Skip to product information
1 of 2

Institute for Learning

The Creative Brain (Grades 7-9)

The Creative Brain (Grades 7-9)

Regular price $6.25 USD
Regular price Sale price $6.25 USD
Sale Sold out
Options
In this unit, students explore the nature and importance of creativity. Students also examine the ways that writers incorporate the voices and ideas of others into their own writing and learn about writing effective explanations.
  • Two informational texts
  • 2-3 weeks instruction
  • Explanation writing

What is this unit about?

In this unit, students will read two texts: “Research Opens Windows Into the Creative Brain” by Karen Weintraub and “The Creativity Crisis” by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman. Both texts explore the nature and importance of creativity by drawing on research and interviews with experts in the fields of psychology, neuroscience, and psychiatry. The authors of both texts are journalists who communicate their findings to broad audiences. Through the study of these two articles, students build their knowledge about creativity and examine the ways that writers incorporate the voices and ideas of others into their own writing.

What content and concepts will students learn?

Students will learn about:

  • why creativity is an important trait for personal, academic, and economic success.
  • current research findings about the neurological processes of creativity and their implications.
  • ways to enhance and stifle creativity.
  • the factors and processes that play a role in creativity.
  • how writers incorporate other people’s voices, ideas, and research into their writing.
  • ways to effectively represent and explain ideas.

What practices will students use?

Students are supported to develop practices and habits such as how to:

  • comprehend and analyze informational texts with assistance and independently.
  • work from moments in one text and across two texts to develop text-based analyses and conclusions.
  • read, reread, annotate, and take notes on sections of texts and texts in their entirety as a means to enhance their understanding within and across texts.
  • participate in routines such as maintaining a Reader/Writer Notebook, completing quick writes, sharing in pairs/trios, and participating in whole group discussions.
  • use visual representation as a way to explore and illustrate the relationship among ideas.

How long will it take to engage students in the unit?

This unit spans approximately 10-13 instructional days, assuming 45-to-60-minute classes. The tasks in the unit are designed to be implemented sequentially in order to support students to achieve the instructional goals. As such, the pacing of the lessons will depend on the time students need to achieve these goals.

      View full details