The Brain: Understanding Neurobiology
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PDF Files for PrintingUsing the Student Lessons

The heart of this module is the set of five lessons. These lessons are the vehicles that we hope will carry important concepts related to neurobiology and drug addiction to your students. To review the concepts in detail, refer to the chart Conceptual Flow of the Lessons.

Format of the Lessons

As you scan the lessons, you will find that each contains several major features.

At a Glance gives the teacher a convenient overview of the lesson.

Background Information provides the teacher with the science content that underlies the key concepts of the lessons. The information provided here is not intended to form the basis of lectures to students. Instead, it is designed to enhance the teacher's understanding of the content so that the teacher can more accurately facilitate class discussions, answer student questions, and provide additional examples.

In Advance provides instructions for collecting and preparing the materials required to complete the activities in the lesson.

Procedure outlines the steps for each activity in the lesson. It provides implementation suggestions and answers to questions.

Within the procedures, annotations provide additional commentary.

National Science Education Standards icon

This icon identifies teaching strategies that address specific science content standards as defined by the National Science Education Standards.

Web activity icon

This icon identifies when to use the Web site as part of the teaching strategies. An annotation instructs the teacher how to find the appropriate segment on the Web site. A print-based alternative is provided in each lesson for all Web-based activities in the event that a computer with Internet access is not available.

assessment icon

This icon identifies when assessment is embedded in the module's structure. An annotation suggests strategies for assessment.

print activity icon

This icon identifies a print-based alternative to a Web site activity to use if computers are not available.

The Masters required to teach the lessons are located in the Teacher’s Guide Masters section.

Timeline for Teaching the Module

There are several ways to complete the five lessons in this module.

The Suggested Timeline outlines the optimal plan for completing the five lessons in this module. The plan assumes you will teach the activities on consecutive days. If your class requires more time to complete the activities, discuss issues raised in this module, or complete the activities on the Web site, adjust your timeline accordingly.

The Abbreviated Timeline outlines a way for completing the lessons in the curriculum supplement in one week. By this timeline, students skip some activities and focus on ones that convey the most important concepts. Students will complete other activities as homework assignments. Students will miss a great deal of the richness of the unit and the details that add interest to the material, but they can still benefit from learning many new concepts.

Suggested Timeline
Timeline Activity

3 weeks ahead

Reserve computers
Check Internet access

1 week ahead

Copy masters
Make transparencies

Day 1

Lesson 1
Activity 1: What Does the Brain Do?
Activity 2: Positron Emission Tomography and Brain Function

Day 2

Lesson 1 (Continued)
Activity 3: Parts of the Brain
Activity 4: Who Was Phineas Gage?
Activity 5: Where Do Drugs Act?

Day 3

Lesson 2
Activity 1: Anatomy of a Neuron
Activity 2: How Do Neurons Communicate?

Day 4

Lesson 2 (Continued)
Activity 3: Do All Neurotransmitters Have the Same Effect?
Activity 4: One Neuron Signals Another

Day 5

Lesson 3
Activity 1: Drugs Alter Neurotransmission

Day 6

Lesson 3 (Continued)
Activity 2: How Does Caffeine Affect You?
Activity 3: Routes of Administration

Day 7

Lesson 4
Activity 1: How Does Drug Abuse Begin?
Activity 2: Drug Abuse Is Voluntary; Addiction Is Compulsive

Day 8

Lesson 4 (Continued)
Activity 3: When Does Abuse Become Addiction?
Activity 4: Environmental, Behavioral, and Social Influences on Drug Abuse and Addiction
Activity 5: Long-term Effects of Drug Abuse and Addiction

Day 9

Lesson 5
Activity 1: How Effective Is Treatment?
Activity 2: Evaluating the Case Studies
Activity 3: Success Rates for Treating Chronic Illness
Activity 4: Addiction Is a Brain Disease


Abbreviated Timeline
Timeline Activity

3 weeks ahead

Reserve computers
Check Internet access

1 week ahead

Copy masters
Make transparencies

Day 1

Lesson 1
Activity 1: What Does the Brain Do?
Activity 2: Positron Emission Tomography and Brain Function
Activity 3: Omit
Activity 4 (assign as homework): Who Was Phineas Gage?
Activity 5: Where Do Drugs Act?

Day 2

Lesson 2
Activity 1: Anatomy of a Neuron
Activity 2: How Do Neurons Communicate?
Activity 3: Omit
Activity 4: Omit

Day 3

Lesson 3
Activity 1: Drugs Alter Neurotransmission
Activity 2: Omit
Activity 3: Omit

Day 4

Lesson 4
Activity 1: How Does Drug Abuse Begin?
Activity 2: Drug Abuse Is Voluntary; Addiction Is Compulsive
Activity 3: Omit
Activity 4 (assign as homework): Environmental, Behavioral, and Social Influences on Drug Abuse and Addiction
Activity 5 (have students watch the Web site mini-documentary independently during free time, or assign Master 4.6 as homework): Long-term Effects of Drug Abuse and Addiction

Day 5

Lesson 5
Activity 1: How Effective Is Treatment?
Activity 2: Evaluating the Case Studies
Activity 3: Success Rates for Treating Chronic Illness
Activity 4 (assign as homework): Addiction Is a Brain Disease

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