Appendix D: Club Kit¶

This kit helps students run a science or health club using Gut Check. It has a 10-session plan, simple roles, a claim-checking challenge, and a family night. Each meeting fits in 45 to 60 minutes. Everything is free. You need a screen, internet access, paper, and pencils.

You don't need to be an expert to lead. The leader's job is to keep the meeting moving and ask good questions. The book has the answers.

Before the first meeting¶

Find an adult advisor. Most schools require one. A biology, health, or psychology teacher is a natural fit. The For Teachers page explains the book to them.
Book a room with a projector or big screen. MicroSims also run on phones and Chromebooks, so members can follow along on their own devices.
Gather free materials: scrap paper or index cards, pencils, a timer (any phone works), and sticky notes.
Pick a regular time, such as once a week or every other week.

Roles¶

Rotate roles each meeting so everyone gets a turn.

Role	What they do
Leader	Opens and closes the meeting, runs the MicroSim on the big screen, and keeps discussion on topic. Reads the chapter's Summary and Key Takeaways ahead of time.
Timekeeper	Runs the timer for each part and gives a one-minute warning.
Claim scout	Brings one real health claim from an ad, headline, or public post for the warm-up. No posts from classmates or family.

The meeting template¶

Part	Time	What happens
1. Warm-up	5 min	The claim scout reads a claim. Everyone writes a Hype Meter grade (Strong, Moderate, Preliminary, or Hype) and one reason. Don't reveal yet.
2. Main activity	20 to 30 min	The session's activity, usually built around the MicroSim. Use predict, observe, explain: write a prediction, run the sim, then explain any surprise.
3. Discussion	10 min	The session's discussion prompt. Think, write, then share, so quieter members have time.
4. Back to the warm-up	5 min	Revisit the claim. Did anyone change their grade? Why?
5. Exit card	2 to 5 min	Everyone writes one thing they learned and one question. The next leader uses the cards.

For a 45-minute meeting, use the short end of each time. For 60 minutes, let the activity or discussion run long.

The 10-session plan¶

Members can skim the chapter before each meeting, but every session still works if they don't. Each sim page also has a full Lesson Plan you can borrow from.

Session 1: Your gut has its own nervous system¶

Goal: Learn what the enteric nervous system does and meet the Hype Meter.
Chapter: 1: The Brain in Your Belly
Sim: Peristalsis Builder
Activity (20 min): Vote first: "If your gut were cut off from your brain, would food still move?" Then run the sim on each setting. Before running the "missing at the end" setting, everyone sketches where they think the food will stop.
Discussion prompt: "Second brain" is a popular nickname. What does it get right, and what does it get wrong?
Materials: screen, paper, pencils

Session 2: The vagus highway¶

Goal: Learn which way signals travel between gut and brain.
Chapter: 2: The Vagus Highway
Sim: Vagus Signal Router
Activity (20 min): In pairs, trigger each event three times and tally signals up and down. Predict what still reaches the brain when the vagus is cut, then test it.
Discussion prompt: Posts promise to "reset your vagus nerve." After today, what questions would you ask before believing one?
Materials: screen or devices, a simple tally table on paper

Session 3: Meet the microbiome¶

Goal: See how a gut community changes after antibiotics, and why correlation is not cause.
Chapter: 3: Meet the Microbiome
Sim: Microbiome Balance
Activity (25 min): Each pair runs one antibiotic course and records the starting diversity, the lowest value, and the value later on. Press "New person" and repeat. Pool results on the board and compare.
Discussion prompt: Why did different "people" respond differently? What does that tell you about one-size-fits-all gut advice?
Materials: screen or devices, whiteboard or chart paper

Session 4: The serotonin myth¶

Goal: See how a true fact can lead to a wrong conclusion.
Chapter: 5: Chemical Messengers and the Serotonin Myth
Sim: Serotonin: Where Does It Go?
Activity (20 min): Vote true, false, or partly true on "Most of your serotonin is made in your gut, so heal your gut and you'll be happy." Run the sim and watch which counters change. Re-vote at the end.
Discussion prompt: Rewrite the claim so it is accurate. How much less exciting is it, and why do exciting versions spread faster?
Materials: screen, sticky notes for voting

