Connecting Personal Neurons - Understanding How The Mind Grows

Grade: 3rd grade (adjust Brain Age accordingly to class age group)

Goal: The purpose of this practice is to allow students to showcase their understanding of how Neurons share information inside the brain to allow for the mind to grow with knowledge.  The student product will be a student poster made by table groups.

Background Information

Students have already:

• Watched the videos "Growing Your Mind" by Khan Academy and "Neuroplasticity" by Sentis followed by classroom discussions on the brain's malleability.
• Defined Neurons as "a connected group of cells in the brain that share information with each other."

Activity

Teacher models active steps needed to develop a unique and personal Neuron Poster:

1. Teacher shows poster split down the middle with the left side titled "5 year old" and the right side titled "8-9 year old" (this will lead towards showcasing the difference both Brain Ages and how the neurons share information along with what kind of information).  
2. Students are to write any information they have knowledge about (academically or from personal experience) on sticky notes.
3. As a group, students determine if the sticky note information was acquired as a 5 year old or 8-9 year old.  
4. Students are now ready to place sticky notes on their respective brain ages by coloring neurons on both sides showing the connections made when neurons share information.
5. Students take their sticky notes and place that information over their neurons as those neurons will depict the type of information they want to share with the rest of the brain's network.
6. At the end of the activity, students can then present their posters with the rest of the class and share any information they so chose.