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Lesson#1:MyBeautifulBrain

DevelopedbyDr.BrandieOliver,20172

Important:Beforebeginningtheprogram,itisimportanttoestablisha“GroupAgreement”withthestudents.Thisagreementactsasyour“rules”or“groupexpectations”whileyouallaretogether.Itissuggestedthatyouproposethefollowingitems(seebelow)fortheGroupAgreementandtheninvitestudentstoaddanyotheritemstheybelieveneedtobeaddedtoensurethegroupissafeandsupportive.Askstudentstogiveyoua‘thumbsup’iftheyagreetofollowtheGroupAgreementandtohelpholdeachotheraccountabletoit.UsethisGroupAgreementdocumentasaclassroommanagementtoolandtheagreeduponGroupAgreementshouldbekeptvisiblethroughouteachsession.*Additionally, review the Group Agreement at the start of each session.

Ideas for Group Agreement

Ø Participate Ø One student speaks at a time (no side conversations) Ø Be respectful of everyone Ø No electronics/cell phones during the program Ø Invite ideas from students—make sure you discuss and get

consensus from group before adding to the list

Each student has a Group Agreement form on page #1 of the Youth Activity Guide.

Overview&Purpose

Theselessonstargetunderstandingthebasicbrainstructureandfunctionofthebrain.

Objectives

1. Studentswillbeabletoexplainthefourmainareasofthebrain,includingthebrainlobes.

2. Studentswillbeabletoexplainthefunctionofthefourmainareasofthebrain(brainstem,cerebellum,limbicsystem,andcortex)

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3. StudentswillbeabletomakeuseoftheHandModelofthebrain.

MaterialsNeeded

➔ Smallballforeachpair➔ Coin(penny,nickel,quarter–anycoin)➔ Papertoweltubeortoiletpapertube➔ Pens/Pencils➔ Markers➔ Largepaperforeachtable/posterboardforeachsmallgroup

Warm-Up Exercise/Introduction

SimonSays1.Invitestudentstostandandplayashortgameof“SimonSays”.

Hereareafewcommandstoinclude:➢ Simonsaystomarchinplace.➢ Simonsaystohopononeleg.➢ Simonsaystake2deepbreaths.➢ Simonsayswritedownyouranswer-wouldyourathergobackintimeorvisitthe

future.➢ Simonsayswritedownthefeelingthatyouthinksomeonemayfeeliftheyjust

receivedagift.

*Asyouplaythegame,makesuretoaddinstatementsthatarenot“Simonsays,”butsincethegoalisallstudentshavetheopportunitytoplaytheentiregame,pleasegiveeachstudent“onebonuslife”sotheygettappedbackinthegame.

2.Followingthegame,askthestudentsifanyoneknowswhatpartsoftheirbraintheyjustusedtoplaythegame?Tellthestudentsthattheyusedallareasoftheirbrain.

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3.InvitestudentstoturntoLesson1oftheiryouthactivityguidetoexploretheBrainBasicssection.

Part1:BrainBasics:4MainAreasoftheBrain

Information & Activity(ies) Duringthissectionofthelesson,itisimportanttomakethelearningasinteractiveaspossible.Invitestudentstolookatthebraindiagramintheirworkbook(seebelow).Thissectionisfocusedonteachingthebrainstructuresdiscussedbelowasitwillprovidethefoundationoftheworkforfuturelessonsandactivities.

BrainFunFacts

Ø Yourbrainweighsapproximately3pounds. Ø Thebrainmakesupabout2%ofourbodyweight,yetuses20%oftheoxygenand

caloriesweconsume.Ø Thebrainusesabout20%oftheenergyproducedbythebody.Ø Theaveragehumanbraincontains100billionneurons.

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BrainStructureThemainpartsofthebrainarethebrainstem,cerebellum,limbicsystem,andcerebralcortex.

Cerebrum:(upperpartofthebrain)Thisareaisresponsibleforhigherlevelsofthinking,includingcriticalthinkingskills,problem-solvingskills,logicandreasoningskills,andcauseandeffectofouractions.Intheboxbelowareafewexamplesthatcanbesharedwiththestudentstoreinforcewhattypesofbehaviors/skillstakesplaceinthecerebrum-canalsobecalledthecortexregion.

