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ANATOMY IN CLAY
LEARNING SYSTEM
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The mind cannot forget what the hands have learned. TM
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ANATOMY IN CIAY® Leaming System - This lesson includes: Creating a model of the human brain
and identifying the basic functions of each section. Labeling some bones, sutures, and building a
muscle that correspo!1ds to the skull anatomy.
Prior to building a brain, it makes sense to have your students review the major bones of the skull and
label them with a pencil, and the major sutures.
❖ Name major of the bones of the skull: Frontal. Parietal Temporal and Occipital
❖ Now label them with your pencil, you can Just use the first letter. F: T. 0,
❖ Draw four of the major sutures of the skull: Coronal. S;iaittal. Sqpamous and Lambdoid
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Suture Draw - TM
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The Brain• Cortical Brain: Cerebrum
Build the four major lobes of the Cerebrum. You can be as simple or as complex as
needed. Making color associations improves student understanding and retention of
information.
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1. Frontal lobe- terra cotta clay - Voluntary movement and complex thinking processes.
Advance a bit more and build the Motor Homunculus or "brain map"
This will form the "pre-central" gyrus responsible for carrying motor and sensory
information to and from the Central Nervous System.
2. Parietal lobe- blue clay - Sensory cortex and touch reception and comparisons.
Advance and build the Sensory Homunculus or "brain map" that forms the
"post-central" gyrus. The area found between the PRE and POST- Central gyrus
Is known as the Central Sulcus.
3, Occipital lobe- yellow clay - Smallest of the four lobes for Vision/Sight.
4. Temporal lobe- green clay - Auditory/Hearing and balance.
Major Lobes of the Brain - TM
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II. Subcortical Brain:
These areas of the brain represent the mid-portion of the nervous system. They are myellnated,
therefore, we will use bone-colored clay to depict the myelinated, white, portions.
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Cerebellum - Start with a small ball of bone-color clay about the size of a small ball of
chewed gum. Squeeze It Into a pear shape and then use your loop tool to score the Arbor
vitae into it. Place it just Inferior to the Occipital lobe and against the posterior wall of
the Occipital bone. It will extend anteriorly for ¼ of the Temporal lobe.
The Cerebellum controls coordination, smoothness and speed of voluntary muscles. It Is
responsible for your balance and equilibrium, Is 10% of the brain weight and houses the
Arbor vitae "Tree of Life."
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Pons and Medulla Oblongata (Brainstem)- Use a single thick noodle of the bone-color clay
and double it back over itself at the tip. This 'bump or pooch' will represent the Pons. Extend
the noodle down to C2 and this is the Medulla Oblongata. The 'poochy' Pons is also known
as the 'bridge' because all nerve fibers must pass through It to 'bridge' the spinal
cord messages to the Cerebrum and Cerebellum. The 3 'vital' reflexes reside in the
Medulla Oblongata and they are "VITAL" for life...heart rate, respiration and vasomotor
control.
Ill. NEXT - we are going to go back up to the Cerebrom and add in some major components.
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Thalamus- Build this out of orange or TC. Make a small ball, the size of a large pea, and
flatten it. Push it onto the inferior margin of the Temporal lobe. Extensive nerve fibers
run through the Thalamus to regulate sensory perception and motor functions. ALL sense
nerves, except smell, run through the Thalamus. It also regulates one's consciousness and
sleep/awake cycle.
Notes: (both Thalamus and Hypothalamus)
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Hypothalamus - Take a very small ball of blue, the size of a split pea and place it just
under/below the Thalamus. This is small yet SO Important. It maintains the body's Internal
balance "HOMEOSTASIS", It Is a link between the endocrine and nervous systems. It
produces hormones which start and stop the production of other hormones throughout the
body. It controls body temperature, hunger and thirst, sexual behavior and reproduction,
dally cycles in "Circadian Rhythm", and mediation of emotional responses.
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Amygdala - Make another very small ball of red, a bit smaller than your Hypothalamus. Place
this at the junction of the Cerebellum, Thalamus and Hypothalamus.
The Amygdala is involved in many of our emotions, particularly those related to 'survival',
the FIGHT OR FLIGHT response.
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Hippocampus- Make a thin yellow noodle. Attach it at the junction of the Thalamus and up
to the top of the Temporal lobe. Responsible for scripting what we leam•..factual from trivial
information. Can only hold information for a short period of time (about 30 seconds) and
then it must be processed.
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Pineal Body- Make a very small ball of red. Place it on the upper portion of the Hippocampus.
Secretes Melatonin, for sleepf Thought to also influence rhythms and cycles.
Jet Lag.
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Pituitary Gland- make a super tiny ball of green with a short 'stalk' (noodle) that attaches to
the 3rd ventricle. This is the MASTER GLAND of the body that produces the Hgh and other
hormones that act on Endocrine glands, muscles and kidneys.
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RAS - Reticular Activating System - Make a very skinny blue noodle. Lay it on the lower
portion of the brain stem. The RAS is the portal through which nearly all information enters
the brain.
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Corpus Ca/losum - Build this out of bone color clay. WIii look like a small boomerang. Lay it
on the mid-section of the cerebral lobes spanning from the Temporal lobe back to the
Occipital lobe. This is the bridge between the R and L Cerebral hemispheres.
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Brain - finished Product - TM
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