NationalInstituteonDrugAbuse(NIDA)
BrainPower:Grades2-3
LastUpdatedSeptember2012
https://www.drugabuse.gov
1
TableofContents
BrainPower:Grades2-3
OoeyGooey!MakingSenseofScientificInquiry(Module1)
BrainsinaBox:WhatYourBrainCanDo(Module2)
SendingandReceivingMessages(Module3)
MedicinesandDrugs:What'sHelpful,What'sHarmful(Module4)
TheScienceBehindSmoking(Module5)
HowDrugsAffecttheBrain(Module6)
Materials/Contact
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OoeyGooey!MakingSenseof
ScientificInquiry(Module1)
YoucanalsodownloadthisentiremoduleinPDFformatbyclickingthe
followinglink:Module1(PDF,6.3MB).
Introduction
"Scientificinquiry"isabroadtermthatreferstothevariedwaysthatallscientists
-frombiologiststophysiciststochemists-studythenaturalworldanddevelop
theoriesbasedontheirideas.AccordingtotheNationalScienceEducation
Standards(NSES),inquiryinvolvesthefollowing:
Makingobservations;
Posingquestions;
Planninginvestigations;
Examiningbooksandothersourcesofinformationtoseewhatisalready
known;
Usingtoolstogather,analyze,andinterpretdata;
Proposinganswers,explanations,andpredictionsandcommunicatingthe
results.
Thepurposeofthemissionintheprogram'sfirstmoduleistointroducestudents
tothesekeyprocessesofscience.Thestudents’challengeistoidentifythe
contentsofthemysterygoo.Tosolvetheproblem,studentsmustmake
observations,recordtheirobservations,askquestions,developexperimentsto
answertheirquestions,anddrawconclusionsfromtheirresults.Studentswill
usetheseprocessesasastartingpointforcompletingthemissionsin
subsequentmodules.
LearningObjectives
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Studentsexperiencetheprocessesofscience.
Studentslearnhowtoaskappropriatescientificquestions.
Studentslearnhowtodevelopinvestigationstoanswertheirquestions.
Studentsdiscoverhowinformationistransmittedthroughtheirsenses.
RelationshiptotheNationalScience
EducationStandards
ThismissionalignswithseveralstandardsidentifiedintheNSES:overall
physicalsciencestandards,thehistoryandnatureofscience,andstandardsfor
scienceasinquiry.Thechartsbelowshowhowthemissionalignswiththe
standards.
PhysicalScienceStandards
LevelsK–4
HowMissionIsAligned
Properties
ofobjects
and
materials
Studentsobservethemysterygoo,identifyitsproperties,
predictwhatitismadeof,anddevelopaninvestigationto
checktheirpredictions.
HistoryandNatureofScience
Levels
K–4
Science
asa
human
endeavor
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HowMissionIsAligned
AfterviewingtheDVDshowingdifferentkindsofscientists,
studentsbegintounderstandthatscienceencompasses
manydisciplines.Becausethey,too,willbeworkingas
scientists,theyalsostarttorealizethatanyonewhoasks
questionsandtriestofindtheanswerstotheirquestionsisa
scientist.
ScienceasInquiry
LevelsK–4
HowMissionIsAligned
Abilities
necessarytodo
scientificinquiry
Studentsgothroughthestepsofscientificinquiry:
observing,makingpredictions,experimentingtotest
theirpredictions,anddrawingconclusions.
Understandings
aboutscientific
inquiry
Studentslearnaboutdifferentkindsofscientistswho
askdifferentquestionsanddeveloporiginal
experimentstoanswertheirquestions.
Background
Thismissionhastwopurposes:tointroducestudentstotheprocessofscience
andtoillustratehowinformationistransmittedthroughthesenses.Duringthis
mission,studentswillusetheirsenses—seeing,hearing,smelling,and
touching—todescribethepropertiesofanobject.Propertiesarethose
characteristicsthatdescribeanobject,suchascolor,shape,andtexture.For
safety,thesenseoftastewillnotbeusedinthismodule.Aftercompletingthe
mission,studentswillbrainstormaboutthebrain,wheretheinformation
gatheredbythesensesisprocessed.Thebrainstormingsessionprepares
studentsformodule2,whichfocusesonthepartsofthebrainandwhateach
partdoes.
Scientificinquiryhasadistinctbenefitforyoungstudents:Itdoesnotrelysolely
ontraditionalvehiclesoflearning,suchasreadingandlistening.Childrenwho
learnbestthroughhands-onactivitiesandthevisualartsalsohavean
opportunitytoexcel.
Materials/Preparation
Materials
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Fiveorsixbagsofgoo
Cornstarch
Sugar
Talc
Water
Fiveorsixmedium-sizedbowls
Fiveorsixmeasuringcupsandspoons
Plasticbagswithaseal
NIDAJuniorScientistDVD,oronlinevideo
Stirrers
InstructionSheet(PDF,79KB)
LogSheets(PDF,35KB)
Preparation
Youmaywanttohaveparentvolunteersorinstructionalassistants
availabletohelpinthepreparationofthebagsofgoo.
1. Preparefiveorsixbagsofgoobyfollowingtheinstructionsbelow:
Measure1/4cupofcornstarchandputitinabowl.
Addabout31/2teaspoonsofwatertothecornstarch.Themixture
shouldbethickenoughtoshapeintoaball.Youmayhavetoadjustthe
amountofwatersothatitisnottoodryandnottoowet.
Duplicatetherecipesothatyouhavefiveorsixbagsofgoo,onefor
eachgroup.
Makesureyouputeachbatchofgooinaplasticbagwithaseal.Ifnot,
thewatermayevaporate,andthegoowilldryout.
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Ifpossible,haveatleastoneotheradultintheroomwhilethechildrenare
workingontheexperiment.
2. Forthesecondhalfoftheactivity,measurethefollowingmaterialsandlay
themoutforeachgroupofstudents:
1/4cupofcornstarch
1/4cupofsugar
1/4cupoftalc
31/2teaspoonsofwater
Spoonsandstirrers
3. Thisactivitywilltake2daystocomplete.Onthefirstday,showthestudents
theDVD,handoutthelogsheets,andhavethemworkontheexperiment.
Onthesecondday,studentscanrecordtheirresultsanddiscusswhatthey
learned.
Procedures/DiscussionQuestions
Procedures
1. ShowtheclasstheintroductorysegmentoftheDVDorreadthestoryon
page1-16ofthisguide.Makesurethestudentsunderstandtheirmission.
2. Dividetheclassintofivegroupsofaboutfiveorsixstudents.Giveeach
groupabagofgoo.Remindthegroupsoftheirmission-tofigureoutwhat
thegooismadeof.
3. Tellthegroupstoobservethecontentsofthebags.Askthemtoconsiderthe
followingquestions:
Whatdoesthegoolooklike?
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Whatdoesitsmelllike?
Whatdoesitfeellike?
Canyourollitintoaball?Doesitbreakapart?
4. Afterthegroupshavethoroughlyobservedthegoo,havethemrecordtheir
observationsonthelogsheet.
5. Haveeachgroupmakeapredictionofwhattheythinkthegooismadeof.
Havestudentswritetheirpredictionsonthelogsheet.
6. Pointouttheingredientsonthetable.Usingtheirobservationsasaguide,
havethegroupsselectingredientsthattheythinktheyneedtomakeafresh
batchofgoo.Ifthetwogoosmatch,thestudentswillhavesucceededin
uncoveringtheidentityofthemysterymaterial.
Makesureyouputeachbatchofgooinaplasticbagwithaseal.Ifnot,the
watermayevaporate,andthegoowilldryout.
Thebiggestdecisionstudentshavetomakeiswhichsolidtouse.There
areequalmeasurementsofthreedifferentsolids-cornstarch,sugar,and
talc-laidoutonthetable,aswellascontainersofwater.Iftheypickthe
wrongsolid,theywillhavetothrowthemixtureawayandprepareanother
oneusingwaterandasecondsolid.
7. Letstudentsworkindependentlyasmuchaspossible.Aftertheyhave
completedtheinvestigation,havethemrecordwhatingredientstheythink
areinthegoo.Makesuretheyincludereasonswhytheythinkthegoois
madeofthoseingredients.
8. Haveeachgrouppresentitsfindingstotheclass.Eachpresentationshould
includetheevidencestudentshavethatsupportstheirconclusions.
Thesepresentationsdonothavetoincludeanywrittenmaterials,andthey
canbeveryshort.Theideaisforthechildrentotrytoarticulatewhatthey
learnedandbegintogivereasonsfortheirthinking.
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9. Themissionisnowaccomplished!
DiscussionQuestions
1. Discusswiththestudentswhatinformationaboutthemysterygootheygot
fromtheirsenses.
2. Askstudentswhattheythinkhappenstotheinformationtheirsensesgather.
Wheredoesitgo?Helpstudentsunderstandthattheinformationis
processedinthebrain,thecontrolcenterforourbodies.
3. Askstudentswhattheyknowaboutthebrain.Recordtheirresponsesona
pieceofnewsprint.Youmaywanttorevisittheirideaslaterintheprogram.
4. Startaclasslistaboutthefunctionsofthebrain.Plantoaddtothislistin
subsequentmodules.
Extensions
Theactivitieslistedbelowprovidealinktootherareasinthecurriculum.These
activitiesalsomakeuseofthetradingcardsincludedinthemodule.
1. Dividethegroupintopairs.Makecopiesofthetradingcardsandgiveeach
pairaset.Havethemlookatthescientistsshownandimaginewhata
typicaldaywouldbelikeforeachone.Studentsalsocanthinkaboutthe
differencesandsimilaritiesamongthescientists.
2. Dividetheclassintogroupsoffiveorsix.Havethegroupsdrawalarge
pictureofwhattheyhavelearnedaboutscientificinquiry.Orstudentscould
pretendthattheyarereportersforthelocalnewspaperassignedtodescribe
scientificinquiry.Individuallyorinpairs,studentscaneitherwriteordraw
theirfindings.
3. Havestudentsdrawapictureofwhattheythinkthebrainlookslike.
4. ReadBartholomewandtheOobleck,byDr.Seuss,totheclass.
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Assessment
1. Thisactivitycanbeviewedasanembeddedassessmentofhowwell
studentsaregraspingtheconceptsofscientificinquiry.Astheywork,look
forthefollowing:
Arestudentsabletomakeobservationsthatareclearandspecific?For
example,cantheynotethecolorandshapeofthematerialinsteadof
saying,“It’sweird?”
Arestudentsabletomakeapredictionbasedontheirobservations?
Arestudentsabletofigureoutwhichmaterialstotesttotrytorecreate
thegoo?Dotheyapproachtheproblemlogicallyandmethodically?
Arestudentsabletorecordtheirresultsineitherwordsorpictures?
Canstudentssupporttheirconclusionswithevidencegainedfromtheir
investigations?
2. Keeptrackofwhatstudentsknowaboutthesensesandthebrain.Arethey
beginningwithanypriorknowledge,oristhissubjectcompletelynewto
them?Ifitiscompletelynew,youmaywanttoreviewwhatyoudiscussed
aboutthebrainbeforeproceedingtomodule2.
3. Afterstudentscompletetheirlogsheets,youmaywanttomakecopiesof
themaspartofaportfoliooftheirwork.Aftercompletingeachmoduleinthe
NIDAJuniorScientistsProgram,studentswillbecompletingalogsheet.
Youcanusethesheetstotracktheirdevelopmentasscientificinvestigators.
AdditionalActivities
Belowaresomeadditionalactivitiesthatcanbeusedaftercompletionofthe
firstmission.Theseactivitiesareextensionstomanyotherareasofthe
curriculum.
1. Havethestudentsmakeacomicstripdescribingthestepsinvolvedin
scientificinquiry.Makesurethateachstepisexplainedclearly.
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2. HavethestudentswritealettertoafriendcomparingtheNIDAJunior
ScientistsMissionControlCenterwiththebrain,thebody’s“mission
control.”Howaretheysimilar?Howaretheydifferent?Havestudents
includeintheirlettersadditionalinformationtheywouldliketolearnabout
theirbrain.
3. Asaclass,lookattherecipeusedtomakethegoo.Thendiscussthe
followingquestions:
Whatwouldyouhavetodotomaketwiceasmuchgooasyoudid?
Whatwouldyouhavetodotomakehalfasmuchgoo?
Whatwouldhappenifyouaddedvinegartothegoo?Makeaprediction,
thenperformtheexperimenttofindout.
4. Askstudentshowtheyknowthatit’scoldoutsideonawinter’sday.What
partorpartsoftheirbodiesletthemknow?Howisthebraininvolved?
5. Askstudentstodrawaconceptmapshowingwhattheyhavelearnedabout
thebrainandtheirsenses.Havestudentsthinkabouthowthesensesare
connectedtothebrain.Makesuretheyindicatetheseconnectionsontheir
conceptmaps.
6. Havestudentsputonaplaydemonstratingwhattheyhavelearnedabout
scientificinquiry.Encouragethemtoexplainthedifferentelementsofinquiry
increativeways.Theyalsomaywanttoincludeinformationaboutwhatthey
havelearnedaboutthebrain.
Resources
Thelistsbelowincluderesourcesforteachersandstudents.
ResourcesforTeachers
NationalInstituteonDrugAbuse(NIDA)
www.drugabuse.gov,301-443-1124
ThisWebsitecontainsinformationaboutdrugabuseandasection
designedspecificallyforparents,teachers,andstudents.
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NIDADrugPubs
drugpubs.drugabuse.gov,877-NIDA-NIH(877-643-2644)
DrugPubsisNIDA’sresearchdisseminationcenter.Visitorscanorderhard
copiesofNIDApublicationsordownloadelectronicversionsinmultiple
formats.
NationalClearinghouseforAlcoholandDrugInformation(NCADI)
store.samhsa.gov,1-800-729-6686
NCADIprovidesinformationandmaterialsonsubstanceabuse.Manyfree
publicationsareavailablehere.
EisenhowerNationalClearinghouse(ENC)
www.sciencepioneers.org/resource/eisenhower-national-clearinghousemath-science-education,1-800-471-1045
ThisWebsiteprovidesusefulinformationandproductstoimprove
mathematicsandscienceteachingandlearning.
NationalAcademyofSciences.NationalScienceEducationStandards.
Washington,DC:NationalAcademyPress,1995.Bookandabrochure
summarizethekeyideasintheStandards;providesgoodplacestolearn
moreaboutscienceeducation.
NationalScienceTeachersAssociationandMiamiUniversity.Dragonfly.
Sciencemagazineforchildrenthatmayincludesomerelevantstoriesand
activities;publishedasapulloutsectioninScientificAmericanExplorations.
NationalScienceTeachersAssociation(NSTA)
www.nsta.org,703-243-7100
Providesresourcesandinformationforscienceteachers.
ResourcesforStudents
Churchill,E.R.,Loeschnig,L.V.,&Mandell,M.365SimpleScience
ExperimentsWithEverydayMaterials.NewYork,NY:BlackDog&
LeventhalPublishers,Inc.,1997.Includeseasyprojectswithstep-by-step
instructionsforusingmaterialsaroundthehousetoexplorescience.
Dr.Seuss.BartholomewandtheOobleck.NewYork,NY.RandomHouse,
1970.Thisbooktellsthetaleofakingthatisboredwithrainandsnowsohe
ordershisroyalmagicianstocreateoobleck.Thisooey-gooeysubstanceis
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notexactlywhatthekinghadinmind.
ScienceSeries:KitchenChemistry.Monterey,CA:EvanMoorEducational
Publishers,1996.Includesactivitiesandexperimentsthathelpstudents
learnaboutthebasicprinciplesofchemistrywithmaterialsfoundinthe
kitchen.
VanCleave,J.P.ChemistryforEveryKid:101EasyExperimentsThat
ReallyWork.NewYork:JohnWiley&Sons,Inc.,1991.Acollectionofmore
than100chemistryexperimentsshowinghowchemistryispartofourlives.
Wiese,J.HeadtoToeScience.NewYork,NY:JohnWiley&Sons,Inc.,
2000.Includesover40activitiesandexperimentsthatteachkidsaboutthe
humanbody.
HoughtonMifflinScienceCenter
www.eduplace.com/science
Linkstoscience-basedactivitiesandlessons.
TheWhy?Files
whyfiles.org
Explanationsforscientificphenomenadiscussedinthenews.
IntroductoryStoryforModule1
IfyoudonothaveaDVDplayer,readthisstorytoyourclasstointroduce
themission.
"Hi,everyone.I'mKevin,betterknownas‘'BrainTeaser.'Theycallmethat
becauseIloveagoodjoke.Meetmyfriend,Ami.Wecallher'BrainTrust'
becauseshe’swhatwecallsmart,andImeanREALsmart.We'rebothina
reallycoolclubcalled'BrainPower!'NIDAMissionControlsendsusmissionsto
solve."
"Waitaminute,Teaser,"saidAmi."Letmetalk,too.Wegoonmissionswith
Cortytosolveproblems.OurtrustyfriendCortyusuallyletsusknowwhattodo."
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"That'sright.Hitoall.I'mthefamousCorty.AndIseeonmytrustycomputer
monitorthatBrainPower!hasariddletosolve."
"Great,"saidTeaser."Riddlesarerightupmyalley."
"Okay,youready?Herecomestheriddle:
"Wemapthestarsinouterspace.
Andchartthebottomofthedeepbluesea.
Weeventeachanimalstotalktous,andstudyhowdrugscanaffectyourbrain.
Everybodyonthislisttrulyis..."
"Ascientist,"shoutedKevinandAmi.
"Yougotit,"saidCorty."Nowaskmewhatscienceis."
"Okay,"saidAmi."What’sscience?"
"Gee,I'msogladyouasked,"repliedCorty."Scienceinvolvesobserving,asking
questionsandmakingpredictions,doingexperiments,andcollecting
informationthroughtheuseofscientificinquiry."
"Cool,"saidKevin."I'mofftodosciencerightnow.I'mreallyinterestedinthat
experimentpart."
"Kevinmaybeready,butI'mnotsureIunderstandwhatscientificinquiryis.
Couldyourunitbymeagain?"askedAmi.
BeforeCortyhadachancetoreply,Kevincamerunningbackintotheroom.He
wascoveredinsticky,ickywhitegoo.
"Whathappenedtoyou?"askedAmi.
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"I'mnotsure,"saidKevin."Iwaslookingintheclosetforsomethingto
experimentwith,butinstead,allIfoundwasthiswhitegoo."
"Thisisabigproblem,"saidCorty."We'vegottofigureoutwhatthisstuffis
beforewe'reallstucktogether.Ami,comeon.Thinkofsomething."
"Okay,butthekidsintheclassaregoingtohavetohelp,"saidAmi."Let’stryout
thisscientificinquirything.Ithinkwe'resupposedto'observe'first.Thatshould
beeasyenough.ThestuffisalloverKevin."