Ø WhatifIfinda$20billwhenIwalkinthehallway,whataremyoptions?Whatisthebestchoice?[problem-solving;causeandeffectofouractions]

Ø IthinkIwillbelateforcurfewtonight—what’sthebigdeal?[causeandeffectofour

actions]

Ø Iamsostressed…Ijustdon’tknowwhattodo!WhatclassesshouldItake?[decision-making]

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LimbicSystem.Sitsontopofthebrainstemandburiedinthecenterofthebrain.Itisoftencalledthe,“emotionalbrain”andisthesourceofouremotionsandmotivations,especiallythoselinkedtosurvivalsuchasfearandangeraswellasourresponsestorewardandpunishment.Thelimbicsystemisalsoinvolvedwithfeelingsofpleasure.[thisprogramwillfocusontheamygdala,hypothalamus,thalamus,andthehippocampuswhichareallarelocatedinthelimbicsystem]Cerebellum:(backbaseofthebrain)Alsocalledthe‘smallbrain’or‘littlebrain’,thecerebellumisanextremelyimportantpartofthebrain.Thecerebellummakesuponly10%ofourbrains,butitholdsupnearlyhalfoftheneuronsintheentirebrain.Ithasmanyvitalfunctions,suchasbeinghighlyresponsibleforbalance,posture,motorcontrol,language,attentionandmentalimagery.Recentstudieshavealsoshownthatthecerebellumplaysanimportantpartinourcognitivefunctions,onebeingourattention,especiallythewaywefocusandcaptureimages.BrainStem:(Connectsbrainandthespinalcord)Itcontrolsmanybasicfunctions,suchasheartrate,breathing,eating,andsleeping---themainfunctionsthatkeepusalive.Otherimportantitemstosharewithstudents:Thebraindevelopsfromthebacktothefront(brainstemtothecortex).Sothatmeans,teenbrainsareNOTfullydeveloped--theyarestillbeingdeveloped--theyare“UnderConstruction”perse.Neuroscienceresearchnowsaysthataperson’sbrainmaynotbefullydevelopeduntil25-30yearsofage.

Afterdiscussingandteachingaboutthefourbasicareasofthebrain,invitestudentstofindapartnerandthinkbacktotheSimonSaysactivity.Invitethemtowritedowniftheythinkanyofthetaskstheywereaskedtodofitwithacertainareaofthebrain.Forexample,“Simonsaystake2deepbreaths,”wouldbeanexamplefromthebrainstemarea.Breathingisanautomaticresponsewherewedon’thavetotellourbrainsorbodiestobreathe.Allow5-10minutesforstudentstoworkonthistask.Bringgroupbacktogetherandinvitethemtosharetheiranswers.Ifanswersvary,allowthestudent(s)tosharetheirthinkingprocesssoyoucanallhearhowtheycameupwithadifferentcategorythanyouwereexpectingorpossiblythemajorityofothersdidaswell.ALWAYSseizeopportunitiestoengageinauthenticdialoguewithcriticalthinkingasthecoreofthediscussion.

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**Alternatestrategy:YoucandiscussSimonSaysactivitytogetherinsteadofbreakingintogroupstosaveontime.

“SimonSays”WithResponses➢ Simonsaystomarchinplace.[Cerebellum]➢ Simonsayshopononeleg.[Cerebellum]➢ Simonsaystake2deepbreaths.[BrainStem]➢ Simonsayswritedownyouranswer-wouldyourathergobackintimeorvisitthe

future.[Cerebrum]➢ Simonsayswritedownthefeelingthatyouthinksomeonemayfeeliftheyjust

receivedagift.[LimbicSystem]

TeachingtheHandModel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gm9CIJ74Oxw

BackgroundInformation:(besttoviewvideoandbecomecomfortableteachingthehandmodel):TheabovevideoprovidesashortinstructionbyDr.DanSiegel.Thisvideoisintendedforthefacilitator,notnecessarilytobeshowntothestudents(although,ifyouprefertoshowthestudents,youmay).ItisbestifthefacilitatorcanbecomecomfortablewithteachingtheHandModel.

1.Instructthestudentsthatyouaregoingtoteachthemhowtousetheirhandtovisualizewhattheyhavebeenlearningaboutthebrain.*TheHandmodelisalsoonPage2oftheYouthActivityGuide.

2.Useyourhandandhavethestudentsfollowalongasyoustartwiththespinalcordandbrainstem(yourwristarea)andmoveupward.

3.Havestudentspracticethehandmodelafewtimeswithapeer.Afterafewminutes,inviteastudenttocomeupandexplaintothelargegroup(assistthestudentifs/hegetsstuck).Encouragethestudentstosharethisnewstrategywiththeirfamilies,friends,coaches,andteachers.

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*Whenstudentscan“teach”others,thisshowsthehighestlevelofunderstanding.TaketimetoensurestudentshaveasolidunderstandingoftheHandModelsotheycansharethisknowledgewithothers.

Resource:Brainstorm:ThePowerandPurposeoftheTeenageBrain,byDanielSiegel,M.D.

