The story of Phineas Gage is one of my favorites to share with my students, because the life of Phineas Gage and how the injury dramatically changed it really interests the students and keeps their attention. I use the book, Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Scienceby John Fleischman because I like the way Fleischman tells the story as well as the information about brain science. However, these activities can also be used with other books or shorter versions of the story such as informational articles.

I created these activities as a way to incorporate some creativity into our study and also to show the students how the story of Phineas Gage is a part of our culture.

-Students are surprised that the story of Phineas Gage is not only a part of medical science/history, but also a part of popular culture today.

-Students enjoy the opportunity to be creative and they especially enjoy seeing the designs of their peers and how the designs connect to Phineas Gage.

-The in-group sharing and class presentations incorporate speaking and listening skills (and standards) into the book study in a safe and comfortable environment.