"Thenyouneedtoguesswhatthisgooismadeof,"saidKevin.
"Right.Next,testyourguessbytryingtomakemoregoo.Thenyoucandecideif
yourguesswasright.Observe,predict,experiment,andconclude-thefourbig
steps,"finishedAmi.
Nowit’suptoyou,kids.Usethematerialsonhandtomakethegoo.Kevinis
countingonyoutoworkfast.
Goodluck.Andremember,BrainPower!rules.
BrainPowerNews
ParentNewsletter
Volume1,Number1
WelcometotheNIDAJuniorScientistsProgram
YourchildhasbeenworkingonthefirstmoduleoftheNationalInstituteonDrug
Abuse(NIDA)JuniorScientistsProgram.Gearedtostudentsinsecondand
thirdgrades,theprogramismadeupofsixmodulesintroducingthefollowing
keyconcepts:
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Thestepsofscientificinquiry—observing,makingpredictions,performing
experimentstotestpredictions,andmakingconclusions;
Thepartsofthebrainandhowinformationistransmittedthroughoutthe
body;
Thedifferencesbetweendrugsusedasmedicinesanddrugsusedforother
purposes;
Theeffectthatnicotineandotherdrugshaveonthebodyandthebrain.
Byteachingyoungchildrenabouthowdrugsaffectthebody,wecanlaya
foundationforstudentstomakebetterdecisionsabouttheirownhealthinthe
future.
Thisnewsletterisdesignedtoprovideyouwithinformationsothatyoucan
reinforceathomewhatyourchildhasbeenlearninginschool.Eachmodule
hasaparents’newsletterthatincludesthefollowing:
Thecontentofthemodule;
Activitiesyoucandoathome;
Additionalresources;
Asuggestionforyourchildtosharesomethoughtsthroughwordsor
pictures.
Wehopethatyouandyourchildenjoyworkingontheprogramtogetherand
thattheknowledgegainednowwillserveyourfamilywellinthefuture.
WhatisScientificInquiry?
Theterm“scientificinquiry”soundsprettysophisticated,butactually,itsimply
referstoasystematicwayofapproachingaproblem.Thefourstepsofscientific
inquiryare:
Observingthefeaturesofanobjectorphenomenon;
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Predictingwhattheobjectorphenomenonis;
Experimentingtochecktheprediction;and
Figuringoutwhattheresultsmean.
Studentsusedthesefourstepstofigureoutwhatamysterygoowasmadeof.
ThisactivityalignswiththeNationalScienceEducationStandards(NSES),
guidelinesdevelopedin1996bytheNationalAcademyofSciencestohelp
schoolsknowwhatscienceinformationshouldbecoveredinkindergarten
throughhighschool.Thestandardsstresstheimportanceofusingscientific
inquiryasatoolforapproachingandsolvingproblems.ThroughouttheNIDA
JuniorScientistsProgram,wewillletyouknowhoweachactivityfitsinwiththe
NSESrecommendations.
ScienceatHome
Askyourchildwhatheorshelearnedaboutscientificinquiry.Thentrya
scienceexperimentwithyourchild.Mix1/3cupofcornstarchand1/3cupof
bakingsoda.Whathappenswhenyouaddwater?Tryitagain,butaddvinegar
instead.Whatdoyourresultstellyouaboutthedifferencesbetweenwaterand
vinegar?Whatdotheytellyouaboutthepropertiesoftheliquids?Trytousethe
stepsofscientificinquirytoanswerthesequestions.
WhatDoesYourChildThink?
Haveyourchildwriteordrawapictureaboutsomethingrelatedtoscientific
inquiry.
AdditionalResources
Youandyourchildmaywanttotrysomeofthescienceexperimentsincludedin
someoftheseresources.
NationalInstituteonDrugAbuse(NIDA)
www.drugabuse.gov,301-443-1124
17
ThisWebsitecontainsinformationaboutdrugabuseandasectiondesigned
specificallyforparents,teachers,andstudents.
NIDADrugPubs
drugpubs.drugabuse.gov,1-877-NIDA-NIH(1-877-643-2644)
DrugPubsisNIDA’sresearchdisseminationcenter.Visitorscanorderhard
copiesofNIDApublicationsordownloadelectronicversionsinmultipleformats.
NationalClearinghouseforAlcoholandDrugInformation(NCADI)
http://store.samhsa.gov,1-800-729-6686
NCADIprovidesinformationandmaterialsonsubstanceabuse.Manyfree
publicationsareavailablehere.
ScienceSeries:KitchenChemistry.Monterey,CA:EvanMoorEducational
Publishers,1996.Includesactivitiesandexperimentsthathelpstudentslearn
aboutthebasicprinciplesofchemistrywithmaterialsfoundinthekitchen.
VanCleave,J.P.ChemistryforEveryKid:101EasyExperimentsThatReally
Work.NewYork:JohnWileyandSons,Inc.,1991.Acollectionofmorethan100
chemistryexperimentsshowinghowchemistryispartofourlives.
Wiese,J.HeadtoToeScience.NewYork:JohnWiley&Sons,Inc.,2000.
Includesover40activitiesandexperimentsthatteachkidsaboutthehuman
body.
HoughtonMifflinScienceCenter
www.eduplace.com/science
Linkstoscience-basedactivitiesandlessons.
TheWhy?Files
http://whyfiles.org
Explanationsforscientificphenomenadiscussedinthenews.
Edible/InedibleExperimentsArchive
www.madsci.org/experiments
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Listsofbothsimpleandmorecomplexexperiments.
ParentNewsletter(PDF,425KB)
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BrainsinaBox:WhatYourBrainCan
Do(Module2)
YoucanalsodownloadthisentiremoduleinPDFformatbyclickingthe
followinglink:Module2(PDF,9MB).
Introduction
DuringthesecondBrainPower!mission,studentslearnaboutfourmajorparts
ofthebrainandtheirfunctions.Thestudentsworkinsmallgroupstocreatea
three-dimensionalmodelofthebrainmadeofPlay-Doh.Usingthetrading
cardssuppliedinthemodule,studentsdiscoverwhateachpartdoes.
Thismissionhasthefollowinggoals:
Togivestudentsanopportunitytovisualizethebrain;
Tomakestudentsawarethatthebrainhasdifferentpartsthatperform
differentfunctions;
Tohelpstudentsunderstandthatthebrainisthecontrolcenterforthebody.
LearningObjectives
Studentslearnthatthebrainhasdifferentparts.
Studentscreateamodelofthebrainshowingitsfourmajorparts.
Studentsidentifythefunctionofeachofthesepartsofthebrain.
RelationshiptotheNationalScience
EducationStandards
ThismissionalignswithseveralstandardsidentifiedintheNSES:unifying
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conceptsandprocesses,lifesciencecontentstandards,andstandardsfor
scienceasinquiry.Thechartsonthenextpageidentifyhowthemissionaligns
witheachofthesestandards.
UnifyingConceptsandProceses
LevelsK–4
HowMissionIsAligned
Systems,
order,and
organization
Themissionintroducesstudentstotheideathatthebrain
isonesystemthatispartofalargersystem–thehuman
body–andthatbothsystemsworktogethertoenable
peopletofunction.
LifeScienceStandards
LevelsK–4
HowMissionIsAligned
Characteristics
oforganisms
Thismissionintroducesstudentstotheconceptthatall
animalshavesomekindofbrainandthatthereare
similaritiesanddifferencesamongthebrainsof
differentorganisms.
ScienceasInquiry
LevelsK–4
HowMissionIsAligned
Abilities
necessaryto
doscientific
inquiry
Studentsgothroughthestepsofscientificinquiry:
observing,makingpredictions,completingan
investigationtotesttheirpredictions,anddrawing
conclusions.
Background
Inmodule2,studentswillbeaskedtoidentifyandlearnaboutfourpartsofthe
brain:thecerebralcortex,composedoftherighthemisphereandtheleft
hemisphere;thecerebellum;thebrainstem;andthelimbicsystem.Theseparts
areexplainedinmoredetailbelow.
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CerebralCortex
Thebrain’slargestpart,thecerebralcortex,makesupalmost90percentofthe
brain.Ithastwohemispheres.Thelefthemisphere,whichcontrolstheright
sideofthebody,islargelyresponsibleforanalyticalthinking,suchassolving
problemsandcomparinginformationneededtomakedecisions.Italsoisthe
brain’slanguagecenter.
Therighthemisphere,whichcontrolstheleftsideofthebody,islargely
responsibleforartisticexpressionandunderstandingrelationshipsinspace.A
bundleoffiberscalledthecorpuscallosumservesasabridgetopass
messagesbackandforthbetweenthetwohemispheres.
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Cerebellum
Thecerebellumcontrolsposture,movement,andthesenseofbalance.Such
activitiesasplayingball,pickingupobjects,andplayingmusicalinstruments
fallunderitsdomain.
BrainStem
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Thebrain’smostprimitivepartisthebrainstem.Thetwomainpartsofthebrain
stemaretheponsandthemedulla.Theponscontainsfibersthatlinkthe
cerebralcortexwiththecerebellumandthespinalcord.Italsocontrolssleep,
awakening,anddreamimpulses.
Themedullacontrolsheartrate,respiration,andbloodpressure.Thebrainstem
alsoisresponsibleforbodytemperaturecontrol,simplereflexes(likecoughing
andsneezing),anddigestion.
LimbicSystem
Thetwomainpartsofthelimbicsystemarethehippocampusandthe
amygdala.Thehippocampusismainlyresponsibleforlearningandmemory.
Theamygdalaplaysanimportantroleinemotionalbehavior.Thelimbicsystem
isgreatlyaffectedbydrugs.
Materials/Preparation
Materials
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Fiveorsixboxeswithtops
Play-Doh(fourcolors)
Tradingcardsofbrainparts
NIDAJuniorScientistsDVD,oronlinevideo
InstructionSheets(PDF,241KB)
LogSheets(PDF,58KB)
Preparation
1. MakesureyouhavefourdifferentcolorsofPlay-Dohorclayforthisactivity.
Ifyoudon’thaveanyavailable,followtherecipebelowtomakeyourown:
Inasaucepan,heat2tablespoonsofvegetableoil.Add1/2cupofflour,
2teaspoonsofcreamoftartar,and1cupofwater.
Cookfor3minutes,stirringconstantly.
Dividethemixtureintofourparts.Usefoodcoloringtomakeeachparta
differentcolor.
Letthedoughcool,thenstoreinplasticwrapintherefrigerator.
MakeonebatchofthisPlay-Dohforeachgroup.
2. PutthefourdifferentcoloredclumpsofPlay-Dohineachoftheboxes.
3. Dividethestudentsintogroupstocompletethisactivity.
4. Thisactivitywilltake2daystocomplete.Onthefirstday,showthestudents
theDVDandhavethembuildtheirmodelsofthebrain.Onthesecondday,
handoutthelogsheet.Studentscanworkonlabelingtheparts,discussing
whateachpartdoes,andfillinginthelogsheet.
Procedures/DiscussionQuestions
Procedure
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1. Beforedividingtheclassintogroups,showthefirstpartoftheDVD.Ifyou
don’thaveaDVDplayer,readtheintroductorystoryatthebackofthis
module.TurntheDVDoffattheappropriatetimeandaskthechildrenwhat
theythinktheyaresupposedtomakewiththePlay-Doh.Afterhelpingthem
figureoutthattheywillbemakingamodelofthebrain,leadabrainstorming
sessionaboutwhatthebraindoes.Youmightwanttorefertothestudents’
ideasfromtheearlierbrainstormingsession.
2. Afterelicitingideasfromthechildren,turntheDVDbackonandhavethem
viewexamplesofwhatthebraindoes.
3. Dividetheclassintogroups.Giveeachgroupaboxandasetoftrading
cards.Explainthemission-tobuildasimplemodelofthebrainandtofind
outwhateachpartdoes.Pointoutthatthetradingcardshaveallthe
informationtheyneedtofinishtheactivity.
4. Tobuildthemodelsofthebrain,studentsshoulddothefollowing:
First,makethehemispheresofthecerebralcortex.TakealargeclumpofPlay-Doh.
Splititintotwoparts.Rolleachpartintoanoval.
Thesetwoovalsarethehemispheresofyourmodelbrain.Studentscanmake
wrinklesonthehemisphereswiththeirfingernailstomakethebrainlookmore
realistic.
26
Next,makethelimbicsystem.UsingadifferentcolorofPlay-Doh,makeasmallpiece
thatisshapedlikeabean.
Laythebeanshapeononeofthehemispheres.
Putthetwohemispherestogetherwiththebeaninside,likeasandwich.Pressthem
together.
Thelimbicsystemislocateddeepinsidethecerebralcortex.
27
Third,makethecerebellum.Usingathirdcolor,makeaballaboutone-thirdthesize
ofeachhemisphere.
Flattentheballslightlywithyourthumb.
Puttheballonthebottomandunderneaththehemispheres.Thecerebellumisatthe
lowerbackendofthehemispheres.
28
Finally,makethebrainstem.
Usingthefourthcolor,makeashapethatlookslikeasmalltrumpet.
Stickthetrumpetatthebottomofthecerebellum.Thebrainstemleadsintothespinal
cordatthebackofthebrain.
5. Givethestudentsbetween15and20minutestocompletetheactivity.Atthe
endofthattime,eachgroupshouldhaveamodelofthebrain.
6. Onthesecondday,haveeachgroupusethetradingcardstolabeleach
partofthebrain.Askeachgrouptoidentifyatleastonefunctionofeach
part.
7. HaveeachstudentcompletetheLogSheet(PDF,58KB).
Havethestudentssavetheirmodelbrains.Theywillneedthemformodule
six.
8. CONGRATULATIONS!YOURCLASSHASCOMPLETEDTHESECOND
MISSION.
29
DiscussionQuestions
1. Askthestudentsiftheyhaveanyotherideastheywanttoaddtotheclass
listofwhatthebraindoes.
2. Discusswiththestudentstheirimpressionsofthismission.Werethey
surprisedthatthebraindoessomanythings?Didtheyknowaboutthebrain
beforethemission?Whatotherquestionsdotheyhaveaboutthebrain?
3. Thenaskstudentsthefollowingquestion:Howdotheythinkinformation
getstothebrain?Keeparecordoftheirresponses.Concludebytellingthe
classthattheywillbelearningmoreabouthowinformationtravelsinthe
nextmodule.
Extensions
Thefollowingactivitiesprovidealinktootherareasinthecurriculum.Theyalso
helpreinforcewhatwaslearnedduringthemoduleandmakeuseofthetrading
cards.
1. Havethestudents,eitherindividuallyoringroups,drawapictureofthe
brain.Havethemlabeleachpartandidentifyatleastonefunctionofeach
part.
2. Havethestudents,eitherindividuallyoringroups,writeacoupleof
sentencesinresponsetothefollowingprompt:“Mybrainisamazing
because...”
3. Dividetheclassintopairs.Haveonestudentgivecluestotheotherabout
eachpartofthebrain.Studentsmaywanttoactoutwhatthatpartofthe
braindoes.Havestudentsusethetradingcardstoplay.
4. Havestudents,eitherindividuallyoringroups,createnewtradingcards
aboutthebrain.Theycanbeondifferentpartsofthebrain,scientistswho
studythebrain,ordifferentactivitiesthebrainenablesustodo.
Assessment
30
1. Asstudentsworkonthisactivity,lookforevidenceofthefollowing:
Arestudentsgraspingthatthebrainisoneorganthatperformsarange
offunctions?
Dostudentsunderstandthatthebrainisthe“controlcenter”ofthebody?
2. Puteachstudent’slogsheetinhisorherstudentportfolio.
AdditionalActivities
Belowaresomeadditionalactivitiesthatcanbeusedaftercompletionofthe
secondmission.Theseactivitiesareextensionstomanyotherareasofthe
curriculum.
1. Makeaclassposterofthebrain.Encouragethestudentstobecreativeand
tousematerialsofdifferenttextures,suchasfelt,cotton,beads,andfoam.
Trytomakethepictureofthebrainasaccurateaspossible.Makesurethe
partsarelabeled.
2. Playa“gameshow”usingquestionsaboutthebrain.Studentscantake
turnsbeingtheplayer.Therestoftheclasscanbetheaudience,whichis
sometimescalledonduringthegame.(Theplayerhastheoptionofpolling
theaudience,havingtwopossiblechoicestakenawaysothatit’seasierto
guesscorrectly,orchoosingafriendfromtheaudiencetohelpanswerthe
question.)Makesurethateveryonehasachancetobetheplayer.Some
samplequestionsarelistedbelow.
Thecerebralcortexisresponsibleforthefollowingactivities:
1. Breathing
2. Emotions
3. Thinking
4. Alloftheabove
31
Thelimbicsystemisresponsibleforthefollowingactivities:
1. Solvingproblems
2. Seeingandhearing
3. Balance
4. Emotions
Whyisthebrainstemimportant?
1. Itcontrolsbreathingandheartrate.
2. Ithelpsoutwithbalance.
3. Itisresponsibleforproblem-solving.
4. Itenablesustotalk.
APETscanisusefulbecauseitshows:
1. Theoutsideofthebrain.
2. Justthepartsofthebrain.
3. Whichpartsofthebrainareworking.
4. Thecolorsofthebrain.
PhineasGagehadanaccidentthatmadehim:
1. Nasty
2. Nice
3. Smart
4. Dumb
32
3. Haveyourstudentsputonaclassplayaboutthebrain.Differentstudents
canplaydifferentpartsofthebrain,whileotherstudentscanactoutwhat
thedifferentpartsdo.Encouragethestudentstolettheirimaginationsgo!
4. Conductaclassbrainstormingsessionabouthowweshouldtakecareof
ourbrains.Helpstudentsunderstandthatbytakingcareofourbodieseatingright,gettingenoughexercise,gettingenoughsleep,forexamplewearealsotakingcareofourbrains.YoumightwanttodrawaclassVenn
diagram,withonesidelabeled“WhatYouShouldDotoTakeCareofYour
Brain”andtheothersidelabeled“WhatYouShouldDotoTakeCareof
YourBody.”Thenthestudentswillbeabletoclearlyseehowtakingcareof
yourbodymeansthatyoualsoaretakingcareofyourbrain.
5. Haveyourstudentstrytofigureoutthismathproblem:Ababy’sbrain
weighs1pound.Bythetimeachildturns6,however,thebrainhasreached
itsfullsizeandweighs3pounds.Howmuchbiggerisafull-sizedbrainthan
ababy’sbrain?Howlongdidittaketogrowtofullsize?
6. Playbrain“SimonSays.”Forexample,youcouldsay:“Simonsaysthatifthe
leftsideofyourbrainhelpswiththinking,hopononefoot.”Thechildrenwill
enjoymovingaroundwhilelearningaboutthedifferentpartsofthebrain.
Resources
Thelistsbelowincluderesourcesforteachersandstudents.
