Theme
Developed by
Change 2013-14
Myrna Ramirez
Laurie Kardish
Title of Unit
The Human Brain
Grade Level
Time Frame
1-5
4+ lessons
Unit GATE Scope and Sequence
Students will:




Apply principles and generalizations within and across content areas of science, fine
arts, and literacy.
Formulate models or representations to express abstract ideas.
Develop a product that will incorporate and reflect relationships as well as the basic
science processes and concepts (e.g. Change).
The independence, self-direction, and skills in group processes that lead to creative
and productive thinking.

Critical and higher level thinking skills in both cognitive and affective areas.

Affective behaviors involved in the creative process, including risk taking, curiosity,
imagination, and enjoyment of complex challenges.
Products that refine or challenge existing ideas, incorporate concepts, and use
techniques, materials, forms and knowledge in innovative ways.

Unit GATE Strategies
F.F.O.E
SCAMPER
Traffic Light Thinking
Unit Overarching Concepts “Big Ideas”
(Students will understand that…)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Change is an ongoing dynamic process; it is everywhere and inevitable.
Change is affected by a variety of factors that can be constant and /or chaotic.
Change can be observed and measured in patterns, cycles and trends.
Human predict, influence and explain change.
Change may be governed by needs, which can be individual or global
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Unit Lesson Objectives
1. After reading literature (Informational Text) -books, print outs, websites, etc, - on the human
brain, students will correctly demonstrate the knowledge of the parts of the human brain, their
basic functions using a Thinking Maps “Tree Map”.
2. Given pictures and information of the human brain students will creatively make a model of the
human brain
3. Given pictures of the human brain, students will correctly create a model of the Triune Brain,
demonstrating their understanding of the different parts of the inner brain.
4. Given examples, students will correctly write word analogies and metaphors related to the
human brain.
5. After listening to a song about the human brain in a familiar tune, students will write and
perform a song of their own.
6. Given information of how neurons work in the brain, students will create a drawing, a model
and play a game to learn and demonstrate their understanding of how neurons work in the
brain.
Unit Related Misconceptions
The human brain is easy to understand.
Everybody’s brain is the same.
The brain is like a control center.
ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE
Unit Summative Performance Task Description
Students will choose one idea from the menu extension to explore in detail at home.
Students will present their project to the class.
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Unit Materials/Resources