Session 5: Stress and the gut¶

Goal: Understand the HPA axis and why stress symptoms in the gut are real.
Chapter: 7: Stress and the Gut
Sim: HPA Axis Stress Dial
Activity (25 min): Run a short stress with feedback on, then off, and sketch the hormone curves. Then run the chronic stress pattern and describe what happens across days.
Discussion prompt: Sam's stomach acts up before races. Using the sim, explain why that happens without saying "it's all in his head."
Materials: screen, paper for sketching curves
Note: This chapter touches on mental health. Give a heads-up the week before, and see the advisor note under Keeping meetings safe and welcoming.

Session 6: Pain and sensitivity¶

Goal: Learn why the same gut signal can hurt more for some people.
Chapter: 8: Pain, Sensitivity, and the Gut
Sim: Pain Amplifier
Activity (20 min): In pairs, record felt pain at each setting. Then challenge: find two different dial combinations that give the same felt pain.
Discussion prompt: If two people give the same pain score, do they have the same thing going on? What should a doctor ask next?
Materials: screen or devices, paper

Session 7: Correlation, confounders, and headlines¶

Goal: Spot hidden third factors behind a link.
Chapters: 13: Autism, ADHD, and the Gut and 15: Food and Mood
Sim: Confounder Detective or Diet Pattern Explorer
Activity (25 min): Start with "Ice cream sales and sunburns rise together. Does ice cream cause sunburn?" Then use the sim to find the hidden variable that explains a gap. With the Diet Pattern Explorer, switch to the randomized trial and watch the fake link disappear.
Discussion prompt: Find a food-and-mood headline. List three explanations besides "this food changes your mood."
Materials: screen, a printed or projected headline
Note: Treat food as nourishment and culture, never as good or bad. Don't ask anyone what they eat.

Session 8: Probiotics and the supplement aisle¶

Goal: Learn how small trials and many outcomes can make weak results look strong.
Chapter: 16: Probiotics, Prebiotics, and "Psychobiotics"
Sim: Probiotic Trial Reader
Activity (25 min): Teams run trials with small and large groups and count how many look "impressive." Then measure many outcomes and report only the best one.
Discussion prompt: A label says "clinically proven." What three things would you want to know about that study?
Materials: screen or devices, paper. Optional: photos of supplement labels (no need to buy anything)

Session 9: Talking about it¶

Goal: Practice conversations about health that are accurate and kind.
Chapter: 19: Culture, Food, Family, and Stigma
Sim: Conversation Practice
Activity (25 min): In pairs, play two scenarios and try at least two different first replies in each. Then each pair writes a new scenario with three possible replies and swaps with another pair.
Discussion prompt: When someone you care about shares wrong health advice, how can you disagree and still respect them?
Materials: screen or devices, index cards for new scenarios
Note: Keep scenarios fictional. No one should share their own family's health stories.

Session 10: Be your own scientist¶

Goal: Put it all together and launch the claim-checking challenge.
Chapter: 20: Be Your Own Scientist
Sim: Hype Meter Sorter
Activity (25 min): Everyone sorts the cards solo and writes down their score and their "too generous" and "too harsh" counts. Tally the club's totals. Then form teams for the claim-checking challenge below.
Discussion prompt: Does our club lean "too generous" or "too harsh"? Why might social media push people one way?
Materials: devices (one per person or pair), paper

Want more sessions? Chapters 9 (IBD Flare Timeline), 10 (Rome Criteria Explorer), 12 (Villi Explorer), 14 (a gut-first vs brain-first debate), 17 (Treatment Evidence Map), and 18 (Gut and Sleep Diary) all make good extra meetings. For a review session, pick questions from the mock exam.

Running a claim-checking challenge¶

This works as a two- or three-meeting project after Session 10. Teams use the student research project template in Chapter 20, Section 20.14.

