ACTIVITY

GUIDE

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ACTIVITY GUIDE

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0206046.Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of theauthor(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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Wired to Win Educational Materials (Activity Guide)Project Director and Senior Editor: Sharon SimpsonArt Director and Designer: Cathy Sánchez DuvivierOriginal Artwork: Jim PaillotProject Manager: Monica PhilippoWriters: Joy Brewster and Jordan BrownImage Research and Acquisition: Tina GaudScientific Consultant: Adriana Aquino, Ph.D.Educational Consultants: Patricia McGlashan and Gretchen Walker.Partners Scientific Reviewers: Dennis Selkoe, M.D., Gary Gottlieb, M.D.,Bruce Cohen, M.D., Martin Samuels, M.D.Scientific Reviewers: Eric Chudler, Ph.D., Jonathan Downar, M.D.,Patricia McGlashan, Carrie McNabb.

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THE HUMAN BRAINis a pinkish-gray mass

covered with bumps andgrooves. Although most people have the same patterns of bumps andgrooves, no two brains

are exactly alike!

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What makes the human brain so special? The answer lies in the specially developed cortex, the bumpy grayouter layer of the brain called the cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortexis the brain’s area for higher-level thinking, including reasoning and planning. Our bodies—and our lives—depend on a number of structures within and below the cerebral cortex. Some help us see and hear the world around us. Others are involved in learning andmemory. Still others keep our heart pumping and lungs working. But while different parts of the brain are involved in different functions, all the parts are working together.

In fact, all the functions within our brain rely on complex networks ofcells called neurons. All our thoughts and behaviors—both conscious andunconscious—are the result of communication among neurons. Whilemessages pass along individual neurons by electrical signals, neuronscommunicate with each other mostly through tiny chemical messengerscalled neurotransmitters.

The following activities will help students learn about major structures in the brain, the different parts of a neuron, and how neurons communicate with each other.

cerebellum coordinates the whole process and helpsyou time your precise hand movements.

c. When you do simple math, you use the prefrontal cortex, one of the brain’s areas for cognitive functions.

d. When you identify sounds, you trigger the auditorycortex on each side of your brain.

e. When you feel pain, receptors in the skin send mes-sages through the brain’s sensory relay station, orthalamus, to the sensory cortex, where the pain’slocation and intensity are perceived.

f. When you remember a past event, you use, amongother parts of your brain, the hippocampus buriedinside your brain. The different senses you recall, likesights, smells, sounds, and emotions, use differentparts of the brain. For example, the smells youremember activate the olfactory cortex.

DISCUSSION:• Think of one of the first things you did this morning

when you woke up. Did you hear an alarm? Remembersomething that happened the day before? What part ofthe brain did you use?

• Imagine a loud noise hurts your ears. Name two partsof the brain that have been activated.

• Which senses best help you remember a distant eventfrom the past?

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Brain Twister: In this favorite game with a new twist, students will explore the four lobes of the brain.

Homemade Neurons: Students will create their own 3-D models of a neuron.

ACTIVITIES

Grades 4-12

Grades 4-5

Get To Know the Brain

OBJECTIVE: To explore the different things we do with our brain.

MATERIALS: Reproducible on page 24.

BACKGROUND: Whether we’re remembering a specialday, figuring out change at the grocery store, or dancingto a favorite song, we’re using our brain. These quickactivities show students how different parts of our brainhelp us perform different functions.

WHAT TO DO:1. Ask the class if they’re ready to give their brains

a quick workout. Then have them do each of the following, one after the other:a. Close your eyes and picture yourself having fun in a

favorite place, like hanging out with friends, ridingyour bike, or performing on stage. Hold the image of this place in your mind for a few moments.

b. Hold your hands together, with your palms facingeach other. Tap your thumbs together, then yourforefingers, your middle fingers, your ring fingers,then your pinkies.

c. Pick a number between 1 and 10. Add your age.Subtract 7. What do you get?

d. Listen carefully to all the sounds around you. Youmight hear a door creaking, a conversation in thenext room, or someone’s foot tapping. What soundsdo you hear?

e. Pinch your arm. Squeeze hard, then stop.f. Think about your last birthday or another special

event in the past year. Try to recall as many details aspossible. What was the weather like that day? Whatwere you feeling? Try to remember the sights,sounds, and smells.

2. Explain that while doing these six activities, studentsused a number of different areas of the brain. (Usereproducible on page 24.)a. When you picture yourself in a favorite place, you

use your visual cortex in the back of your head.b. When you tap your fingers together, you use the

prefrontal cortex to plan the action and the motorcortex to send messages to your hand muscles. The

Introductory Activity

GRADE LEVEL4-12

TIME30 minutes (including discussion )

The Anatomy of the BrainThe Anatomy of the Brain

hippocampus

motor cortex

sensory cortexthalamus

visual cortex

cerebellum

prefrontal cortex

olfactory cortex

NOTE: the auditory cortex is notvisible in this view of the brain.

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The Dana Sourcebook of Brain Science, Third Edition (Dana Press). Modified with perm

ission of Dana Press.

WHAT TO DO:A. Prepare Game Materials1. Re-create the Brain Lobe Chart on a large piece of

poster board. Next to each lobe name, place a circleusing the suggested color. (Note: This color should cor-respond with the lobe on the Brain Twister Game Mat.)

2. Create a Brain Twister Game Mat: On a large bed sheet, use markers or paintto create a simple line drawing showingthe outside view of the brain. In each loberegion, paint about six or seven circles ofthe same color. These colors should corre-spond to the colors in the Chart. Forexample, the circles in the Occipital Lobeshould be yellow.

3. Create a Brain Twister Spinner: Divide asquare piece of white poster board intofour sections. In the corners, write: LeftFoot, Left Hand, Right Foot, and RightHand. In each quadrant, add four smallcircles in blue, red, green, and yellow. All the circles on the spinner shouldform a circle around the center.

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4. Then make an arrow with a straw, a pin, and a cup.First, balance a drinking straw on your finger to findthe balance point. Then push a straight pin throughthe straw at that point. Color one end of the straw,which will serve as the “pointing end” of your arrow.Stick the pin into the bottom of a large plastic cup.Place the cup (upside down) in the middle of the spin-ner. Test your arrow to make sure it spins freely.

B. Introduce the Brain1. Show students the Brain Lobe Chart and the Brain

Twister game mat.2. Describe the location, functions, and hemispheres of

the cerebral cortex, the largest part of the brain.Explain that while there are other important structuresunderneath the cerebral cortex, this part of the brain islargely responsible for thought, reasoning, personality,and planning. It is also responsible for functions likehearing, vision, speech, and voluntary movement. (SeeBackground.)

3. Explain that the cerebral cortex is divided into fourmajor sections, called lobes: the frontal, temporal,parietal, and occipital.

