Brain Buzz: Choose, Think, Feel

Learning Goals & Products

Learning Goals

Students will be able to analyze how thoughts, choices, and environmental triggers influence activity in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala to shape emotional responses.

Students will be able to collect and document observation data from the petting zoo launch to track changes in thoughts, body sensations, choices, and emotions over time.

Students will be able to interpret how dopamine and serotonin are released in response to brain activity and how these chemicals affect physical and emotional feelings.

Students will be able to formulate an evidence-based claim about how much control people have over their emotions using observational and expert evidence.

Students will be able to evaluate the quality and limitations of evidence from peer observations, expert interviews, and class investigations when revising their explanation of emotional control.

Students will be able to collaborate to design and revise an interactive expo station that teaches visitors how the brain and chemicals influence emotions.

Students will be able to reflect on their own emotional patterns and learning process to identify how their thoughts and choices may influence their feelings.

Students write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and concepts clearly using effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

Products

individual

Individual Investigation Notebook on Emotional Control

A structured research notebook documenting the student’s launch observations, question development, source or interview notes, evidence tables, and personal analysis of how brain structures and chemicals influence emotions. It must show how the student revised their thinking over time based on evidence.

team

Mind in Motion Expo Interactive Investigation Report and Station

A team-based report and interactive expo station that synthesizes members’ evidence into a shared claim about emotional control, explains methodology, and presents visualized findings, limitations, and follow-up questions. The station must depend on individual evidence contributions and address conflicting or surprising findings directly.

Rubric

Competency Progression Rubric Competency-first rubric

Category	Learning Goal	Stage 1	Stage 2	Stage 3	Stage 4
Deeper Learning Competencies	Self Directed Learning	I can use the observation tool and class prompts to plan my next steps, then check off what I completed during the petting zoo launch and back-in-class modeling activities I can use teacher or peer feedback to make one small improvement to my field notes or first-draft concept map.	I can set specific learning goals for my team’s work (e.g., improving a CER claim or revising a cause-and-effect link) and monitor my progress using feedback, rubrics, and self-check notes I can revise my before-and-after concept map and/or explanation by explaining how the feedback changed my thinking.	I can independently choose strategies to address gaps in my understanding (for example, adding an expert-inspired update to my model of the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, dopamine, or serotonin) I can track my learning across drafts by comparing versions and writing a brief reflection that identifies what I changed, why I changed it, and what evidence I used.	I can direct my own learning by anticipating what evidence I still need, asking targeted questions, and applying feedback from teachers and community experts to strengthen my final claim about emotional control I can clearly justify my revisions with project evidence and demonstrate growth by linking my self-reflection to improved communication and more accurate models in the expo station.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Effective Communication	I can listen to others respectfully during discussions and interviews, and I can share my observations and ideas using evidence from the petting zoo notes (thoughts, body sensations, choices, and emotion shifts) in a way others can understand.	I can communicate my thinking clearly in CER responses and concept maps by linking a claim to specific evidence and a science idea (prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, dopamine/serotonin) and by responding to feedback to improve clarity.	I can present my team’s learning with empathy and confidence by explaining our cause-and-effect model to an audience, answering follow-up questions using project evidence, and integrating expert insights into my explanation.	I can lead an interactive expo station that actively engages visitors (hands-on demonstration, visuals, and audience prompts), communicate complex relationships accurately and accessibly, and reflect on how my communication choices supported others’ understanding and learning.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Academic Mindset	I can describe how my thoughts, choices, and experiences during the petting zoo launch connect to emotions and brain structures (amygdala, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex), and I can name one way this helps me learn about myself.	I can use feedback and class comparisons of observations to revise my thinking about emotional control, and I can explain how building my model helps me feel more confident and like I belong in science learning.	I can set a specific goal for improving my concept map/claim about emotional control, and I can connect what I’m learning to my identity by noticing patterns in my own or observed emotional responses over time.	I can independently reflect on my learning process (what I changed, why I changed it, and what evidence supported it) and take action—such as asking focused questions of experts or improving my expo station—to strengthen my sense of efficacy and belonging.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Critical Thinking & Problem Solving	I can ask focused questions and identify at least one possible explanation for what I observed (thoughts, choices, body sensations, and emotion shifts) during the petting zoo experience.	I can compare my observations with expert input and use evidence to propose a cause-and-effect model that connects brain structures (prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, amygdala) and chemical responses (dopamine/serotonin) to emotional change.	I can evaluate alternative explanations, revise my model using feedback and new evidence, and justify my claim about how much control people have over emotions with clear reasoning (CER).	I can design and refine a scientifically supported explanation for emotional control that integrates patterns from multiple sources, predicts how changes in thoughts/choices could alter responses, and applies my model to a new example for my expo audience.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Collaboration	I can participate respectfully in my team by sharing my ideas and listening to others during planning and debriefs from the petting zoo and class model-building activities I can complete assigned tasks on time and ask for help when my part is unclear.	I can co-design project work with my team by contributing ideas, proposing next steps, and using feedback to improve our observation records, CER responses, and before/after concept map I can communicate my reasoning clearly, respond to teammates’ questions, and adjust my plan when the team agrees to change it.	I can strengthen shared decision-making by comparing perspectives, negotiating roles, and using evidence from our trip and expert notes to reach agreement on our model of emotional control I can resolve small disagreements by focusing on the task and relationship, and I can lead or support a subtask so the whole team moves forward.	I can demonstrate leadership in collaboration by coordinating a group workflow (e.g., interview questions, expo station demo, annotated visuals, and visitor feedback prompts) and ensuring everyone’s voice is included I can take initiative to improve team effectiveness—using feedback, clarifying responsibilities, and refining our scientific explanations—so our final expo communicates a cohesive, evidence-based claim.
Deeper Learning Competencies	Content Expertise	I can use key neuroscience terms (amygdala, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, dopamine, serotonin) to describe what I observed and how experiences may connect to emotions before and after the petting zoo trip, using my field notes as evidence.	I can build and revise a cause-and-effect visual model that links thoughts, choices, and environmental triggers to brain activity and chemical responses, and I can cite specific examples from my observations and expert notes to support my explanations.	I can create an evidence-based CER claim about emotional control that integrates multiple sources (field observations, class investigations, and expert interviews) and explains how specific brain structures and chemicals contribute to emotional and physical changes.	I can independently improve my model and explanation by evaluating the strength of evidence, addressing misconceptions or gaps, and using science-based reasoning to connect a real before-and-after example to my interactive expo teaching and final reflection claim.