The blog “Science is Beauty” recently posted this great infographic poster created by Dwayne Godwin and Jorge Cham. I like how some of the numbers are given comparisons, such as how the 100 thousand miles of axons in our brain would be equivalent to 4 trips around the Earth. I think it might be fun to have the students come up with comparisons for some of the other facts, integrating a bit of math with science and research. Once they have delved a bit more into this infographic, you could assign them to create their own poster about another amazing organ, such as the heart or eye. You can check out Richard Byrne’s post on “Three Free Tools for Creating Infographics” here. Or, they could use Glogster Edu to make a multimedia poster.
UPDATE: If you are not able to go to the “Science is Beauty” site because your district blocks it (as mine apparently does!), here is an alternative site: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=mind-in-pictures-your-brain-by-the-numbers