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Inspiring the next generationBrainReach Elementary delivers eight hands-on classroom workshops designed for grade 4 students. Graduate student volunteers lead engaging activities that spark curiosity and show kids that science can be fun, meaningful, and accessible!
The program introduces core concepts about how the brain works, from its major structures to what it’s made of. Students also dive into special topics such as the Five Senses, Learning and Memory, Sleep and Dreams, and Emotions. Throughout every lesson, volunteers use inquiry-based learning to guide discussion, model scientific thinking, and help students explore the world like young neuroscientists. |
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"I didn’t realize kids could be enthusiastic about science – I never was! But BrainReach uses an active learning approach to teaching neuroscience that has kids erupting with smiles and allows students to have fun and be creative with science."Charlotte Simon, Westmount Magazine
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SESSIONS OVERVIEWSESSION 1: WHAT IS THE BRAIN?
Explore what neuroscience is, break stereotypes about scientists, learn that the brain is an organ connected to the spinal cord and nerves, and investigate its wrinkly structure and role in the nervous system. SESSION 2: WHAT IS EACH PART OF THE BRAIN USED FOR? Explore 3-D models of the body and its organs while learning how the brain’s lobes, cerebellum, and brainstem each control different functions. SESSION 3: WHAT IS THE BRAIN MADE OF? Discover that the brain is made of tiny cells invisible to the naked eye, explore how microscopes help scientists study them, learn what neurons do, and practice forming and testing hypotheses like real researchers. SESSION 4: HOW DOES THE BRAIN GET INFORMATION FROM THE WORLD? Explore how the five senses send signals through neurons to the brain, learn how the brain combines information from multiple senses, and discover concepts like multimodal integration and receptive fields. SESSION 5: HOW DOES THE BRAIN PAY ATTENTION AND REMEMBER? Learn what attention is and why it matters, explore the limits of multitasking, discover the differences between short- and long-term memory, meet the hippocampus and its role in memory, and examine what impacts focus and recall. SESSION 6: SLEEP AND DREAMS Explore why sleep is essential, what happens in the brain during sleep and dreams, and how good sleep hygiene helps the brain rest and recharge. SESSION 7: EMOTIONS Learn that emotions originate in the brain, explore healthy ways to express them, understand the science behind unpleasant feelings like fear. SESSION 8: JEOPARDY TRIVIA REVIEW! Review key concepts from all previous sessions with a fun Jeopardy-style game, and get hands-on experience examining a real cow brain. |