4. Use the Brain Lobe Chart to review the locations andmajor functions of each lobe.

5. As a class, say the name of each lobe and ask students totouch the part of their skull where that lobe is located.

C. Play the Game!1. Divide the class into groups of five and explain that

each group will have a chance to play Brain Twister.Invite the first group to demonstrate the game for therest of the class. To begin, have four students standaround the game mat, with one on each side. The fifthstudent will be the spinner.

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The Anatomy of the Brain

Brain Twister*

OBJECTIVE: To learn the names, locations, and major functions of the four lobes of the brain.

BACKGROUND: The cerebral cortex is the largest part of your brain. This folded gray mass sits on top of therest of your brain. Thinking, vision, hearing, and speechare found here. The cerebral cortex is divided down themiddle, into the right hemisphere and the left hemi-sphere. Each hemisphere can be divided into major sections called lobes. There are four lobes: frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital. Each lobe helps us do different things. (See Brain Lobe Chart for majorfunctions of each.)

TIME45-50 minutes

GRADE LEVEL4-5

MATERIALS: For Brain Lobe Chart, Brain TwisterGame Mat, and Brain Twister Spinner: Two pieces of large, white poster board, colored markers and/or paint in black, red, green, blue, and yellow,large white bed sheet, drinking straw, straight pin,large plastic cup.

Allow substantial time to create game materials. See directions below.

*Based on “The Mind-Bending Game of Brain Twister” by Macalester College, Saint Paul, Minnesota, and the “Brain Charades” activity on Neuroscience for Kids.

Front of head, behind the forehead

Side of head, above the ears

Top of head

Back of head

Problem-solving, planning, decision-making, short-term memory

Hearing, short- to long-term memory,emotion, and language comprehension(note that long-term memories are likelyfound in other lobes of the brain too)

Guides movement, receives and processes sensory information from the body

Vision

Brain Lobe Chart

Frontal

Temporal

Parietal

Occipital

LOBE LOCATION FUNCTION

OccipitalLobe

FrontalLobe

Temporal Lobe

ParietalLobe

2. Explain that when a call is made, each player must puthis or her appropriate hand or foot on one circle of thebrain lobe that’s called out. Share the following rules:• If two or more players reach for the same circle, the

teacher will decide which player got there first. •If a circle is taken, the other player(s) must findanother circle of the same color.

•Any player who falls or touches the mat with an elbowor knee is eliminated, changing places with the stu-dent at the spinner.

3. Ask the fifth student to turn the spinner and call outthe body part and brain lobe where the arrow lands.The brain lobe will correlate to the specific color onwhich the arrow lands. For example, if the arrow fallson the blue circle in the “Left foot” quadrant, the callis: “Left foot, Temporal!”

4. Once the call is made, all the players try to put theirappropriate hand or foot on an empty circle in thebrain lobe that was called. Players should do this at thesame time, so the challenge is to be the first to figureout where the lobe is located and place your hand orfoot on a circle right away.

5. Continue the game until all the players have placedboth hands and feet on lobes of the brain.

6. Try the game again, but have the teacher spin the spinner. Then call out a function of that lobe instead ofcalling out the name of the brain lobe. For example, ifthe arrow falls on the yellow circle in the “Right hand”quadrant, the call is: “Right hand, Vision!”

7. Allow other teams to take turns playing Brain Twister.As the other students are waiting their turn, have themwork on one of the two extensions below.

E X T E N S I O N SElementary/Middle School: Have students create three-dimensional models of thebrain using different colors of Play Doh or clay, or even colorful food like jellybeans. (See HOMEMADENEURONS.)

Play Lobe Charades! Ask students to brainstorm someeveryday actions associated with different lobes of thebrain. For example, speaking and the frontal lobe, orhearing and the temporal lobe. Working in pairs, havestudents practice acting out some of the brain func-tions associated with one of the lobes. Then have themact out these functions for the class, without using anywords. Challenge the class to figure out which lobe isassociated with these actions.

The Dana Sourcebook of Brain Science, Third Edition (Dana Press). Modified with perm

ission of Dana Press.

The Anatomy of the Brain

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but messages pass between neurons mostly as chemicalsignals. When two neurons communicate, the axon ter-minal of one neuron changes that electrical signal into achemical signal in the form of neurotransmitters,released into the synapse. These chemical messengersbind with receptors on the dendrites of the receivingneuron. But these dendrite receptors only accept a par-ticular shape of neurotransmitter. The neurotransmittermust match the distinct shape of the dendrite receptor–just as a key fits into a lock. Neurotransmitters haveunique functions, depending on their type and what partof the brain they’re activating.

Homemade Neurons*TIME

25 minutesGRADE LEVEL

4-12

OBJECTIVE: To learn about the structure of a neuronby building a model, and to understand how neuronscommunicate.

MATERIALS: Four colors of Play Doh or clay(enough for each student to have a golf ball-sizeamount of each color), toothpicks (four for eachstudent), Post-it® Notes (four for each student).

The Anatomy of the Brain

*Based on “Make a Neuron” activity on Neuroscience for Kids.

8

The Anatomy of the Brain

The Brain’sChemical MessengersThere are many kinds of neurotransmitters at work in our brains. Different neurotransmitters control activity in different parts of our brain, whichmeans they each have a unique function. However, a neurotransmitter’seffect depends on the receptor, so one type ofneurotransmitter can have different effectsdepending on which part of the brain it activates. Binding of a

neurotransmitter to a receptor will increase or decrease the likelihoodthat a new electrical signal will be produced. Scientists have identi-fied many different kinds of neurotransmitters. Here’s a look at a few:

ACETYLCHOLINE affects attention, learning, and memory. Low levels of acetylcholine are common in people with Alzheimer’s disease.

DOPAMINE controls movement and coordination. People withParkinson’s disease have extremely low levels and find it difficult tomake smooth voluntary movements.

ENDORPHINS may be released when injury occurs. This neuro-transmitter helps moderate pain and reduce stress.

SEROTONIN affects mood, anxiety, and aggression. Its activity isenhanced by many drugs that alleviate depression.

WHAT TO DO:1. Have a class discussion about the structure and func-

tion of neurons. (See Background.)2. Show students the diagram above and talk about the

major parts of the neuron. Follow the imaginary pathan electrical message or impulse takes through a neu-ron, talking about each part along the way.

3. Give each student four different colors of Play Doh ormodeling clay. Challenge them to create their ownneuron models, with each of the four colors represent-ing the dendrites, the cell body, the axon, and the axonterminal.

4. Have students create four labels for each part by fold-ing a Post-it® Note over a toothpick. Then have themstick their labels in the appropriate part of their model.

BACKGROUND: The brain is packed with over 100 billionnerve cells or neurons. Each neuron can connect withover 10,000 other neurons, which means there are tril-lions of connections between the neurons in a singlebrain! Communication through and between these tinyneurons is what makes the brain work. Each neuron hasfour basic parts: the cell body (also called the “soma”),the dendrites, the axon, and the axon terminals.Information passes through a neuron from the dendriteto the cell body, through the axon, and out the axon ter-minal to the next neuron’s dendrite. Neurons are con-stantly communicating with each other, but they neverphysically touch. Instead, messages are sent across tinygaps called synapses, from one axon terminal to the nextneuron’s dendrite.

