Long, stringy white strands containing unique genetic codes are what students at Kedron Elementary saw as they participated in a DNA extraction experiment.

Fifth graders in Bobbye Hager’s science classes have been learning about human DNA by extracting DNA from wheat germ. Although humans do not resemble a grain of wheat, the DNA from raw wheat germ is identical in physical and chemical composition to the DNA found in the cells of the human body. As students isolated the DNA from the wheat germ, they actually saw what extracted DNA looks like.