Appendix C: Teacher Guide¶
This guide helps you plan with Gut Check. It has four pacing options, a one-row-per-chapter teaching table, a Hype Meter activity you can run in any class, assessment ideas, and notes on differentiation and accessibility. For an overview of the book, licensing, and embedding sims, start with For Teachers. Before teaching, read the notes on teaching sensitive topics.
All times assume class periods of about 50 minutes. Every MicroSim page has its own Lesson Plan with timing, steps, and assessment questions, so check it before class.
Pacing options¶
Option 1: A 2-week unit (10 class periods)¶
This fits inside a biology, anatomy, or health course. It covers the foundations, one condition, and the claim-checking skills.
Option 2: A 6-week unit¶
This fits a health science, psychology, or anatomy course, at about three chapters a week, with one day each week for review or a quiz.
| Week | Chapters | MicroSims | End-of-week check |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1, 2, 3 | Peristalsis Builder, Vagus Signal Router, Microbiome Balance | Chapter quizzes 1 to 3 |
| 2 | 4, 5, 6 | Cytokine Feedback Loop, Serotonin: Where Does It Go?, Fiber to Butyrate | Your Gut Check question 1 (Claim Check) from each chapter |
| 3 | 7, 8, 10 | HPA Axis Stress Dial, Pain Amplifier, Rome Criteria Explorer | At the Bedside case write-up |
| 4 | 9, 11, 12 | IBD Flare Timeline, The Two-Way Street, Villi Explorer | Read-the-data question (Your Gut Check 5) from Chapter 11 |
| 5 | 15, 16, 17 | Diet Pattern Explorer, Probiotic Trial Reader, Treatment Evidence Map | Hype Meter activity |
| 6 | 20 | Hype Meter Sorter | Student research project presentations and selected mock exam questions |
Swap in Chapter 13, 14, 18, or 19 to match your course. Psychology courses often swap Chapter 13 or 18 for Chapter 12.
Option 3: A semester elective (about 18 weeks)¶
The book has 20 chapters, so a semester covers a little more than one chapter a week, with time at the end for projects and review.
| Weeks | Chapters | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | Part I: 1, 2, 3, 4 | Two nervous systems, microbes, and immunity |
| 5 to 7 | Part II: 5, 6, 7, 8 | How signals travel: chemicals, stress, and pain |
| 8 to 12 | Part III: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 | When the system goes wrong |
| 13 to 15 | Part IV: 15, 16, 17, 18 | What can actually help |
| 16 to 17 | Part V: 19, 20 | Living with it, and thinking clearly; start the research project |
| 18 | Review | Project presentations and the mock exam |
A weekly rhythm that works for many electives:
- Day 1: the hook and the everyday comparison, read together
- Day 2: core science and the Hype Meter cards
- Day 3: the MicroSim, using the lesson plan on its page
- Day 4: the At the Bedside case and the "How to read a gut-brain claim" box
- Day 5: Your Gut Check and exercises, then the chapter quiz
Option 4: Single-lesson drop-ins¶
Each chapter stands alone well enough for one or two class periods. These pairings fit topics many courses already teach.
| If your course is teaching... | Drop in | MicroSim |
|---|---|---|
| The digestive system | Ch 1 | Peristalsis Builder |
| The nervous system | Ch 2 | Vagus Signal Router |
| Ecology or microbes | Ch 3 | Microbiome Balance |
| The immune system | Ch 4 | Cytokine Feedback Loop |
| Homeostasis and feedback | Ch 7 | HPA Axis Stress Dial |
| Genetics and disease | Ch 12 | Villi Explorer |
| Research methods or statistics | Ch 13 or Ch 15 | Confounder Detective or Diet Pattern Explorer |
| Media literacy or health claims | Ch 20 | Hype Meter Sorter |
| Stigma, communication, or health advocacy | Ch 19 | Conversation Practice |
Chapter-by-chapter teaching table¶
"Objectives in brief" is a short version of the chapter's goals. The sim activity comes from the Lesson Plan on each sim's page. The suggested exercise points to the chapter's own Your Gut Check or Exercises section.