Messages travel through a neuron as electrical signals,

HYPOTHALAMUS

THALAMUS

CEREBELLUM

BRAIN STEM

Delve beneath the cerebral cortex, and you’ll find several other structures with essential functions.

The brain stem connects to the spinal cord, helping to regulate functions such as heart rate, blood pressure,breathing, and digestion.

The cerebellum controls precise movements and balance, and is towards the back of the brain, under the occipital lobe.

The thalamus serves as a relay station for all sensory information entering the brain (except for olfaction, orsmell) and for information passing from one brain area to another.

The hypothalamus regulates internal conditions like body temperature, thirst, and sleeping.

Medical Illustration Copyright ©

2005 Nucleus Medical Art, All rights reserved

Directionof impulse

DENDRITES(take information to the cell body)

NUCLEUS(holds genetic

information and acts asthe cell’s control center)

AXON(takes information

away from the cell body)

CELL BODY(contains the nucleus

and other vitalorganelles, or

microstructures)

AXON TERMINALS(the end tip of the axon;from here information is

sent to another cell)

NERVEIMPULSE AXON

TERMINAL

NEUROTRANSMITTERSRECEPTOR

MOLECULES

SYNAPSE(small gap betweentwo neurons where

information is passed)

From Brain Facts, by Lydia Kibiuk for the Society for Neuroscience

How It Works When a part of our brainis active, it needs more oxygen, so moreblood flows to that region. An MRI scanneruses powerful magnetic fields to createextremely detailed images of the humanbody. It can also do a special type of scancalled a functional MRI or fMRI scan. fMRIscans show the quantity of blood and oxygenflowing to different parts of the brain.

A person who receives an fMRI lies flat on a“tabb,” like a bed, that slides into a big mag-netic tube. On a separate computer screen,the scientist can view a series of images,each showing a cross-section, or “slice,” ofthe person’s brain. An fMRI can produce acomplete brain image every second or two,showing how the brain changes over time.

How It’s UsedThe fMRI helps sci-entists and doctorsstudy the functionsof the brain, such ashow the brain performscertain tasks and how itresponds to different stimuli.

fMRI Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

With the fMRI, scientists can see which parts of the brainare working when different activities are performed.

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5. Next, talk about how neurons work together, passingmessages between them in the brain. Explain that neurons don’t actually touch. They send chemical messengers called neurotransmitters across a tiny gap called the synapse. (See Background.)

6. Ask students to work with a partner to show howinformation would flow between their two neuronmodels. Make sure they understand that neurotrans-mitters flow from the axon terminal of one neuron to adendrite of the next. These parts should be close, butnot touching, to show the synapse. [Please note thatthis is the most common type of synapse, but there arealso synapses between a terminal and cell body (axoso-matic synapses), and even between a terminal andanother terminal (axoaxonic synapses).]

7. Discuss neurotransmitters and how they are acceptedor rejected by receptors depending on their shape.Hand out four different kinds of small objects, such aspennies, jacks, marbles, and paper clips, so that eachstudent has one. Explain that each object represents adifferent type of neurotransmitter. Have students hold-ing the same object work together to form connectionsbetween their neuron models. They should use theobjects to create dendrite receptors that accept theirassigned neurotransmitter. (They can do this by press-ing the object into their clay dendrite, forming shapesthat “fit” the neurotransmitter.) Finally, ask them todemonstrate their neuron connections by explaininghow and in which direction the messages travel.

DISCUSSION:• What did all the neuron models have in common?

How were they different?

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Senses and PerceptionSenses and Perception

Mystery Sounds: Students will explore the sense ofhearing by identifying unknown sounds.

Tasting With the Brain: Students will discover the connection between taste and smell.

Fooling Your Eyes: Students will “see” for themselves how optical illusions can play tricks on their brains.

It’s Up in the Air: Students learn how context helps us understand what we see or hear.

Confusing Colors: Do you think reading colors iseasy? Students will experience how our brains process con-flicting information.

Grades 4-6

Grades4-12

Grades4-12

Grades8-12

Grades4-12

When a cyclist hears a cheering crowd, sees the road zipping beneathher wheels, or feels the wind blowing across her face, her senses aregetting information from the outside world. Our basic senses are sight,sound, smell, taste, and touch. They enable us to process informationprovided by sensory stimuli—messages from our external environment,the world outside our bodies. This external information (such as light,colors, and sound) is detected by sensory receptors, such as those inour eyes or skin. That information is transformed into electrical andchemical signals that carry the message through neuronal pathways tospecific parts of the brain where the messages are interpreted. Thisprocess of interpretation is known as perception. Without perception,we couldn’t interpret all the lights, colors, sounds, and other sensationsflooding our senses. For example, the sensory receptors of our eyesmay detect visual images from our environment, but we actually see—and interpret those images as meaningful information—in our brain.Perception is a process that we need to learn through our senses andexperiences. We learn to recognize the sound of our parent’s voice orunderstand that an object in the distance looks smaller than one nearby.

ACTIVITIES

The Anatomy of the Brain

• Explain that just as no two neuron models are alike,neither are neurons within the brain. Talk about thethree kinds of neurons: Sensory neurons pick up information from the senseorgans.Interneurons are intermediate nerve cells that passmessages between various kinds of neurons, includingsensory and motor ones.Motor neurons tell muscles to move.

• When neurons communicate, how are neurotransmit-ters accepted or rejected? Talk about how the neuro-transmitter must match the distinct shape of the dendrite receptor.

E X T E N S I O N SDiscuss neurotransmitters and how they are accepted orrejected by receptors depending on their shape. Thebinding of a neurotransmitter to a receptor will increaseor decrease the likelihood that a new electrical signalwill be produced. Hand out one playing card to eachstudent, explaining that each suit represents a differenttype of neurotransmitter or a dendrite receptor that willaccept that neurotransmitter. Have students holding the same suit work together to form connectionsbetween their neuron models. Then ask them to showthe direction the messages travel.

High School: Have students research the different types of neurotransmitters and their effects on thehuman brain. How can our brains be enhanced or moderated by drugs?

OUR SENSESIn school, we’re usually taughtthat there are five senses:vision, hearing, taste, smell,and touch. But many neurolo-gists believe there are at leastnine senses, maybe more! Oursense of balance keeps usstanding upright. And touchcan be broken down into fourdifferent senses, each with itsown dedicated nerves: pain,sensations of hot and cold,awareness of where parts ofthe body are located, and pressure on the skin.

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© Keith A. Johnson, M.D., The Whole Brain Atlas

1312

into electrical signals, which pass along the optic nerve,through a special relay region in the thalamus, to the

visual cortex of the occipital lobe. In the visual cortex, the information isprocessed into the visual image we think of as sight.

