model building

Students will make bead neurons and use them as models to understand the specialized cellular structure and function of neurons and how neurons communicate with each other.

Grade Level: 5-12

Lesson Length: 1 class period

Students construct a wax model of the nervous system of the caterpillar, Manduca sexta.

Students model the migration of neuronal axons to find their targets.

Students model the chemical communication between neurons.

Students use the Virtual Neurons software to construct neural circuits and visualize how messages travel through the circuits.