Download In your journal, take notes by writing the name of

• Read “Brain Basics”
• In your journal, take notes by writing the name of
each subheading and 1-2 sentences summarizing
what you learned in that section of the text.
Include diagrams and sketches to
help you remember what things
look like!
• Answer the following question – Do you think it
is possible to trick your brain? Support your claim
with evidence.
Stroop Effect
• Click this picture
on the Class of 2015 tab
of the class website. Or go to http://mszimmerman.weebly.com/stroop-effect.html
• Follow the directions step-by-step to perform the
experiment.
• READ ALL THE INFORMATION AS YOU WORK!
• Each step has 4 picture options. Each member of
your group should choose just one to try. You can
repeat pictures.
• Name the color of the word, not what the word
says. If you saw Blue you would say red.
The biggest part of the brain is the cerebrum. The
cerebrum is the outer, wrinkled part which makes
up 85% of the brain's weight and is the thinking
part of the brain. It controls your voluntary
muscles — the ones that move when you want
them to.
When you're thinking hard, you're
using your cerebrum. Your memory
also lives in the cerebrum — both
short-term memory (what you ate
for dinner last night) and long-term
memory (the name of that rollercoaster you rode on two summers
ago). The size of this part of the
brain is what separates us from
other animals.
The cerebrum has two halves,
with one on either side of the
head. Scientists think that the
right half helps you think about
abstract things like music, colors,
and shapes. The left half is said
to be more analytical, helping
you with math, logic, and
speech. Scientists do know for
sure that the right half of the
cerebrum controls the left side
of your body, and the left half
controls the right side.
How does this connect to
our experiment?
Next up is the cerebellum. The
cerebellum is at the back of the
brain, below the cerebrum. It's a
lot smaller than the cerebrum at
only 1/8 of its size. But it's a very
important part of the brain. It
controls balance, movement, and
coordination (how your muscles
work together).
Why does it make
sense that a dolphin’s
cerebellum is so much
larger than ours?
Another brain part that's
small but mighty is the brain
stem. The brain stem sits
beneath the cerebrum and in
front of the cerebellum. It
connects the rest of the brain
to the spinal cord, which runs
down your neck and back.
The brain stem is in charge of
all the basic functions your
body needs to stay alive, like
breathing air, digesting food,
and circulating blood.
The thalamus is located at the top of the
brain stem, which is close to the center of
the brain. The human thalamus can be
divided into two pear-shaped halves. The
thalamus is often referred to as the "relay
station" of the brain. This is because the
thalamus has a primary function of relaying
information to other parts of the body. The
thalamus is a very important part of the
brain and human body and it controls
factors such as sleeping, waking, and
complex motor skills – such as walking. If the
thalamus becomes impaired due to a head
injury, illness or other trauma, it can result
in the person entering a coma.
Day 2
• Read “I’m Sensing Something”
• In your journal, take notes by writing
the name of each subheading and 1-2
sentences summarizing what you
learned in that section of the text.
• Read “The Nerve Cell” and answer the
questions.
• Staple both articles in your science
journal.
•The nervous system is a complex
structure of nerves of neurons that
transmit signals around the body to
coordinate actions. It is in effect our
body's electrical wiring.
•The nervous system of vertebrates
(which includes humans and animals
that have backbones and spinal
columns) has two parts, the central
nervous system (CNS) and the
peripheral nervous system (PNS).
• The CNS includes the brain and spinal cord. The brain is
protected by the skull, and the spinal cord by the skeletal
vertebrae.
• The PNS includes all other nervous system structures that sit
outside the CNS but that help connect the CNS to areas of the
body.
Nerves are enclosed bundles of long
fibers called axons which are made up of
nerve cells called neurons.
Neurons quickly and precisely send
signals as electrochemical waves along
axons to other cells. There are two types
of neurons, sensory neurons and motor
neurons.
Sensory neurons change light, touch and
sound into neural signals which are sent
back to our CNS to help our body
understand and react to its surroundings.
Motor neurons transmit neural signals to
activate muscles
There are approximately 100 billion neurons in the human
brain and 13.5 million neurons in the human spinal chord.
The nervous system can transmit signals at speeds of 100
meters (328 feet) per second.
Nerves in our body can be vulnerable to both physical
damage and damage through diseases. Damage to nerves
can cause great pain, loss of feeling, or loss of muscle
control.
• Finish adding muscles to your body model.
(pg. 6)
• Add nerves to the side without muscle. (pg 14)
• Carefully cut along the lines of 3 sides of your
model’s cranium so that a flap can be folded
open. DO NOT CUT OFF YOUR MODEL’S
HEAD!!!!!!!
• Fold your paper in half so that blank paper can
be seen when you open the “head flap”.
• Draw & color the brain inside the head. Label
the cerebrum, cerebellum, & brainstem.