ResourcesforTeachers
NationalInstituteonDrugAbuse(NIDA)
www.drugabuse.gov,301-443-1124
ThisWebsitecontainsinformationaboutdrugabuseandasection
designedspecificallyforparents,teachers,andstudents.
NIDADrugPubs
drugpubs.drugabuse.gov,877-NIDA-NIH(877-643-2644)
DrugPubsisNIDA’sresearchdisseminationcenter.Visitorscanorderhard
33
copiesofNIDApublicationsordownloadelectronicversionsinmultiple
formats.
NationalClearinghouseforAlcoholandDrugInformation(NCADI)
store.samhsa.gov,1-800-729-6686
NCADIprovidesinformationandmaterialsonsubstanceabuse.Manyfree
publicationsareavailablehere.
EisenhowerNationalClearinghouse(ENC)
www.sciencepioneers.org/resource/eisenhower-national-clearinghousemath-science-education
ThisWebsiteprovidesusefulinformationandproductstoimprove
mathematicsandscienceteachingandlearning.
Greenfield,S.A.TheHumanBrain:AGuidedTour.NewYork:BasicBooks,
1998.Writtenforalayaudience,providesaholisticviewofthebrainasan
integralpartofthebody;partoftheScienceMastersSeries.
Wade,N.,ed.TheScienceTimesBookoftheBrain.NewYork:LyonsPress,
1998.Acollectionofarticlesaboutthebrainfromthesciencesectionofthe
NewYorkTimes.
Sylwester,R.ACelebrationofNeurons:AnEducator’sGuidetotheHuman
Brain.Alexandria,VA:AssociationforSupervisionandCurriculum
Development,1995.Thebookdiscussesthestructureandfunctionofthe
brain,andexplainshowwethink,dream,digestfood,andmuchmore.
AreWeUnique?
www.fi.edu/qa97/spotlight5/spotlight5.html
PagefromtheFranklinInstituteWebsitetalksaboutthescienceofthe
humanmind.
BrainBriefings
www.sfn.org/briefings
PartoftheSocietyforNeuroscienceWebsite;givesscientificinformationon
differentpartsofthebrainandbraindisorders.
ResourcesforStudents
Friedman,D.FocusonDrugsandtheBrain.Frederick,MD:Twenty-First
34
CenturyBooks,1990.Partofthe“Drug-AlertBook”series;givesagood
overviewofthebrain,neurotransmission,effectsofdrugsonthebrain,and
addiction.
Rowan,P.BigHead!ABookAboutYourBrainandYourHead.NewYork:
AlfredA.Knopf,1998.Givesanoverviewofthedifferentpartsofthebrain;
includesdetailedcolorpicturesandtransparencies.
NeuroscienceforKids
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html
Containsinformationonthebrainandneurotransmission,activities,
experiments,pictures,andotherresourcesforstudentsandeducators.
BillNyetheScienceGuy
billnye.com/
SeeEpisode34onthebrain.
IntroductoryStoryforModule2
IfyoudonothaveaDVDplayer,readthisstorytoyourclasstointroduce
themission.
"Hiagain.WelcomebacktotheBrainPower!clubhouse.You'vealreadymet
BrainTeaserandBrainTrust,butyouhaven'tmetus.I'mBeth,betterknownas
'BrainStorm'becauseI'mfullofideas.Meetmygoodpal,Juan,nicknamed
'BrainWave.'Hegothisnicknamebecausehe'salwaysonaroll-onhis
skateboardoranythingelsethatmoves."
"Hi,all,"saidBrainWave."LookwhatIfoundoutsideourdoor.Abox."
"Oh,goody,apresent,"saidBrainStorm."Doesithavemynameonit?"
"Nope.Itmustbeforallofus.Let'sopenit."
35
"WhataretheselumpsofPlay-Dohfor?"askedBrianStorm."Ihaven'tusedthis
stuffinyears."
"Wait,there'ssomethingatthebottomofthebox.It'saDVDplayer.Let'sturnit
onandseeifwecanfindoutwhat'sgoingonhere."
"Hello,BrainStormandBrainWave.ThisisCorty,yourfriendlybrain,speaking.
NIDAhasamissionfortheBrainPower!Club."
"Wow!Amission-forus,"saidBrainStorm.
"YouhavejustreceivedPlay-Dohinagift-wrappedbox,"continuedCorty.
"WhenyoumakesomethingwiththePlay-Doh,itbecomesoneamazingthing
thatistrulyagift."
"Iwonderwhatitis,"saidBrainWave.
"You'reprobablywonderingwhatitis,"saidCorty."Herearesomeclues.Take
somedeepbreaths.(Thekidsintheclasscandothis.)Nowsingthescales(do,
re,mi,fa,so,la,ti,do)andtumbleacrossthefloor.Canyouanswerthis?4+5?
6+8?"
(Pauseastheclassdoesallthis)
"Ifyoucanfigureoutwhatalltheseactivitieshaveincommon,you'llknowwhat
thePlay-Dohbecomes.Oh,andbesuretouseyourbrains."
"Gosh,BrainWave.Doyouhaveanyideawhatwe'resupposedtomake?"
askedBrainStorm.
"No,butIbetallthosekidsoutthereknow.Comeon,guys.Helpusout.Make
somethingwonderfulwiththePlay-Doh-somethingthatrepresentsanamazing
gift,"Cortysaid."Iknowyoucandoit."
36
"That’sright,"repliedBrainStorm."Sogoforit,andremember,BrainPower!
rockstheworld."
BrainPowerNews
ParentNewsletter
Volume1,Number2
WhatYourBrainCanDo
Yourchildhasjustcompletedmodule2oftheNIDAJuniorScientistsProgram.
Heorsheputtogetherathree-dimensionalmodelofthebrain,identifieditsfour
keyparts,andlearnedaboutwhateachpartdoes.
Ourgoalistoshowchildrenhowamazingthebrainreallyis.Mostchildrenthis
ageknowthatthebrainhelpsthemthink,buttheydon’trealizethatthebrainis
alsoresponsibleforjustabouteverythingelse,too—fromregulatingheartbeat
andbreathingtocontrollingemotionsandartisticexpression.Byteachingthem
about“BrainPower!,”wehopethattheywillthinktwiceaboutdoinganything
thatmightharmtheirbrains.
TheBrainisTrulyAmazing
Here’saquicksummaryofwhatyourchildlearnedaboutthebrain:
37
Partofthe
Brain
Function
Left
hemisphere,
cerebral
cortex
Responsibleforanalyticalthinkingsuchassolving
problemsandcomparinginformationneededtomake
decisions.Italsoisthebrain’slanguagecenter.
Right
hemisphere,
cerebral
cortex
Responsibleforartisticexpressionandunderstanding
relationshipsinspace.
Cerebellum
Controlsposture,movement,andthesenseofbalance.
Suchactivitiesasplayingball,pickingupobjects,and
playingmusicalinstrumentsfallunderitscontrol.
Brainstem
Controlsheartrate,breathing,bloodcirculation,and
digestion.
Limbic
system
Responsibleforemotionsandalsoinvolvedinmemory
andmemorystorage.Drugscanchangehowthelimbic
systemworks.
ScienceatHome
Askyourchildwhatheorshelearnedaboutthebrain.Seehowmanypartshe
orshecanidentify.Throughouttheday,asyouperformdifferentactivities
together,askyourchildwhichpartofthebrainisbeingused.Thenaskyour
childtodrawapictureofthebrainandlabelit.
WhatDoesYourChildThink?
Haveyourchilddraworwritesomethingaboutthebrain.
AdditionalResources
38
ThebooksandWebsiteslistedbelowhavemoreinformationaboutthebrain.
NationalInstituteonDrugAbuse(NIDA)
www.drugabuse.gov,301-443-1124
ThisWebsitecontainsinformationaboutdrugabuseandasectiondesigned
specifi-callyforparents,teachers,andstudents.
NIDADrugPubs
drugpubs.drugabuse.gov,1-877-NIDA-NIH(1-877-643-2644)
DrugPubsisNIDA’sresearchdisseminationcenter.Visitorscanorderhard
copiesofNIDApublicationsordownloadelectronicversionsinmultipleformats.
NationalClearinghouseforAlcoholandDrugInformation(NCADI)
http://store.samhsa.gov,1-800-729-6686
NCADIprovidesinformationandmaterialsonsubstanceabuse.Manyfree
publicationsareavailablehere.
Friedman,D.FocusonDrugsandtheBrain.Frederick,MD:Twenty-First
CenturyBooks,1990.Thisbookispartofthe“Drug-AlertBook”series.It
providesagoodoverviewofthebrain,neurotransmission,theeffectsofdrugs
onthebrain,andaddiction.
Rowan,P.BigHead!ABookAboutYourBrainandYourHead.NewYork:
AlfredA.Knopf,1998.Anoverviewofthedifferentpartsofthebrain.Includes
detailedcolorpicturesandtransparencies.
Simon,S.TheBrain:OurNervousSystem.NewYork:MorrowJuniorBooks,
1997.Anoverviewofthebrainandneurotransmission,withafocusonthe
functionofthebrain.
NeuroscienceforKids
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html
ThisWebsitecontainsinformationonthebrainandneurotransmission,
activities,experiments,pictures,andotherresourcesforstudentsand
educators.
39
HowYourBrainWorks
www.howstuffworks.com/brain7.htm
Picturesanddescriptionsofthehistoryofneuroscienceanddifferentpartsof
thebrain.
AreWeUnique?
www.fi.edu/qa97/spotlight5/spotlight5.html
ThissubpagefromtheFranklinInstituteWebsitetalksaboutthescienceofthe
humanmind.
BillNyetheScienceGuy
billnye.com/
SeeEpisode#34onthebrain.
BrainBriefings
www.sfn.org/briefings
ThispageispartoftheSocietyforNeuroscienceWebsite.Itprovidesscientific
informationondifferentpartsofthebrainandbraindisorders.
ParentNewsletter(PDF,606KB)
40
SendingandReceivingMessages
(Module3)
YoucanalsodownloadthisentiremoduleinPDFformatbyclickingthe
followinglink:Module3(PDF,5.4MB)
Introduction
Inmodule1,studentslearnedhowtousescientificinquirytosolveproblems.In
module2,theylearnedaboutfourkeypartsofthebrainandwhateachpart
does.Duringthethirdmission,studentswillsimulatetheprocessof
neurotransmission:howinformationgetstoandfromthebrain.
LearningObjectives
Studentssimulateneurotransmission.
Studentsdiscoverhowmessagestravelthroughoutthebody.
Studentslearnabouttherelationshipbetweenthebrainandtherestofthe
nervoussystem.
RelationshiptotheNationalScience
EducationStandards
ThismissionalignswithtwostandardsidentifiedintheNSES:unifyingconcepts
andprocessesandscienceasinquiry.(Theyuseonlypartsofscientificinquiry
forthismission.)Thechartsbelowidentifyhowthemissionalignswitheachof
thesestandards.
41
UnifyingConceptsandProcesses
LevelsK–4
HowMissionIsAligned
Systems,
order,and
organization
Thismissionbuildsonwhatstudentslearnedinmodule2
aboutthebrainasasystembyillustratinghow
neurotransmissionispartofthatsystem.Studentsbegin
tounderstandhowthebrainworkswiththeotherpartsof
thenervoussystemtoperformmanykeyfunctions.
LifeScienceStandards
LevelsK–
4
Abilities
necessary
todo
scientific
inquiry
HowMissionIsAligned
Studentsgothroughsomeofthestepsofscientificinquiry:
observing,makingpredictions,completinganinvestigation
totesttheirpredictions,illustratingaconcept,anddrawing
conclusions.
Background
Messages,intheformofelectricalimpulses,constantlytravelbackandforth
betweenthebrainandotherpartsofthebody.Aspecialcellcalledaneuronis
responsibleforcarryingthesemessages.Thereareabout100billionneurons
inthehumanbrain.
Aneuronhasthreemainparts.Thecellbodydirectsallactivitiesoftheneuron.
Dendritesextendoutfromthecellbodyandreceivemessagesfromothernerve
cells.Anaxonisalongsinglefiberthattransmitsmessagesfromthecellbody
tothedendritesofotherneuronsortootherbodytissues,suchasmuscles.A
protectivecoveringcalledthemyelinsheath,coversmostneurons.Myelin
insulatestheaxonandhelpsnervesignalstravelfasterandfarther.
42
Messagestravelalongasingleneuronaselectricalimpulses,butmessages
betweenneuronstraveldifferently.Thetransferofinformationfromneuronto
neurontakesplacethroughthereleaseofchemicalsubstancesintothespace
betweentheaxonandthedendrites.Thesechemicalsarecalled
neurotransmitters,andtheprocessiscalledneurotransmission.Thespace
betweentheaxonandthedendritesiscalledthesynapse.
Whenneuronscommunicate,anelectricalimpulsetriggersthereleaseof
neurotransmittersfromtheaxonintothesynapse.Theneurotransmitterscross
thesynapseandbindtospecialmoleculesontheotherside,calledreceptors.
Receptorsarelocatedonthedendrites.Receptorsreceiveandprocessthe
message.
43
What’sparticularlyinterestingaboutneurotransmissionisthateach
neurotransmittercanbindonlytoaveryspecificmatchingreceptor.A
neurotransmitterbindstoareceptorinmuchthesamewayakeyfitsintoalock.
Aftertransmissionhasoccurred,theneurotransmitteriseitherbrokendownby
anenzyme(achemicalthatspeedsupsomeofthebody’sprocesses)oris
reabsorbedintotheneuronthatreleasedit.Thereabsorbedneurotransmitters
canbereusedatalatertime.
44
Materials/Preparation
Materials
NIDAJuniorScientistsDVD,oronlinevideo
Onesetofsignsforeachgroup
6NeuronTeamsigns
1Neurotransmittersign
1Sorefootsign
1Brainsign
Onesetofmessagesforeachgroup
1“Whydoesmyfoothurt?”message
1“Sitdown.Youhurtyourfootonatack.”message
InstructionSheet(PDF,285KB)
45
LogSheet(PDF,105KB)
Paperandpencils
MaskingTape
Preparation
1. Tofamiliarizeyourselfwiththesubjectofneurotransmission,readthe
Backgroundsectionofthisguide.
2. Ifpossible,reservethegymorall-purposeroom.Oryoucoulddothisactivity
outsideontheblacktop.
3. Makecopiesofthemessagesandsignsfoundatthebottomofthispage.
YouwillneedsixNeuronTeamsigns,oneNeurotransmittersign,oneSore
Footsign,oneBrainsign,one“Whydoesmyfoothurt?”message,andone
“Sitdown.Youhurtyourfootonatack.”messageforeachgroup.The
studentswillusethesemessagesduringtheactivity.
4. Setupandlabelthreeareasoftheroomforthisactivityasshownonthe
previouspage.Eachareahasasetoftwolinesofmaskingtapewitha
spacebetweentherows.Eachmaskingtaperowrepresentsaneuron.The
spacebetween“neurons”representsasynapse.
5. Dividetheclassintogroupsofninestudents,whowillbeworkingtogether
asateam.Ifyouhave“extra”children,addthemasextramembersofa
neuronteam.
Procedures/DiscussionQuestions
1. Conductabrainstormingsessionabouthowstudentsthinkmessagesare
carriedthroughoutthebody.Forexample,askstudentsthefollowing:How
doesyourbrain"know"toperformanactivity,suchasraiseyourhead?
Whenwetalkaboutmessagestraveling,whatdowemean?Doyouknow
whataneurotransmitteris?Writedownanyideasstudentsmayhave.Don't
besurprisediftheydon'tknowtoomuchaboutthisprocess.
2. Beforebeginningtheactivity,brieflyexplainneurotransmission.Explain
46
whattheterms"neuron"and"neurotransmission"mean.Youmaywantto
showthefirstpartoftheDVDtoaccomplishthisgoal.
3. Telleachgroupofninestudentstogotoanactivityarea.Ineacharea,have
threestudentssitineachmasking-tapeoutlinedarea.Tellthemthatthey
areaneuronteamandgiveeachstudentaNeuronTeamsign.Eachgroup
ofthreerepresentsoneneuron.
4. Designateonestudentateachareaastheneurotransmitterstudent.Have
eachneurotransmitterstudentsitinthespacebetweentherowsofmasking
tape.Givetheneurotransmitterstudentstheirsigns.
5. Thendesignateonestudentateachareaasapersonwithasorefootand
onestudentasthebrain,wheretheinformationisprocessed.Thesorefoot
studentshouldstandatoneendoftheneurons,andthebrainshouldstand
attheotherend.(Refertodiagram3a.)
6. Handthestudentwiththesorefootthemessagethatsays,"Whydoesmy
foothurt?"Havethestudentbegintheactivitybypretendingtohaveasore
foot.Thenhavethe"foot"studenthandthemessagetothefirstmemberof
theneuronteam.
7. Havethestudentsquicklysendthemessagedownthelineofneuronteam
members.Thelaststudenthandsthemessagetotheneurotransmitter
student.Afterreceivingthemessage,heorshegetsupandhandsittothe
nextneuronteam.Thisneuronteamleadstothebrain.Whenthemessage
reachesthelastmemberoftheneuronteam,heorshegetsupandhands
themessagetothestudentpretendingtobethebrain.(Refertodiagram
3b.)
8. Whenthe"brain"receivesthemessage,thatstudentquicklyexchangesitfor
themessagesaying,"Sitdown.Youhurtyourfootonatack."Themessage
thenproceedsdownthelineofstudentsbacktothestudentwithasorefoot.
9. Whenthestudentwiththesorefootreadsthemessage,heorshediscovers
whyhisorherfoothurtsandwhattodoaboutit.(Refertodiagram3c.)
10. Havestudentsgothroughthesimulationonemoretime.Theymaywantto
switchrolesthesecondtimearoundorthinkofothermessagestosend.
11. CONGRATULATIONS!YOURSTUDENTSHAVEJUSTCOMPLETED
MISSION3OFBRAINPOWER!
47
Diagram3a
Diagram3b
48
Diagram3c
DiscussionQuestions
1. Usingthesimulation,havethestudentsdescribehowtheythinkmessages
travelthroughoutthebody.Giveseveralstudentsanopportunitytoexplain
theprocessintheirownwords.
2. Havethestudentsthinkofdifferentkindsofmessagesthattravelthroughout
theirbodies.Examplesincludethefollowing:
WhatamItouching?
Whatisthatsound?
Isthewaterhotorcold?
3. Toreinforcewhatstudentslearned,showthesecondsegmentoftheDVD
again.Thenhavethestudentsfigureoutwhichpartofthebrainthe
messageisgoingto.Theymaywanttoidentifyeachsectionontheirmodels
ofthebrain.
49
Extensions
Theactivitieslistedbelowprovidealinktootherareasinthecurriculum.These
activitiesalsomakeuseofthetradingcardsincludedinthemodule.
