What do we know about the brain?

Description

Students reflect on their learning about Neuroplasticity.

Learning Intention

We are finding out what we  know about the brain and how we learn now,  after lessons and activities about Neuroplasticity.

Success Criteria

I can reflect on my knowledge of the brain after completing the neuroplasticity unit.

Explicit Teaching

Neuroplasticity activities and lessons are completed, students repeat the ‘What I know about the brain?’ activity on the other side of the sheet. Have students compare each side of the activity sheet to measure the growth in their knowledge.

Younger students can then use the learning reflection to compare their learning on dotted thirds. Older students can record and respond to the following sentence starters on the back of their sheets.

“I now know…” “Something I didn’t realise is…”

Enabling Prompts

• What is something new you have learnt that isn’t on your first reflection?
• What was the most interesting fact you learnt and why?
• Have you found the answers to any of the questions you asked before starting the lessons?
• What surprised you to learn and why?

Extending Prompts

• How is this knowledge different to what you knew before learning about neuroplasticity?
• How could you teach this to someone who doesn’t know anything about neuroplasticity?
• Can you summarise everything you learnt?
• Was there anything in your first reflection that you discovered was not correct?

Reflection

Students sit in a circle and share their learning in a popcorn style, or calling out their responses by building off what others have already said. They do this by using the prompt YES and…, using their listening skills to make relevant statements. If students have difficulty taking turns, the teacher could monitor the order by asking students to raise their hand when they have something to add.

For example: I learnt that the neurons in our brain pass messages through the synapse (1st student) YES and the neurons sharing can have no, weak or strong connections (second student) YES and no connections are where we all start when learning something new and so forth
(third student).

Optional – The teacher could record what the students are saying and use the comments to make a class summary of neuroplasticity learning.

Curriculum Links

English

Speaking & Listening

Students use a variety of strategies to engage in class discussions. They contribute actively to discussions, taking into account different perspectives.

Personal and Social Capability

Self-Awareness       

Students understand themselves as learners.

Resources

• A4 size sheet with outline of two heads – What I know about the brain template
• Learning Reflection – dotted thirds

How can I help my brain to learn?

Description

Students create an A3 Poster about their chosen ‘Tip to Make Your Brain Smarter’.

Learning Intention

We help our brains to learn by improving our brain function.

Success Criteria

I can create an A3 poster explaining one (1) ‘Tip to Make Your Brain Smarter’.

Explicit Teaching

Think, pair, share:

Students complete the following sentence:
We can make our brain smarter by…

Each group shares their tips with class.  Create class brainstorm of tips as agreed upon by students, then present “Six Tips to Make Your Brain Smarter.” Poster in resources below.

Discuss the tips on the poster and how they are similar and/or different to the tips we came up with in partners.

Each student creates an A3 poster about their chosen ‘Tip to Make Your Brain Smarter.’ Prior to starting, look at student work samples. Discuss and create a list of “What makes a good poster?” –  clear, easy to read, not too many words, simple clear illustrations Vs too busy, small print, too many words, small unclear illustrations. Students start by making a draft copy, identifying wording, layout and illustrations. Using the list of “What makes a good poster?” ask for verbal feedback from a peer for time purposes. Using draft copy and feedback as guide, create poster.

Enabling Prompts

• Can you choose a tip off the green poster that you like?
• How can you show this tip with an interesting picture? Refer to student work samples for ideas.

Extending Prompts

• What helps your brain to learn?
• Can you add these details to your poster and represent them with a picture?

Reflection

Students to form mixed groups based on the tip they created a persuasive poster on. Each person needs to debate why their tip is the most important. After all students have had a turn, each student gets to vote which speaker was the most engaging and why.

Curriculum Links

English

Productive Modes, Speaking, Writing and Creating

They create texts that show how images support the meaning of the text and extend key ideas. Students develop and explain a point of view about a text, selecting information, ideas and images from a range of resources and explain their choices of images and other text features.

Resources

• A3 coloured cover paper- one per student
• Plain paper for planning drafts
• “Six Tips to Make Your Brain Smarter” Poster
• Coloured pencils or markers
• Coloured paper for collaging (optional).

What happens in my brain when I learn something new?

Description

An multimodal interactive activity where students watch a video and explore the shared language of neural connections, to draw and label examples from their own learning.

Learning Intention

We can verbalise our learning growth in terms of neural connections.

Success Criteria

I can identify areas of my learning where I have no connections, weak connections or strong connections between my neurons.

