Resource The Brain Teaching Modules. This module introduces the general external topography of the brain. To illustrate the relationship between specific behaviors and brain function, the module begins by showing a racecar driver exercising his skill, and then presents graphic illustrations of the internal activity of his brain. The module reviews several methods of studying brain activity including the CAT scan, PET scan, EEG, and MRI. This module presents some startling and significant findings relating to the effects of sex hormones on brain development. Beginning with in utero photography and then visiting an animal laboratory, this module shows how Dr. Grade 4 Science Resources California Edition 4Th' title='Grade 4 Science Resources California Edition 4Th' />Marian Diamonds ground breaking research has revealed structural differences in the brains of men and women, as well as factors influencing these differences. Shifting from the biological focus of the previous module, this segment shows how social factors affect gender specific behaviors. Mother child interactions are shown, illustrating typical differences in how male and female children are treated, and how this treatment affects gender identity, roles, and expectations, and perceived differences in ability. The issue of cultural bias in testing is explored in this module, presenting Judy Kearinss work with Australian children. White and aboriginal children are shown to perform differently on visualspatial tasks, and use different methods to arrive at solutions to the problems presented. Theories of cultural influence on cognitive processing and the shaping of the brain are suggested as explanations for tested differences in ability. This module begins with graphic representations of the cerebral hemispheres specialized functions. It continues with a description of the brains asymmetry, showing diagrams of how the two halves communicate. The extreme case of a patient who has undergone split brain surgery for treatment of epilepsy illustrates the role of hemispheric organization in sensory perception and verbal skills. Celtic Fc Chants. The left hemisphere is dominant in this module on language and the brain. Relationships between specific brain areas and verbal processing are shown through the historic example of Dr. Paul Brocas brain injury patient. The patients preserved brain is subjected to CAT scan analysis, which shows correspondence between the damaged area and the patients documented difficulties with language comprehension. Hydrocephalus, a childhood disorder of excess fluid in the brain, illustrates brain plasticity the brains amazing ability to rebound after injury. While patients with this disorder experience compression and destruction of brain tissue early in life, many are able to function normally later in life, after their brains have compensated for the loss. This module depicts the original pioneering research on how the brains visual systems transmit and encode information. Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, present their work on the visual cortex of the monkey using x ray images. My Dear Aunt Sally. Big Ideas Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. We would like to show you a description here but the site wont allow us. Collections General Multicultural Lesson Plans and Resources Diversity Council Lesson Plans and Activities. Developed from the original series The Brain, these flexible resources offer extensive footage and research into the inner workings of this amazing human organ. QC-/x720-RVU.jpg' alt='Grade 4 Science Resources California Edition 4Th' title='Grade 4 Science Resources California Edition 4Th' />Two Nobel laureates also recount their serendipitous discovery of feature detector cells in the striate cortex that respond only to stimuli of certain sizes or direction of movement. This module concentrates on higher visual areas beyond the striate cortex, addressing the questions of when seeing becomes perception and where it all takes place. Grade 4 Science Resources California Edition 4Th' title='Grade 4 Science Resources California Edition 4Th' />Face recognition provides an illustrative example patients suffering damage to their temporal lobes may see familiar faces, yet be unable to recognize them. The peculiar image inversion process that takes place in the normal visual system is examined in this module. The program traces the experiences of an art student who volunteers to wear lenses that invert her visual world, connecting the adaptation process she undergoes with how the visual system functions. Graphic animations reinforce understanding of the mechanism involved. Three spectacular dives of Olympic gold medalist Greg Louganis provide vivid illustration of the human body in motion. The complex visual and motor coordination involved in sophisticated sensory motor integration calls upon the faculties of the motor cortex, cerebellum, and basal ganglia. The roles of kinesthesis, vestibular functions, and cutaneous sensitivity are also covered. Dr. Nancy Wexler of the Hereditary Disease Foundation and Columbia University recounts her research on the demographics, symptoms, and genetic cause of this debilitating illness. Trillian Skype Plugin on this page. The module also explores ethical and moral dimensions of DNA testing, which can determine who will develop the disease. This module covers our natural rhythms and the stages that occur during sleep. I/51jrL63yEKL.jpg' alt='Grade 4 Science Resources California Edition 4Th' title='Grade 4 Science Resources California Edition 4Th' />English Language Arts Standards Download the standards Print this page. The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts Literacy in HistorySocial Studies. It shows the brains electrical activity over the course of a normal nights sleep, with its REM and non REM cycles. The remainder of the module is devoted to an experiment conducted by Michel Siffre, a French cave explorer, in which Siffre spends seven months in a Texas cave. Without external cues, the body is shown to have its own built in clock. What is the purpose of sleep This module sets out to answer this question by exploring the patterns of a womans sleep and dream cycles in the setting of a sleep laboratory. Characteristics of the five stages of sleep and the typical 9. The module also covers sleep disorders and the current techniques used to treat them. This module probes deeper issues relating to sleep and dreaming. The uniquely individual experience of dreaming requires researchers to look beyond conventional methods of study. Dream specialist Dr. J. Allan Hobson discusses the function of dreams, explaining his theory of the biological mechanism behind the phenomenon and reflecting on the contribution of dreaming to human creativity. In the history of psychology, the question of where learning and memory take place has occupied investigators for years. Recent work at the National Institute of Mental Health has brought scientists closer to resolving the issue. This module shows magnetic resonance imaging MRI technology being used to identify specific changes in the motor cortex of human subjects changes that correspond to training in particular tasks. This module presents researchers investigating the structural changes involved in learning. Research conducted at the Pasteur Institute in Paris shows that the learning process involves the formation of new brain connections and the elimination of others. Other researchers dispel the myth of brain loss in aging, present evidence of changes at the cellular level, and review research on associative learning. Amnesia appears in many different forms. This module shows how the extent and location of damage can result in varying levels of memory impairment. Footage of Mike, an amnesic individual, demonstrates the result of an injury to the hippocampus. Mikes reaction to his memory deficit and drastic coping measures underscore the importance of memory to everyday functioning. When this program was first filmed, Eleanor, age 5. Alzheimers disease. This module follows Eleanors physical and mental decline after the initial filming. Pathology in the brainstem and other regions in the brains of Alzheimers patients are shown to interfere with acetylcholine release, resulting in neuronal atrophy. The module discusses our current knowledge of the disease and the direction of future research. This module explores the brains potential for storage as memory.