DNA Base Pairing Activity

Introduction: ​DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and almost all 
other organisms. Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA. Most DNA is located in the 
cell nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the 
mitochondria (where it is called mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA). 
 
The information in DNA is stored as a code made up of four chemical bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), 
cytosine (C), and thymine (T). Human DNA consists of about 3 billion bases, and more than 99 percent of 
those bases are the same in all people. The order, or sequence, of these bases determines the information 
available for building and maintaining an organism, similar to the way in which letters of the alphabet appear 
in a certain order to form words and sentences. 
 
● Cut out the DNA bases on your table.   
1. Look at the DNA bases (ACTG), what observations can you make about them? (How do they look?) 

There are in different shape and sizes  

 
Base Pairing Rule: 
2. Certain DNA bases always go together, this is called the ​base pairing rule​. Fill in the blanks with the 
correct abbreviation (ACGT).  
A​ always goes with​ T  
G​ always goes with ​C 
3. Why do the DNA bases pair up together? 

the pair together because there shape a way that make the other dna base fits  
 
4. we are going to see how the DNA fit together to form  
a. Color all the DNA bases G (Guanine)- Blue, C (Cytosine)- Green, T (Thymine)- Red, and A 
(Adenosine)- Yellow. \ 
b. Fit the individual bases on the quarter sheet like a puzzle. Don’t glue them on top of other 
bases.  
c. Take a picture of the product and insert it below 
i. (Insert, image, take a snapshot) 
  
 
Directions: ​Watch this Amoeba Sisters’ Video in the classroom via ​edpuzzle​. You will have to log in with 
your school account.  
 
 
Directions​: Answer the following critical thinking questions 
5. Suppose you looked at the sequence (order) of DNA bases of two different people from this class, how 
do you think the sequence would compare?  
 

The sequence would compare because it controls our traits and some of us have similar traits like 
brown hair brown eyes or similar height  
 
6. Suppose you looked at the sequence (order) of the DNA bases of two identical twins, how do you think 
the sequence would compare?  
 

the sequence would compare because they have almost all the same traits like same hair and eye color 
or the same skin color  
 
7. Summary: Describe DNA in as much detail as possible. Use the words: DNA bases, A, T, C, G, base 
pairing rule, and double helix.  
 

DNA is the blueprint for life because it controls all of our traits and all of your cells contain your entire 
DNA code, In DNA the D stand for deoxyribose and the NA stands for Nucleic acid. the building block 
for nucleic acid is the nucleotide the base of DNA's nucleotide is important because it actually codes for 
our traits. The structure of the DNA molecule is two strands that twist it is called a double helix