1. Workwithyourstudentstodevelopaclassnewspaper.Askthegroupsto
writearticlesaboutthepartsofthebrain,whateachpartdoes,how
messagestravelthroughoutthebody,andhowthebrainworkswiththe
nervoussystemtoperformkeyfunctions.
2. Askthestudentstoguesshowmanyneuronstheythinkareintheirbodies.
Thenwritedowntheanswer-100billion(100,000,000,000).Discusswhy
somanyneuronsareneeded.Thenpointoutthateachneuronhasabout
10,000contactswithotherneurons.Helpthestudentsgrasptheenormityof
thiscommunicationsystem.
3. Dividethestudentsintogroupsandhaveeachgroupdrawalargeposter
showingthevastcommunicationnetworksinournervoussystem.Theyalso
maywanttodrawanoutlineofthehumanbodyandputthebraininthe
head.Thentheycanusestringtoshowtherelationshipbetweenthebrain
andotherpartsofthebody.Theyalsomaywanttocompareourinternal
networktotelephonewires,thepowergrid,ortheInternet.Encourageeach
grouptodevelopitsownwaytoexplainthisnetwork.
Assessment
1. Neurotransmissionisaverydifficultsubjectandmaybeachallengefor
somesecond-andthird-gradestudents.Ourgoalisforeachstudentto
understandbytheendoftheactivitythatmessagestravelfromdifferent
partsofthebodytothebrain,wheretheyareprocessedandsentback
throughthebody.
2. Inaddition,lookforthefollowingindicatorsofunderstandingofkey
concepts:
Arethestudentsabletosimulateneurotransmissionwithoutdifficulty?
Cantheydescribeintheirownwordshowneurotransmissionworks?
50
Arethestudentsabletoapplywhattheylearnedtoanothermessage,
suchas"Whatdoestheflowersmelllike?"
Arestudentsabletoexplaininpicturesorwordshowneurotransmission
works?
3. Puteachstudent’slogsheetinhisorherstudentportfolio.
AdditionalActivities
Belowaresomeadditionalactivitiesthatcanbeusedaftercompletionofthe
thirdmission.Theseactivitiesareextensionstomanyotherareasofthe
curriculum.
1. Dividethestudentsintopairsandgiveeachpairasetoftradingcards.Have
thepairsreadthecardstogetheranddiscussthem.Askthemiftheyhavea
favoritecard.Ifso,havethemgivereasonsfortheirchoice.
2. Haveeachstudentdesignatradingcard.Thecardscanshowanactivity,a
brain,orapictureofhowmessagestravel.Encouragestudentstousewhat
theylearnedintheprevioustwomoduleswhendevelopingtheirtrading
cards.
3. Playneuroscience"Jeopardy."Possiblecategoriescouldbe"Scientific
Inquiry,""PartsoftheBrain,""HowMessagesTravel,"and"DifferentKindsof
Scientists."Usingallthematerialslearnedtodate,developquestionsin
eachcategory.Thisisagoodwaytofindouthowmuchstudentshave
learned.
4. Havestudentsmakeathree-dimensionalcommunicationnetworkinyour
classroom.Havestudentscreateconnectionsusingstringorropetoshow
howinformationtravels.Makesurethatstudentshavemessagestraveling
inonedirectiontoalocationdesignatedasthebrain,thenbackintheother
direction.
5. Putonaclassplayabouthowmessagestravelthroughoutthebody.
Encouragestudentstocreateascenariowherehavingmessagestravelfast
makesabigdifference.Forexample,smellingsmokeandthencalling911
preventsahousefromburningdown.
51
Resources
Thelistsbelowincluderesourcesforteachersandstudents.
ResourcesforTeachers
NationalInstituteonDrugAbuse(NIDA)
www.drugabuse.gov,301-443-1124
ThisWebsitecontainsinformationaboutdrugabuseaswellasasection
designedspecificallyforparents,teachers,andstudents.
NIDADrugPubs
drugpubs.drugabuse.gov,877-NIDA-NIH(877-643-2644)
DrugPubsisNIDA’sresearchdisseminationcenter.Visitorscanorderhard
copiesofNIDApublicationsordownloadelectronicversionsinmultiple
formats.
NationalClearinghouseforAlcoholandDrugInformation(NCADI)
store.samhsa.gov,1-800-729-6686
NCADIprovidesinformationandmaterialsonsubstanceabuse.Manyfree
publicationsareavailablehere.
Nicholls,J.G.,Wallace,B.G.,Fuchs,P.A.,&Martin,A.R.FromNeuronto
Brain.Sunderland,MA,SinauerAssociates,2001.Developedforreaders
withaninterestinthehumannervoussystemwithlittleornobackgroundin
thebiologicalsciences;describeshownervecellstransmitsignalsand
messages.
Woolsey,T.A.,Hanaway,J.,&Gado,M.H.,TheBrainAtlas:AVisualGuide
totheHumanCentralNervousSystem.Hoboken,NewJersey,JohnWiley&
Sons:FitzgeraldScience,2003.Thisbookisacomprehensiveandaccurate
atlasofthebrain.Itincludesnearly400imagesofthebrainandits
pathways.
HistoryofNeuroscience
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/hist.html
Liststhehistoryofneurosciencefrom4000B.C.tothepresent.
52
ResourcesforStudents
Friedman,D.FocusonDrugsandtheBrain.Frederick,MD:Twenty-First
CenturyBooks,1990.Partofthe"Drug-AlertBook"series;givesagood
overviewofthebrain,neurotransmission,effectsofdrugsonthebrain,and
addiction.
NeuroscienceforKids
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html
Containsinformationonthebrainandneurotransmission,activities,
experiments,pictures,andotherresourcesforstudentsandeducators.
IntroductoryStoryforModule3
IfyoudonothaveaDVDplayer,readthisstorytoyourclasstointroduce
themission.
"Oh,no,"saidBeth,lookingattheflashinglightoftheBrainPower!answering
machine."Ibetthatmeanstrouble.I'dbetterlistentoitandseewhat’sgoing
on."
"Hi,BrainStorm.It’sme,Teaser,"saidthevoiceontheansweringmachine."I'm
goingtobealittlelatebecauseIhurtmyfoot,andmymomwantsmetogetit
checkedout.I'llbetheresoon."
"Ihopehe'sallright,"Bethsaidtoherself.
Justthen,shehearddingingfromthecomputer.WhoshouldappearbutCorty!
"Oh,Corty,"saidBeth."DidyouhearaboutBrainTeaser?Isn'tittheworst
news?"
"Yes,butitjustsohappensthatitleadsinreallynicelytoyournextmission."
53
"Whatdoyoumean?"Bethasked.
"NIDAwantsyoutofindouthowTeaserknewthathisfoothurt."
"That’seasy,"Bethreplied."Hejust,Imean,wow,itjusthurt.NowIseeyou
whatyoumean.Thatisagoodquestion.ButIdon'twanttodothemission
withoutBrainTeaser."
Justthen,Kevin-BrainTeaser-camelimpingintotheclubhouse.
"Hi,guys,"saidKevin."I'mback."
"Goodtoseeyou,"CortyandBethsaidtogether."Areyoureadytogetstarted?"
"Sure.Nowwhat’sthisIhearaboutNIDAMissionControlwantingustofindout
howmybrainknewthatIhadhurtmyfoot?Ifthat’stheonlyquestion,Ialready
knowtheanswer.Mybrainheardmesay,'Ouch.'"
"Veryfunny.Somehow,Ithinkit'smorecomplicatedthanthat,"saidBeth.
"You'reright,Beth.Itis,"saidCorty."Thewaytofindouthowmessagestravelis
toactitout.Here'swhatyoushoulddo.Kevin,youpretendyou'reafoot."
"Awhat?"askedKevin.
"Afoot,"Cortycalmlyreplied."Beth,youbethebrain.Andnowweneedhelp
fromallthosekidswatchingthisDVD.Askyourteacherhowtoplaythegame.
You’llneedkidspretendingtobeneuronsandaneurotransmitter,aswellasa
footandabrain.Ifnoneofthismakessensetoyourightnow,don'tworry.Itwill
soon."
BethandKevinnoddedtheirheadsinagreement."Havefun,"shoutedBrain
StormandBrainTeaser."Andonemorething.Whatyou'reabouttofindoutis
reallycool."
54
BrainPowerNews
ParentNewsletter
Volume1,Number3
SendingandReceivingMessages
Howdoweknowifwehurtourfoot?Thewaythebrainreceivesinformationlike
thisisexplainedinmodule3oftheNIDAJuniorScientistsProgram.
Messagesaresentthroughoutthebodyandreceivedbythebrainthrougha
processcalledneurotransmission.Thedrawingbelowexplainshow
neurotransmissionworks.
1. Thecellsshownherearecalledneurons.Therearebillionsofneurons
throughoutthebody.Theillustrationinthecircleisanexampleofthe
processofneurotransmission.Agraphicshowinghowneurotransmission
works.Agraphicshowinghowneurotransmissionworks.Agraphicshowing
55
howneurotransmissionworks.Agraphicshowinghowneurotransmission
works.
2. Ifyouhurtyourfoot,amessagetravelsfromyourfoot,viatheneurons,tothe
brain.Forcommunicationbetweenneuronstotakeplace,anelectrical
impulsetriggersthereleaseofchemicalscalledneurotransmitters.
Neurotransmittersarereleasedintothespacebetweenthetwoneurons.
Thisspaceiscalledthesynapse.
3. Whenneuronscommunicate,theneurotransmittersfromoneneuronare
released,crossthesynapse,andattachthemselvestospecialmoleculesin
thenextneuroncalledreceptors.Receptorsreceiveandprocessthe
message,thensenditontothenextneuron.
4. Eventually,themessagereachesthebrain.Thebrainthengivesdirections
aboutwhattodonext.Inthiscase,thedirectionswouldbe,“Youhurtyour
footonatack.Sitdown.”
Duringtheclassroomactivity,studentssimulatetheprocessof
neurotransmission.Onestudentpretendstobethebrain,anotherstudentisthe
foot,sixstudentsareneuronteammembers,andonestudentisthe
neurotransmitter.Byactingoutthisprocess,studentsdevelopanunderstanding
ofourinternalcommunicationnetwork.Theyalsolearnthatthebrainisthe
ultimate“informationprocessor.”
Weareintroducingstudentstoneurotransmissionforseveralimportant
reasons.Forone,scientificinformationaboutthebrainandthenervoussystem
isgrowingatarapidrate.Bythetimeyourchildisanadult,wemayunderstand
themechanismsbehindmanydiseasesofthenervoussystem,suchas
Alzheimer’sdiseaseandmultiplesclerosis.Peoplewillneedtounderstandhow
thebrainworksinordertomakeinformeddecisionsabouttheirhealthandthe
healthoftheirfamilies.
Anotherkeyreasonforintroducingneurotransmissionisthatwearepavingthe
wayforexplainingwhathappensifpeopleinterferewiththisprocessbytaking
drugs.Drugshaveamajorimpactonneurotransmission.Studentswillbe
learningmoreaboutthisduringmodules4through6.
56
ScienceatHome
Asafamily,play“WhisperingDowntheLane.”Onepersonwhispersasentence
toaneighbor,whopassesitontothenextperson.Didthemessagearriveatits
destination—bygoingthroughallyourfamilymembersdowntheline—intact?
Ordidthemessagegetconfused?Eitherway,pointoutthatneurotransmission
issomethinglikethisgame,althoughitismuchmorecomplicated.Messages
havetogothroughneuronstothebrain.Askyourchildwhethermostmessages
areprocessedcorrectlybythebrain.Thenaskifthebrainevergarbles
messages.Giveanexampletoyourchild,suchaswhenyoumightsay,“Get
intotherefrigerator,”whenyouactuallymean“Getintothebathtub.”
WhatDoesYourChildThink?
Haveyourchilddraworwritesomethingaboutneurotransmission.
AdditionalResources
ThebooksandWebsiteslistedbelowhavemoreinformationabout
neurotransmission.
NationalInstituteonDrugAbuse(NIDA)
www.drugabuse.gov,301-443-1124
ThisWebsitecontainsinformationaboutdrugabuseandasectiondesigned
specificallyforparents,teachers,andstudents.
NIDADrugPubs
drugpubs.drugabuse.gov,1-877-NIDA-NIH(1-877-643-2644)
DrugPubsisNIDA’sresearchdisseminationcenter.Visitorscanorderhard
copiesofNIDApublicationsordownloadelectronicversionsinmultipleformats.
NationalClearinghouseforAlcoholandDrugInformation(NCADI)
http://store.samhsa.gov,1-800-729-6686
NCADIprovidesinformationandmaterialsonsubstanceabuse.Manyfree
publicationsareavailablehere.
57
Woolsey,T.A.,HanawayJ.,Gado,M.H.,TheBrainAtlas:AVisualGuidetothe
HumanCentralNervousSystem.Hoboken,NewJersey:JohnWiley&Sons,
2003.Thisbookisacomprehensiveandaccurateatlasofthebrain.Itincludes
nearly400imagesofthebrainanditspathways.
HistoryofNeuroscience
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/hist.html
Liststhehistoryofneurosciencestartingfrom4000B.C.tothepresent.
NeuroscienceforKids
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html
Thissitecontainsinformationonthebrainandneurotransmission,activities,
experiments,pictures,andotherresources.
ParentNewsletter(PDF,436KB)
58
MedicinesandDrugs:What'sHelpful,
What'sHarmful(Module4)
YoucanalsodownloadthisentiremoduleinPDFformatbyclickingthe
followinglink:Module4(PDF,6MB)
Introduction
Inmodules2and3,studentslearnedaboutthepartsofthebrainandhow
informationissentthroughoutthebody.Thismodulefocusesondrugspowerfulsubstancesthatcanchangeboththewaythebrainfunctionsandhow
thebraincommunicateswiththebody.Somedrugsarehelpfulwhenused
properly:theyfallintothecategoryofmedicines.Otherdrugsmayhavea
harmfuleffectonthebody.Thepurposeoftoday’sactivityisforstudentsto
begintounderstandhowdifferentdrugscanaffectthebody.
LearningObjectives
Studentslearnaboutdifferentdrugsandhowtheyaffectthebody.
Studentsclassifydrugsandtheireffectonthebodyintotwogroups:helpful
medicinesandharmfuldrugs.
Studentsthinkaboutwhetheranydrugscanbebothhelpfulandharmful.
RelationshiptotheNationalScience
EducationStandards
ThismissionalignswithtwostandardsidentifiedintheNSES:scienceas
inquiryandscienceinpersonalandsocialperspectives.Thechartsbelow
identifyhowthemissionalignswitheachofthesestandards.
59
ScienceasInquiry
LevelsK–4
HowMissionIsAligned
Abilities
necessaryto
doscientific
inquiry
Studentslearnaboutdifferentdrugsandhowtheyare
used.Thentheyareinvitedtoquestionwhetherthey
thinkthesesubstancesarehelpfulorharmful.
ScienceinPersonalandSocialPerspectives
Levels
K–4
Personal
health
HowMissionIsAligned
Studentsbegintodevelopanunderstandingofwhatdrugs
areandhowtheyareusedsothattheycanlearnhowto
makedecisionsthataffecttheirownhealth.
Background
Whenwereferto"drugs"duringthismodule,wedividethemintotwo
categories,helpfulmedicinesandharmfuldrugs.Thesecategoriesarebased
ontheeffecttheyhaveonthebody.Medicinesarehelpfulonlywhentheyare
givenattherighttimesintherightamountsbypeoplewhocareaboutchildrenparents,doctors,dentists,andothercaregivers.Inthismodule,drugsclassified
asmedicinesincludethefollowing:aspirinorTylenol,antibiotics,fluoride,and
immunizations.Withmedicines,however,itisextremelyimportanttofollowthe
dosageprescribedbythehealthcareprovider.Takingtoomuchmedicineor
notenoughcanbedangerous.
Somedrugsmaybehelpfulorharmful.Caffeineisoneexample.Although
caffeineitselfisn'tadrug,itisaningredientfoundinsomemedications.
Caffeineinallformsshouldbeusedinmoderation.Toomuchofthese
substancescanmakepeoplefeeluncomfortableandevensick.Nicotineis
anothersubstancethatmayfitintobothcategories.Nicotineitselfisnotharmful
60
inthedosesfoundincigarettes,butitdoesproduceaddiction.Thisisa
negativeeffectbecauseaddictiontonicotinecausespeopletousetobacco
products,whichcancauseseverehealthproblemswithprolongeduse.But
nicotineisfoundinverysmallamountsinsomemedicines.Finally,somedrugs
haveaharmfuleffect.Theseincludealcoholandillegaldrugssuchascocaine
andmarijuana.
Somesubstancesthatareacceptableforadultsarenotacceptablefor
childrenbecausetheirbodiesaresmallerandtheyarestillgrowing.Many
substances,however,shouldbeusedcarefullybyadultsaswell.For
example,somepeoplefindthatdrinkingaglassofwinewithdinneris
pleasurable,butdrinkingawholebottleofwinecouldbedangerous.
Usingthefactsheetsatthebackofthisguide,studentsworkeitherinsmall
groupsorasaclasstoidentifydrugsfromriddles.Afterchildrenguessthe
nameofthesubstance,askthemwhethertheythinkitseffectishelpfulor
harmful.Questionslikethesewillhelpstudentsbetterunderstandwhetheritis
appropriatetotakecertainsubstancesand,ifso,howmuchisacceptable.They
alsowillconsiderwhethersomesubstancesarenotgoodforthematall.
Duringthediscussionportionofthemodule,youhavetheoptionofgivingthe
studentsasecondriddle,whichexplainshoweachdrugaffectsthebody.The
tradingcardsreinforcetheinformationinbothriddlesandareaneffectiveway
toconveycomplex,unfamiliarinformation.