But sometimes the brain can misreadthese visual signals—especially whenyou look at an optical illusion. This happens because your brain is used toorganizing images into familiar patternsbased on your past experiences andexpectations. When your brain processesan optical illusion, it makes assumptionsabout the image based on these familiarpatterns. So you may think you’re seeing

something you really aren’t!

WHAT TO DO: 1. Ask students which parts of the body help them see.

Talk about how the eye may collect visual information,or light, but it’s the brain that allows us to process thisinformation and form the images that we see. (SeeBackground.)

2. Show students the optical illusion. Give them a chanceto look at the image and ask: Which figure is larger?

3. Give students a chance to answer the question.Encourage them to explain why one figure appearslarger than the other.

4. Reveal the answer to the optical illusion. You couldhave students use a ruler to confirm that the two figures are actually the same height.

DISCUSSION:• Why do you think your

brain had difficulty mak-ing sense of this image?

• What “clues” did ourbrains use to interpretthe image that turnedout to be misleading?Talk about how the brainorganizes informationbased on past experiencesand expectations. (SeeBackground.)

TIME10 minutes

GRADE LEVEL4-12

Mystery Sounds

OBJECTIVE: To explore the sense of hearing and understand how we identify sounds.

MATERIALS: Sheet of paper, small drum, tape dispenser and tape, scissors, bell.

BACKGROUND: We may detect sounds with our ears, butwe really “hear” with our brains. How does this happen?First, a sound wave enters our ear, travels down the earcanal and sets off a series of vibrations in the eardrumand the cochlea. These vibrations create nerve impulsesthat travel along the auditory nerve to the brainstem andon to the auditory cortex of the temporal lobe. Here, theelectrical signals that carried the sounds are processedand identified as actual sounds.

WHAT TO DO: 1. Explain to students that they are going to play a sound

guessing game. Ask them to close their eyes and keepthem closed throughout the activity.

2. Ask students to listen for a new sound. When theireyes are closed, ring the bell. When they think theyknow what the sound is, they should raise their hands.

3. Remind them to keep their eyes closed while you walk around the room, ringing the bell in differentlocations.

4. After you make the sound from several locations, ask students to put their hands down but keep theireyes closed.

5. Repeat this activity with other sounds. Other sounds totry include: finger snapping, tearing a sheet of paper,cutting in the air with scissors, pulling tape out of adispenser, or banging a drum.

6. Put away any props you used and have students opentheir eyes.

DISCUSSION: • What were some of the sounds you heard?

• Were some sounds easier to identify? Why do you think that is?

• What parts of your body enabled you to hear thesesounds? Discuss the role of the brain in hearing, andhow you actually hear and identify sounds in the

TIME20 minutes

GRADE LEVEL4-6

Senses and Perception

WHAT TO DO:1. Give each student one cinnamon jellybean.

Don’t reveal the flavor and ask stu-dents to just hold them in theirhand or put them on their deskuntil everyone has one jellybean.

2. Ask students to plug their nose andthen begin to eat the jellybean. Askthem what the jellybean tastes likeand to write down their guess.

3. Then tell them to unplug their noseand ask what the bean tastes likenow. Again, ask them to write downtheir guess.

4. Repeat this activity with cherryjellybeans.

DISCUSSION:• Did holding your nose make any difference when you

tried to identify the taste? How?

• Did the color of the jellybean affect how you thought it tasted?

• Why do you think your sense of taste is affected byyour sense of smell?

• Smells often evoke memories and emotions. Ask stu-dents if they can think of any smells that they associatewith memories, good or bad.

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate that the mindsometimes plays tricks on us when we interpretpictures.

MATERIALS: For each student, a copy of the optical illusion reproducible on page 23.

BACKGROUND: Think you see with your eyes?Not exactly! Your eyes capture visual informa-tion, but you really see with your brain. Visionis a complicated process, so it’s not surprisingthat about a quarter of your brain is involved inprocessing vision. Just like the other senseorgans, the eyes have special receptors. Thesevisual receptors found in the retina turn light

Senses and Perception

The brain boggles the mind.

James D. Watson,co-discoverer of DNA

BrainyQUOTE

Fooling Your Eyes

Tasting With the Brain

TIME20 minutes

GRADE LEVEL4-12

temporal lobe of your brain. (See Background.)

• Was the sound always coming from the same place?How could you tell? Talk about how, in the process oflearning to perceive sounds, we train our brains to recognize when sounds are moving away or towards us. Sounds get lower, or softer, as they move away, and louder as they move closer to us.

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate the connection between our sense of smell and our sense of taste.

MATERIALS: Jellybeans in two different flavors, enough for each student to have two of each kind. (Cinnamon and cherry jellybeans work well, as they’re very distinc-tive flavors and they look very similar to one another.)

BACKGROUND: Whether you’re eating spicy hot chili orsweet ice cream, your brain helps you detect these fla-vors. How does this happen? Tastebuds on your tonguehold receptor cells. Chemicals from your food activatethese receptor cells, which send nerve impulses to tasteareas in the cerebral cortex. But it takes more than yourtastebuds to enjoy your favorite ice cream. In fact, tasteand smell work together to help you experience andidentify different flavors. Like taste, your sense of smellalso depends on chemicals. When these chemicals enteryour nasal canal, they trigger smell receptor cells alongthe inside of your nose. The chemical stimulus is trans-lated into an electrical nerve impulse in the receivingneuron and carried to the olfactory bulb above your noseand on to the prefrontal cortex, where smell is perceived,and the limbic system, where memories are triggeredand emotional responses are formed.

How It Works Electricand magnetic signals aresurging through your brainall the time. That’s becauseinformation in the brain istransmitted through elec-trical impulses, and eachtime an electrical impulse

passes through a neuron, it produces a tinymagnetic pulse. The EEG records electricalsignals, while the MEG records magneticsignals. A person who has an EEG wears acap that places dozens of electrodes over

certain areas of the brain. The electrodespick up electrical signals produced by thebrain at rest and during different activities.Then these brainwaves are recorded on agraph that shows how the brain acts at restand also responds to different stimuli. Withan MEG, sensors placed around the patient’shead pick up the positions and strengths ofchanging magnetic patterns. Both MEG andEEG can record changes in the brain withinmilliseconds—faster than any other tool—but MEG uses more sensors and shows moredetail than EEG. Magnetic fields are less

distorted by the brain’s surrounding tissuesthan are electrical fields.

How It’s Used An EEG can show howthe brain’s patterns of electric signalschange during certain activities, such assleeping. It has also been used to show howlong it takes the brain to respond to differ-ent stimuli. The MEG can capture brainactivity in real time, so it provides the mostaccurate look at the brain “in action.” Whencombined with an fMRI, MEG can showwhen specific parts of the brain becameactive during certain tasks.

