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Topic: Brain Health & Brain Anatomy |
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Teacher Background Information
Student Background Information
Homunculus - Little Man Role Play Pre/Post Test
Homunculus - Little Man Role Play Pre/Post Test Answer Sheet & Key
Keywords
motor and sensory neurons; neuron pathways; brain cells; how neurons communicate
Activity Objectives:
Using Role Cards and a Homunculus Man Diagram, students will be
able to:
Activity Description:
In this activity, students will role play how messages are passed from
different parts of the body to and from the sensory and motor areas of the
brain. Students will use the sheet titled “The Little Man Role Play” in
conjunction with this activity. After the students participate in this activity,
they will complete the Student Data Page. This will allow them to check their understanding of the paths that neurons take to and from the brain.
Activity Background:
In the rearmost portion of each frontal lobe of the brain is a motor area,
which helps control voluntary movement. Just behind this area, in the
front part the parietal lobe, is the sensory area which also receives information about temperature, touch, pressure, and pain. The sensory and
motor areas communicate with each other to control input of sensations
from the body and to take appropriate motor action. Planned movements
are controlled by the motor area. Our motor area sends signals down
nerves to our muscles to tell them to move. Delicate movements need
more brain power than big ones, so our lips and hands have larger areas
of the homunculus controlling them than our legs. Because the left side of
our brain controls the right side of our body, every time we want to move
our right hand it is our left brain that is doing the work. Conversely, every
time we want to move the left side of our body, it is the right side
of the brain that controls it.
The body is “mapped out” on the surface of the brain in an image called a homunculus (or “little
man”). The head and hands have the largest areas
near the midline on the sensory and motor strips.
The trunk of the body and legs are represented more laterally (away from the midline).
The ability to detect cold, hot, pain, and pressure helps us survive. We have sensory nerves that run from our skin and muscles to our spinal cord. The messages are eventually carried to the part of our brain called the sensory area. It is here that our brain interprets these messages. If we burn our left hand, it is our right side of the brain that recognizes it as pain, and signals a response to the hand to move, by way of motor neurons.
The following activity “Homunculus or the ‘Little Man’ Role Play” is
designed to illustrate how messages are transmitted from the body to the
brain and then followed by appropriate actions. The activity involves the
whole class and, after some practice, is characterized by its speed and
interactions.
Activity Materials: (per class)
• Index cards (at least 24)
• Clothespins
• 10 envelopes
• 1 copy of Student Data Page (per Student)
Activity Management Suggestions:
1. To save paper, students can practice tracing several pathways on
their copy using a different color each time.
2. White boards can be used for tracing Homunculus Man onto the
boards with permanent markers. Students can trace pathways with
erasable markers.
Modifications:
For students needing more assistance:
Group these students with peers who can assist them during the activity.
Check often for understanding.
For highly able students:
Allow these students to do research on the effects of drugs and
neurological diseases on neural pathways.
Extensions:
Students can research disorders involving the neural pathways.
Suggested References:
National Institutes of Health Medline Plus
http://medlineplus.gov/
Neuroscience for Kids
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html
