Below are ideas for extending this topic beyond the activity & exploration which you just completed.

• Lesson Assessment and Answer Key
• Readings: Three readings about your brain and how you use it.
• Activity: Catch a dollar bill.
  
• Video: Think your reaction time is good? Are you as fast as Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez?
  
• Online resources: Here are two simulations that let you test your reflexes online.

These Common-Core-aligned readings are free with registration on ReadWorks. All readings include comprehension questions.

• The Human Body You’ve Got Some Nerve! — Nerves carry information to your brain. (Grade 3)
• What’s Inside? — What does your brain do? (Grade 5)
• Rise up — This lengthy article describes how a car accident paralyzed a man and how a medical treatment enabled him to stand and take steps again. (Grade 5)

Try the “Think Fast” activity again -- but instead of a ruler, use a dollar bill. Start with the catcher’s thumb and finger in the middle of the bill. Remind the catcher that they can’t move until they SEE the bill drop.

The typical human reaction time is about ¼ second. That’s long enough for the 6-inch bill to fall completely through the catcher's fingers!

These online simulations let you find out how quickly you can react in two very different situations.

• Slap Shot lets you practice reacting like a hockey goalie. Use the arrow keys on the keyboard to choose where to block (left, right, up, or down).

• Zap a Fly lets you see how you'd do as a hungry frog, trying to catch a fly for dinner. Test your reflexes with sight and with sound.