EEG Electroencephalogram &MEG Magnetoencephalography

The EEG and MEG measure and record brain activity bypicking up electric and magnetic signals respectively.

15

DISCUSSION:• How did the picture help you under-

stand the words?

• Explain that this test was developedin 1972 by two psychologists, JohnBransford and Merieta K. Johnson.What do you think these psycholo-gists were trying to teach?

• Describe what “context” means. Howdid the image provide a context forthe words in the passage?

• When were you using your senses inthis exercise? What role did perception play? Help students understand that their sense of hearing helpedthem hear the words and vision allowed them to seethe words. Perception helped them interpret or understand the words and the picture.

14

Confusing Colors*

OBJECTIVE: To understand that the brain sometimes has difficulty processing new information when it is contradictory.

MATERIALS: Color reproducible of the Stroop EffectTest for each student (see page 16), clock or watch with second hand.

BACKGROUND: Sometimes we ask the brain to processcontradictory information. Imagine you’re asked to readthe word “blue,” but the word is written in green. Whenthe brain is asked to process this information, there isoften a delay called the “Stroop Effect.” This phenome-non is named after J. Ridney Stroop, who discovered it inthe 1930s. Scientists today have two theories for why theStroop Effect happens: The first is about how fast thebrain processes different kinds of information. The braincan process and name words faster than it can identifyand name a color. The second theory suggests that thisinterference happens because identifying and namingcolors requires more attention (and therefore more time)than reading words.

*Based on Colors, Colors? http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/words.html.

TIME45-50 minutes

2. Read aloud the following passage:If the balloons popped, the soundwould not be able to carry sinceeverything would be too far awayfrom the correct floor. A closedwindow would also prevent thesound from carrying since mostbuildings tend to be well insulat-ed. Since the whole operationdepends on a steady flow of elec-tricity, a break in the middle ofthe wire would also cause prob-lems. Of course the fellow couldshout, but the human voice isnot loud enough to carry thatfar. An additional problem is that a string could breakon the instrument. There could be no accompanimentto the message. It is clear that the best situation wouldinvolve less distance. Then there would be fewer poten-tial problems. With face-to-face contact, the leastnumber of things could go wrong.

3. Ask several student volunteers to share their drawings.

4. Discuss what made this task so challenging. Ask if itwould have helped if they had a picture.

5. Hand out copies of the reproducible on page 16. Ask astudent to reread the paragraph as everyone looks atthe illustration.

It’s Up In The Air*

OBJECTIVE: To understand the importance of context in interpreting what we see or hear.

MATERIALS: A reproducible of the image on the right and accompanying text is available on page 16.

BACKGROUND: It’s one thing to see printed words onthe page. Sometimes it’s quite another to understandthem. Seeing the words is simply an act of identifyingletters on a page as words. To understand what the wordsmean involves perception and comprehension. The brainmust process the words and relate them to previousexperience. In order to understand something that isbeing read or spoken, the reader or listener usually needsto know what the words relate to. In other words, theyneed a context for the words.

WHAT TO DO:1. Ask students to take out a piece of paper and some-

thing to write with. Tell them you’d like them to try tosketch a picture of the scene that you’ll be describing.

TIME45-50 minutes

GRADE LEVEL8-12

*Passage and illustration used in this activity: Bransford, John D., and Merieta K. Johnson. 1972. “Contextual Prerequisites for Understanding: Some Investigators of Comprehension andRecall.” Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior.

Senses and Perception Senses and Perception

GRADE LEVEL4-12

WHAT TO DO:1. Give each student a color copy of the

Stroop Effect Test on page 16. In thistest, each word is shown in a colorother than the one that correspondsto its name.

2. Ask a student volunteer to read thewords and stress that they shouldignore the colors. The student shouldread the words as fast as possible fromleft to right, starting with the top row.Have another student time how long ittakes to name all the colors in order.

3. Ask the first student volunteer to read the list again.However, this time, ask the student to say the colorsthe words are written in as fast as possible, in the sameorder as above. Clarify that the student should not readthe words, but just identify the color of each word.Again, have another student time how long it takes toread the words in order.

4. Divide the class into pairs. Have partners repeat thetest above, as one student performs the test while thesecond student times how long it takes to name thecolors, then read the words. Then switch roles so bothstudents can try the test.

DISCUSSION:• Which exercise took longer?• Which exercise was easier? Why?• Ask students to hypothesize how these mixed messages

affect the brain. Talk about the Stroop Effect. (SeeBackground above.)

E X T E N S I O N SChallenge students to research the Stroop Effect Testfurther. When and why do psychologists use this test?Which part of the brain is involved in selecting the right response?

Try it upside down! Challenge someone to say the name ofeach color (not read the words). Then turn the test upsidedown and have the student name the color names again.Which was easier? Why do you think that is?

As fast as you can, use five markers and write the namesof the color of the marker you are using. Then, use thesame five markers, but this time write any color namebut the correct one. (For example, if you have a bluemarker, you can write any color name but “blue.”)

To repeat what othershave said, requires education; to challenge it,requires brains.

Mary Pettibone Poole,author

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Memory and learningMemory and LearningReproducibles

Eyewitness Game: Students will find out what they do—and don’t—remember when they’re not paying attention.

Grocery Store Chaining: Students will play a gamethat demonstrates how repetition helps memory.

Now You See It, Now You Don’t: Students will test the limits of their memory and learn some new ways to make it stronger.

Mirror Image: Challenge students with an activity that shows how repetition helps form procedural memories.

Motor Learning Card Game: Students will test theirreaction times and see how they change from one task to the next.

ACTIVITIES

Grades4-8

Grades4-12

Grades6-12

Grades6-12

WHERE ARE MEMORIES FORMED AND STORED?

All over the place! Different kinds ofmemory rely on different parts of ourbrain. Plus, memories can be formedand organized in one place, and thenstored in another. The hippocampusis important in forming new memories, as well as connecting long-term memo-ries. In fact, long-term memories can be stored in many different parts of our cerebral cortex. Short-term and working memories depend in part onthe prefrontal cortex. Proceduralmemories involve the cerebellum,motor cortex, and basal ganglia.Memories that are very emotionalinvolve the amygdala and limbic system in our inner brain. (The basalganglia and amygdala are not visiblein the view of the brain above.)

How do you remember how to tie your shoe, your friend’s phone number, orthe smell of your favorite food? All of these memories are formed and storedin your brain. Memory is essential to life—it allows us to remember what happens from moment to moment, as well as events from long ago. You learnby storing information in your memory, whether it’s walking or talking orcomplicated new material for a test. When we learn and remember something,we’re changing, adding and/or subtracting connections among neurons in ourbrains. The more we practice something or remember an event, the strongerthose connections become.

There are at least several different kinds of memory, depending how longand what types of information are being stored in our brain.

