Thursday, October 20, 2016

Brain Key Chain Directions

Today, following your ER Simulation, you will have the opportunity to begin making a Brain Keychain to serve as your model for the cerebral cortex. READ THROUGH THESE DIRECTIONS BEFORE YOU BEGIN!
  1. In this activity, as in real life, you only get one brain. Take care of it. If you mess up due to failure to read directions or because you couldn't resist the urge to chew on it...you'll have to cope with the results. We don't have the budget or the biology for second chances here.
  2. You will be using my supply of permanent markers to color the areas of the cortex using the diagram below. PLEASE DO YOUR BEST TO REPLICATE THE COLORS SHOWN IN THE DIAGRAM. This guideline is not meant to stifle your creativity; we will be using the colors during practice quizzing on areas of the cortex, so you if have a different color than one indicated on the chart, you might be confused by future questions.
  3. Use those valuable sharing skills that you learned back in elementary school. Don't hoard markers...
  4. Not sure which end is the "front" end of your keychain? The chain of the keychain enters the brain's FRONTAL LOBE. This means the area where the keychain enters should be colored PINK.
  5. Colorblind? Don't be afraid to ask for clarification on colors. Then, use shading to your advantage so you can distinguish the areas from each other. [Not colorblind? Be kind and help out your colorblind friends with this.]
  6. There are a few examples/samples available for viewing. If you encounter one with some black dots on it, you can ignore those markings. We're going to use different strategy this year (and these are old samples).
  7. As you color, be sure to use the opportunity to review and think about what each area of the cortex does. Think of possible ways the color you are using could be linked to those functions. The final step of this activity will be a practice quiz on the functions of the cortex areas, so you want to be ready. :)

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Neurotransmitter Exploration

Today in class we'll be exploring the functions of several different neurotransmitters. In addition to the informational chart you can find on pg. 82 of your textbook, you might find the following links helpful: