The “Central Dogma” of genetics states that one gene, located in a DNA molecule, is ultimately translated into one protein. As important as this idea is, many teachers shy away from teaching the actual mechanism of gene translation, and many students find the concepts abstract and inaccessible. This article describes a unit that models concepts in a visual and concrete way. The activity has achieved a high degree of success with over 500 ninth- and tenth-grade students at a large urban high school.