Magnetic DNA / RNA Manipulative Tiles

Explore the Building Blocks of Life with Magnetic DNA/RNA Manipulative Tiles!

Unlock the mysteries of genetics with this innovative set of magnetic DNA and RNA manipuative tiles. Designed for educators, students, and science enthusiasts, these colorful tiles allow for hands-on exploration of nucleic acid structures and functions. Each tile represents a different nucleotide, making it easy to visualize and construct both DNA double helices and RNA strands.

Key Features:

• Magnetic Design: Tiles easily snap together, allowing for dynamic building and rearranging without the frustration of traditional models.
• Educational Tool: Perfect for classrooms, science fairs, or home learning, these tiles facilitate a deeper understanding of molecular biology concepts. 
• Teacher Friendly: These tiles stick to whiteboards, cookie sheets or fridges to help you display them to your whole class. 
• Engaging Learning Experience: Promote active learning through tactile interaction, helping students grasp complex topics in a fun and interactive way. This is also a computer free manipulative that can be taught without digital support!

Ideal for visual learners and hands-on exploration, these magnetic tiles are a must-have for any biology toolkit. Dive into the world of genetics today!

This is a remix of my original V1 DNA / RNA manipulative set, which can be found here http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1259352

A video overview can be found here, 

Lesson Plans and lab work is now available on my teacher pay teacher site, https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/3D-Printable-DNA-RNA-Manipulative-Lab-1-3452084

There was a lot of request to add magnets to the popular V2 Display set. This will let you put the tiles on a whiteboard, cookie sheet or other magnetic surface! I worked with iQless a few years ago on the original design, and we challenged each other to make a magnetic set!

If you want to help students see how A, T and C, G pair together, print the tiles in two different contrasting colors. This way they can see how each pair together. Another option is to print the lettering in one color for A,T and another for C,G to show how they pair together (See examples). For RNA, Print the R and U pieces the same color to show their association.

REVISIONS for Magnetic Files

All the files have a space for a 12 x 2 mm rare Earth or (0.5 inch) ceramic magnet. (56) magnets in total are required per set. Lettering has also been improved for better visibility. 

This set is compatible with V1 & V2 DNA tiles set. If you have V1 tiles printed, upgrade the D, P, and A/T pieces to V2/magnetic. 

Print instructions

Category: Biology, STEM, Genetics

Printer Brand: LulzBot

Printer: TAZ 5

Rafts: No Brims: Mabey, depending on material

Supports: No

Resolution: 02-0.3 mm

Infill: 5%

Notes:

Print A, T, C, G different colors.
Print R,U the same color.
Print P, D in the color you have the most of
the 3 - 5 prime holding block should be printed in a neutral color. For visual cues, make a color key for your students.

Print A with color 1, switch to color 2. Then on the next batch print T starting with color 2, then switch to color 1. Do the same procedure for C & G, D & P to create a clear color matching scheme. (see images)

Post-Printing

Break all sharp edges. Use hot glue to attach magnets to the underside of the pieces. 

How I Designed This

This was redesigned from the original files in TinkerCAD. 

Standards

NGSS Overview and Background

You can use this set to show how DNA and RNA works. You can also model how DNA is transcribed to RNA.

Lesson Plan and Activity

The lesson plan and lab is for sale on https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/3D-Printable-DNA-RNA-Manipulative-Lab-1-3452084

Materials Needed

Two colors of any filament. Recommend PLA, PETG, TPU or other composites. ABS and Nylon discouraged due to tight corners. 

Duration of Lesson

1-2 weeks

Preparation

You can print one large set, or small team sets
For each team of 2-3 students, Print a dozen D & P pieces, and 6 A,T, C,G

Rubric and Assessment

You can use this as a station test, lab, or demonstration.

Custom Section

Project: Display DNA / RNA sequence

For this project, I wanted a way to display a students DNA / RNA sequence for science fairs or presentations.

Objectives

Students demonstrate their understanding of DNA, RNA, and genetics.
Students produce a model to demonstrate scientific knowledge for public presentation.
Students presents a professional presentation for a varied audience.
Students presents genetic research to a professional audience.

Audiences

High School biology, AP bio, College biology, College genetics, genetic councilors and medical professionals.

Preparation

Students should understand DNA/ RNA, and genetics.
Students should prepare their research, and plan out how to model it with this set.
Students should 3Dprint enough base pairs to meet their display needs.

Steps

This set can be used as a display piece for genetic research.
After conducting your research, use this set to produce a physical model for presentations.

Use this set to demonstrate restriction enzymes, cleavage sites, and DNA sequences involved in research.

Results

As a result of this, you should have a product you can take to professional conferences and science presentations.

The public can inspect your work and model to see the DNA sequence you are working with.