The main point of the previous discussion is to help students understand that the brain changes in response to ALL experience, both healthy and unhealthy.

This is the main message of neuroplasticity.

A quiz called: The Teenage Brain- True or False offers a short, game-like way of reviewing some basic facts about the teenage brain.

Small prizes may be given for correct answers.

.As a way to reflect on the main message that practice changes the brain, teacher reads a brief quote from Jeff Brantley and asks students to comment. The excerpt highlights the tendency to practice ‘meanness’ something most of us don’t recognize. We practice meanness primarily to ourselves but also toward others.

Another group activity “Ways we practice kindness or meanness”supplements and extends the previous discussion by providing students an opportunity to see how kids their age (or all of us) practice kindness (ways we care for ourselves) or meanness (ways we don’t care for ourselves) both consciously and unconsciously.

. Generally, there are more examples of meanness than kindness once responses are tallied/reported out by small groups.