6th Primary School of Pyrgos

Sixth grade students ( 58 in total), participated in the event. They were initially introduced to the theme of brain functions through the English language lessons, exploiting a variety of educational material related to brain functions. Our presentation focused on the senses, and the dynamics of brain development through continuous training and stimulation. During preparation the students watched videos, got inspired and painted pictures of neurons and the parts of the brain. They acquired fundamental information about the brain and also linked it to the English language. The Event Day presentation aimed at stressing the importance of using the stimuli the brain receives through the senses. For this purpose, an English song was selected (“Serenade” by Steve Miller Band) and students painted pictures inspired by the lyrics. Then they digitized their paintings and created a video with the song and the images. The presentation began with a group of students forming a large puzzle with the brain, calling out verbs expressing some of its functions. (I hear, I see, I dream, I create, etc.) At the same time the video presentation showed their paintings. A second group of students announcing important findings about the brain, formed a puzzle with the name of the school in which the letters were joined by neuron formations. Then all the students sang the song “Serenade”, giving their own optimistic message about the development of our brain through the senses. The process was very significant for the “little researchers “, since not only did it provide valuable knowledge , but also gave them the opportunity to contribute to a global event. The link to the students’ movie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFwoWN4zWZE

Students gained valuable knowledge and felt very proud spreading information about the brain to school mates and even to adults. Parents were very enthusiastic about the school participation in the event.

The subjec of the brain seemed demanding for 11-12 year old students at first. However, with the help of material provided in the DANA site and other relevant material appropriate for the students’ age found on the web, discussing issues about the brain proved very motivating and productive for students. The Biology Department of Patra University (and especially Dr. Marigoula Margariti) was also a great assistant.

Very helpful. More content adapted to younger students.