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From: Star Flight Workbook (Published by Scott, Foresman & Company, USA)

Your brain is the most important organ in your body. Without it, you couldn't breathe, eat, walk, or run. You couldn't do anything. Your brain began working seven months before you were born and will keep on working until the day you die.

The biggest part of the brain is called the cerebrum. This is the part that helps you make sense of the world around you. It helps you read, talk, and think. You're using your cerebrum to do this page.

The cerebrum is divided into a right half and a left half. Each half is a mirror image of the other. The right half controls the movements of the left side of the body. The left half controls those of the right side of the body. It is thought that the left half of the cerebrum has to do with word functions like talking and reading, and the right half has to do with things like art and music. Scientists believe this because when people have damaged only one side of the brain, they have lost only part of their abilities.

The cerebellum, located at the back of your head, controls your balance and how you stand, sit, and move. This part of the brain receives messages from the muscles, the skin, the eyes, and the organs of balance in the ears. You can do a lot of things without having to think about them, because the cerebellum works automatically. This is true of many areas of the brain.

The medula is an extension of the spinal cord. It begins at the base of the skull and goes upward. It takes care of breathing, the beating of your heart, the flowing of your blood, and swallowing.

THINK & SEARCH  2.    Why do scientists think that the right and left halves of the brain have different functions?  [2 marks]

AUTHOR & YOU   3.    Draw your own picture of the brain based on this article. Label each part of the brain with their functions (what each part is responsible for).  [3 marks]

ON MY OWN   4.    Make a collage relfecting the benefits of a brain.  [4 marks]  »[Help]