Part 2: The 4 Lobes

1.Explaintothestudentsthattherearefourlobesinthebrain.Eachlobeisresponsiblefordifferenttasksthatareveryimportantinourdailylives.

2.Onelobeisresponsibleforvision,anotherformakingdecisions,anotherforunderstandingdepthperceptions(soweknowhowtogoupanddownstairs),andfinallyanotheroneisresponsibleformemoryandoursenseofsmellandhearing.

3.InvitestudentstoturntoPage4intheYouthActivityGuide,torefertothebrainlobesasyouexplainwhereeachoftheseareasarelocated.Asyoupointouteacharea,trytogivesomeexamples/storiestohelpstudentsremember.

*Example,thefrontallobeisresponsiblefordecision-making.

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“Iwasgladmyfrontallobewasworkingthismorningasithelpedmedecidewhattowear,whattoselectforbreakfast,andwhattopackformylunchtoday.”

“IamalsogladthatmyoccipitallobewasworkingsoIcouldusemyvisiontopickoutmyclothesaswellastobeabletodrivetowork(soIcouldseewhereIwasgoing).”

“Mytemporallobecomesinveryhandyallthetime.ListeningissoimportanttomakesureIamunderstandingpeople.”“AnothergreatthingaboutmytemporallobeisassoonasIwalkintothemovietheater,Iimmediatelyrecognizethesmellofpopcorn—withoutevenneedingtoseepopcorn—thesmellisenough.”

“MyparietallobehelpsmegettoworkeverydaybecauseIdon’thavetouseamap.IthelpsmerememberhowtogetfromplacetoplaceonceIcreatepatternsinmybrain.”

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TheaboveanswerkeyaccompaniestheactivityintheYouthActivityGuide.Followingyoursharingofthe4lobes,invitestudentstocompletethisactivitypage.

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Lobe DescriptionFrontallobe Itislocatedinthefrontofthebrainandisthelastarea

todevelop.Somekeyresponsibilitiesincludecriticalthinking,assessingrisk,insight,judgment,perspective-taking,screeningoutdistractions,planning,organizing,problemsolving,andpersistenceskills.Itisalsoassociatedwithpersonality,partsofspeech,movement,andemotions.

TheFrontallobe(forehead)isresponsibleforemotions,judgment,andplanning.[lasttomature]

Parietallobe Itislocatedinthemiddletopofthebrain.Integrationsofsensoryinformationfromprimarysensoryareas,perception,arithmetic,spelling,andmanipulationofobjects.

TheParietallobesareresponsibleforspatialfunctions.

Temporallobe Itislocatedinthetempleregionofthehead/brain.Sensesofsmellandsound(hearing),aswellasprocessingofcomplexstimulilikefacesandscenes,memory,understandinglanguage. Thetemporallobes,locatedunderneathyourtemplesandbehindyoureyes,areinvolvedwithlanguage,memory,moodstability,andtemperissues.Theyarepartofthebrain’s“WhatPathway,”becausetheyhelpyourecognizeandname“what”thingsare.Temporallobeproblemscanleadtoangryoutburstsandconfrontations.Abnormalactivityinthisareacanalso

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makeitdifficultforyoutolearnnewthingsorrememberimportantthings,likeyourweddinganniversaryorwhentotakeyoursupplementsormedication—thesecanbedetrimentaltoyourrelationshipsandhealth.

● Thetemporallobeshelpyoureadsocialcues,suchasunderstandingwhenitisorisn’tagoodtimetoapproachtheprincipaltodiscussapromotion.

● Whenthetemporallobesworkright,itkeepsyoufromyellingandscreamingatyourstudentswhenyougetfrustrated.

● Thisareaofthebrainhelpsstudentswithlisteningandreading.

● Thetemporallobeshelpyourememberallthethingsyouneedtodotostayhealthy.

Thetemporallobeprocessesmemories,integratingthemwithsensationsoftaste,sound,sightandtouch.

Temporallobesareresponsiblefortiming,attention,memory,andexpressiveandreceptivespeech.

Occipitallobe Itislocatedintheextremebackofthebrain.Itismainlyresponsibleforyoursenseofsight.(ourvision)

Occipitallobe’sprimarilyresponsibleisforsight.

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ConnectingActivity(Optional)

1.Askstudentsforthedefinitionofametaphor.Next,invitestudentstogivesomeexamplesofmetaphors.Iftheygetstuck,providethefollowing:

Ø Definition:afigureofspeechinwhichawordorphraseliterallydenotingonekindofobjectorideaisusedinplaceofanothertosuggestalikenessoranalogybetweenthem(Resource:https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metaphor)

SomeMetaphorExamples1. Lifeisarollercoaster.2. Theteacherplantedtheseedsofwisdom.3. Laughteristhemusicofthesoul.4. Herangrywordswerebulletstohim.

