← HomeDNA My Name

Student worksheet

Turn Your Name Into DNA

Use DNA My Name to explore amino acid one-letter codes, DNA codons, and why more than one codon can encode the same amino acid.

Teacher setup

Use this worksheet with a class

Print or save the worksheet, then send students to the class start page so they can record their amino acid sequence and DNA codons.

Open class start
Student message: Go to https://www.dnamyname.com/class. Enter your first name. Record your amino acid sequence and DNA codons on the worksheet. Press Shuffle once and answer what changed.

Classroom flow

  1. Print or save this worksheet for students.
  2. Project the QR code or send students to dnamyname.com/class.
  3. Students enter a first name and record amino acids and DNA codons.
  4. Students press Shuffle once, then explain what changed and what stayed the same.

Name

________________________

Class

________________________

Date

________________________

1. Generate your sequence

  1. Go to dnamyname.com/class.
  2. Enter your first name and select DNA My Name.
  3. Record the amino acids and DNA codons shown in your result.
QR code to open DNA My Name classroom start page

2. Read the codon table

Use the codon reference table to answer these questions.

  1. Choose one amino acid from your name. Which DNA codons can encode it?
  2. Which amino acid in your name has the most codon options?
  3. Find one amino acid with only one codon. Why might that be biologically important?

3. Test codon degeneracy

  1. Press Shuffle once and record one highlighted codon pair that changed.
  2. Did your amino acid sequence change? Explain why or why not.
  3. How does this model show that DNA can change without changing the protein?
Remember: DNA My Name uses real codon biology, but your result is a fictional classroom model. It is not your real genetic sequence.