Short-term or working memory lets us hold onto information as long aswe’re focused on it. We may remember a friend’s question just long enoughto reply, but could easily forget it moments later.

There are two kinds of long-term memory. The first kind helps us remem-ber events, such as what we did during summer vacation (episodic memory),and names, such as the names of state capitals (declarative memory).

The second kind of long-term memory allows us to remember how to dothings automatically—such as walk, ride a bike, or play the piano. It is calledprocedural memory. These skills and habits may seem like second nature tous, but in fact they required a lot of practice and repetition to learn.

These activities explore our short-term memory—and its limitations—as wellas how we can enhance our long-term memory by strategies such as repetition,meaningful association, or cognitive activity.

Grades 4-12

ACTIVITY: Confusing Colors IMPORTANT: MUST BE REPRODUCED IN COLOR

16

If the balloons popped, the sound would not beable to carry since everything would be too faraway from the correct floor. A closed windowwould also prevent the sound from carrying sincemost buildings tend to be well insulated. Sincethe whole operation depends on a steady flow ofelectricity, a break in the middle of the wirewould also cause problems. Of course the fellowcould shout, but the human voice is not loudenough to carry that far. An additional problem is that a string could break on the instrument.There could be no accompaniment to the message. It is clear that the best situation wouldinvolve less distance. Then there would be fewerpotential problems. With face-to-face contact, the least number of things could go wrong.

Passage and illustration used in this activity: Bransford, John D., and Merieta K.Johnson. 1972. “Contextual Prerequisites for Understanding: Some Investigators ofComprehension and Recall.” Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior.

ACTIVITY: It’s Up in the Air

Stroop Effect Test

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2. Talk about what kinds of details an eyewitness mightbe asked to remember about a crime scene.

3. At some point during the discussion, have a teacher orstudent from another class walk into your classroom,perhaps saying they thought they left something there.As the visitor casually walks around, he or she shouldmake between 5-10 small changes to the appearance ofthe classroom. For example, she might erase somethingon the chalkboard, put a new book on the bookshelf,open or close a window. (You will have arranged thisvisit and the visitor’s actions before the class begins.)

4. Soon after the visitor leaves the room, ask students towrite down all the visitor’s actions while he or she wasin the classroom. You might also ask them to remem-ber details such as what the person was wearing andwhat he or she said. You could also ask a trick ques-tion, like asking them to identify the color of the visitor’s hat, even if the person wasn’t wearing one.

5. Ask a second visitor to enter the room and make a fewchanges. This time, stop the class discussion so thatstudents are focusing on the visitor. Again, have stu-dents write down the details they noticed about theperson’s actions, clothes, and comments.

DISCUSSION:• Compare the details that students remember about the

first visitor. Which actions were remembered and which were not? Did students remember thedetails differently?

• Why were these details difficult to remember? Wherewas their attention focused when the first visitor enteredthe classroom? Talk about how the brain filters out mostinformation at any given moment. (See Background.)

• Now compare the details that students remember aboutthe second visitor. Were they able to remember muchmore? Why do they think that is?

• Discuss how eyewitness testimony can be “false” or manipulated.

E X T E N S I O N High School: Ask multiple visitors to the classroom at the same time, having each do a variety of actions.Students’ attention will be focused in a number of directions, so it is unlikely that everyone will observe all the details of the various visitors’ actions. Discusshow this might affect the accuracy of eyewitnesstestimony in a courtroom.

Eyewitness Game

OBJECTIVE: To explore how we remember (or don’tremember) the details of a common, everyday situation.

MATERIALS: Common classroom items, such as abook, a clock, and a chalkboard.

PREPARATION: Recruit two people, such as a teacher and a student, to visit the classroom.

BACKGROUND: Every day—and every waking moment—our brains are bombarded with messages from our sens-es. Our brains would be overwhelmed if they tried toprocess every message. Instead, the brain filters out a lotof this information. As our brain is very selective, so arethe things we remember about any given moment. Eventhe details that do register in our short-term memory,such as a friend’s question or the sight of a passing bus,are often soon forgotten. In order for something to bestored in our long-term memory, we have to pay closeattention and observe very closely.

WHAT TO DO:1. Ask students to define the term eyewitness. If students

need help, provide a context sentence, such as: “Theeyewitness saw a burglar with a blue coat run off witha sack of money and hop into a yellow car.”

GRADE LEVEL4-12

TIME20 minutes

Memory and Learning

the list in the order they were added. For example: “Iwent to the grocery store, and I bought some applesand bananas.”

4. Continue around the circle, asking each student torepeat the grocery list in order and add one more itemto the list.

5. Keep playing until you’ve gone all the way around thecircle, reached the end of the alphabet, or until some-one forgets one of the items.

DISCUSSION:• Did the items on the grocery list get easier or more

difficult to remember? Why do you think that is?

• Do you think you could remember the items on the lista week from now? What if your classplayed the game, reciting the sameitems, every day?

• Talk about how information can betransferred from short-term to long-term memory. In this activity, whatenhanced your long-term memory ofthe items on the grocery list?Discuss the importance of repetitionin forming long-term memories.(See Background.)

• Would it have been more or less dif-ficult to remember the items if theyhadn’t been in alphabetical order?Talk about how arranging informa-tion in a familiar sequence makesthe information easier to remember.(See Background.)

• What else could you have done toremember the grocery store items,without repeating the list? (Forexample, students could make up astory about the items on the list, giv-ing each item meaning or a context.)

E X T E N S I O N S Elementary School: Have younger students play thegame by imagining a make-believe trip to the zoo andlisting the different animals they see.

Middle School: Challenge older students to list theitems in reverse order.

Grocery Store Chaining

OBJECTIVE: To understand how repetition and organizing information can enhance long-term memory.

MATERIALS: None.

BACKGROUND: New information is temporarily stored asshort-term memory in our brains. Most of this informa-tion is soon forgotten, but some getstransferred to our long-term memory.How can we enhance our memory sothat certain information gets storedin the brain over time? One way is byrepetition. The more we do some-thing, the stronger the communica-tion between the neurons becomes.This, in turn, enhances our long-termmemory. For example, you rarely for-get your own phone number becauseyou’ve repeated it so many times!

Another way to enhance our memoryis by organizing information in afamiliar sequence. For example, it’smore difficult to name the days of theweek or say the alphabet out of orderthan in order. That’s because thememory can store information muchmore efficiently when it’s organizedin a way that the brain finds easy toremember.

WHAT TO DO: 1. Have students sit in a circle. Explain that you’re going

to play a memory game called “Grocery Store,” inwhich the class creates and remembers a fictional grocery list. Explain that the items on the list will bein alphabetical order.

2. Begin the grocery list with an item that begins with“A” such as: “I went to the grocery store, and I boughtsome apples.”