2.Next,askstudentshowtheycouldusetheword,‘brain’andtheword,‘computer,’inametaphor.Giveacoupleofminutesforstudentstothinkanddiscusswithapartner(1-2minutes).Inviteanystudenttosharewhats/hecameupwithduringthattime.

Ø Possibleexample:Thebrainislikeacomputerbecauseitisthecontrolcenterofthebody.

3.Now,invitestudentstocomeupwithvisualwaystoillustratemetaphorsusing“brain”toconnectwiththefollowinglistofideas.Provideeachgroupofstudentswith2-3optionstochoosefrom(canbeobjectsintheclassroomtoo)ortheycouldselectmorethanone.

Providestudentslargepiecesofpaperiftheywanttodraw/useimagestoillustratethemetaphorortheycanwriteoutthemetaphorintheirstudentworkbook.

➢ PaperClip➢ Globe➢ RubberBand➢ Clock➢ Ruler➢ Map

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➢ Prism➢ Book➢ Mirror

Part 3: 4 Right or Left?

Warm-Up Exercise/Introduction

1.Invitestudentstofindapartnerforanexperiment.Havestudentsreferto“LeftBrain/RightBrainActivity”onPage6oftheYouthActivityGuide.

2.Provideeachpairthematerialsneededtocompletetheexperiment.Havestudentsbegintheexperiment,makingsuretheydocumenttheirfindingsintheYouthActivityGuide.

MaterialsNeeded:

Ø Pen/PencilØ CoinØ SmallBallØ Papertoweltubeortoiletpapertube

3.Whenstudentsarefinished,inviteeveryonebackandaskafewfollow-upquestions.● Howmanyofyouwereright-handdominant?left-handdominant?● Howmanyofyouchosetheoppositehand/footinoneofthetasks?

○ Anyinsightintowhatmayhavecausedthis?○ Therearemanypeoplethathaveadominanthand,butthenperformother

activitieswiththeotherhand.Forexample,someonemayberight-handedbutinbaseball,bealeft-handedbatter.■ Doesanyoneelseknowofsomeonelikethat?Ordoyouperformany

activitieswithyournon-dominanthand?○ Whatmightthattellusaboutourbrain?

Yourbrainisdividedintotwohalves,orhemispheres.Withineachhalf,particularregionscontrolcertainfunctions.Studentshavethisgraphicintheirworkbook.

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Soevenifwehaveadominanthand,itiscriticaltoremember,weusebothsidesofourbrain.

ProcessQuestions

Ø Question:Howmanyofyouusetheirrighthandtowrite?Howmanyofyouusetheirlefthand?

Ø Question:Whenyouuseyourlefthandtowrite,whichsideofthebraindoyouthink

controlsyourlefthand?Theleft-brainortheright-brain?

o Answer:Theright-brain!

InformationonhowtheRight/LeftBrainIdeastarted:Duringthe1960s,thankstotheresearchofpsycho-biologistandNobelPrizewinnerRogerW.Sperry,itbecameverypopulartotakeatesttoseeifyouwere“right”or“left”brained.

Ø MYTH:Youareeitherrightorleft-brained.Atonetime,manypeoplethoughtthattheyreallyhadadominantsidethatworkedharderorevenonlyworkedthissideoftheirbrain.However,weknownowthisisn’ttrue.Thetwohemispheresaretiedtogetherbybundlesofnervefibers,creatinganinformationhighway.Althoughthetwosidesfunctiondifferently,theyworktogetherand

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complementeachother.Youdon’tuseonlyonesideofyourbrainatatime.

TraditionalThoughtsaboutRight/LeftBrain

LeftBrainStrengths:● Logic● Sequencing● Linearthinking● Mathematics● Facts● ThinkinginWords

RightBrainStrengths● Arts● Rhythm● Nonverbalcues● Creativity● Imagination● Feelings

1.HavestudentscompletetheactivityatthebottomoftheLeft/RightBrainYouthActivityGuidebyaddinginhowtheyviewtheirstrengthsfromtheir“right”or“left”brains(havethemrightintheovals).Askstudentstowriteatleast2strengthsforeachsideofthebrain.

2.Invitealargegroupsharingofatleastoneleftandonerightbrainskill.

3.Encouragestudentstokeepaddingitemsontheirlistastheystrengthentheirbrainskillsandremindstudentsthattheyhaveskillsinbothsidesoftheirbrainandcangrowtostrengthenanyareatheychoose.