7th
Grade Brains
By
Sara Pella, Exeter-Milligan Middle School Language Arts Instructor
The
7th-grade English class has been busy studying the brain and how it works. They read a series about a man named Phineas
Gage. He was a railroad worker in the 1800s who survived a serious brain
injury. One day, an explosion sent a heavy iron rod through his skull, damaging
the front part of his brain. Amazingly, he lived, but his personality changed. Before the accident,
he was responsible and friendly, but afterward, he became rude and had trouble
controlling his emotions. Scientists studied his injury to learn how the brain
affects personality and behavior.
His story helped people understand that different parts of the brain have different jobs.
As
we were reading the series, we made paper brain caps to help us understand the
different parts of the brain and their functions. Once the Phneas Gage series
was finished, we learned about how the brain affects
teens and their decision-making. The 7th graders
had some great discussion points, relating them to
their own day-to-day lives.
We
have now moved on to Edgar Allan Poe. They
read parts of The Tell-Tale Heart and once they finished, they got into 2 groups and debated if the man in Tell-Tale Heart was legally
sane or insane according to the M’Naghten Rule. This led to a lot of discussion about
the brain from previous texts as well.
The
brain is a complex and powerful organ that shapes thoughts, emotions, and
behaviors. Phineas Gage’s accident revealed how brain injuries can alter
personality, while Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart explores the
impact of guilt and paranoia on the mind. Similarly, teenage brains,
still developing, are influenced by emotions and impulse control,
highlighting the brain’s
constant evolution. The 7th-grade class has had a great time studying all the
different aspects of the brain.
Pictured
L-R: Crosby Oldehoeft, Liam Capek, Archer Kanode, Gracelyn Becker, and Axel
Erdkamp
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