3. Ask the person to your right to add another item to theshopping list, first repeating the other items already on

GRADE LEVEL4-8

TIME10 minutes

Scientists Are TrainedObserversSince observation is an essential partof science, scientists must often trainthemselves to be careful observers.Think about scientists who discovernew species. They must focus on external features. Over time, theylearn to recognize patterns and detailsof characteristics in certain species, so when they see an individual that doesn’t fit that pattern, it jumps out.

Memory and Learning

When I was a kid the brainwas a telephone-switchingnetwork, then it became a digital computer, then it became a massively parallel digital computer.I’m sure there’s a book out there now for kids that says the brain is the World Wide Web, andeverything’s crosslinked.

Rodney A. Brooks,roboticist

BrainyQUOTE

How It Works When a region of ourbrain is hard at work, the nerve cells useoxygen and the sugar, glucose, to get ener-gy. Oxygen and glucose are carried by theblood, so blood flow increases subtly inparts of the brain that are most active. PETscans highlight busy parts of the brain bydetecting these changes in blood flow.Before a PET scan, a person is injected with

a small dose of radioactive glucose, or otherkinds of radioactive tracers. The PET thenscans the brain to measure how differentparts absorb and utilize different amounts ofglucose. PET produces very colorful images ofcross-sections of the brain. Together, theseimages can be used to create a detailedthree-dimensional image. The colors showdifferent levels of glucose within the brain,

such as red (high)and blue (low).

How It’s UsedPET scans have helped scientists under-stand which parts of the brain are activeduring certain tasks, such as those relatedto learning and language. It has also beenused to show how drugs, brain disorders,and injury affect the brain.

PET Positron Emission Tomography

PET scans allow scientists to map brain activity by showing which sections are most active.

20

remember. One example is taking the first letter of eachitem and forming a real word. For example, HOMES is amemory trick for remembering the names of the fiveNorth American Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan,Erie, and Superior.

WHAT TO DO: 1. Before students arrive, arrange 10 of the 20 items on

the tray and cover them with the sheet or towel.

2. When students are seated, tell them that you needtheir full attention. Uncover the tray and ask them tolook closely at, but not touch, the items.

3. After two minutes, cover the tray again and ask stu-dents to write down as many of the items as they canremember.

4. Show students the items again, but this time, askthem to touch and talk about the different items. Whatare they used for? Do certain items remind them ofsomething? Which ones do they like? Do any seem tostand out as particularly interesting or different? Ask

students to predict how this discussionwill affect their ability to rememberthe items.

5. After two minutes, cover the trayagain and ask students to write down as many of the items as theyremember.

6. Explain that the ability to recallinformation depends on how well theinformation is stored in the firstplace. Discuss mnemonics, specialtechniques for memorizing informa-tion, such as rhymes, phrases, ormental associations. Ask students toshare any tricks for memorizing a listof information. (See Background.)

7. Prepare another tray using theremaining 10 items. Repeat the activity, but this time have students

come up with their own creative ways of rememberingthe items.

DISCUSSION:• Why do you think it was easier to remember the items

on the tray after you had touched and talked aboutthem?

• Discuss how making sensory, cognitive, and emotionalconnections helps enhance our long-term memory ofinformation. (See Background.)

Now You See It, Now You Don’t

OBJECTIVE: To understand the limits and strengths ofhuman memory, and to learn some different strategiesfor remembering random items.

BACKGROUND: Imagine you’re teachinga new visitor to the U.S. the names ofthe state capitals. The first time shehears the names, she may forget themwithin minutes. After all, they’re justrandom words that enter her short-term memory. But what if you sharedfacts, pictures, and positive and nega-tive stories about each capital? Or hadher taste and smell foods and listen tomusic from each city? You might evencompare certain capitals to cities sheknows from her own country. Slowly,the capital names become part of herlong-term memory. That’s becauseyou’ve added meaning to these previ-ously meaningless words. You’veenhanced her long-term memory byactivating her senses and engaging hercognitive processes by thinking aboutand comparing the cities. You also added an emotionalaspect to the different capitals. All of these experiencesand associations help reinforce her memory of the capitalnames. We do this when we remember information. Wemake mental connections, or associations, that link theinformation with senses, ideas, memories, and emotions.

Another way people remember information is by usingmnemonics. A mnemonic is a short rhyme, phrase, wordtrick, or other strategy for making information easier to

TIME45 minutes

GRADE LEVEL4-12

MATERIALS: A large tray, such as a cafeteria trayor cookie sheet, 20 random small items, such as:wooden block, toy animal, piece of cork, and magnet (try to choose items that are not related),sheet or towel big enough to cover the tray orcookie sheet, paper and pencils, watch or wall clock with second hand.

Memory and Learning

Mirror Image*

OBJECTIVE: To understand procedural memory and the importance of repetition in forming proceduralmemories.

MATERIALS:

BACKGROUND: When you’re born, you don’t know how towalk, juggle, or play a musical instrument. However, yourbrain has the innate ability to learn these skills, which canbecome second nature. When you get to the point whereyou don’t have to think about how to perform a skill—itjust happens naturally—it has become part of your proce-dural memory. Take riding a bike. It’s one of those skillsthat’s easy to do once you’ve mastered it, but difficult tothink through step by step. Like other procedural knowl-edge, that skill is stored as a long-term memory and canbe automatically retrieved any time. You form proceduralmemories through practice and repetition. That’s whyboth professional athletes and musicians must spendhours every day practicing the skills involved.

WHAT TO DO:1. Have students choose a partner and sit at a desk or table

across from each other.

2. Ask one student in each pair to poke a hole in the indexcard with a pencil. Then push the card halfway up thepencil until the student cannot see the tip of the pencil ashe or she writes.

3. Place the printout with the shapes on the desk. Have thesecond student hold the mirror so that the first studentcan see the shapes in the reflection.

4. Ask the first student to trace a line about 1/2 inch aroundone of the shapes, but to look in the mirror as they do so.They should only be able to see the shape in the mirrorand not see the actual page that they’re drawing on. Try itagain two or three times.

5. Repeat the activity, having the student trace the othershapes on the printout.

6. Switch roles and have the second partner trace theshapes.

DISCUSSION:• Did you notice any difference between the first and last

time you traced a shape? Did your skill improve withpractice, or did it stay about the same?

• Were some shapes easier to trace than others? Why doyou think so?

• Explain that when you learn a new skill, it involvesyour procedural memory. Talk about procedural mem-ories and the importance of repetition in forming thesememories. (See Background.)

• What are some other skills that involve proceduralmemories? How did you learn and improve these skills?

TIME45 minutes

GRADE LEVEL6-12

Memory and Learning

*Adapted from BrainLink activities: Memory and Learning. Wow! Productions, Inc., 1997.

21

My own brain is to me the most unaccountable of machinery—alwaysbuzzing, humming, soaring, roaring, diving,and then buried in mud.And why? What’s this passion for?

Virginia Woolf,author

BrainyQUOTE

For each pair of students: One smallmirror, two copies of the reproducible with basicshapes such as a circle, square, triangle, and star(see page 23), sharpened pencil, index card.