Medicines
61
Drug
OtherTerms
Aspirinor
Tylenol
Aspirinisalso
knownas
salicylicacid
acetateandis
foundinBayer,
Anacin,and
Howitis
Used
Effectson
theBody
Howit
Works
Taken
orallyas
aliquid,
pillor
gumform
Bothaspirin
andTylenol
reducefever
andease
achesand
pains;
Aspirin
inhibitsthe
production
ofsome
chemicals
thatplaya
Bufferin;
Tylenolis
madefrom
acetaminophen
62
aspirincan
decrease
theriskof
heartattacks
andstrokes
roleinblood
clotting;
aspirinalso
inhibitsthe
production
ofcertain
typesof
enzymes
thatcause
inflammation
andpain;
Tylenol
raisesthe
body’s
thresholdfor
painby
interacting
with
hormones
Flouride
Sodium
fluoride
Available
as
tablets,
drops,
rinses,
gels,and
paste
Prevents
cavitiesand
canalso
treat
osteoporosis
Hardensthe
enamelon
teethand
reducesthe
harmful
effectsof
plaque
Immunizations
Vaccinations,
inoculations
Injected
ortaken
orally
Booststhe
body’s
resistanceto
specific
diseases
Causesthe
bodyto
produce
antibodiesto
fight
diseases
Antibiotics
Penicillin,
cephalosporin,
tetracycline
Taken
orallyas
apillor
liquid,or
Fights
diseases
causedby
bacteria
Antibiotics
killbacteria
by
preventing
injected
themfrom
constructing
cellwalls;
then
bacteria
can’t
reproduce,
anddieout
Drugs
Other
Terms
Howitis
Used
Effectson
theBody
Howit
Works
Alcohol
Ethyl
alcoholor
ethanol
Consumed
bydrinking
Impairs
concentration,
slows
reflexes,
impairs
reactiontime,
reduces
coordination,
andcauses
drowsiness
whenusedin
excess
Depresses
thecentral
nervous
systemand
cankill
braincells
whenused
inexcess
Caffeine
Foundin
coffee,tea,
cocoa,soft
drinks,and
some
medications
Taken
orallyin
pillformor
consumed
infood
anddrinks
Increases
alertness,
reducesfine
motor
coordination,
alterssleep
patterns,and
cancause
headaches,
nervousness,
anddizziness
Stimulates
thecentral
nervous
system
Drug
63
Nicotine
Tobacco;
foundin
cigarettes,
cigars,and
smokeless
tobacco
Smokedor
chewed
Reduces
appetiteand
cancause
nauseaand
vomiting;
increases
alertness
Actsasa
stimulant,
speeding
upthe
heartand
raising
blood
pressure
Illegal
Drugs
(marijuana
&
Cocaine)
Marijuana
isreferred
toasgrass,
pot,reefer,
andweed;
cocaineis
alsocalled
crack
Marijuana
isusually
smoked
butcanbe
bakedinto
brownies
orcookies
orbrewed
liketea;
cocaineor
crackcan
be
snorted,
smoked,or
injected
Marijuana
impairs
memory,
concentration,
perception,
and
movement;
cocaine
causes
dizziness,
headache,
anxiety,
insomnia,
depression,
and
increased
heartrate
Marijuana
actson
receptors
inthe
brain,
causing
decreased
blood
pressure,
sleepiness,
and
disruption
in
attention;
cocaine
stimulates
thebrain
andspinal
cord
Materials/Preparation
Materials
Drugfactsheets
64
NIDAJuniorScientistsDVD
Tradingcards
RiddleSheet(PDF,362KB)
LogSheet(PDF,61KB)
InstructionSheets
Paperandpencils
Preparation
1. Decidehowyouwanttoconductthisactivity.Youcoulddoitasawholeclassexercise,bydividingtheclassintotwoteams,orbydividingtheclass
intogroupsofthreestudentseach.
2. Makecopiesofeachfactsheetasneeded.(SeeProcedure.)
Procedures/DiscussionQuestions
1. Conductaclassbrainstormingsessionaboutdrugs.Askstudentswhat
drugstheyarefamiliarwithandwhattheyknowabouteachdrug.For
example,dotheyknowwhatthedrugdoes?Dotheyknowwhetherthedrug
iseffective?Writedowntheirresponsesonasheetofpaper.
2. Tellthestudentsthattheywillbelearningaboutthefollowingdrugs:
aspirin/Tylenol,fluoride,immunizations,antibiotics,alcohol,caffeine,
nicotine,andillegaldrugs.Explainthattheywillbesolvingriddlesabout
thesesubstances.
3. Decidehowyouwanttoconductthisactivity.
Oneoptionistoreadtheriddlestotheclassandhavethemsolvethe
riddlesasagroup.
Anotheristodividetheclassintoteams,readtheriddles,andthengive
apointtowhicheverteamcomesupwiththecorrectanswerfirst.
Youcouldalsodividethestudentsintogroupsofthreeandhaveeach
65
studentperformoneofthefollowingjobs:reader,responder,orrecorder.
Thereaderwillaskthequestionsidentifiedonthefactsheet;the
responderwillanswerthem;andtherecorderwillwritedownthe
responsesontherecordingsheet.Ifyoudecidetodotheactivitythis
way,makesurethateachstudenthasachancetodoeachjob.
4. Thefactsheetsforeachsubstanceareattheendoftheguide.Ifyouare
goingtodotheactivityasaclass,youprobablydon’thavetomakeextra
copies.Dependingonyourteachingapproach,decidewhetheryouare
goingtodistributethemtotheclass.
5. THEMISSIONISNOWCOMPLETED!
DiscussionQuestions
1. Usetheriddlesonthehandout"LearnMoreAboutDrugs"togivethe
studentsmoreinformationabouteachofthesesubstances.Usethe
teachingstrategythatworksbestwithyourstudents.
2. Leadadiscussionaboutthedifferentdrugsthestudentslearnedaboutand
answeranyquestionstheymayhave.Asaclass,makeaVenndiagram.
Onecircleshouldsay"DrugsThatHelptheBody,"andtheothercircle
shouldsay"DrugsThatHurttheBody."
3. Arethereanydrugsthatareinbothcircles?Whichonesarethey?Aresome
morehelpfulthanharmful?Moreharmfulthanhelpful?Discusshowadrug
canbebothhelpfulandharmful.
4. Haveeachstudentorgroupmakealistofthemostimportantthingstoknow
abouttheeffectsofdrugsonthebody.Thenhaveeachstudentorgroup
sharethelists.Studentsmaywanttocreateabrochureorposteridentifying
theeffectsdifferentdrugshaveonthebody.Studentscanusethetrading
cardstoreinforcewhattheylearned.
Extensions
Theactivitieslistedbelowprovidelinkstootherareasinthecurriculum.These
activitiesalsomakeuseofthetradingcardsincludedinthemodule.
66
1. Makeseveralextrasetsofthetradingcards.Dividethestudentsintopairs
andhavethemtesteachotheruntilbothstudentshavereallygraspedthe
informationabouteachsubstance.Havestudentstaketurnsbeingthe
"asker"andthe"responder."
2. Haveeachstudentselectadrugfromthegroupheorshestudied.Then
haveeachstudentmakealargedrawingshowingthesettinginwhichthat
drugwouldbeused.Forexample,immunizationsmaybegivenatthe
doctor’soffice,aclinic,orthehospital.
3. Havethestudentswriteaclassplayaboutoneofthedrugsstudiedduring
themission.Theplaycouldbeabouthowadrugwasdiscovered,howitis
used,andwhatimpactithashadonourlives.
4. Playdrugcharadeswiththeclass.Haveonestudentactoutsomething
abouttheeffectofthedrugonthebody.Havetherestoftheclassguess
whatitis.Trytogiveasmanystudentsaturnaspossible.
Assessment
1. Asstudentsworkonthisactivity,lookforevidenceofthefollowing:
Arestudentsabletounderstandwhateachdrugdoes?
Dostudentsunderstandthedifferencebetweenadrugthathasahelpful
effectandonethathasaharmfuleffect?
Dostudentsthinkthattheirstudyofdrugshasanyrelevancetotheir
lives?Whyorwhynot?
2. Werestudentsabletoanswertheriddles?Weretheyabletograspthe
informationinthesecondgroupofriddles?
AdditionalActivities
Belowaresomeadditionalactivitiesthatcanbeusedaftercompletionofthe
fourthmission.Theseactivitiesareextensionstomanyotherareasofthe
curriculum.
67
1. Asaclass,gototheLibrary/MediaCenterandlookforbooksorWebsites
aboutoneormoreofthedrugsstudiedduringthemodule.Takethebooks
backtotheclassandreadthemtogether.Discusswhattheymeanandhow
theyapplytowhatthestudentslearnedduringthemodule.
2. Bringoutthelisttheclassgeneratedduringmodule2,describingwhatthe
studentswantedtolearnaboutthebrain.Howmuchhavetheylearned?
Whathaven’ttheylearned?Whatadditionalthingshavetheylearnedthat
arenotincludedonthelist?Dostudentshaveanythingtheywouldliketo
addtothelist?
3. Playa"gameshow"usingquestionsaboutdrugsandhowtheyareused.
Studentscantaketurnsbeingtheplayer,andtherestoftheclasscanbethe
audience.Iftheplayerdoesn'tknowtheanswer,heorshehastheoptionof
askingtheaudienceforhelp.Makesurethateveryonehasachancetobe
theplayer.Somesamplequestionsarelistedbelow.
Whichdrugcanhelppreventcavities?
1. Tylenol
2. Aspirin
3. Fluoride
4. Antibiotics
Whichdrugwouldapersontakeifheorshehadanearinfection?
1. Immunizations
2. Fluoride
3. Marijuana
4. Antibiotics
Inwhatcommonproductisnicotinefound?
68
1. Cigarettes
2. Beer
3. Coffee
4. Candy
Whydopeopletakecaffeine?
1. Tohelpthemfeeltired
2. Tohelpthemfeelpeppy
3. Tohelpthemfeelangry
4. Tohelpthemfeelsad
Whatdopeopletakeforafever?
1. Caffeine
2. Tylenol
3. Fluoride
4. Immunizations
4. Havethestudentswriteaclassstoryaboutthesubstancestheylearned
aboutduringthismodule.Beginwiththeprompt,"IfIwasstrandedona
desertisland,Iwouldliketohave_____________withme."
5. Havestudentsthinkbacktowhattheylearnedaboutthepartsofthebrainin
module2andneurotransmissioninmodule3.Havethemmakeupriddles
describingthepartsofthebrainortheprocessofneurotransmission.Have
studentsseeiftheycanguesstheanswertoeachriddle.
69
Resources
Thelistsbelowincluderesourcesforteachersandstudents.
ResourcesforTeachers
NationalInstituteonDrugAbuse(NIDA)
www.drugabuse.gov,301-443-1124
ThisWebsitecontainsinformationaboutdrugabuseaswellasasection
designedspecificallyforparents,teachers,andstudents.
NationalInstituteonDrugAbuse(NIDA):MindOverMatter
http://teens.drugabuse.gov/educators/curricula-and-lesson-plans/momteachers-guide
ThisWebsitewasdevelopedtoeducatechildrenaboutthebiological
effectsofdrugabuseonthebodyandbrain.
NIDADrugPubs
drugpubs.drugabuse.gov,877-NIDA-NIH(877-643-2644)
DrugPubsisNIDA’sresearchdisseminationcenter.Visitorscanorderhard
copiesofNIDA'spublicationsordownloadelectronicversionsinmultiple
formats.
NationalClearinghouseforAlcoholandDrugInformation(NCADI)
store.samhsa.gov,1-800-729-6686
NCADIprovidesinformationandmaterialsonsubstanceabuse.Manyfree
publicationsareavailablehere.
EisenhowerNationalClearinghouse(ENC)
www.sciencepioneers.org/resource/eisenhower-national-clearinghousemath-science-education
ThisWebsiteprovidesusefulinformationandproductstoimprove
mathematicsandscienceteachingandlearning.
ResourcesforStudents
Friedman,D.FocusonDrugsandtheBrain.Frederick,MD:Twenty-First
CenturyBooks,1990.Partofthe"Drug-AlertBook"series,givesagood
70
overviewofthebrain,neurotransmission,theeffectsofdrugsonthebrain,
andaddiction.
Neuhaus,D.&DeStefano,S.FocusonMedicines.Frederick,MD:TwentyFirstCenturyBooks,1990.Partofthe"Drug-AlertBook"series.Givesa
goodoverviewofmedicinesandhowvariousmedicinesworkwiththebody
andbraintohelpheal.
Perry,R.&Nehaus,D.FocusonNicotineandCaffeine.Frederick,MD:
Twenty-FirstCenturyBooks,1990.Partofthe“Drug-AlertBook”series.Gives
agoodoverviewofnicotineandcaffeineandhoweachofthesedrugsaffect
thebodyandbrain.
NeuroscienceforKids
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html
Containsinformationonthebrainandneurotransmission,activities,
experiments,pictures,andotherresourcesforstudentsandeducators.
IntroductoryStoryforModule4
IfyoudonothaveaDVDplayer,readthisstorytoyourclasstointroduce
themission.
TheBrainPower!Clubwassad.BrainTeaserhasn'tbeenabletomakeittothe
clubforacoupleofdaysbecausehesprainedhisankle.BrainWavesaidthat
BrainTeaser'smomwantshimtostayhomeandrest.HealsosaidthatTeaser’s
momgavehimsomeaspirinforthepain.
Then,theyheardthefamiliar"ComputerAlert!ComputerAlert!"Cortyjumped
outofthecomputerscreenandlandednexttothemicroscope,whereBrain
Trustwaslookingattinycreaturesmagnified50times."What'sup,guys?"said
Corty.
"We'rejusttalkingaboutpoorBrainTeaser,"saidBrainTrust."Hecan'tbehere
todaybecausehehurthisfoot.ButhismomgavehissomeTylenol,andhe's
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feelingalotbetternow."
"FunnyyoushouldmentionTylenol,"saidCorty."Today'smissioninvolves
aspirinandothersubstances.Infact,thewholeideaistogetyoukidsthinking
aboutthedifferencebetweendrugsusedasmedicinesanddrugsusedfor
otherpurposes."
"Wow,Ineverthoughtaboutthat,"saidBrainTrust."Whatarethedifferences?"
"Idon'twanttotellyoutoomuchbecausethenitwillgivethemissionaway.But
thereissomethingimportantyoushouldknow."
"What?"saidBrainTrustandBrainWavetogether.
"Payattentiontowhogivesyoumedicine,"saidCorty."Youdon'twanttotakeit
fromjustanyone."
"He'sright,"saidBrainTrustandBrainWavetogether.
"Oh,andthere’sonemorethingIforgottomention.Youwillbelearningabout
medicineanddrugsthroughriddles."
"Riddles!"saidBrainTrust."Canyougiveusanexample?"
"Okay,butthenIreallymustsignoff.Heregoes:
Youcanusemeonwafflesandpancakes,
I’mbrown,sweet,sticky,andwithmeamessyoucanmake.
WhoamI?
"Oh,Isee,"saidBrainWave."Theanswertothatoneissyrup.We'llhaveto
answerriddlesaboutTylenolandotherthingslikethat?"
72
"Yougotit,"saidCorty."NowIreallymustgo.Goodluckwiththeriddles."
"Thanks.We'reoff,readytomeetourlatestchallenge."
BrainPowerNews
ParentNewsletter
Volume1,Number4
MedicinesandDrugs:What’sHelpful,What’sHarmful
Thegoalofmodule4oftheNIDAJuniorScientistsProgramistointroduce
childrentothetopicofmedicinesandotherdrugs.Duringthefirstthree
modules,weintroducedthepartsofthebrainandtheprocessof
neurotransmissionsothatnow,bymodule4,thechildrenhavesome
understandingofthecomplexityofthecentralnervoussystem.Childrenare
learninginformationabouttheeffectsofdrugsonthebody.Drugscanbe
dividedintotwocategories:helpfulmedicinesandharmfuldrugs.Onegroupof
drugs,withabeneficialeffectonthebody,includesmedicinesthattheyhave
probablytaken—aspirin/Tylenol,antibiotics,immunizations,andfluoride.The
othercategory,whichcanhaveharmfuleffectsonthebody,includesalcohol,
nicotine,andillegaldrugs,suchasmarijuanaandcocaine.
Oneofthepointsweemphasizeinthemoduleisthatallthesesubstancesare
powerful.Evenhelpfuldrugsmustbetakenundertherightconditionsandgiven
bytrustedindividuals—parentsorhealthcareprofessionals,forexample.Iftoo
muchmedicineisgiven,thatcanbejustasdangerousastakinganillegal
substance.Forexample,thedrugAdderallisaneffectivetreatmentforADHD,
butwhenitistakenindoseshigherthanprescribedorwithoutaprescription,it
cancausemanyharmfuleffectsandevendeath.Drugsandmedicinescanbe
bothhelpfulandharmful.Therefore,allsubstancesmustbehandledwithcare.
Weencourageyoutoaskyourchildaboutthislearningexperience.Trytofind
outhowmuchheorsheunderstandsandwhatisstillfuzzy.Workwithyour
childtoclarifypointsthatheorshehasn’tyetgrasped.Helpprovideyourchild
73
withmoreknowledgesothatwhenthetimecomes,heorshewillmakeasolid,
science-baseddecisionnottotakedrugs.
ScienceatHome
Discusscertainlifestylechoicesmadeinyourhome.Forexample,ifyouhavea
glassofwinewithdinner,explainthatyourchoiceisokaybecauseyouarean
adult,aredrinkinginmoderation,andarenotdoinganythingdangerous,such
asdrivingafterdrinking.Emphasizethatadultscanmakethesechoices,while
childrenarenotyetoldenough.Bylearningabouthowthebrainworksand
aboutdrugs,however,yourchildisgettingafoundationtomakethoughtful
decisionsinthefuture.
WhatDoesYourChildThink?
Haveyourchilddraworwritesomethingaboutdrugs.
AdditionalResources
ThebooksandWebsiteslistedbelowhavemoreinformationaboutdrugs.
NationalInstituteonDrugAbuse(NIDA)
www.drugabuse.gov,301-443-1124
ThisWebsitecontainsinformationaboutdrugabuseandasectiondesigned
specificallyforparents,teachers,andstudents.
NIDADrugPubs
drugpubs.drugabuse.gov,1-877-NIDA-NIH(1-877-643-2644)
DrugPubsisNIDA’sresearchdisseminationcenter.Visitorscanorderhard
copiesofNIDApublicationsordownloadelectronicversionsinmultipleformats.
NationalInstituteonDrugAbuse(NIDA)—MindOverMatter
http://teens.drugabuse.gov/educators/nida-teaching-guides/mind-over-matter
Thissiteisdesignedspecificallyforyoungpeopletolearnabouttheeffectsof
drugabuseonthebodyandbrain.
74
NationalClearinghouseforAlcoholandDrugInformation(NCADI)
http://store.samhsa.gov,1-800-729-6686
NCADIprovidesinformationandmaterialsonsubstanceabuse.Manyfree
publicationsareavailablehere.
Friedman,D.FocusonDrugsandtheBrain.Frederick,Maryland:Twenty-First
CenturyBooks,1990.Thisbookprovidesagoodoverviewofthebrain,
neurotransmission,theeffectsofdrugsonthebrain,andaddiction.
Neuhaus,D.&DeStefano,S.FocusonMedicines.Frederick,MD:Twenty-First
CenturyBooks,1990.Partofthe“Drug-AlertBook”series.Givesagood
overviewofmedicinesandhowvariousmedicinesworkwiththebodyandbrain
tohelpheal.
Perry,R.&Nehaus,D.FocusonNicotine
andCaffeine.Frederick,MD:Twenty-FirstCenturyBooks,1990.Partofthe
“Drug-AlertBook”series.Givesagoodoverviewofnicotineandcaffeineand
howeachofthesedrugsaffectthebodyandbrain.
NeuroscienceforKids
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html
Thissitecontainsinformationonthebrainandneurotransmission,activities,
experiments,pictures,andotherresources.