Explicit Teaching

Watch How We Learn- Synapses and Neural Pathways

Discuss the process of learning something new. Introduce shared language, as most appropriate for your class from Neural Connections Posters and the ThinkPlus Neuron Poster.

Introduce the set of three posters showing: no connection between neurons, weak connection and strong connection.

Strong connections – I can already do it

Weak connections – I need practice

No connections – I can’t do it yet.

Important – neurons never touch so the ‘connection’ between neuron is really referring to the ease with which the message passes from neuron to neuron.

The first time is hard, with each practice it becomes easier for the message cross the synapse until it becomes automatic. Students draw themselves doing something they can do easily on a kinder square and label e.g. Walk. Older students can write these on sticky notes.

Students repeat this exercise for something they are learning but still need practice in and for something they cannot do yet. Students share their drawings. Highlight that we will be putting these up on the wall so encourage students to pick goals they don’t mind others seeing.

Allow each student to independently stick up their kinder square or sticky notes in a shared class space when they are finished.

Enabling Prompts

What could you improve on in your reading, writing or maths?

Extending Prompts

How might you achieve these goals?

Which Grow Your Mind Card Game mindset or strategy cards could you use when you face a challenge?

Reflection

Come together in a horseshoe around the connections posters with some students sitting, some kneeling and some standing. Discuss that we are all here as a class to help each other grow. Highlight how the people who have strong connections in an area can help those who have weak or no connections.

Curriculum Links

Personal and Social Capability

Social Management: Social management involves building skills associated with leadership, such
as mentoring.

Self-management: This element involves students developing the metacognitive skill of learning when and how to use strategies to manage themselves in a range of situations. Develop self-discipline and set goals.

Resources

• How We Learn- Synapses and Neural Pathways 
• Neural Connections Posters 1-3
• 3 different coloured kinder squares or sticky notes.
• Pins/blue tack/Velcro dots.

How can I change my thinking about learning something new?

Description

Students create a poem about learning – things they have learned to do and something they can’t do YET.

Learning Intention

We understand the process of learning is hard but adding the word “yet” can change our thinking about learning something new and enable learning growth.

Success Criteria

I will be successful when I can identify areas for growth in my learning.

Explicit Teaching

Watch Time – Lapse of Baby Learning to Walk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLq3kV55ESw

Discuss how a baby learns to walk – making mistakes, falling, practice, help, not giving up.  Have each student share something they couldn’t do as a baby that they can now do. Have each student share something they would like to learn how to do but cannot do YET.  Using the video as an example, discuss strategies-practice, mistakes, help from others etc., students will need to use when learning a new skill.

Brainstorm some ideas for age-appropriate goals they would like to achieve one day, e.g. swing on the monkey bars, learn 5-digit numbers etc for students to refer to when creating their own poem.

Students create their own acrostic poem using the Power of YET template.  They identify what they can’t do YET but would like to learn how to do. Younger students may draw and have an adult scribe for them.

Enabling Prompts

Brainstorming poster. Students who need additional support can also work with the teacher in a focus group to generate more personalised ideas for each student, e.g. learning to shoot a basketball and so forth.

Extending Prompts

Students can challenge themselves by reflecting how they might achieve each of these goals using one strategy for each.

Reflection

Students share their poems or use their right to pass in a circle time session.

Curriculum Links

Personal and Social Capability

Self-management: Students develop organisational skills and identify the resources needed to achieve goals. Students develop the skills to work independently and to show initiative, learn to be conscientious, delay gratification and persevere in the face of setbacks and frustrations.

In developing and acting with personal and social capability, students: Develop self-discipline and set goals.

Resources

• Time-Lapse of Baby Learning to Walk
• Acrostic Poem Template

What happens when I learn new things?

This lesson is a four part exploration of four  videos and discussions about a young girl learning to ride her bike. It shows the struggle and fear she experiences when starting her journey of learning something new.

Learning Intention

We understand that learning is difficult to start with. However, with persistence and practice, new neural connections develop and strengthen as new learning happens.

Success Criteria

I can describe how the neurons in the brain communicate when forming weak and strong connections, applying my learning from previous learning.

Part 1– Explicit Teaching

Watch video 1 – Riley learning to ride her bike

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU-MMWPzcyI

Enabling Prompts

Prior to viewing the first video, set the scene with the following discussion: This is the first time Riley will ride her bike ride without trainer wheels or with dad holding the bike.

• What do you think will happen?
• How do you think Riley will feel?