© Keith A. Johnson, M

.D., The Whole Brain Atlas

22 23

ReproduciblesACTIVITY: Fooling Your Eyes

ACTIVITY: Mirror Image

3. Explain that students are going to work in pairs and per-form a series of tasks with playing cards. Each task willbe more and more complex. Ask how they think thecomplexity of these tasks will affect their reaction times.

4. Divide the class into pairs and have them choose oneas the Card Sorter and the other as the Recorder.

5. Give each pair a deck of cards and have them shufflethe deck well. Give students the following tasks. Eachtime, the Recorder should time and record the amountof time it takes the Card Sorter to complete the task.Ask students to shuffle the cards after each task:

Task #1: The Card Sorter deals the cards into twopiles as quickly as possible. Task #2: The Card Sorter places the cards into twopiles based on color, one pile for red cards and a sec-ond pile for black cards. (If the student puts a card in the wrong pile, he or she should pick it up and continue sorting.)Task #3: The Card Sorter deals the cards into fourrandom piles. Task #4: The Card Sorter places the cards into fourpiles based on the suit of the cards: one for hearts, dia-monds, spades, and clubs.(Note: Some students will cut the deck in half in Task#2 above. Some will cut the deck into four piles inTask #3. This could engender class discussion aboutfrontal lobe strategizing.)

6. Have students use the Recorder’s information to createa bar graph showing the time for each task.

DISCUSSION:• Compare the bar graphs. Which tasks took the most

time?

• Which of these tasks was most difficult? Did this tasktake more or less time?

• Talk about what made some tasks more difficult thanothers. How do you think your brain reacts to moreand more difficult tasks?

E X T E N S I O N Have students perform one of the sorting tasks multiple times to observe the relationship betweenpractice and the amount of time needed to finish a task.

Motor Learning Card Game*

OBJECTIVE: To develop an understanding of reaction time; to study the relationship between increasingly complex tasks and the time needed toprocess these tasks.

MATERIALS: For each pair of students: A deck of playing cards, clock or watch with second hand.

BACKGROUND: When your senses receive information—such as a bright light or loud noise—your nervous sys-tem must receive and integrate this message, then causethe body to respond. The time it takes this to happen iscalled reaction time. Perhaps the quickest reaction timein the human body can be seen in the reflex, a type ofcontrol system connecting stimulus to response. Reflexescan be built-in. The former is seen in the automaticresponse that happens when a doctor taps your knee andyou kick, or if you quickly pull your hand away from ahot fire.

When you play cards, you may have a fast reaction time,but this is different from a simple reflex. The informationfrom the card travels into the eyes, and then onto thevisual cortex (in the occipital lobe). From there, it trav-els to the association cortex, where the visual informa-tion will be related to memory of where to place thecard. This information travels to the motor cortex, wherea signal then travels down through the spinal cord and tothe muscles to control arm movement.

WHAT TO DO:1. Introduce the term reaction time and explain what it

means. Talk about how some reactions, or reflexes, areautomatic and have very fast reaction times. Ask stu-dents to give examples of reflexes. (See Background.)

2. Next, explain that many actions may seem automatic—or require a very short reaction time—but are quite different from simple reflexes. Using the example of playing cards, talk about the path that information takes through different parts of the brain. (SeeBackground.)

TIME45 minutes

GRADE LEVEL6-12

Memory and Learning

*Based on “Reaction Time and Neural Circuitry” in The Neuroscience Laboratory and Classroom Activities. National Association of Biology Teachers and the Society for Neuroscience.

24

When you picture yourself in a favoriteplace, you use your visual cortex in theback of your head.

Reproducibles

When you tap your fingers together, you use the prefrontal cortexto plan the action andthe motor cortex to sendmessages to your handmuscles.

When you do simplemath, you use the prefrontal cortex, one of the brain’s areas for cognitive functions.

When you feel pain, receptorsin the skin send messagesthrough the brain’s relay station, or thalamus, to thesensory cortex, where thepain’s location and intensityare perceived.

ACTIVITY: Get to Know the Brain

The different senses yourecall, like sights, smells,sounds, and emotions, use different parts of thebrain. The smells youremember activate theolfactory cortex.

When you identifysounds, you triggerthe auditory cortexon either side ofyour brain. Note:the auditory cortexis not visible in thisview of the brain.

The cerebellumcoordinates thewhole process andhelps you timeyour precise handmovements.

When you remember a past event, you use,among other parts of your brain, the hippocampus buriedinside your brain.

SCIENCE STANDARDS AND BENCHMARKS Please visit our Web site (www.wiredtowinthemovie.com) for information on National ScienceEducation Standards covered in the guide. This guide also addresses the following Benchmarks for Science Literacy as specified by the American Association for theAdvancement of Science:

Grades 4-5Nature of ScienceThe Nature of TechnologyThe Human OrganismHuman SocietyThe Designed WorldHabits of Mind

Grades 6-8Nature of ScienceThe Nature of TechnologyThe Living EnvironmentThe Human OrganismThe Designed WorldCommon ThemesHabits of Mind

Grades 9-12Nature of ScienceThe Nature of TechnologyThe Living EnvironmentThe Human OrganismHabits of Mind

RESOURCESVisit our Web site (www.wiredtowinthemovie.com) for a full list ofresources for educators and students, including links to Web sites. On the Wired to Win site, you and your students can explore interactivesabout brain science, read interviews with scientists and educators, andlearn about the history of the Tour de France, cycling, and neuroscience.You can also go behind the scenes to discover how a large-screen movie is made.

The Dana Web site, www.dana.org, offers free resources and publications, accessible information and news about the brain, linksto many other brain-related organizations, and special sections forkids and seniors.

National Association of Biology Teachers and the Society for Neuroscience. The Neuroscience Laboratory and Classroom Activities. NationalAssociation of Biology Teachers and the Society for Neuroscience,Washington, DC, 1996. (Download a free copy at www.nabt.org/sup/publications/nlca/toc.htm)

British Broadcasting Corporation. Science & Nature: Human Body & MindWeb site: www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/index.shtml?brain

Carter, Rita. Mapping the Mind. University of California Press, Berkeley,2000.

Public Broadcasting Service. The Secret Life of the Brain Web site and video series. Copies of videos and CDs are available on the Web site atwww.pbs.org/wnet/brain/, as well as downloadable teacher and student guides.

Restak, Richard, M.D. The Secret Life of the Brain. National AcademiesPress, Washington, DC, 2001.

Society for Neuroscience. Brain Facts: A Primer on the Brain and NervousSystem. Society for Neuroscience, Washington, DC, 2002. (Download afree copy at web.sfn.org/content/Publications/BrainFacts/index.html)

University of Washington. Neuroscience for Kids Web site:faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html

The Dana Sourcebook of Brain Science, Third Edition (Dana Press). Modified with perm

ission of Dana Press.