ParentNewsletter(PDF,6MB)
75
TheScienceBehindSmoking
(Module5)
YoucanalsodownloadthisentiremoduleinPDFformatbyclickingthe
followinglink:Module5(PDF,3.6B).
Introduction
InModule4,studentswereintroducedtoawiderangeofmedicinesanddrugs.
Theylearnedabouttheimportanceoftakingtheproperdosageofmedicine
givenbyaparentorahealthcareprofessional.Theyalsolearnedaboutsome
substancesthatareharmful.Inthismodule,studentsfocusontobacco,which
causesharmtothebody,andnicotine,adrugfoundintheleavesofthetobacco
plant.Byperformingacontrolledexperiment,studentsseeforthemselvesthe
unhealthyresiduethattobaccoleaves.Theyalsolearnaboutnicotineandhow
itcancauseaddiction.
LearningObjectives
Studentsperformacontrolledexperimenttodiscovertheeffectthattobacco
hasonthebody.
Studentsdiscusstheeffectthatnicotinehasonthebody.
Studentsgainexperiencedevelopingahypothesis,performingacontrolled
experiment,anddrawingconclusionsfromtheexperiment.
RelationshiptotheNationalScience
EducationStandards
ThismissionalignswithtwostandardsidentifiedintheNSES:scienceas
inquiryandscienceinpersonalandsocialperspectives.Thechartbelow
identifieshowthemissionalignswitheachofthesestandards.
76
ScienceasInquiry
LevelsK–
4
Abilities
necessary
todo
scientific
inquiry
HowMissionIsAligned
Studentsgothroughaseriesofstepsintheprocessof
scientificinquiry:developingahypothesis,completingan
experimenttotesttheirhypothesis,anddrawing
conclusions.
ScienceinPersonalandSocialPerspectives
Levels
K–4
Personal
health
HowMissionIsAligned
Studentsobservetheunhealthyresiduethattobaccoleaves.
Theydiscusshowthisresidueisleftinthelungsandother
partsoftherespiratorysystemandtheimpactithasonthe
healthofsmokers.Inthefuture,studentscanreferbackto
thisinformationtomakewisedecisionsaboutthepersonal
habitsthataffecttheirhealth.
Background
Tobaccoisaverypotentsubstance.Itcontainsmorethan4,000chemicals,
manyofwhicharereleasedduringsmoking.Tarandcarbonmonoxidearetwo
particularlydangerouschemicalsincigarettesmoke.Tarcancauselung
cancer,emphysema,andbronchialdiseases,whilecarbonmonoxidecan
causeheartproblems.Otherserioushealthproblemslinkedtosmokinginclude
digestivecancers,gastriculcers,andcancersofthethroat,tongue,lip,
esophagus,andpancreas.
Inadditiontodangeroussubstancesliketarandcarbonmonoxide,theleaves
ofthetobaccoplantcontainadrugcallednicotine.Nicotineisfoundinall
tobaccoproducts:cigarettes,cigars,pipetobacco,chewingtobacco,andsnuff.
Itisastrongdrugthatactsonthenervoussystem.Italsocausesanincreasein
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bloodpressure,heartrate,andrespiration.Nicotineisveryaddictive.Itiswhat
causespeopletocontinuetosmoke,eventhoughtheyknowthehealth
consequencesofdoingso.
Differentdrugshavevariouseffectsonthebody.Peopletakedrugsbecauseof
thefeelingofeuphoriatheyexperienceasthedrugschangethewaythebrain
normallyworks.Someofthechangesthathappeninthebrainfollowingdrug
useareshort-term,whileotherchangescanlastalongtime.
Prolongeddrugusecanchangethebraininsuchawaythataddictionresults.
Addictionisadiseasethatischaracterizedbychangesinthestructureand
functioningofthebrain.Addictionresultsin:
Astrongcompulsionorneedtousedrugsdespitenegativeconsequences
(someonekeepsusingdrugseventhoughheorsheishavingproblems);
Lossofcontrolovertheamountofthedrugused(someoneusesmorethan
heorsheplans)andotherdrug-relatedbehavior(someonedoesorsays
thingsheorshewouldnotordinarilysayordo);
Intensecravingforthedrugwhenitisnotavailable.Thiscravingisdueto
changesinthebrain.Onceapersonisaddicted,heorshemusthavethe
drugjusttokeepfromfeelingbad.Thisisbecausedrugscancause
changesinthefunctioningofneurotransmittersinthebrain.
Whenapersonstopsusingadrug,ittakesawhileforthebraintogetbackto
normal.Duringthattime,thepersonmayfeelbadandhaveanintensecraving
forthedrug.Researchinanimalsandsomehumansisbeginningtosuggest
thatsomedrugsmaycausechangesthatarepermanent.Addictionis
consideredadiseasebecausethedrugshavechangedthenormalfunctioning
ofthebrain.Addictioncanbesuccessfullytreated.However,thebestwayto
avoidaddictionistoneverstartusingdrugs.
Thenicotinemoleculeisshapedlikeaneurotransmitter,acetylcholine.
Acetylcholineanditsreceptorsareinvolvedinmanyfunctions,includingmuscle
movement,breathing,heartrate,andlearning.Acetylcholinealsocausesthe
releaseofotherneurotransmittersandhormonesthataffectmood,appetite,and
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memory.Whennicotinegetsintothebrain,itattachestoacetylcholinereceptors
andmimicsitsactions,overstimulatingthebrain.
Nicotinealsoactivatesareasofthebrainthatareinvolvedinproducingfeelings
ofpleasureandrewardbyraisingthelevelsofanotherneurotransmitter,
dopamine.Increasedlevelsofdopamineproducethestrong,pleasurable
feelingsthatleadtonicotineaddiction.Infact,nicotineissoaddictivethatitis
usuallyveryhardforpeopletoquitusingtobaccoproducts.Whensmokersdo
trytostop,theyoftenexperiencecravingsforcigarettes,anger,frustration,
irritability,restlessness,anxiety,fatigue,headaches,anddepression.
Nicotineentersthebodyveryrapidly.Afterthesmokeisinhaled,ittakesonly8
secondstoreachthebrain.Withinabout40minutes,halfoftheeffectofnicotine
islost.Thisisthereasonpeoplefeeltheneedtosmokeanothercigarette.
Therefore,manysmokerslightupacigaretteaboutevery40minutes.These
smokersalmostalwayshavemeasurableamountsofnicotineandcarbon
monoxideintheirbodies.
Thereare1.1billionsmokersintheworld,andtheysmoke6trillion
(6,000,000,000,000)cigaretteseachyear,accordingtotheWorldHealth
Organization.AccordingtotheNationalSurveyonDrugUseandHealth,there
areabout58.3millioncigarettesmokersovertheageof12and8.9million
tobacco“chewers,”orusersofsmokelesstobacco,inthiscountry.Morethan
440,000peopledieeachyearfromtobaccouse.Becausepeopledohave
controloverwhethertheybegintosmoke,smokingcanbeviewedasthemost
preventablecauseofdeathintheUnitedStates.
Materials/Preparation
Materials
NIDAJuniorScientistsDVD,oronlinevideo
Newsprint
Foreachgroup(fourstudentspergroup):
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threeclearcups
onecigarette
onesmallbunchofgreenleaves(gatheredfromoutside)
Water
Bucket(ifyoudon’thaveasinkintheclass)
InstructionSheets(PDF,55KB)
LogSheets(PDF,61KB)
Tradingcards
Paperandpencils
Labels
Markers
NeurotransmissionposteroroverlayfromModule3
Poster:TheEffectsofNicotineonNeurotransmission(PDF,47KB)
Preparation
1. Dividetheclassintogroupsoffourstudents.Eachgroupofstudentswillget
threecups,onecigarette,andoneleaf.
2. Decidehowtodistributethematerialsfortheexperiment.Oneapproachis
tosetupamaterialscenterandhaveonestudentfromeachgroupcollect
thematerialsneeded.
3. Makeonecopyofthelogsheetandonecopyofthestudentinstruction
sheetforeachstudent.
4. Ifyoudon’thaveasinkinyourclassroom,decidehowyouwillbringwater
intotheclass.Onepossibilityisfortwostudentstofillupabucketandbring
itintotheclass.Anotherapproachwouldbeforaparentvolunteeroran
instructionalassistanttobringinthewater.
5. MakeaposteroranoverlayoftheneurotransmissiondiagramfromModule
80
3andacopyshowinghownicotineacts(PDF,47KB).Youwillusethem
duringtheDiscussionQuestionspartofthemission.
Procedures/DiscussionQuestions
Procedures
1. Conductabrainstormingsessionaboutsmoking.Havethestudentsmakea
chartofwhattheyknow,whattheywanttoknow,andwhattheyhave
learned.Askstudentswhattheyknowaboutsmoking.Dotheyknowthatitis
harmful?Dotheyknowwhyitisharmful?Havetheyheardofnicotine?
Havetheyheardoftheconceptofaddiction?Writedowntheirresponseson
asheetofnewsprint.Youwillrefertoitafterstudentscompletethe
experiment.
2. Tointroducetheexperiment,showthefirstsegmentoftheDVD.Then
discusstheexperimentwiththeclass.Bytheendofthediscussion,students
shouldunderstandthattheywillbedoinganexperimenttotesttheeffect
thattobaccohasonacupofwater.Afterobservingthatthewaterturns
yellow,studentswillhaveabetterunderstandingofwhateffecttarand
nicotinehaveonthebody.Thelungs,forexample,becomeblackenedfrom
excessivesmoking.
3. Handouttheinstructionsheetandgoovertheprocedurewiththeclass.Tell
studentsthattheywillbeworkingingroupstoperformtheexperiment.Each
groupwillbeginwiththreecupsofwater.Studentsshouldputacigarettein
onecup,aleafinthesecondcup,andnothinginthethird.Thecupsshould
belabeled"Cigarette,""Leaf,"and"Water."Explaintothestudentsthatthe
thirdcupisacontrol,astandardagainstwhichtojudgetheothertwocups.
Helpstudentsunderstandthatacontrolisanintegralpartofascientific
experimentbecauseitprovidesabaselineagainstwhichtocompare
results.
4. Havestudentsgototheirgroups.Giveeachstudentalogsheet.Before
settinguptheexperiment,askthegroupstodevelopahypothesisabout
whatisgoingtohappentothecupsofwater.Haveeachstudentrecordhis
orhergroup’shypothesisonthelogsheet.
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5. Usingtheinstructionsheetasaguide,eachgroupshouldsetupthe
experiment.Studentsshouldlabeltheircupsandleavetheminasafeplace
intheclassroom.Havestudentsobservethecupsoveraweek’stimeand
writedowntheirobservationsontheirlogsheets.Suggestthatstudents
includethefollowing:
Thecolorofeachcupofwateronthefirstday;
Changesincolorineachcupovertime;
Theodorofeachcupofwateronthefirstday;
Changesinodorovertime.
6. Aftertheyhavecompletedtheexperimentandrecordedtheirobservations,
havethestudentsdiscussthefollowingquestionsintheirgroups:
Whichcupchangedthemost?Whichcupchangedtheleast?Why?
Nowthatyou’veseenwhatthecigarettedidtothewater,whateffectdo
youthinkitmighthaveonyourbody?Youmayhavetoguidestudentsa
bitonthisquestion.Explaintothemthatwhathappenstoacupofwater
andwhatmayhappeninourbodiesisquitedifferent.
7. Afterstudentshavecompletedtheexperimentandfilledouttheirlogsheets,
havethemworkintheirgroupstodevelopconclusions.Askthemwhatthis
experimentmadethemthinkaboutcigarettesmoking.Haveeachgroup
presentitsfindingsandconclusionstotheclassbycreatingpostersor
writingareport.
8. Asaclass,writeasummarydescribingtheresultsoftheexperiment.To
reinforcetheirideas,showthefinalsegmentoftheDVD.
9. CONGRATULATIONS!YOURSTUDENTSHAVEJUSTCOMPLETED
MISSION5OFBRAINPOWER!
DiscussionQuestions
1. Takeoutthelistofideasabouttobaccoandnicotinethatstudents
developedbeforetheydidtheexperiment.Askiftheirideashavechanged.
Ifso,how?Thenaskiftheyhaveadditionalideasabouttobaccothatthey
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wouldliketoaddtothelist.
2. Showthestudentsaposteroranoverlayoftheneurotransmissionmodel
frommodule3.Askthestudentsiftheyrememberwhatneurotransmitters
do.Discusstheroleneurotransmittersplayinreceivingandprocessing
messagessentthroughoutthebody.
3. Bringoutthepostershowingtheeffectofnicotineonneurotransmission
(PDF,47KB).Askstudentswhattheythinkitmeansifnicotinetakesthe
placeofaneurotransmitter.Explainthatwhennicotinetakesoverthe
functionsofaneurotransmitter,itisthebeginningofaddiction.
4. Tellstudentsthatnicotineaffectsthebodyinanotherway.Itmakespeople
feelasthoughtheyneednicotinetofeelgood.Thisisanotherimportantfact
aboutaddiction,andithelpsexplainwhybeingaddictedtonicotinemeans
thatitisverydifficulttostopsmoking.Inaddition,becausethebodyhas
becomeusedtonicotine,ithasaphysicalreactionwhennicotineistaken
away.Thesereactionsincluderestlessness,hunger,depression,and
headaches.Pointoutthatthebestwaytoavoidaddictiontonicotineisto
neverstartsmokinginthefirstplace.
Extensions
Theactivitieslistedbelowprovidelinkstootherareasinthecurriculum.These
activitiesalsomakeuseofthetradingcardsincludedinthemodule.
1. Whilebeingcarefulnottotouchit,takethe"cigarette"waterfromthe
experimentandputitinaspraybottle.Putclearwaterinasecondspray
bottle.Placetwohouseplantsinthesamespotoutside.Sprayonewiththe
cigarettewaterandtheotherwiththeclearwater.Observethetwoplantsfor
aweek.Arebugsstayingawayfromtheplantsprayedwithcigarettewater?
Ifso,thatisnotasurprise.Thechemicalsintobaccoarepesticides.(Note:
Beverycarefulwhenconductingthisexperiment.Thestudentsmaybe
disturbedbythethoughtofkillingbugs.)
2. Discusswiththeclasswhatanadvertisementis.Whataretheelementsof
anad?Whatareadsdesignedtodo?Thenaskstudentstodesignanadfor
kidswiththepurposeofconvincingthemtoneverstartsmoking.Students
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canusepicturesfrommagazines,drawings,orcomputerarttocreatean
attractiveandconvincingad.
3. UsingtheneurotransmissionmodelfromModule3,havestudentssimulate
whathappenswhennicotinereplacestheneurotransmitterinthesynapse.
Havestudentsdiscusswhatfunctionsnicotineaffects.(Nicotinechanges
heartrate,bloodpressure,andrespiratoryfunctions.)
Assessment
1. Studentsusedavarietyofskillsduringthismission:developinga
hypothesis,performinganexperiment,drawingconclusionsfromthe
experiment,anddevelopingabasicunderstandingofaddiction.In
assessingstudents’performance,lookforthefollowingindicatorsof
understandingofkeyconcepts:
Iseachgroupabletodevelopahypothesisbeforebeginningthe
experiment?
Arestudentsabletoworktogetherinagrouptoperformtheexperiment?
Arestudentsabletofigureouthowtosetuptheexperiment?
Arestudentsabletowriteclear,preciseobservationsinscientific
language?Forexample,aretheywriting,"Bythesecondday,thewater
isbeginningtoturnyellow"insteadof"Thewaterlooksweird"?
Arestudentsabletoexplainwhataddictionis?Dotheyhaveabasic
understandingofhownicotineaffectstheprocessofneurotransmission?
2. Puteachstudent’slogsheetinhisorherstudentportfolio.
AdditionalActivities
Belowaresomeactivitiesthatcanbeusedaftercompletionofthefifthmission.
Theseactivitiesareextensionstomanyotherareasofthecurriculum.
Note:Duringthisdemonstration,smokeanditsodorfilltheroom.Tominimize
84
thedeleteriouseffects,youmightwanttodothisactivityoutside.
1. Youmaywanttoperformthefollowingdemonstrationtoillustratehow
dangeroussmokingcanbe.
Takeaplasticsodabottlewithatop.Punctureaholeinthetopjustbig
enoughforacigarette.
Lightthecigaretteandplacethelitendontheoutsideofthebottle,with
thefilterendinside.Makesurethebottleissealedtightly.
Squeezethebottle25times,simulatingsmoking.Trytokeepthe
squeezesasuniformaspossible.Havethestudentswatchassmokefills
thebottle.
Afteryouaredonesqueezing,letthebottlesitforabout20minutes.
Thenhavestudentsobservethebottomofthebottle.Theywillseedark
residue,whichissimilartowhatbuildsupinthelungsofsmokers.
Discusswiththeclasswhatthisdemonstrationillustratesaboutcigarette
smoking.
2. Haveeachstudentcreateanewtradingcardtogowiththismodule.The
cardcanbeonanyaspectofsmokingoraddiction.
3. GototheLibrary/MediaCenteranddosomeresearchabouttheeffectsof
smokingonpeople’shealth.Studentsmaylookinbooks,inmagazines,or
onWebsites.Havestudentswriteaparagraphdescribingtheresearchthey
found.
4. Havestudentsgotoanothersecond-orthird-gradeclassintheschooland
teachthislessontothosestudents.Havethestudentstaketheleadin
helpingthestudentsfromtheotherclasssetuptheexperiment,performthe
experiment,anddrawconclusionsfromit.Discusswhetherthesecondclass
reachedthesameconclusionsasthefirstonedid.
Resources
Thelistsbelowincluderesourcesforteachersandstudents.
85
ResourcesforTeachers
NationalInstituteonDrugAbuse(NIDA)
www.drugabuse.gov,301-443-1124
ThisWebsitecontainsinformationaboutdrugabuseandasection
designedspecificallyforparents,teachers,andstudents.
NIDADrugPubs
drugpubs.drugabuse.gov,877-NIDA-NIH(877-643-2644)
DrugPubsisNIDA’sresearchdisseminationcenter.Visitorscanorderhard
copiesofNIDApublicationsordownloadelectronicversionsinmultiple
formats.
Sara’sQuest
teens.drugabuse.gov/sarasquest/index.php
ThissitefromNIDAcontainsamultiplechoicegameonavarietyofdrug
relatedcategories.
NationalClearinghouseforAlcoholandDrugInformation(NCADI)
store.samhsa.gov,1-800-729-6686
NCADIprovidesinformationandmaterialsonsubstanceabuse.Manyfree
publicationsareavailablehere.
EisenhowerNationalClearinghouse(ENC)
www.sciencepioneers.org/resource/eisenhower-national-clearinghousemath-science-education
ThisWebsiteprovidesusefulinformationandproductstoimprove
mathematicsandscienceteachingandlearning.