Extending Prompts

• What happened?
• How did Riley feel?
• What did she do?
• Why did Riley react that way? It can be scary doing something for the first time.
• What do you think is happening in her brain, between her neurons?
• What might happen the second time she rides her bike? The third? Fourth?
• Do you remember a time when you tried something new? How did it feel? Did you keep trying or give up? Did it get easier each time you tried?

Part 2 – Explicit Teaching

Watch video 2 – Riley riding her bike

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXD3EgyimZ8

Enabling Prompts

Prior to viewing the second video, set the scene with the following discussion: This is Riley riding her bike after a few weeks.

• How do you think she will go?
• How will she feel?
• How will she react?

Extending Prompts

• Did Riley react in the same way as the first time she rode her bike? Why not?
• Did she still need help?
• What was her father teaching her to use (Brakes).

Riley was not as nervous or struggling as much this time. She has created new connections between her neurons and she is now practising so the connection can become stronger. Soon she will be able to ride the bike easily with no help from her dad.

Part 3 – Explicit Teaching

Watch video 3- Boys riding their bikes to school

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFyzJFFoOIA

Enabling Prompts

These boys have been practising riding bikes for a while now.

• Did they need help? Why not? What have they been doing?
• What has happened to their connections? How will they keep their strong neural connections?

Extending Prompts

• What are some things you have learnt to do that you could not do when you were younger?
• How did you learn to do them?
• Did you get help?
• What is something you can’t do yet? What things could you do to learn these things?

Part 4 – Explicit Teaching

Watch video 4 – Child giving speech

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PzoxTgfRO0

Enabling Prompts

Here’s a young boy giving advice to kids who are still learning to ride a bike. Listen to his advice.

Extending Prompts

Does this boy give good advice using your knowledge of how the neurons in the brain form connections?

Reflection

How did the characters learn how to ride their bikes and how was this similar/different to how you learnt to ride your bike?

Curriculum Links

Critical and Creative Thinking – Reflecting on thinking
and processes

Students think about thinking (metacognition), reflect on actions and processes, and transfer knowledge into new contexts to create alternatives or open up possibilities. They apply knowledge gained in one context to clarify another. In developing and acting with critical and creative thinking, students:

• Think about thinking (metacognition)
• Reflect on processes
• Transfer knowledge into new contexts.

Resources

Riley learning to ride her bike

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU-MMWPzcyI

Riley riding her bike

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXD3EgyimZ8

Boys riding their bikes to school

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFyzJFFoOIA

Child giving speech

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PzoxTgfRO0

Description

Hands-on activity to create a class mural to strengthen students’ understanding of how neurons fire and wire to create new neural pathways.

Learning Intention

We are learning about how neurons fire and wire to create new neural pathways.

Success Criteria

I can label the parts of a neuron and attach a connection between information entering through the dendrites and exiting through the synapse.

Explicit Teaching

Each student constructs a neuron using the parts from the Neuron Cut Outs. The neurons are glued onto the large piece of paper to make neural pathways. Neuron parts are labelled. Glitter is applied on the synapse between each neuron to signify firing and wiring. Another option could be making lightning bolts, dotted red lines for weak connections and solid red lines for strong connections if no glitter is available.

Each student cuts out the three parts of the neuron, the cell body containing the nucleus,
the dendrites and the axon. They then paste the parts together to form a neuron.  Each neuron is then pasted to a large sheet of paper to form a class mural. Ensure the neurons do not touch and that the gap (the synapse) is between an axon of one neuron and dendrite of another.

Apply labels to the parts of the neuron. Add glue and glitter or lightning bolts to the synapse at the end of each axon. See some photographs attached below.

Enabling Prompts

Can you use the neuron resource to help you label the parts of the neuron?

Extending Prompts

Can you label a neuron, using the printable resource with the jobs each part does?

Reflection

Take a photo of your class mural and publish it on your school website, school social media  or newsletter to encourage discussion between students and parents.

Curriculum Links

Personal and Social Capability

Self-awareness: Students understand themselves as learners.

Visual Arts

Students collaborate to plan and make artworks that are inspired by artworks they experience.

They use visual conventions, techniques and processes to communicate their ideas.

By the end of Year 6, students explain how ideas are represented in artworks they make and view.

Resources

• Neuron Wall Mural template (This can be enlarged to A3 for younger students.)
• Scissors, glue, glitter
• Large sheet of paper for background
• A large brain outline for students to place neurons inside (optional).

Description

Using drama and music,  students act out neurons firing and wiring.

Learning Intention

We are learning about neurons to develop an understanding of how they ‘wire and fire’ to pass learning messages in the brain.

Success Criteria

I can act out how neurons fire and wire differently for no, weak and strong connections.

