Created by :
University of WashingtonIn this lab, students will investigate if cayenne pepper extract affects the electrical communication in the cockroach nervous system. They will use a SpikerBox, a “bioamplifier” that allows them to hear the spikes (action potentials) of live neurons in a cockroach leg. This lesson is part of the Sowing the Seeds of Neuroscience Series.
What’s In the Lesson Plan:
- Teacher instruction guide
- Student handouts
- Laboratory instructions
- Extensions and additional resources
Grade Level(s):
678
Student Skills Targeted:
- Understanding that neurons communicate using neurotransmitters and action potentials that can be seen/heard in a cockroach leg
- Understanding that some plants can effect electrical communication
- Understanding that neurons communicate using electrical and chemical signals
- Understanding that sensory stimuli are converted into electrical signals
Time / Duration:
- 2 class periods, plus additional time for homework
Materials:
- Copies of Student handouts
- Cockroach
- Classroom computer with projector to show video
- Classroom laptop, iphone, or Android phone to show “spikes”
- 250 ml or larger beakers filled with ice, dissection scissors, toothpick
- Spikerbox, Spikerbox sound cable and/or iPhone cable
- Cayenne pepper extract, push pins, parafilm, cardboard, pipette, timer
Alignment with National Standards:
- Next Generation Science Standards
- Common Core Standards: English Language Arts
Languages:
- English