Lynch,B.S.GrowingUpTobaccoFree:PreventingNicotineAddictionin
ChildrenandYouth.Washington,DC:NationalAcademyPress,1994.
Addressestobaccopreventionprogramsforyouth,theeffectoftobacco
advertising,controlsandbansontobaccosales,andtaxationasa
preventionstrategy;alsoexplainsnicotine’seffectsonthebrainandbody
andtheprocessofaddiction.
ScientistsFindHowNicotineAffectsBrain
www.columbia.edu/cu/record/archives/vol21/vol21_iss4/record2104.14.html
Abriefdiscussionofscientists’discoveryofhownicotineaffectsthebrain.
NeuroscienceResourcesforKids—Nicotine
86
faculty.washington.edu/chudler/nic.html
Adiscussionofthehistoryoftobaccoandeffectsofnicotineonthebody.
Tobacco-FreeSportsPlaybook
www.cdc.gov/tobacco/youth/sports/playbook/
Designedforschooladministratorsandotherswhoworkwithchildren;
includesinformationonsmokingandhowtodevelopsmoke-freesports
activitiesforyouth.
ResourcesforStudents
NationalInstituteonDrugAbuse(NIDA)
www.drugabuse.gov,301-443-1124
ThisWebsitecontainsinformationaboutdrugabuse,withsections
designedspecificallyforstudents.
NationalInstituteonDrugAbuse.MindOverMatter:TheBrain’sResponse
toNicotine,1998.PartoftheNIDA’s“MindOverMatter”seriesondrugsfor
middleschoolstudents;focusesonnicotineandnicotineaddiction.
Availableatteens.drugabuse.gov/mom/)
Friedman,David.FocusonDrugsandtheBrain.Frederick,MD:Twenty-First
CenturyBooks,1990.Partofthe"Drug-AlertBook"series;includesa
sectiononnicotineandaddiction.
NeuroscienceforKids
faculty.washington.edu/chudler/nic.html
Presentsthehistoryoftobaccoandcigarettesmoking,nicotineaddiction,
andtheeffectofnicotineonthebrain.
IntroductoryStoryforModule5
"Oh,gosh,"gaspedKevin."IfeellikeI'mchoking."
"What'swrong?"askedAmi."Doyouhaveabadcold?"
"No,"saidKevin."Ijustateinthesmokingsectionofarestaurant."
87
"Nowthatyoumentionit,"saidAmi,"youdosmellkindoffunny."
"Youknow,you'reright-howevermuchIhatetoadmitthat,"saidKevin."Ihad
noideathatjustbeingaroundsmokerscouldaffectmesomuch."
Justthen,AmiandKevinheardadingingnoisecomingfromthecomputer.It
wasCorty;whoelse?
"Hi,gang,"saidCorty."Iheardyoutalkingaboutsmoking.Youprobablydidn't
knowthis,butbeingaroundsmokeisalmostlikesmokingyourself."
"Itis?"exclaimedAmiandKevininunison."Howcanthatbe?"
"I'mgladyouasked,"saidCorty,"becauseyou'reabouttofindoutallaboutit
duringthefifthmissionofBrainPower!"
"Howarewesupposedtodothat?"askedKevin.
"Comerightthiswayandyou'llfindout,"saidCorty."Overhere,you'llfindwater,
threecups,cigarettes,andleaves.Usingthestepsofscientificinquiry,you’re
goingtodoanexperimenttofindoutwhysmokingaffectedpoorKevinover
heresomuch."
"Letmesee,"saidAmi."Ithinkthefirststepistoobserve.Weshouldprobably
takealookatallthatstuffoverthere."
"AndIthinkthesecondstepistomakeaprediction,orahypothesis,"said
Kevin."Somaybethepointistoseewhathappenstothewaterwhenweputa
cigaretteinitforafewdays."
"Ifweputleavesinasecondcupandnothinginthethirdcup,wecancompare
thecigarettewaterwithtwoothercups,"finishedAmi.
"Let'stryit,"saidKevin."Hey,kids.Whydon'tyoudoit,too?I'llbetyou'lllearn
88
somethingsthatyou'llfindveryuseful."
"That'sright,"saidAmi."Ithinkweallhaveachancetogettothebottomofthis
smokingthingonceandforall."
BrainPowerNews
ParentNewsletter
Volume1,Number5
TheScienceBehindSmoking
Mostadultshaveknownforyearsaboutthedangersofsmoking.Nonetheless,
smokingisstillportrayedinthemediaassomethingglamorousand
sophisticated,andmanyyoungpeoplearestillstartingtosmoke.While
cigarettesmokingamongyouthhasdeclined,itstillremainsatunacceptably
highlevels.Furthermore,studieshaveshownthattheyoungerachildstarts
smoking,themorelikelytheyaretobecomedailysmokers.Infact,those
teenagerswhosmoketypicallystartatage14andbecomedailysmokersby
age18.
Clearly,thereisastrongneedtokeepadolescentsfromstartingtosmoke.
Module5oftheBrainPower!programaddressesthisissuebyhavingstudents
performanexperimentthatillustratestheunhealthyresiduethattobaccoleaves
behind.Studentsbeginwiththreecupsofwater.Theyputacigaretteinone
cup,aleafinasecondcup,andnothinginthethirdcup.Thethirdcupservesas
acontrolagainstwhichtocomparechangesintheothertwocups.Studentswill
observethatthewaterwiththecigaretteturnsyellow,mimickingwhathappens
insidethelungsaftersmoking.
Studentsalsodiscussnicotine,thehighlyaddictivedrugfoundintheleavesof
thetobaccoplant.Thenicotinemoleculeisshapedliketheneurotransmitter
acetylcholine(rememberfrommodule3thatneurotransmittersarechemicalsin
thebrainthatcarrymessages),whichisinvolvedinfunctionssuchasmuscle
movement,breathing,heartrate,andlearning.Acetylcholinealsocausesthe
89
releaseofotherneurotransmittersandhormonesthataffectmood,appetite,and
memory.Whennicotinegetsintothebrain,itattachestoacetylcholinereceptors
andcausesthemtobecomeactive.Nicotineisaddictive;itchangesthewaythe
brainworkssothatthebrainandbodydon’tfeelnormalwithoutit.
Nicotinealsostimulatesareasofthebrainthatareinvolvedinproducing
feelingsofpleasureandrewardbyraisingthelevelsofanother
neurotransmitter,dopamine.Increasedlevelsofdopamineproducethestrong,
pleasurablefeelingsthatleadtoaddiction.Becausenicotineissoaddictive,
oncepeoplestartsmoking,itishardforthemtoquit.Whensmokersdotryto
stop,theyoftenexperiencecravingforcigarettes,angerandfrustration,
irritability,restlessness,difficultysleeping,difficultyconcentrating,hungerand
weightgain,anxiety,fatigue,anddepression.
Weencourageyoutoaskyourchildaboutthislearningexperience.Whatwere
hisorherreactionstotheresultsoftheexperiment?Wasyourchildsurprised
bytheresults?Didtheexperimentsraisequestionsforyourchild?Ourhopeis
thattheexperimentwillleadtolivelydiscussionthatwillreinforcethemessage
thatsmokingisnothealthy.
ScienceatHome
Discusschoicesaboutsmokingmadebyfamilymembers.Doyouordoes
anyoneinyourextendedfamilysmoke?Ifso,wouldthatpersonbewillingto
discusswithyourchildwhenheorshestarted,whetherheorshehastriedto
stop?Ifthesmokerisolder,discusswhetherthescientificinformationabout
smokingwasavailablewhenheorshestartedsmoking.Ifnot,askabouthisor
herreactiontothenewswhenitfirstappearedinthe1960s.Socialinfluences
onsmoking(forexample,parent,sibling,peer,neighborhood,andschool
influences)haveanenormousimpactonadolescentsmoking.Bydiscussing
theseissueswithyourchildnow,whileheorsheisstillyoung,youare
preparinghimorhertomakewisedecisionsinthefuture.
WhatDoesYourChildThink?
Haveyourchilddraworwritesomethingabouttobaccoornicotine.
90
AdditionalResources
ThebooksandWebsiteslistedbelowhavemoreinformationabouttobacco
andnicotine.
NationalInstituteonDrugAbuse(NIDA)
www.drugabuse.gov,301-443-1124
ThisWebsitecontainsinformationaboutdrugabuseandasectiondesigned
specificallyforparents,teachers,andstudents.
NIDADrugPubs
drugpubs.drugabuse.gov,1-877-NIDA-NIH(1-877-643-2644)
DrugPubsisNIDA’sresearchdisseminationcenter.Visitorscanorderhard
copiesofNIDApublicationsordownloadelectronicversionsinmultipleformats.
NationalInstituteonDrugAbuse(NIDA)—MindOverMatter
http://teens.drugabuse.gov/educators/nida-teaching-guides/mind-over-matter
Thiseducationalseries,developedbyNIDA,includesasectionthatfocuses
specificallyontobaccoanditseffects.
NationalClearinghouseforAlcoholandDrugInformation(NCADI)
http://store.samhsa.gov,1-800-729-6686
NCADIprovidesinformationandmaterialsonsubstanceabuse.Manyfree
publicationsareavailablehere.
Friedman,D.FocusonDrugsandtheBrain.Frederick,MD:Twenty-First
CenturyBooks,1990.Partofthe“Drug-AlertBook”series;includesasectionon
nicotineandaddiction.
Lynch,B.S.GrowingUpTobaccoFree:PreventingNicotineAddictionin
ChildrenandYouths.Washington,DC:NationalAcademyPress,1994.
Addressestobaccopreventionprogramsforyouth,theeffectoftobacco
advertising,controlsandbansontobaccosales,andtaxationasaprevention
strategy;alsoexplainsnicotine’seffectsonthebrainandbodyandtheprocess
ofaddiction.
91
NeuroscienceforKids
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html
Thissiteincludesasectiononthehistoryoftobacco,cigarettesmoking,nicotine
addiction,andtheeffectofnicotineonthebrain.
ParentNewsletter(PDF,552KB)
92
HowDrugsAffecttheBrain(Module
6)
YoucanalsodownloadthisentiremoduleinPDFformatbyclickingthe
followinglink:Module6(PDF,4.7MB).
Introduction
StudentsarenearingtheendoftheBrainPower!program.Overthelastfive
modules,studentshavelearnedhowtousescientificinquirytoperform
experiments(Module1andModule5),howtoidentifythepartsofthebrainand
theirfunctions(Module2),whatneurotransmissionis(Module3),thedifference
betweenmedicinesandharmfuldrugs(Module4),andtheeffectsnicotinehas
onthebrainandthebody(Module5).Thisfinalmoduleservesasaculminating
activityandasanembeddedassessmentfortheentireprogram.Usingthe
informationprovidedonfourfactsheets,alongwiththeirpriorknowledge,
studentswillexplainhowcocaine,marijuana,alcohol,andnicotineaffectthe
brainandtherestofthenervoussystem.Studentsmayusethemodelofthe
brain,theneurotransmissionsimulationtheyperformed,oranyotheractivitysuchasputtingonaplay,makingaposter,ordevelopingacomicstrip-to
explaintheirideas.
LearningObjectives
Studentsreviewinformationaboutfourdrugs-cocaine,marijuana,alcohol,
andnicotine.
Studentsapplywhattheyhavelearnedinthepreviousmodulestoexplain
howthesedrugsaffectthebrainandtherestofthenervoussystem.
Studentspresenttheirfindingstomembersoftheirclass.
93
RelationshiptotheNationalScience
EducationStandards
ThismissionalignswiththefollowingtwostandardsidentifiedintheNSES:
scienceasinquiryandscienceinpersonalandsocialperspectives.Thechart
thatfollowsidentifieshowthemissionalignswitheachofthesestandards.
ScienceasInquiry
LevelsK–
4
Abilities
necessary
todo
scientific
inquiry
HowMissionIsAligned
Studentsexperiencesomeofthestepsintheprocessof
scientificinquiry:developingahypothesis,completingan
investigationtotestthehypothesis,anddrawing
conclusions.
ScienceinPersonalandSocialPerspectives
Levels
K–4
Personal
health
HowMissionIsAligned
Studentsobservetheeffectsthatfourdrugshaveonthebrain
andthenervoussystem.Theydiscusstheimpactthis
informationhasontheirlivesandhowtheycanuseitto
makewisedecisionsabouttheirownhealth.
Background
Differentdrugshavevariouseffectsonthebody.Peoplearemotivatedtotake
drugsbecauseofthefeelingofeuphoriatheyexperienceasthedrugschange
thewaythebrainnormallyworks.Someofthechangesthathappeninthebrain
94
followingdruguseareshort-term,whileotherchangescanlastalongtime.
Prolongeddrugusecanchangethebrainsothataddictionresults.Addictionis
adiseasecausedbychangesinthestructureandfunctioningofthebrain.
Addictionischaracterizedby:
Astrongcompulsionordrivetousedrugsdespitenegativeconsequences
(someonekeepsusingdrugseventhoughheorsheishavingproblems);
Lossofcontroloveramountofthedrugused(usingmorethanheorshe
plans)andoverdrug-relatedbehavior(someonedoesorsaysthingsheor
shewouldnotordinarilydo);
Intensecravingforthedrugwhenitisnotavailable.Thiscravingisdueto
changesinthebrain.Onceapersonisaddicted,heorshemusthavethe
drugjusttokeepfromfeelingbad.Thisisbecausedrugscancause
changesinthefunctioningofneurotransmittersinthebrain.
Whenapersonstopsusingadrug,ittakesawhileforthebraintogetbackto
normal.Duringthattime,thepersonmayfeelbadandhaveintensecravingfor
thedrug.Researchinanimalsandsomehumansisbeginningtosuggestthat
somedrugsmaycausechangesthatarepermanent.Addictionisconsidereda
diseasebecausethedrugshavechangedthenormalfunctioningofthebrain.
Addictioncanbesuccessfullytreated.However,thebestwaytoavoidaddiction
istoneverstartusingdrugs.
Cocaine
Cocaineisastimulantmadefromtheleafofthecocaplant.Cocainespeedsup
activityinthebrainandthespinalcord,causinganincreaseinbloodpressure
andheartrateandadecreaseintheflowofbloodandoxygentotheheart.
Whensomeonesnorts,injects,orsmokescocaine,ittravelstothebrainvery
quickly.Itreachesallareasofthebrainbuthasitsgreatesteffectsinthefront
partofthecerebralcortexandonpartofthelimbicsystem.
Averycomplicatedprocesstakesplaceinthebrainafteritisexposedto
cocaine.Inanormalbrain,theneurotransmitterdopamineisreleasedby
95
neuronstocarrymessagesinthelimbicsystem.Afterthemessagehasbeen
carriedtothenextneuron,dopamineisreabsorbedfromthesynapsebackinto
theneuronthatreleasedit.Cocaineblocksthereabsorptionofdopamine,
leavingtoomuchdopamineinthesynapse.Theexcessdopamineiswhat
causesthepleasurablefeelingsassociatedwithtakingcocaineandthe
increasedmotoractivityseenwithhigherdoses.
Afterapersonabusescocaineforawhile,thebraintriestocompensateforthe
excessdopamine,andthenormalprocessesthattakeplacearedisrupted.The
brainwillnolongerfunctionnormallywithoutcocaine.
Marijuana
Marijuanaisthedriedleavesandflowersofthecannabisplant.Morethan400
chemicalscanbefoundintheaveragecannabisplant.Theactiveingredientin
marijuanathatproduceschangesinbrainmessagesiscalled
tetrahydrocannabinol(THC).Thebrainhasreceptorsforaspecificchemical,
anandamide,whichisnaturallyproducedbythebrain.THCisabletoattachto
andactivatethesesamereceptors.ThesereceptorsarecalledTHCreceptors
ratherthananandamidereceptorsbecausescientistsknewthatTHCattaches
tothesereceptorslongbeforeanandamidewasdiscovered.
Scientistsknowlessabouthowmarijuanaaffectsthenervoussystemthanthey
doaboutotherdrugs.However,scientistsknowthatsomeareasofthebrain
havealotofTHCreceptors,whileotherareashaveveryfewornone.Whena
personusesmarijuana,thechemicalsinthedrugtravelthroughthe
bloodstreamandattachtotheTHCreceptors,activatingthemandinterfering
withnormalneurotransmission.
TheareasofthebrainwiththemostTHCreceptorsarethecerebellum,the
cerebralcortex,andthelimbicsystem.Thisiswhymarijuanaaffectsthinking,
problemsolving,sensoryperception,movement,balance,andmemory.
Alcohol
96
Alcoholisfoundinbeer,wine,andspirits,e.g.,gin,vodka,orwhiskey.Itaffects
thebrainandalmosteveryotherorganinthebody.Thepartsofthebrain
affectedbyalcoholarethecerebralcortex,limbicsystem,andbrainstem.
Alcoholinterfereswithmessagescarriedbymanyneurotransmittersinthe
brain.Becausetheseneurotransmittersarefoundthroughoutthebrain,alcohol
affectsmanyfunctions,includingthinking,coordination,andemotions.
Ifapersonbecomesdependentonalcohol,heorshemightbediagnosedwith
thediseaseknownasalcoholism.Alcoholismcanbelife-threatening.Thelongtermuseofalcoholresultsinthedepletionofcertainvitaminsandmineralsin
thebody.ThesedeficienciescanresultindiseaseslikeWernicke-Korsakoff
syndrome,adiseasethataffectstheshort-termmemoryand,insomecases,
canresultinapermanentlossofmemory.
Nicotine
Nicotinecomesfromtobaccoleavesandisfoundinalltobaccoproducts—
cigarettes,cigars,pipeandchewingtobacco,andsnuff.Nicotineactsonthe
centralandperipheralnervoussystems.Italsocausesanincreaseinblood
pressure,heartrate,andrespiration.
Nicotineisshapedliketheneurotransmitteracetylcholine,whichisinvolvedin
movement,breathing,heartrate,learning,andmemory.Whennicotinegetsinto
thebrain,ithooksontotheplacewhereacetylcholinewouldnormallygoand
overexcitesthebrain.
Nicotinealsoaffectstheneurotransmitterdopamine.Scientiststhinkthat
nicotine’seffectsondopaminearewhatcausethepleasurablesensations
smokersexperience.Thelong-termeffectsofsmokingincludelungcancer,
emphysema,heartdisease,andaddiction.Thelongerapersonsmokes,the
harderitistoquit.Fewerthan1in10peoplewhotrytoquitsmokingactually
succeed.
97
Drug
Cocaine
Marijuana
EffectsontheBrainandBody
1. Increaseinbloodpressureand
heartrate
Partsofthe
BrainAffected
1. Brainstem
2. Changeinemotionalbehavior
2. Limbic
system
3. Impairedthinkinganddecision
making
3. Cerebral
cortex
1. Short-termmemoryloss
1. Limbic
system
2. Impairedthinkingandproblem
solving
3. Impairedmovement
2. Cerebral
cortex
3. Cerebellum
Alcohol
1. Impairedthinkingandproblem
solving
1. Cerebral
cortex
2. Changeinemotionalbehavior
2. Limbic
system
3. Impairedcoordination
3. Cerebellum
Nicotine
1. Increaseinrespirationrateand
bloodpressure
2. Increasestheamountofthe
neurotransmitterdopaminepresent
insynapses
Materials/Preparation
98
1. Brainstem
2. Limbic
system
Materials
NIDAJuniorScientistsDVD,oronlinevideo
FactSheets(PDF,118KB)
Brainmodel(fromModule2)
Studentinstructionsheet(PDF,98KB)(fromModule3)
Riddles(PDF,362KB)(fromModule4)
LogSheet(PDF,178KB)
Tradingcards
Paperandpencils
Preparation
1. Dividetheclassintogroupsofthreeforthisactivity.
2. Makeonecopyofthefactsheets,theinstructionsheet,andthelogsheetfor
eachstudent.
3. Makesureyouhavethematerialsfromthefirstfivemodulesavailablefor
thisactivity.Theseincludethestudents'modelsofthebrain,theinstruction
sheetsfromthepreviousmodules,thelogsheetsfromthepreviousmodules
(ineachstudent'sportfolio),andtheriddlesfromModule4.Layoutthe
materialsonatablesothatyoucanrefertothemduringtheactivity.
Procedures/DiscussionQuestions
Procedure
1. Fromthepreviousmodules,pointoutthematerialsonthetable.Briefly
discussthehighpointsofeachmodule,whichinclude:thepartsofthebrain,
neurotransmission,thedifferencebetweenhelpfulandharmfuldrugs,and
99
whattobaccodoestothebody.Tellthestudentsthattheyaregoingtodraw
someconclusionsaboutwhattheyhavelearnedduringtheBrainPower!
programandtoapplythatknowledgetosubstancestheydidnotstudy.Ask
studentsiftheyrememberwhatthefirststepisinscientificinquiry.Helpthe
classrememberthatthefirststepistoobserveanddescribethese
materials.
2. Aftertheclasssharesitsideas,tellstudentstogetintogroupsofthree.Have
eachgroupdevelopconclusionsbasedonalltheyhavelearnedduringthe
program.Thenhaveeachstudentrecordhisorhergroup’sconclusionson
thelogsheet.Forexample,onepossibleconclusionmaybe:“Itisimportant
totakecareofyourbrainbynotputtingunnecessarydrugsintoyourbody.”
Eachgroup’sconclusionshouldemphasizetheimportanceofnottaking
anysubstancethatcouldharmthewaythebrainandthenervoussystem
work.Haveeachgroupusetheinformationinthepreviousmodulesto
explainwheytheyshouldn’tputunnecessarydrugsintotheirbody.
3. Nowgivestudentsanopportunitytoapplywhattheylearnedtotwonew
substances.Givehalfthegroupsthefactsheetsaboutcocaineandalcohol
andhalfthegroupsthefactsheetsaboutmarijuanaandnicotine.Tell
studentsthattheirmissionistodeterminehowthesedrugsaffectthebrain
andthenervoussystem.Thenstudentswillhaveanopportunitytopresent
theirideastotheclass.Theirpresentationscanusethemodelofthebrain,
theneurotransmissionsimulationgame,ortheriddles.Theyalsocan
developaskit,makeaposter,writeacomicstrip,ordeveloptheirown
uniquepresentation.
4. CONGRATULATIONS!YOURSTUDENTSHAVEJUSTCOMPLETEDTHE
LASTMODULEINTHEBRAINPOWER!PROGRAM.
WhenyourclasshascompletedtheBrainPower!program,placethe
reversesidesofallsixposterstogethertocreatethecertificateof
completion.Thestudentscanallsigntheirnamestoindicatethattheyare
nowNIDAJr.Scientists!
DiscussionQuestions
1. Haveeachgroupgiveitspresentation.Afterthepresentations,discusshow
cocaine,marijuana,alcohol,andnicotineaffectthebrainandthenervous
100
system.
2. HaveeachstudentsummarizewhatheorshelearnedduringtheBrain
Power!program.Askeachstudenttoreadhisorhersummarytotheclass.
3. Askstudentstothinkofonethingtheywouldtelltheirfriendsandfamily
abouttheprogram.Suggestthattheymakeaposteroftheironethoughtand
shareitwiththeirfamilies.
Extensions
Theactivitieslistedbelowprovidelinkstootherareasinthecurriculum.These
activitiesalsomakeuseofthetradingcardsincludedinthemodule.
1. Putoutthetradingcardsfromallsixmodules.Havethestudentslookthem
overandthinkaboutotherideasforcards.Thenaskeachstudenttocreate
onenewtradingcardonasubjectrelevanttotheBrainPower!program.
2. Havethestudentsimaginethatagoodfriendhasjuststartedsmoking.Ask
thestudentstodecidewhattheywouldsaytotheirfriendtoconvincehimor
hertostopsmoking.Thenaskforvolunteerstoactoutthescene.
Assessment
Thislessonisanembeddedassessmentofwhatstudentshavelearned
throughouttheBrainPower!program.Asstudentswork,observewhetherthey
havemasteredthefollowing:
1. Caneachstudentdevelopconclusionsthatreflecttheworkdoneinthe
modules?
2. Cangroupsofstudentsapplywhattheyhavelearnedaboutasubstanceto
itseffectonthebrainandthenervoussystem?
3. Arestudentsapproachingthetasklogicallyandmethodically?
4. Arestudentsabletosynthesizetheinformationtocreateapresentationthat
isengagingandaccurate?
101
5. Arestudentsabletosummarizewhattheydidanddevelopaclear,crisp
statementexpressingtheirconclusionsabouttheprogram?
AdditionalActivities
Belowaresomeadditionalactivitiesthatcanbeusedaftercompletionofthe
sixthmission.Theseactivitiesareextensionstomanyotherareasofthe
curriculum.
1. Developaboardgameshowinghowdrugsaffectthebrainandthenervous
system.Theobjectofthegamecouldbetomatchthedrugwiththepartof
thebodyitaffects,ortosolveproblemsusingtheprocessesofscientific
inquiry.
2. Developoridentifyanewscientificquestionorproblemandthenusethe
processesofscientificinquirytosolveit.Forexample,theproblemcouldbe
howfastyourheartbeatsbeforeandafterexercise,orhowyourtongue
knowshowdifferentfoodstaste.Encourageyourstudentstodesigntheir
ownexperiments.
3. BuildamorecomplexmodelofthebrainthantheonebuiltinModule2.Use
sciencebooksorWebsitestofindamodel.Thenuseclayorothermaterials
tomakeamoreanatomicallydetailedmodel.
4. Writeaplaysummarizingwhatyouhavelearnedaboutdrugs.Theplay
couldfocusondifferentdrugsandwhattheydo,howdrugsaffectthebrain
andthenervoussystem,orwhysmokingisabadhabittostart.Thestudents
maywanttoinviteotherclassesintheschooltoseetheirplay.
Resources
Thelistsbelowincluderesourcesforteachersandstudents.
ResourcesforTeachers
102
NationalInstituteonDrugAbuse(NIDA)
www.drugabuse.gov,301-443-1124
ThisWebsitecontainsinformationaboutdrugabuseandasection
designedspecificallyforparents,teachers,andstudents.
NIDADrugPubs
drugpubs.drugabuse.gov,877-NIDA-NIH(877-643-2644)
DrugPubsisNIDA’sresearchdisseminationcenter.Visitorscanorderhard
copiesofNIDApublicationsordownloadelectronicversionsinmultiple
formats.
Sara’sQuest
teens.drugabuse.gov/sarasquest/index.php
ThissitefromNIDAcontainsamultiplechoicegameonavarietyofdrug
relatedcategories.
NationalClearinghouseforAlcoholandDrugInformation(NCADI)
store.samhsa.gov,1-800-729-6686
NCADIprovidesinformationandmaterialsonsubstanceabuse.Manyfree
publicationsareavailablehere.
EisenhowerNationalClearinghouse(ENC)
www.sciencepioneers.org/resource/eisenhower-national-clearinghousemath-science-education,1-800-471-1045
ThisWebsiteprovidesusefulinformationandproductstoimprove
mathematicsandscienceteachingandlearning.
Bellenir,K.,ed.DrugAbuseSourcebook.HealthReferenceSeries,Vol.14.
Omnigraphics,Inc.,2010.Basichealth-relatedinformationabouttheabuse
oflegalandillegalsubstancessuchasalcohol,tobacco,marijuana,and
cocaine.
Greenfield,S.A.TheHumanBrain:AGuidedTour.NewYork:BasicBooks,
1998.Writtenforalayaudience,providesaholisticviewofthebrainasan
integralpartofthebody;partoftheScienceMastersSeries.
ResourcesforStudents
NationalInstituteonDrugAbuse(NIDA)—MindOverMatter
teens.drugabuse.gov/mom/index.php
103
Seriesdevelopedtoeducatechildrenabouttheeffectsofdrugabuseonthe
bodyandthebrain.
Friedman,D.,&Neuhaus,D.FocusonDrugsandtheBrain.Frederick,MD:
Twenty-FirstCenturyBooks,1990.Partofthe“Drug-AlertBook”series.
Describesthefunctionofthebrainandnervoussystemandhowdrugs
affectthebody.
NeuroscienceforKids
faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html
Exploresthebrainandspinalcord;liststheeffectsofdrugsonthebrainand
nervoussystem.
IntroductoryStoryforModule6
"Idon'tknowaboutyou,BrainTrust,butmyheadisspinning,"saidBrainWave.
"Whatdoyoumean?"repliedBrainTrust.
"We'velearnedsomuchinsuchashortperiodoftime.First,welearnedabout
thebrainandeverythingitdoes.Thenwelearnedabouthowmessagesare
sentthroughoutthebody.Andthat'sjustthebeginning!"
"Iguessyou'reright,"saidBrainTrust."Thenwemovedontofindoutabout
medicines,drugs,andnicotine.Ithasbeenalot.Nowonderyourheadis
spinning."
"Whatcanwedotomakesenseofitall?"askedBrainWave.
"Well,thosestepsofscientificinquirycouldhelp,"suggestedBrainTrust."You
know,observe,hypothesize,experiment,andconclude."
"You'reright.Wecouldtrytofigureoutwhatallthesedifferentideashavein
common,"saidBrainWave.
104
Justthen,theyheardthecomputerdinging,andtheysawtheirtrustyfriend
Cortyonthescreen."Couldn'thelpoverhearingyourconversation.Whatdoall
theseideashaveincommon?Howcanweusethestepsofscientificinquiryto
putallsixofthemodulestogether?"Cortysaid.
BrainWaveandBrainTrustlookedateachother.Theyweren'tsure.Whatdo
youthink?Canyoucomeupwithawaytotieallthisinformationtogether?Talk
toyourclassmates.ByfiguringoutthelastproblemoftheNIDAJuniorScientists
Program,youbecomeamemberoftheclub.Goodluck,andmaythetoolsof
sciencebewithyou.
BrainPowerNews
ParentNewsletter
Volume1Number6
HowDrugsAffecttheBrain
YourchildisnearingtheendoftheBrainPower!scienceprogram.Overthelast
fivemodules,yourchildhaslearnedhowtousescientificinquirytoperform
experiments,howtoidentifythepartsofthebrainandtheirfunctions,what
neurotransmissionis,thedifferencebetweenmedicinesandharmfuldrugs,and
theeffectsofnicotineandtobaccoonthebrainandthebody.Duringthelast
module,yourchildhadanopportunitytolearnabouthowfoursubstances—
cocaine,marijuana,alcohol,andnicotine—affectthebrainandtherestofthe
nervoussystem.
Tohelpstudentscompletethistask,theyreceivedfactsheetsabouttwoofthe
foursubstances.Foryourreference,thisinformationissummarizedbelow.
105
Drugs
EffectsontheBrainandBody
Cocaine
1. Increaseinbloodpressureand
heartrate
Marijuana
Partsofthe
Brainaffected
1. Brainstem
2. Changeinemotionalbehavior
2. Limbic
system
3. Impairedthinkinganddecision
making
3. Cerebral
cortex
1. Short-termmemoryloss
1. Limbic
system
2. Impairedthinkingandproblem
solving
3. Impairedmovement
2. Cerebral
cortex
3. Cerebellum
Alcohol
1. Impairedthinkingandproblem
solving
1. Cerebral
cortex
2. Changeinemotionalbehavior
2. Limbic
system
3. Impairedcoordination
3. Cerebellum
Nicotine
1. Increaseinrespiratoryrateand
bloodpressure
2. Increasestheamountofthe
neurotransmitterdopaminepresent
insynapses
106
1. Brainstem
2. Limbic
system
Ourgoalinintroducingthismaterialistoprovidescientificinformationaboutthe
effectsofdrugsonthebody.Bypresentingthematerialtostudentswhenthey
arestillyoung,wehopetolayafoundationuponwhichtheycanbuildideasas
theygrow.Wealsohopethattheirearlyexposuretothisinformationwillhelp
themmakehealthfulchoicesaboutdrugsinthefuture.Weencourageyouto
discusstheseissueswithyourchild.Askyourchildwhatheorshelearnedfrom
theprogram.Whatoverallimpressionshasheorshebroughtawayfromthe
BrainPower!program?
ScienceatHome
Atschool,yourchildwasaskedtowritedownonemessagethatheorshe
wouldconveytofamilyandfriendsaftercompletingtheBrainPower!program.
Trythisactivityasafamily.Whatisonemessageaboutthebrainanddrugsthat
yourfamilywouldliketoconveytoothers?Thensendthemessageontoa
friendandaskhimorhertospreadtheword.Friendsandfamilymembersare
influentialpeopleinchildren’slives.Webelievethemorepeoplerepeatthe
messageabouttheharmfuleffectsdrugscanhave,theclearerthemessagewill
beforchildren.
WhatDoesYourChildThink?
Haveyourchilddraworwritesomethingabouthowdrugsaffectthebrain.
AdditionalResources
ThebooksandWebsiteslistedbelowhavemoreinformationaboutdrugs.
NationalInstituteonDrugAbuse(NIDA)
www.drugabuse.gov,301-443-1124
ThisWebsitecontainsinformationaboutdrugabuseandasectiondesigned
specificallyforparents,teachers,andstudents.
NIDADrugPubs
drugpubs.drugabuse.gov,1-877-NIDA-NIH(1-877-643-2644)
DrugPubsisNIDA’sresearchdisseminationcenter.Visitorscanorderhard
107
copiesofNIDApublicationsordownloadelectronicversionsinmultipleformats.
NationalInstituteonDrugAbuse(NIDA)—MindOverMatter
www.nida.nih.gov/MOM/MOMIndex.html
Seriesdevelopedtoeducatechildrenaboutthebiologicaleffectsofdrugabuse
onthebodyandthebrain.
NationalClearinghouseforAlcoholandDrugInformation(NCADI)
http://store.samhsa.gov,1-800-729-6686
NCADIprovidesinformationandmaterialsonsubstanceabuse.Manyfree
publicationsareavailablehere.
Bellenir,K.,ed.DrugAbuseSourcebook.HealthReferenceSeries,
Omnigraphics,Inc.,2010.Basichealth-relatedinformationabouttheabuseof
legalandillegalsubstancessuchasalcohol,tobacco,marijuana,andcocaine.
Friedman,D.FocusonDrugsandtheBrain.Frederick,Maryland:Twenty-First
CenturyBooks,1990.Thisbook,partofthe“Drug-AlertBook”series,includesa
sectiononeachdrugofabuseandaddiction.
NeuroscienceforKids
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/nic.html
Thissiteincludesasectiononthehistoryoftobacco,cigarettesmoking,nicotine
addiction,andtheeffectofnicotineonthebrain.
ParentNewsletter(PDF,544KB)
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Materials/Contact
ContactInformation
ForquestionsregardingNIDA'sScienceEducationProgramandMaterials,
contactCathrineSasek,Ph.D.,e-mail:[email protected].
Handouts
Module1:OoeyGooey!MakingSenseofScientific
Inquiry
StudentInstructionSheet(PDF,79KB)
LogSheet(PDF,72KB)
TradingCards(PDF,735KB)
ParentNewsletter(PDF,425KB)
Module2:BrainsinaBox:WhatYourBrainCanDo
StudentInstructionSheet(PDF,241KB)
LogSheet(PDF,58KB)
TradingCards(PDF,6MB)
ParentNewsletter(PDF,606KB)
Module3:SendingandReceivingMessages
StudentInstructionSheet(PDF,285KB)
ActivitySheets(PDF,81KB)
LogSheet(PDF,105KB)
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TradingCards(PDF,4.2MB)
ParentNewsletter(PDF,436KB)
Module4:MedicinesandDrugs:What'sHelpful,What's
Harmful
RiddlesSheet(PDF,362KB)
LogSheet(PDF,64KB)
Cards(PDF,884KB)
ParentNewsletter(PDF,6MB)
Module5:TheScienceBehindSmoking
InstructionSheet(PDF,55KB)
LogSheet(PDF,35KB)
TradingCards(PDF,3.3MB)
ParentNewsletter(PDF,552KB)
Poster(PDF,47KB)
Module6:HowDrugsAffecttheBrain
InstructionSheet(PDF,159KB)
FactSheets(PDF,118KB)
LogSheet(PDF,178KB)
TradingCards(PDF,3.5MB)
ParentNewsletter(PDF,544KB)
T-shirts,Stickers,andButtons
110
HowdoImakeaT-shirt?
DownloadPDF(2.5MB)
1. Askchildrentohavetheirparentsfindaplainwhitet-shirtorothercotton
itemthattheycanusefortheiron-on.
2. Pickupiron-onink-jettransferpaperatyourlocalcraftorofficesupplystore.
Chooseopaquetransferpaperfordark-coloreditemsandtransparent
transferpaperforlight-coloreditems.Transparenttransferpapermayhelp
avoidwhiteoutlinesaroundartwork.Alwaysreadtheinstructionsthatcome
withthetransferpaper.
3. Downloadthefreeartwork.
4. Useaninkjetprintertoprintthedownloadedartworkontothetransferpaper.
Theartworkcomesasatwo-pagePDFdocument.Pageoneisaflipped,
mirrorimage(backwards)ofthedesign.Pagetwoisaregular
(straightforward)non-flippedimage.
111
5. Useanordinaryirontotransferthedesignontotheitem.Usecaution,the
ironwillbeveryhot.
HowdoIprintthestickers?
Download
1. Pickupsomeblankwhitelabelspaperatyourlocalcraftorofficesupply
store.
2. Downloadthefreeartwork.
3. Placethedownloadedartworkontoyourlabelsandresizethearttofityour
label.
4. Useanink-jetprintertoprintyourdownloadeddesignontothelabels.Be
suretoreadtheinstructionsthatcomewiththelabels.
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