| Ch | Objectives in brief | Sim activity | Discussion question | Suggested exercise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Describe the enteric nervous system and peristalsis; explain why "second brain" is useful but misleading | Peristalsis Builder: predict where food stalls when neurons are missing at the end (like Hirschsprung disease) | If the gut can run its own reflexes, why do we still need a connection to the brain? | Your Gut Check 1 (Claim Check) |
| 2 | Trace afferent and efferent vagus signals; explain gut hormones and fullness | Vagus Signal Router: count signals up and down, then cut the vagus | Why might most vagus traffic travel up, from gut to brain? | Exercises: Analyze |
| 3 | Describe the microbiome, how it forms, and why germ-free mice are powerful but misleading | Microbiome Balance: run an antibiotic course and compare "people" | Why can't scientists yet define one "healthy microbiome"? | Your Gut Check 5 (Read the data) |
| 4 | Explain inflammation, cytokines, and the routes immune signals take to the brain | Cytokine Feedback Loop: rank ways to break the loop in a flare and when the gut is calm | Why does being sick make you tired and low, not just stuffy? | Exercises: Evaluate |
| 5 | Follow serotonin from tryptophan; explain why gut serotonin stays out of the brain | Serotonin: Where Does It Go?: compare counters with and without an SSRI | How can a true fact lead to a wrong conclusion? | Your Gut Check 1 (Claim Check) |
| 6 | Explain how microbes turn fiber into short-chain fatty acids; judge the "leaky gut" claim | Fiber to Butyrate: record meter levels across fiber amounts; explain the mouse-only panel | What is the difference between "intestinal permeability" and "leaky gut syndrome"? | Exercises: Evaluate |
| 7 | Describe the HPA axis and negative feedback; explain how stress affects the gut | HPA Axis Stress Dial: compare feedback on and off, then acute vs chronic stress | Why is it wrong to say stress symptoms are "all in your head"? | Exercises: Apply |
| 8 | Trace a gut pain signal to the brain; explain visceral hypersensitivity | Pain Amplifier: find two dial settings that give the same felt pain | What should a doctor take from a pain score, and what can't it show? | Your Gut Check 3 (Explain) |
| 9 | Compare Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis; explain the treatment goal of mucosal healing | IBD Flare Timeline: add an event and sketch how each curve changes | Why might someone feel fine while inflammation is still present? | At the Bedside "Your turn" question |
| 10 | Define a disorder of gut-brain interaction; apply Rome IV and Rome V as a learning exercise | Rome Criteria Explorer: compare Rome IV and Rome V results; check alarm features | Why can't a checklist diagnose anyone? | Exercises: Apply |
| 11 | Explain bidirectional links, reverse causation, and confounding; know where to get help | The Two-Way Street: test which study design can tell the settings apart | What kind of study could show which came first, gut symptoms or anxiety? | Your Gut Check 5 (Read the data) |
| 12 | Explain celiac disease and its testing; sort food allergy, intolerance, and sensitivity | Villi Explorer: sketch villi over time; explain the testing trap | Why can cutting out a food before testing cause problems? | Exercises: Analyze |
| 13 | Describe autism and ADHD as neurodevelopmental differences; explain confounders and open-label trials | Confounder Detective: find the hidden variable behind a gap | Why are "cure" claims about autism both unsupported and harmful? | Your Gut Check 1 (Claim Check) |
| 14 | Explain the gut-first and brain-first ideas for Parkinson's and weigh the evidence | Gut-First or Brain-First?: run both routes, then a class debate | What single piece of evidence would most help settle the question? | Exercises: Evaluate |
| 15 | Compare observational studies and randomized trials; explain hidden factors in diet research | Diet Pattern Explorer: turn on hidden factors, then switch to a randomized trial | Why does flipping a coin to assign groups remove a fake link? | Your Gut Check 5 (Read the data) |
| 16 | Define probiotics and prebiotics; read a probiotic trial for size, outcomes, and placebo | Probiotic Trial Reader: vary group size and number of outcomes | What would you want to know before believing "clinically proven"? | Exercises: Evaluate |
| 17 | Explain FDA approval, clearance, and off-label use; describe FMT and vagus nerve stimulation | Treatment Evidence Map: sort treatment cards into bins | Why can a device be approved for one condition and not another? | Your Gut Check 1 (Claim Check) |
| 18 | Connect sleep, exercise, and therapy to the gut-brain axis; keep a symptom diary like a scientist | Gut and Sleep Diary: stress-test the pattern in a sample week | What can one week of diary data show, and what can't it? | Exercises: Create |
| 19 | Explain stigma and self-stigma; practice accurate, kind conversations; know about 504 plans | Conversation Practice: try different replies, then write a new scenario | How can you correct health advice and still respect the person giving it? | Exercises: Create |
| 20 | Use the hierarchy of evidence, absolute vs relative risk, and the claim-checking method | Hype Meter Sorter: sort the cards, then debrief "too generous" vs "too harsh" | Which way does our class lean, and why might social media push people that way? | Student research project (Section 20.14) |
Hype Meter classroom activity¶
Four Corners: Grade the Claim (about 25 minutes, any course, after Chapter 1 or any later chapter)
Goal: Students practice grading claims by the evidence behind them, not by how confident they sound.
Setup: Label the four corners of the room Strong, Moderate, Preliminary, and Hype. Post the Hype Meter definitions and the six questions where everyone can see them.
Steps:
- Read a claim (1 minute). Read one claim aloud. Students walk to the corner that matches their grade. (For students who can't move easily, use colored cards held up at desks instead.)
- Defend it (3 minutes). Each corner gets 30 seconds to explain its choice. Push for evidence words: mice or people, how many, correlation or cause.
- Reveal (1 minute). Share the book's grade and the reason. Students may switch corners and say what changed their mind.
- Repeat with four or five claims.
- Wrap up (5 minutes). Each student writes one sentence: "A claim moves up the Hype Meter when..."
