Unit 3
Superheroes, Villains, Sidekicks, and the Brain
The members of the Justice League have summoned you to the Hall of Justice for a very important 2-part mission. They have been working together for years and decided that they are in need of some new members. Wonder Woman thinks the Green Lantern is arrogant, and only remotely cares for the company of Hawk Girl. The Justice League wants you to scour the planets and find new Superheroes and Sidekicks. They also are very tired of fighting the same bad guys. Who wants to battle Penguin again? Not Batman, for sure. The second part of your mission is to discover brand new villains.
In groups of no smaller than three and no bigger than four, you are to complete the following mission:
Find (create) a superhero, sidekick, or villain for the following 17 areas of the human brain. What would that character have as their special power or special weakness if that part of the brain was “super”? By the end of the unit, you should have 17 separate characters.
1. Medulla 5. Hypothalamus 9. Temporal Lobe 13. Primary Somatosensory 17. Wernicke’s Cortex Area 2. Pons 6. Hippocampus 10. Parietal Lobe 14. Left Hemisphere
3. Cerebellum 7. Amygdala 11. Frontal Lobe 15. Right Hemisphere
4. Thalamus 8. Occipital Lobe 12. Primary Motor 16. Broca’s Area Cortex
You will need the following:
Diagram(s) labeling the location of each of the 17 areas
17 Character Descriptions that include all of the following (I have provided a sample on the back of this sheet):
A name for the character that references the brain area Visual(s) A description of the character’s super powers and/or weaknesses The area of the brain used for that character and what it actually controls in the brain
Adapted by Rebecca Rodriguez Unit 3
Blessed with a heightened amygdala, thanks to a freak accident with the chemicals in the hot wax at the “Do- It-Yourself” Car Wash, Amyg’Da Man knows when he can win in a fight or when he needs to take flight! With only his superhuman ability to read facial features and govern emotions, Amyg’Da Man never gets in over his head. He knows right away whether or not he can handle the situation!
He sports a caveman-like outfit as a salute to his ancestors. Had it not been for the ancestors’ amygdala, they wouldn’t have known when to run from predatory trolls with extra arms or stay and slaughter smaller, not-so- scary foes.
Amyg’Da Man carries a club to ward off his only weakness—birds! If a bird touches Amyg’Da Man, he becomes tame and docile, and has no reaction to impending danger. How does he get his powers back? He must be showered by the water of Old Faithful in Yellowstone Park.
Amygdala— An almond-shaped structure of the Limbic System that governs emotions related to self- preservation. It is essential for decoding emotions (facial features), and, in particular, stimuli that are threatening to the organism. Adapted by Rebecca Rodriguez Unit 3
Superheroes, Villains, Sidekicks, and the Brain
Score Sheet
1. Diagram(s) labeling the location of each of the 17 areas ______/10
2. Name for the character that references the brain area ______/10
3. Visual(s) for each character ______/20
4. A description of the character’s super powers ______/30 and/or weaknesses
5. The area of the brain used for that character and ______/30 what it actually controls in the brain
Total Score: ______/100
Group Members:
1. ______
2. ______
3. ______
4. ______
Adapted by Rebecca Rodriguez