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Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Chemotaxis Using C. elegans

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Have you ever wondered what roundworms are like? Or what they don't like? Explore the sensory preferences of C. elegans through this controlled chemotaxis experiment. Biology class members brainstorm what substances might attract—or...
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Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Ethics of Dissection

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
There's an elephant in your classroom. That's right — a big, awkward elephant named Dissection. Sure, you'd like to talk about him ... but how? Whether you're a seasoned teacher or fresh out of student teaching, the topic of dissection...
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Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Memory Items

For Teachers 4th - 12th Standards
Ready to have an "unforgettable" time in science class? Try a fun and insightful activity, suitable for a wide age group of learners. Explore how human memory works when pupils try to remember objects they've seen before comparing the...
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Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Do the Stroop

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The Stroop test helps diagnose executive function disorders when used in conjunction with other tests. Reading color words and identifying colors seem like basic skills, but the Stroop test may show otherwise. Scholars work with a...
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Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Blind Spot

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Your eyes each work independently, so how do we only see one image? The quick hands-on experiment encourages young scientists to test their blind spots on each eye individually. After learning where the blind spot is and why it exists,...
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Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Mirroring Emotions

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Do you ever give your class the "teacher look"? Without saying a word, they become silent and engaged (hopefully). How do they know what you're thinking? Explore the concept of nonverbal communication and how it relates to our mirror...
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Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Brain Zoo

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Who doesn't love a day at the zoo? Use an observation and inference lab to get young anatomists to recognize similarities between mammalian species based on brain structures. You provide the brains; this lesson provides set-up...
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Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Caeno-WHAT??

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Can you feel that? Can you smell that? Since pupils can't ask worms about their sense of smell and touch, they design and complete an experiment to answer these questions. Individuals expose nematodes to different stimuli using their...
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Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Inquiry Cubes

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
How do you teach kids to "science" effectively? Inquiry cubes are a "sort of" puzzle with no answer—promoting even more questions! Group members work together to use the evidence on the visible sides of each cube to infer what lies on...
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Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

WebQuest: Structure of the Nervous System

For Teachers 9th - 12th
What could be more natural than learning about learning? Scholars research the central nervous systems and the learning process through a well-designed WebQuest. They study the structure as well as discover the functions of those...
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Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Motor Learning and Memory

For Teachers 4th - 12th Standards
What do our brains have to do with reaction timing? Everything! In a hands-on learning activity, young scientists participate in four card activities that measure reaction timing. Each activity gets progressively more complex, and...
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Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Close-up of the Nervous System

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
Make sure your class gets on your nerves! Learners of all ages practice peering into the nervous system to see what's inside. Groups examine prepared slides of mammalian nervous system tissues, all while gaining microscope skills. The...
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Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Attention and Sensory Processing

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Ever wondered how your brain manages all of the information it receives every second of every day? The sights, the sounds, the smells ... each one filed away for later use or moved to the front of the line so your body can react. Through...
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Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Your Incredible Memory

For Students 5th - 12th Standards
Test the efficiency of your memory! Scholars test each other's memory as they explore factors that affect memory retrieval. Through experimental analysis, they discover there are different types of memory, which has an impact on the...
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Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Makes Me Sweat

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Never let them see you sweat ... unless you can't help it! Scholars design an experiment to determine the effects of stress on the body. They monitor sweat production under different conditions and relate the response to the function of...
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Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Bead Neuron

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
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.
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Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

C. elegans and Alcohol

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
Investigate experimental design through a hands-on exploration. A creative lesson allows learners to design an experiment to monitor the effects of alcohol on the C. elegans worm. After conducting the experiment, individuals analyze...
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Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Whose Choice Is It Anyway?

For Students 5th - 8th Standards
Your taste buds may be saying Pepsi, but your brain is saying Coke! By analyzing experimental research, learners discover ways in which our brains impact decision making. They conclude with a discussion of neuromarketing and how it...
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Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Mindflex Activity

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Control a ball with your mind! Using a headset with an electrode, learners adjust the movement of a ball. They develop an experiment that tests the involvement of the central nervous system in controlling the ball. The activity helps to...
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Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Balance: The Ears Have It

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Don't go around and around with the same concept! A hands-on activity explores the vestibular system and circular motion. After spinning a group member, lab partners examine their eye movement. Making observations allows the group to...
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Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Manduca sexta Wax Model

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Caterpillars' and moths' most obvious change is physical, but what happens to their nervous systems as they complete metamorphosis? Through a hands-on investigation, young scholars construct the nervous system of a caterpillar. They then...
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Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Ways of Knowing: Apples as Models

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Use apples as a way of thinking about models. Young scientists consider how the word apple, a two-dimensional drawing, a three-dimensional image, a photograph, and plastic apples all model real apples in preparation for developing models...
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Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Manduca sexta: Caterpillar Dissection

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
Caterpillars have an amazing, yet tough job to perform in their short lives — eat much, avoid predators, and try not to let all those comments about being the unattractive stage of the life cycle get to them. How do they handle it all?...
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Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Neuropathfinding: Kinesthetic Model

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
Playing follow the leader has never been so interesting! Get the class up and moving while they take on the roles of nervous system components. Through trial and error, they learn the importance of the "pioneer" growth cone that leads...