thrilling race against time. Unleash their inner biotechnologists and lead them to victory in this high-stakes adventure! Don't wait, for every second counts in this battle against Dr. Znorgberg!
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!
Grade Recommendation
Middle School (advanced): Grades 7–8
Works well for accelerated life science or regents-aligned middle school biology classes.
Students will need some prior exposure to DNA, traits, and simple biotechnology.
High School: Grades 9–10
Ideal for Biology, Living Environment, Intro to Biotechnology, or Genetics units.
Concepts mirror core Regents Living Environment content, especially biotechnology laboratory skills.
Cross-Curricular Connections and/or Extensions
Cross-Curricular Connections
ELA: Students analyze diagrams, interpret test results, and decode instructions across multiple stations.
Math: Binary decoding, ratios in bacterial reproduction, and pattern-based cipher solving.
Computer Science: Binary code, pattern recognition, and algorithmic thinking (especially in the cloning and zig-zag cipher stations).
Forensics: Gel electrophoresis for crime investigation and paternity analysis.
Ethics / Social Studies: Discussion around GMOs, cloning, recombinant DNA, and biotechnology regulation.
Extension Options
Students create their own biotechnology-themed escape stations.
Debate extension: “Should cloning be legal?”, “Are GMOs ethical?”
Lab extension: Run a classroom model of electrophoresis (paper or wet-lab).
Join the Lesson Laboratory and Teach for Tomorrow!
NGSS Standards (Including CCCs and SEPs)
Performance Expectations
Middle School NGSS
MS-LS3-1: Develop and use models to describe why structural changes to genes may affect proteins.
MS-LS3-2: Develop and use a model to describe why asexual reproduction produces identical offspring while sexual reproduction creates variation.
MS-LS4-4: Construct an explanation based on evidence that genetic variations increase survival likelihood.
High School NGSS
HS-LS1-1: Explain how DNA structure determines protein structure and function.
HS-LS1-4: Use a model to illustrate how mitosis and differentiation produce complex organisms. (Cloning station)
HS-LS3-1: Ask questions about how DNA and chromosomes code for traits.
HS-LS3-2: Make and defend a claim relating genetic variation to mutation, meiosis, and reproduction.
HS-LS3-3: Apply concepts of statistics and probability to traits in populations. (Artificial selection station)
HS-LS4-5: Evaluate evidence that humans influence evolution through artificial selection. (Artificial selection station)
HS-LS4-6: Create or revise simulations to test solutions for genetic modification challenges.
HS-ETS1-2: Break down complex problems into manageable, solvable parts. (Escape room structure)
Science & Engineering Practices (SEPs)
Analyzing and Interpreting Data: Gel electrophoresis interpretation, inheriting patterns, allele identification.
Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking: Binary translation, bacterial doubling, nucleotide pattern recognition.
Constructing Explanations: Students justify which samples match electrophoresis data.
Developing and Using Models: Artificial selection models, cloning models, recombinant DNA steps.
Engaging in Argument from Evidence: Students must defend conclusions about related species and paternity.
Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs)
Patterns: Recognizing band patterns in gels; structural similarity in species; binary coding patterns.
Cause and Effect: How genetic modifications cause phenotypic outcomes; how selection alters traits.
Structure and Function:
DNA → protein → trait
Restriction enzyme recognition sites
Plasmid engineering
Systems & System Models:
Biotechnology as an interconnected system
GMOs as multi-organism systems combining genes
Energy and Matter:
Bacterial reproduction in recombinant DNA station
Stability and Change:
How artificial selection and genetic engineering change populations.
Common Core Standards (if they apply)
ELA
RST.9-10.3: Follow complex multistep procedures (biotech processes & decoding).
RST.9-10.7: Interpret visual information (gels, charts, plasmid diagrams).
RST.9-10.9: Compare and contrast findings from multiple texts/diagrams.
WHST.9-10.1: Construct explanations using evidence (gel electrophoresis analyses).
Math
MP.2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively (binary, codon counting, bacterial doubling).
MP.4: Model with mathematics (recombinant DNA steps, exponential growth).
HSS.ID.A.1: Represent data with graphs and analyze distributions (artificial selection station).
Embark on an exhilarating biotechnological adventure with this captivating escape room!
In a race against time, students find themselves trapped in Dr. Znorgberg's diabolical laboratory, armed only with their acquired biotechnology prowess. The fate of the world hangs in the balance as they strive to outsmart the nefarious scientist and his impending clone army.
This dynamic review activity seamlessly combines rigor with excitement, taking a page from the popular "escape the room" trend to create an immersive online experience. Designed to cap off a comprehensive biotechnology unit, students will put their knowledge to the test in five thrilling stations:
Gel Electrophoresis Challenge (Station One): Unravel the mysteries of gel electrophoresis results to unveil a crucial shape. Armed with a decoder ring, students decode the escape sequence, setting the stage for their ultimate breakout.