Meeting 1: Pick and plan (45 minutes)

Teams of two to four each pick one real gut-brain claim from a public ad, headline, or public account's post. Good starting places are the Hype Meter cards in the chapters.
The advisor approves each claim. Skip claims about a member's own health, and skip posts by classmates or family.
Teams restate the claim as a question: "In which people, does what cause which outcome, compared with what?"

Between meetings or Meeting 2: Dig in

Find at least three sources: the original study (or note that none exists), a review or guideline if one exists, and a trusted plain-language source such as NIH, CDC, FDA, or MedlinePlus.
Fill in the six-question table: mouse or human, correlation or cause, how many, how long, who paid, and is something being sold.

Final meeting: Present (60 minutes)

Each team gets 3 to 4 minutes: the claim, the evidence, the grade, and a careful rewrite of the claim.
The audience holds up a grade card (Strong, Moderate, Preliminary, Hype) before the team reveals its grade.
Score on reasoning, not on whether the claim turned out true. A team that shows a claim has no original study did good work.

Tips:

Make it friendly. Give awards like "Best detective work" or "Clearest rewrite," not just "winner."
Every presentation ends with: "This is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before starting, stopping, or changing any medicine, diet, or supplement."
Teams should never make or share posts that mock a real person. Critique the claim, not the people who believe it.

Hosting a family night¶

A family night lets members teach what they've learned to parents, siblings, and friends. Plan about 60 to 75 minutes, and get your advisor's and school's approval first.

Suggested stations (10 to 12 minutes each, groups rotate):

Station	What happens	Run by
Your gut's nervous system	Visitors try the Peristalsis Builder and predict where the food stalls	2 members
Myth or fact?	Visitors play the Hype Meter Sorter and compare their score with the club's average	2 members
Stress and the gut	Members demo the HPA Axis Stress Dial and explain why stress symptoms are real	2 members
Claim check gallery	Posters from the claim-checking challenge, with each team's grade and careful rewrite	Challenge teams

Planning checklist:

Send an invitation that explains what the night is and that no one will be asked about their own health.
Set up laptops or tablets with the sims already open, plus one big screen.
Print the Hype Meter page as a handout, and link For Families on a slide or QR code.
Keep a short welcome (5 minutes) and a short wrap-up (5 minutes) where members share one thing that surprised them.

Keep it safe and welcoming:

No food-shaming. If you serve snacks, check with your school about allergy rules and label ingredients. Don't present any food as "good" or "bad," and don't hand out samples of supplements or "gut health" products.
No diagnosing. Members explain the science and the fictional cases only. If a visitor asks for personal advice, say: "That's a question for your doctor."
No selling. Don't accept sponsorship or display products from supplement or wellness companies.
Have help ready. Put the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988 in the US) and the school counselor's contact on the welcome slide.

Keeping meetings safe and welcoming¶

Anyone can join. Say clearly that no background is needed.
No one has to disclose. Some members may have a gut condition, eating concerns, or mental-health struggles. Never ask anyone to share their symptoms, diagnoses, diet, or family health history, and don't "diagnose" each other. The cases in the book are fictional.
Avoid food-shaming. Talk about foods and studies, never about what members eat or how their bodies look.
Give heads-ups. Chapters 7, 8, 11, 13, and 19 cover stress, pain, mental health, autism and ADHD, and stigma. Mention the topic a week ahead and let anyone step out without explaining. Your advisor should read the notes on teaching sensitive topics first.
Know where to send people. If someone is struggling, they can call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (in the US), or talk to the school counselor or a trusted adult.
Bathroom breaks are always fine, with no questions asked.
Keep it free. No one should have to buy anything.
Spread the talking. Use "think, write, then share," and rotate who reports for each team.
Not medical advice. The club teaches science. Personal health questions go to a doctor.

Tell us how it went¶

If your club uses this kit, the author wants to hear what worked. Please don't include members' names or personal information. The Contact page has a form to tell the author you're using the book and a form to suggest improvements.