Starter claims, with the book's grades (from The Hype Meter page and the chapter cards):
| Claim | Book's grade |
|---|---|
| "The gut has its own network of neurons that can run reflexes without the brain." | Strong |
| "Eating lots of ultra-processed food is linked to depression." | Moderate (a large, repeated link, but the cause is unclear) |
| "People with IBD have higher rates of anxiety and depression symptoms." | Strong (as an association; it does not show cause) |
| "Probiotics treat depression." | Preliminary |
| "70% of your immune system lives in your gut." | Hype |
| "Your gut is a second brain that thinks and feels." | Hype |
Add claims from the Hype Meter cards in the chapters you've taught. Each card states its verdict and "what would change the grade." For a harder round, have students rewrite each Hype claim into a careful version that would earn a higher grade.
Follow-up: The Hype Meter Sorter gives each student individual practice and tracks whether they grade "too generous" or "too harsh."
Assessment ideas¶
Quizzes¶
Each chapter has a 10-question multiple-choice quiz with explanations on its own page. Use two or three questions as an exit ticket, or the whole quiz as a check at the end of a chapter. Because the answers are on the same page, copy the questions into your own form if you want a closed-book quiz (credit the book, as the license requires).
Your Gut Check¶
Each chapter's Your Gut Check has five parts: a Claim Check, three scenarios (Predict, Explain, Apply), and a Read-the-data question. Ideas:
- Warm-up: project the Claim Check and have students commit to a grade before opening the answer.
- Homework: assign the three scenarios, then compare student answers with the model answers in class.
- Data skills check: the Read-the-data question works as a short graded task. Ask what the data show, what they can't show, and one follow-up study.
Mock exam¶
Appendix A: Mock Exam is a cumulative review. Use the full exam at the end of a semester, or pick questions that match the chapters you taught for a shorter unit test.
The Chapter 20 student research project¶
The project in Section 20.14 asks each student to pick one real health claim, find the original evidence, fill in the six-question table, assign a Hype Meter grade, and write a plain-language summary. It works as a capstone for any of the pacing options.
Tips:
- Have students choose claims from public sources (ads, headlines, or posts by public accounts), not from classmates or family.
- Steer students away from claims about their own health or diagnosis, unless they choose that freely.
- Check claims early. Some popular claims have no original study at all, which is a finding worth reporting.
A simple rubric (4 points each, 20 total):
| Criterion | 4: Strong work | 2: Partly there | 0: Missing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claim and question | Claim copied exactly with source; question names people, cause, outcome, and comparison | Claim or question is vague | Missing |
| Sources | At least three, including the original study (or a note that none exists) and a trusted plain-language source, all with working links | Fewer sources or weak ones | Missing |
| Six-question table and numbers | All six questions answered from the study; numbers reported carefully | Some questions guessed or skipped | Missing |
| Grade and reasoning | Grade fits the evidence; says what study would change it | Grade given with thin reasoning | Missing |
| Plain-language summary and safety | Clear for a 9th grader; states limits; includes "talk to your doctor" | Some jargon or missing limits | Missing |
Other options¶
- At the Bedside write-up: students explain the case's "Connecting the signals" reasoning in their own words, then answer the "Your turn" question.
- Exercises: each chapter has 12 exercises, two at each Bloom's level. The Evaluate and Create questions make good short projects.
- MicroSim lab report: students record a prediction, data from the sim, and one limit from the "What this model leaves out" box.
Differentiation and accessibility¶
For students who need more support¶
- Start each chapter with the hook and the everyday comparison, read aloud together.
- Pre-teach the bolded terms, and use the glossary and the learning graph.
- Give a partly filled six-question table for the "How to read a gut-brain claim" box.
- Assign the Remember and Understand exercises first, and use the sim in pairs with clear roles (one runs, one records).
- Read quiz questions aloud for students who benefit from it.
For students ready for more¶
- Assign the Evaluate and Create exercises, or the full student research project early.
- Ask students to find one real study cited in a chapter's References page and fill in their own six-question table.
- Have students design a new MicroSim variable on paper and predict what it would show.
- Advanced students can explore the prerequisites from book #1, From Neuron to Bedside.
English learners¶
- The book uses short sentences and defines each term in plain words before the technical name.
- Let students write predictions and explanations in their first language first, then in English.
- Browser translation tools work on the text pages. Check translations of key terms with the glossary.
Accessibility¶
- Devices. The book and sims work on phones, tablets, Chromebooks, and laptops.
- Screen readers. Each sim has a short text description, but it doesn't announce every change. Pair students who use screen readers with a partner, and use each sim's "About This MicroSim" section.
- Movement. Offer a seated version of any activity that asks students to move around the room.
- Printing. Printable PDFs are on the Downloads page for students with limited internet at home.
- Health needs. Some students may have a gut condition and need to leave class quickly. Allow it without questions, and never make them explain. Chapter 19 covers school accommodations such as 504 plans.
Keep it safe¶
Never ask students to share their own symptoms, diets, or mental health, and avoid food-shaming. If a student seems to be struggling, connect them with the school counselor. In the US, anyone can call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Nothing in this book is medical advice; for any personal health question, the answer is "talk to your doctor."