Artificial Selection Maze (Station Two): Navigate through a maze of choices by answering multiple-choice questions on artificial selection. Each correct answer leads them closer to freedom, as they decipher the escape path to victory.
Cloning Conundrum (Station Three): Distinguish between examples of cloning and non-cloning scenarios. As students make their choices, they compile a binary code that will serve as their key to liberation.
Recombinant DNA Quest (Station Four): Tackle questions about recombinant DNA, unlocking vital pieces of the escape code as they progress.
GMO Cipher Challenge (Station Five): Armed with newfound knowledge of GMOs, students merge two sections of code using a cunning "zig-zag cipher." The decoded solution guides them to the final step: deciphering their escape code with the help of an alphabet grid.
This biotechnology escape activity is more than a review—it's an adrenaline-pumping journey that empowers students to apply their knowledge in a thrilling race against time. Unleash their inner biotechnologists and lead them to victory in this high-stakes adventure! Don't wait, for every second counts in this battle against Dr. Znorgberg!
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!
Grade Recommendation
Middle School (advanced): Grades 7–8
Works well for accelerated life science or regents-aligned middle school biology classes.
Students will need some prior exposure to DNA, traits, and simple biotechnology.
High School: Grades 9–10
Ideal for Biology, Living Environment, Intro to Biotechnology, or Genetics units.
Concepts mirror core Regents Living Environment content, especially biotechnology laboratory skills.
Cross-Curricular Connections and/or Extensions
Cross-Curricular Connections
ELA: Students analyze diagrams, interpret test results, and decode instructions across multiple stations.
Math: Binary decoding, ratios in bacterial reproduction, and pattern-based cipher solving.
Computer Science: Binary code, pattern recognition, and algorithmic thinking (especially in the cloning and zig-zag cipher stations).
Forensics: Gel electrophoresis for crime investigation and paternity analysis.
Ethics / Social Studies: Discussion around GMOs, cloning, recombinant DNA, and biotechnology regulation.
Extension Options
Students create their own biotechnology-themed escape stations.
Debate extension: “Should cloning be legal?”, “Are GMOs ethical?”
Lab extension: Run a classroom model of electrophoresis (paper or wet-lab).
Join the Lesson Laboratory and Teach for Tomorrow!
NGSS Standards (Including CCCs and SEPs)
Performance Expectations
Middle School NGSS
MS-LS3-1: Develop and use models to describe why structural changes to genes may affect proteins.
MS-LS3-2: Develop and use a model to describe why asexual reproduction produces identical offspring while sexual reproduction creates variation.
MS-LS4-4: Construct an explanation based on evidence that genetic variations increase survival likelihood.
High School NGSS
HS-LS1-1: Explain how DNA structure determines protein structure and function.
HS-LS1-4: Use a model to illustrate how mitosis and differentiation produce complex organisms. (Cloning station)
HS-LS3-1: Ask questions about how DNA and chromosomes code for traits.
HS-LS3-2: Make and defend a claim relating genetic variation to mutation, meiosis, and reproduction.
HS-LS3-3: Apply concepts of statistics and probability to traits in populations. (Artificial selection station)
HS-LS4-5: Evaluate evidence that humans influence evolution through artificial selection. (Artificial selection station)
HS-LS4-6: Create or revise simulations to test solutions for genetic modification challenges.
HS-ETS1-2: Break down complex problems into manageable, solvable parts. (Escape room structure)
Science & Engineering Practices (SEPs)
Analyzing and Interpreting Data: Gel electrophoresis interpretation, inheriting patterns, allele identification.
Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking: Binary translation, bacterial doubling, nucleotide pattern recognition.
Constructing Explanations: Students justify which samples match electrophoresis data.
Developing and Using Models: Artificial selection models, cloning models, recombinant DNA steps.
Engaging in Argument from Evidence: Students must defend conclusions about related species and paternity.
Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs)
Patterns: Recognizing band patterns in gels; structural similarity in species; binary coding patterns.
Cause and Effect: How genetic modifications cause phenotypic outcomes; how selection alters traits.
Structure and Function:
DNA → protein → trait
Restriction enzyme recognition sites
Plasmid engineering
Systems & System Models:
Biotechnology as an interconnected system
GMOs as multi-organism systems combining genes
Energy and Matter:
Bacterial reproduction in recombinant DNA station
Stability and Change:
How artificial selection and genetic engineering change populations.
Common Core Standards (if they apply)
ELA
RST.9-10.3: Follow complex multistep procedures (biotech processes & decoding).
RST.9-10.7: Interpret visual information (gels, charts, plasmid diagrams).
RST.9-10.9: Compare and contrast findings from multiple texts/diagrams.
WHST.9-10.1: Construct explanations using evidence (gel electrophoresis analyses).
Math
MP.2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively (binary, codon counting, bacterial doubling).
MP.4: Model with mathematics (recombinant DNA steps, exponential growth).
HSS.ID.A.1: Represent data with graphs and analyze distributions (artificial selection station).