The Big Book of the Brain by John Farndon
In GATE resource room:
 The Brain: our nervous system by Seymour Simon
 Your 21st Century Brain Amazing Science Games to Play With your Mind by DiSpezio
& DeSalle
 How to be a GENIUS your brain and how to train it by Woodward
Websites:
Lumosity: Brain Games & Brain Training www.lumosity.com/
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/introb.html
Theme
Unit
Change
The Human Brain
Discussion Questions
How many parts make up the human
brain?
What functions do these parts perform for
the human body?
Name
The Human Brain Parts and Their
Basic Functions
Resources
Date
2013-14
Books about the human brain.
Handouts provided by teacher
Internet websites
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EXTENSIONS MENU
Make a Giant Jigsaw Puzzle showing
a picture/s and facts
about the brain.
Challenge students
in class to complete
it.
Make several
different, unique
models of neurons
and demonstrate how
they function in the
brain.
Create a Cross- Word Make a unique model of the human brain label
puzzle using facts
the parts and describe their functions. Present in
about the brain.
class.
AND/OR
List True/False
statements about the
brain.
Challenge: Using a
shoebox, create a
game with
wires/light
bulb/battery to test
knowledge of T or F
statements.
Student Choice
(Talk with teacher
about your idea for
approval)
Design a board game about the Human Brain.
Must be complete with instructions to be able to
play in class.
Design a Power
Visit internet site:
Point presentation on Write and perform
the human brain.
your own song about http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/introb.html
the brain using
musical instrument/s. Chose an area or areas of interest and present
your new knowledge in an interesting manner to
the class. Use visuals.
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Lesson Design Model – Parts and their basic functions
ANTICIPATORY SET
Teacher puts closed fists together and asks students what they think it may be a model
of.
Ask students: “How many parts do you think the human brain has?”
OBJECTIVE (EEI FOUR PART)
After reading books and hand-outs on the human brain students will correctly
identify/label the parts of the brain and their functions by creating a paper model.
LEARNING SUB-OBJECTIVE
Strand 4: Life Science
Concept 1: Structure and Function in Living Systems
Understand the relationships between structures and functions of organisms.
PO 3. Identify the functions and parts of the nervous system:
control center – brain
PO 1. Identify how diverse people and/or cultures, past and present, have made important contributions to
scientific innovations (e.g., Percy Lavon Julian [scientist], supports Strand 4; Niels Bohr [scientist],
supports Strand 5; Edwin Hubble [scientist], supports Strand 6).(1-S2)p
TEACHER ACTIONS-STRATEGIES
STUDENT BEHAVIORS
ACTIVE PARTICIPATION
1. Teacher models the human brain by
placing closed fists together and elicits
student guesses as to what it may be a
model for.
2. Ask students for their prior knowledge
of the human brain including names of
parts and their functions (intro
Fluency)
3. Introduce basic physiology of the
brain using handouts and “A Tour of
the Human Brain-Part One”. Teacher
brings a single sheet of newspaper, a
3-lb bag of beans or rice, large
grapefruit and walnut for
demonstration.
1. Students brainstorm ideas (Fluency-Originality)
4.
4. Students complete worksheets provided and a “Tree
Map” (graphic organizer) showing their knowledge of
the parts of the brain..
Provide additional hand outs and
books on the human brain for students
to read in pairs.
2. Work with a partner on a butcher paper to show their
prior knowledge.
3. Students listen to the reading. Teacher will place a 3lb bag of beans or rice in their palms to show the
average weight of an adult brain. Students will spread
open a newspaper sheet to see the size of the cerebral
cortex if it could be spread out, a large grapefruit is
the avg size of a brain and a walnut shows the shape
with the wrinkles.
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5. Explain what metaphors are, and share
a few brain metaphors (see maser file).
(Introduce SCAMPER and/or
FFOE to use as students create their
own metaphors.) Ask students what
the metaphor would look like as a
picture.
6. Introduce Traffic Light Thinking. The
beginning of the metaphor is a Red
light statement because it is true for
the author. Then students can read and
use Yellow light thinking to infer the
author’s reasoning. Green light
thinking is used to complete the
metaphor.
5. Students write their own metaphors about the brain
and draw pictures to demonstrate their metaphors.
6. Students write the first part of the metaphor
on one paper, then the ending on another Classmates
complete the analogy for themselves.
7. Students creatively make a model of the human
brain using materials provided by teacher.
7. Provide students construction
paper, markers, crayons, glue.
8.
8. Teacher sings a song about the
brain (see Master file) using a
familiar tune like “Twinkle,
Twinkle Little Star”. Students are
asked to write and perform their
own song.
Students listen to teacher’s song then write and
perform their own song in groups. Teacher may
challenge them to include percussion.
MODELING
Teacher begins to model filling out the “Tree Map” about the human brain.
Teacher explains what metaphors are and reads a few about the brain.
Teacher sings a song about the brain in a familiar tune (Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)
GUIDED PRACTICE
Students work with a partner to filling out the graphic organizer: “Tree Map”.
Students write their own metaphors about the brain.
Students work in groups to write and perform a song about the human brain.
Students and teacher work together to come up with a brief summary naming the parts
and functions of the human brain to for students to write in their journals.
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INDEPENDENT PRACTICE
Students fill out the Tree Map recording parts and functions of the human brain.
Students complete given handouts about the human brain.
Students write a brief summary, using facts to make inferences about the human brain.
Students write metaphors and create drawings about the brain.
Students write and perform a song about the brain.
CLOSURE
In small groups students will share and write in their journals all they know now about
the parts and the functions of the human brain. Students will post their metaphors about
the brain.
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Lesson Design Model- Neurons !
ANTICIPATORY SET
We’ve been studying about the brain and it’s parts/ functions. Could anyone explain how
does one thought/sensation get communicated in the brain? We know there is a change from
sensation to communication in the brain. When my finger touches this needle, how does my
brain tell me to remove it? How could we make an analogy with the way people
communicate?
OBJECTIVE (EEI FOUR PART)
After learning how information/sensations are communicated in the brain, students will create
a drawing, be able to create a model of a neuron and participate in a game correctly
demonstrating how neurons make connections in our brain.
LEARNING SUB-OBJECTIVE
Strand 4: Life Science
Concept 1: Structure and Function in Living Systems
Understand the relationships between structures and functions of organisms.
PO 3. Identify the functions and parts of the nervous system:
control center – brain
PO 1. Identify how diverse people and/or cultures, past and present, have made important contributions to
scientific innovations (e.g., Percy Lavon Julian [scientist], supports Strand 4; Niels Bohr [scientist],
supports Strand 5; Edwin Hubble [scientist], supports Strand 6).(1-S2)p
TEACHER ACTIONS-STRATEGIES
STUDENT BEHAVIORS
ACTIVE PARTICIPATION
1.
Teacher shares neuron information. Then
direct students to do the Nerve Cell –Dot
Activity.Directions: Get a piece of paper
and 10 different colored crayons. Make
10 dots on the paper, using a different
colored crayon for each dot.(These dots
represent nerve cells of the brain.) With
the red crayon, draw lines from the red dot
to each of the other dots. (These lines
represent the dendrites of each nerve cell.)
With each of the other crayons draw lines
from its dot to all the other dots. (When
you are finished there should be nine lines
starting from each dot.) This project is
easy, but imagine that a person has more
than fifteen billion nerve cells in a
human brain.
1 Students create a drawing of nerve cells
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2.
Teacher shows hand-out of neuron. Guides
students to make a pipe-cleaner model of
neuron. Take 5 colors, one each for the
Nucleus, Dendrites, Axon, Myelin sheath,
Synaptic terminal
2. Students create a model of a neuron.
3.
We can enact the different parts of the
Neuron by playing a “Neuron Game”.
This will help students to understand how
the neuron, dendrites, and synapse create
connections. Directions: One student will
come up with a topic/subject (ex: sports,
geography, science etc.) The next student, and
each student there after will join a hand and
continue the chain by adding more information
about the topic. After students have had a turn
the last student can begin a new chain with a
new topic.
3. Students play game.
MODELING
Teacher shares neuron information and models a way to draw the cells and how they
communicate information. Next the model of a neuron is shown and how to make the parts
that create the connections. Finally how to play the Neuron Game is demonstrated.
GUIDED PRACTICE
Students create a drawing, a model and play the neuron game.
INDEPENDENT PRACTICE
Students write in journals to show their learning of nerve cells explaining how this lesson
demonstrates change.
CLOSURE
Students discuss, write and share answering the following questions. What is physically
happening in our brain when we are learning something new? How are the neurons
responsible for learning something new?
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Lesson Design Model – Triune Brain
ANTICIPATORY SET
Did you know there are different ways researchers have looked at the brain? We have
learned about the external parts of the brain: the cerebellum, the cerebrum and the brain
stem. Now let’s look at the way a neuroscientist talks about the three brains that we
have! Neuroscientist - a scientist that studies the molecular and cellular levels of the nervous system,
and of systems within the brain such as vision and hearing, and of behavior produced by the brain.
OBJECTIVE (EEI FOUR PART)
Given information about the Triune Brain, students will successfully create a torn paper
model with the parts and functions correctly labeled.
LEARNING SUB-OBJECTIVE
Strand 4: Life Science
Concept 1: Structure and Function in Living Systems
Understand the relationships between structures and functions of organisms.
PO 3. Identify the functions and parts of the nervous system:
control center – brain
PO 1. Identify how diverse people and/or cultures, past and present, have made important contributions to
scientific innovations (e.g., Percy Lavon Julian [scientist], supports Strand 4; Niels Bohr [scientist],
supports Strand 5; Edwin Hubble [scientist], supports Strand 6).(1-S2)p
TEACHER ACTIONS-STRATEGIES
STUDENT BEHAVIORS
ACTIVE PARTICIPATION
1. Teacher introduces and passes out the
Triune Brain Model handout. Guides
students to find key information that will
be used to create a model.
2. Teacher passes out 3 different colored
papers. Using their hands, students tear
out the three parts of the triune brain
from the colored paper to glue to the
outlined pattern of a human brain. Then
write the major functions of each part
and glue it on.
1. Students work in pairs and underline key
information needed to be able to create a model
of the Triune Brain labeled with the functions of
each part.
2.Students create a model of the Triune Brain
labeled with the functions each part performs.
MODELING
Teacher begins to model how to find the key words defining the functions of the parts of
the Triune Brain, and how to tear the paper and create a model of the Triune Brain.
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GUIDED PRACTICE
Students work with a partner to underline key words.
Students and teacher work together to begin the Triune Brain Model.
INDEPENDENT PRACTICE
Students create their own model of the Triune Brain with the parts and functions
correctly labeled.
CLOSURE
In small groups students will share and write in their journals the impact of learning of
the Triune Brain. What did it contribute to our learning about the brain?
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