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- Focus:
Our brain is the computer that runs our body. The students will remember this as they recognize the different parts of the brain and the functions of each.
Activities | Introduction | Objectives | Evaluation | Resources & Web Sites
Activities
Activity 1A: Brain Anatomy |
(anatomy, brain, brain anatomy, neural transmission, function, sensory, motor, pathway, homunculus, cerebrum, cerebellum, brain stem)
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| Activity 1B: Brain Works and the Wave |
(anatomy, neural, health promotion, neurotransmitter, dendrite, axon, myelin sheath, synapse, simulation, kinesthetic activity, macrophage, neuron)
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| Activity 1C: Homunculus - "Little Man" Role Play |
(sensory, motor, simulation, neural pathway, role play, homunculus, little man, neural message)
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| Activity 1D: My Brain |
(model, brain, brain model, anatomy)
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Introduction
Lesson 1, "Brain Anatomy," begins the unit by teaching about the basic anatomy of the brain at the structural level. Activities are presented that teach about the cellular anatomy of neurons and introduce the students to the concepts of communication between nerves (neural transmission). An important and fun activity in this lesson is the "Homunculus or 'Little Man' Role Play." This activity is designed to involve the whole class in playing the roles of neurons within the peripheral and central nervous systems. The students (neurons) learn how to transmit signals to and from the brain along specified paths. The final activity reinforces the anatomy of the brain by having the students create a three-dimensional hat with outline diagrams of the brain displayed in different dimensions (front, side, back, top).
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Objectives
Students will be able to:
- understand what makes up the brain
- identify the parts of the brain
- understand how the brain communicates with the rest of the body
- use their knowledge of the brain to construct their own model of the brain
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Evaluation
Activity 1C: Homunculus - Little Man Role Play Pre/Post Test
Activity 1C: Homunculus - Little Man Role Play Pre/Post Test Answer Sheet & Key
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Resources & Web Sites
Alzheimer's Association South Central Texas Chapter, 1994, Stages of Symptom Progression in Alzheimer's Disease , San Antonio, TX.
Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association, Inc. 1990, Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Fact Sheet , Chicago, IL.
Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association, Inc., 1994, Alzheimer's Disease: Statistics , Chicago, IL.
Carey, Joseph, ed., 1993, Brain Facts: A Primer on the Brain and Nervous System, 2nd edition , Society for Neuroscience, Graphtech, Inc., Woodlawn, MD.
National Institute on Aging and National Institute of Health, 1995, Alzheimer's Disease: Unraveling the Mystery .
Schoenberg, Bruce S., 1986, Epidemiology of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementing Illnesses, Journal of Chronic Disease , Great Britain, v. 39, no. 12, pp. 1095-1104.
Selkoe, Dennis J., Sept. 1992, Aging Brain, Aging Mind, Scientific American.
Shakespeare, William, 1974, The Riverside Shakespeare . Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, MA.
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World Wide Web Sites
There is an excellent website at the University of Washington filled with "Neuroscience for Kids." Visit this site at http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html
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