Explicit Teaching

Students make one large circle. Each individual child represents a neuron and the circle they form represents the neural pathway.

Practise passing the message around the circle by passing a squeeze along until it reaches the end to become familiar with the process. When there are slowdowns in the circle, highlight how this is a weak connection and as we form a strong connection the message will be passed more quickly around the circle. Explain that when we are just holding hands that there is no connection yet. Practise all three connections before
moving on.

When students are comfortable passing and responding to a squeeze, bring neuron terminology into the circle. Use a soft toy such as: A teddy bear to symbolise the message being passed along the neurons. Call on some students to come and stand in a line and pass the soft toy along while the teacher calls out the names of each part as below to model to all students.

1. Right arm, hand and fingers are the dendrites
2. Left arm and hand are the axon and axon terminals
3. Stomach is nucleus
4. Synapse is the left fingertips

Enabling Prompts

Give parts of the body a neuron part and students put visuals onto each part of the body to help them get to know the parts (see resources)

Teacher starts by pretending new information or message is coming from another neuron via his/her dendrites (right hand and arm up and waving in the air.) Act out the information going through the neuron while singing, “In through the dendrites, to the nucleus, down the axon to the axon terminals and across the synapse – ZAP, ZAP, ZAP!” We now know all about the neuron. (This could be sung to a simple nursery rhyme tune. I’m a little teapot would be a suitable fit).

Passing the information to the next neuron is done via the axon terminals (the fingers of the left hand) almost touching the dendrites (fingers of the right hand of next child.) Explain the synapse (dendrites and axon terminals never touch) and make a zapping sound to represent the message crossing over the synapse to the next neuron. When the squeeze is passed along, the whole class can sing the song the process to avoid students being singled out if they can’t remember it. The other option could be to write it on the board to refer to as a prompt.

The student directly to the left of the teacher would then take up the message while repeating, “In through the dendrites, to the nucleus, down the axon to the axon terminals and across the synapse – ZAP, ZAP, ZAP! We now know all about the neuron”

This continues around the circle. Have each child verbalise what is happening as the information is passed through their neuron, “In through the dendrites…”

Extending Prompts

Once students have mastered the acting out and the dialogue, break into smaller circles and have a neural pathway race, attempting to remember the neuron song by heart and in time to where
the race.

Repeat neuron firing and wiring race regularly with information related to a new skill/ new information about to be taught or revising content depending on age group e.g counting backwards from 200 by 4’s.

Reflection

Circle time discussion: Allow students the opportunity to share something they want to try at home with siblings or family to teach them abouts the Firing and Wiring Race.

Curriculum Links

Music

Students improvise, compose, arrange and perform music. They demonstrate aural skills by staying in tune and keeping in time when they sing and play.

Personal and Social Capability

Social Management

This element involves students interacting effectively and respectfully with a range of adults and peers. Students learn to negotiate and communicate effectively with others and work
in teams.

Resources

What do we know about the brain?

Description

Students activate prior knowledge and identify what they know about the brain and how they learn, both before and after participating in the Neuroplasticity activities.

Learning Intention

We are finding out what we  know about the brain and how we learn, both before and after lessons and activities about Neuroplasticity.

Success Criteria

I can reflect on what I already know about the brain through drawing and/or writing.

Explicit Teaching

Prior to beginning lessons on Neuroplasticity, have each student draw and/or write what they know about their brain and what happens when they learn. They do this on one side of the activity sheet only for the Pre-Test. Collect sheets and keep until the end of the unit and use for Post-Test where students repeat the activity on the other side of the sheet. Have students compare each side of the activity sheet to measure the growth in their knowledge.

“I now know…” “Something I didn’t realise is…”

Enabling Prompts

Possible teacher prompts for students requiring additional clarification as follows:

• What is the brain?
• Where do you find the brain?
• What do you think the brain might do,
  or what is its job?
• Can you draw what you think the brain
  looks like?

Extending Prompts

• Can you describe how the brain functions in more detail?
• Can you add labels to your diagram?
• Could you describe that with an example from your life?
• How do you know that?
• Where/when did you learn that?
• What is something you are not sure of and would like to learn more about?

Reflection

Circle time discussion: Allow students the opportunity to share something they would like to learn about the brain, or a question they would like to inquire into, so as to personalise the unit. It is best not to share prior knowledge unless it is accurate to avoid passing on misconceptions.

Curriculum Links

• Personal and Social Capability (VC and AC)
• Self Awareness: Students understand themselves as learners.

Resources