Mississippi Science HAP.6.9
The Standard
- HAP.6
- Students will investigate the structures and functions of the nervous system, including the cause and effect of diseases and disorders.
Enrichment: Use an engineering design process to develop, model, and test preventative devices for neurological injuries and/or disorders (e.g., concussion-proof helmets or medications for addiction and depression). *
2026 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science · Nervous System
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students design a device to reduce head impacts within set limits on materials and size. They test a model, compare results, and change the design based on what they find.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student tests two designs by dropping them from the same height and measuring dents in a clay head. They explain a change using the results and recognize that clay cannot show whether a helmet prevents concussion.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think a rigid shell alone protects the brain or that a helmet prevents every concussion. They may compare drops from different heights or treat a clay dent as a direct measure of brain injury.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Two helmet models leave clay dents of 8 mm and 3 mm after drops from the same height. Which would you revise, what would you change, and what can this test not tell you?
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Teams build cardboard-and-foam helmets for clay heads, drop them from 50 cm, measure dents, and revise one feature.
Ask: If two helmets leave different dents in clay, what can you conclude about concussions, and what can you not conclude?
Give teams three helmet sketches with dent measurements and material limits; have them rank the designs and defend their choice.
Bring a bicycle helmet and its product tag; have students list its materials and write one question for a safety tester.
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Printable HAP.6.9 Worksheet
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