Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Classroom Activities: Mirror-Tracing Activity

For Teachers 9th - 12th
What does it take to train your brain? Learners explore the question as they experiment with their own memory and motor skills. They attempt to trace an object using a mirror and then score their results over several trials. They then...
Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Altered Reality

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Fascinate young life scientists by showing them how their brain learns. By using prism goggles while attempting to toss bean bags at a target, lab partners change their outlook on the world around them, producing amusing results....
Unit Plan
Southwest Educational Development Laboratory

The Human Body

For Teachers 1st
Nothing is more relevant than the study of the human body. A series of 10 human body lessons begins with growth, ends with reproduction, and hits all the major systems in between. Each lesson provides opening and closing activities as...
Unit Plan
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Curated OER

The Brain’s Inner Workings

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Do you want to learn about how you learn? Help pupils become the best learners they can be by teaching them how their brain works. The resources available include videos about brain structure and a study guide full of activities that...
Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Sheep Brain Dissection

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Bored with frog and earthworm dissections? Had your fill of fetal pigs? Anatomy students will be intrigued by the sheep's brain, and you will be prepared with guiding questions, extension activities, and pictures as they dissect one —...
Lesson Plan
LABScI

Vision Lab: The Eye

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Our bodies have some amazing capabilities, but there are some limitations. Explore the limitations of the human eye through the eighth lab activity in a series of 12 biology lessons. Individuals measure their own peripheral vision...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Nervous System

For Teachers 5th Standards
Get to know the body's central nervous system through an engaging game of nervous system telephone. But this isn't your average game of telephone. Here, pupils must find a way to communicate a message to the brain without speaking....
Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Bead Neuron

For Teachers 5th - 12th
What do you call a skull without neurons? A no-brainer! A hands-on activity asks scholars to build a model of a neuron using beads. They use their models to study the parts of the neuron and their functions.
Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Get the Point(s)

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Do all areas of your skin have the same sensitivity to touch? Playing with the sense of touch, this experiment has scholars guessing how many pin heads gently touch their arm and hand. In the second part, pupils...
Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Connect the Neurons!

For Students 5th - 8th
Create a neuron frenzy as your pupils play the part of the neurons. An engaging lesson creates a human chain of neurons that pass cotton balls posing as neurotransmitters. Scholars learn about pre- and post-synapses as they complete...
Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

What's the Deal? Addiction Card Game

For Students 9th - 12th
Addiction is a big deal! Playing a game of cards helps learners understand the concept of addiction. Through their analysis, they examine the potential for addiction and how it varies for each individual.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Phineas Gage: Personal Phrenology Chart During Reading Activity

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Phrenology, the belief that parts of your brain control certain aspects of your personality, is described in Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science. While we now know much more about the brain, learners use this...
Activity
Exploratorium

Seeing Your Blind Spot

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Viewers use a small, dimmed flashlight to identify the blind spot for both the right and left eye. It is a simple activity to incorporate into your activities during a lesson on vision and the structure and function of the eyeball.
Activity
PBS

Color Code

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Don't let your brain play tricks on you! Learners test brain reaction rates while it is receiving multiple stimuli. They time each other reading a set of color words written in different colors and again when they are written in black....
Lesson Plan
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Nemours KidsHealth

Vision

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
From the iris and retina to glasses and contact lenses, learners will be excited to see what activities are in store for them as they learn about the complex organ of the human eye.
Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Virtual Neurons

For Teachers 5th - 12th
It's electric! Young anatomists use Virtual Neurons software to build, control, and analyze complex nerve circuits within the body. Colorful and packed with content, class members enjoy interacting with the nervous system...
Activity
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Early Childhood Learning and Knowlege Center

My Body My Senses

For Teachers K - 5th
In a comprehensive unit of activities, learners explore the five senses. Youngsters discover the many different body parts and their functions that allow humans to have sense of sight, touch, smell, taste, and hearing. The best way to...
Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Neurotransmission Model

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Don't lose your marbles — you'll need them for a lesson on neurotransmission. Young scholars build a neurotransmission model using marbles, beads, rubber bands, string, and other elements. After studying specific neurotransmitters,...
Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Memory Box

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Teachers encourage using memory tricks, but do they actually work? Scholars test word association in a short yet engaging activity. They use 10 seconds to memorize as many items as possible and determine if they are more successful if...
Lesson Plan
Rochester Institute of Technology

Artificial Eye

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Scientists in California developed a bionic eye that allows blind people to see edges of objects in black and white and costs $145,000. In the activity, groups of scholars discuss bioengineering, focusing on the human eye. They then...
Activity
Curated OER

Phonemic Awareness and Sounding Out Words

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st Standards
Although designed for children with learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, the multi-sensory tips and tricks included in this illustrated eight-page packet are designed to develop phonemic awareness and are appropriate for any classroom.
Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Shedding a "Little" Light on Cancer Surgery

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Many types of cancer treatments now depend on nanotechnology—a big "little" discovery. Scholars begin by removing "malignant" tissue from simulated brains, one using fluorescent markers thanks to nanotechnology and one without. This...
Lesson Plan
Science Friday

Ugh, a Bug!

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Young entomologists familiarize themselves with the physical characteristics of insects. Composed of two activities, each lesson involves your scientists tapping into their prior knowledge of bugs and making observations of real live...
Lesson Plan
Kenan Fellows

Gridiron Rescue: One Health Football Technology Project

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Helmets not included! Scholars brainstorm adjustments and sensors to football helmets in an engineering design project to help prevent injuries, such as concussions and spinal injuries.