For Teachers¶

Thank you for looking at Gut Check for your students. This page explains what the book is, who it fits, and how to start. You don't need to read all 20 chapters first. Pick a plan from the Teacher Guide, open one chapter, and spend five minutes playing with its MicroSim.

Who this book is for¶

Gut Check: The Neuroscience of How Your Gut and Brain Talk is a free, open textbook about the gut-brain axis: the two-way communication between the digestive system, the immune system, and the nervous system. It is written for students in grades 9 to 12 who have had about one year of high school biology. No chemistry beyond the basics is needed.

It also works well for:

Students who want health or medical careers, because every chapter connects the science to a fictional patient.
Teens living with a gut condition such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, IBS, or celiac disease, and their friends and families (see For Families).
Wellness-curious students who see "heal your gut" posts online. The book's main lesson is how to tell solid science from hype.

What is in each chapter¶

Every chapter follows the same pattern (see How to Use This Book):

a short story or question to open it, often about Riya (who has Crohn's disease) or Sam (who has IBS and test anxiety), both fictional
an everyday comparison before any technical words
the core science in numbered sections
Hype Meter cards that grade popular claims as Strong, Moderate, Preliminary, or Hype (how the Hype Meter works)
a "How to read a gut-brain claim" box that applies six questions to one real study
a MicroSim, a small interactive simulation that runs in the browser, plus a box on what the model leaves out
an At the Bedside case, Common Misconceptions, a Your Gut Check practice section, 12 exercises across Bloom's levels, and Key Takeaways
a 10-question quiz with explanations on its own page

See the List of Chapters and the List of MicroSims.

How to use it in your course¶

Chapters 1 to 4 build the foundation. Most later chapters can be taught in any order, and each one lists its prerequisites at the top. Full pacing plans (a 2-week unit, a 6-week unit, a semester elective, and single-lesson drop-ins) are in the Teacher Guide.

Course	Good starting chapters	Why they fit
Biology	1, 3, 4, 6, 12	Organ systems working together, microbes as a community, immunity, and genes and disease (celiac disease)
Anatomy and physiology	1, 2, 5, 7, 8	The gut wall, the vagus nerve, hormones, the HPA axis and negative feedback, and pain pathways
Health	9, 10, 15, 16, 20	Real conditions, food and mood without food-shaming, supplement claims, and media literacy
Psychology	7, 11, 13, 18, 19	Stress, mood, research methods (confounders, cohort studies, trials), therapy, and stigma
Science or health club	See the Club Kit	A ready 10-session plan for 45 to 60 minute meetings

Free and printable¶

The book is free to read online, with no login and no ads. It is licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0. In plain words:

You may use it in class, print it, and share it with students for free.
You may adapt it (for example, shorten a chapter or translate it) if you share your version under the same license.
Give credit: name the book, link to it, and say if you made changes.
Don't sell it or use it commercially.

A credit line like this works: Adapted from "Gut Check: The Neuroscience of How Your Gut and Brain Talk" by Aaryav Sharma, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. See How to Cite for more formats. The Downloads page has a PDF of each chapter and a PDF of the full book, for printing or offline reading.

Using the MicroSims¶

All 20 MicroSims run in a web browser with no install. Each sim page has the sim, a fullscreen button, How to Use steps, a learning objective, an embed code, and a Lesson Plan with timing, a step-by-step activity, and assessment questions.

Embedding a sim in your own page. Copy the code from the "Iframe Embed Code" section of any sim page and paste it into your course page or learning management system, if it accepts iframes. For example, this is the code for the Peristalsis Builder:

<iframe src="https://aaryavvatts-lab.github.io/gut-brain-textbook/sims/ch01-peristalsis-builder/main.html" height="522px" width="100%" scrolling="no"></iframe>

To embed a different sim, change the folder name (for example, ch07-hpa-stress-dial) and use the height listed on that sim's page.

Predict, observe, explain. This routine works with every sim:

Predict. Before touching anything, students write what they think will happen and why.
Observe. Run the sim and record what actually happens.
Explain. Students explain any surprise in one or two sentences using the chapter's terms.

End with the limits. Every sim lesson plan ends by reading the chapter's "What this model leaves out" box. Asking "what does this model get wrong?" is one of the most useful habits the book teaches.

Pairs work better than solo. One student runs the sim while the other predicts and records, then they switch.

Quizzes, practice, and assessment¶

Quizzes. Each chapter has a 10-question quiz on its own page, for example the Chapter 1 quiz. Answers sit in "Show Answer" boxes, so copy questions into your own form or handout if you want students to answer without peeking (the license allows this with credit).
Your Gut Check. Each chapter's practice section has a claim to grade, three short scenarios, and a data-reading question. It works well as homework or a warm-up.
Mock exam. Appendix A: Mock Exam has 50 multiple-choice questions covering all 20 chapters (two or three per chapter), with an explanation for each answer and a one-table answer key. Use it as a cumulative review for the end of a unit or course, or pick the questions for the chapters you taught.
Capstone. Chapter 20 ends with a student research project template, where each student grades one real health claim.

More assessment ideas and a rubric are in the Teacher Guide.

Teacher resources¶

Resource	What it is
Appendix C: Teacher Guide	Pacing plans, a per-chapter table, a Hype Meter classroom activity, assessment ideas, and differentiation notes
Appendix D: Club Kit	A 10-session club plan, a claim-checking challenge, and a family night
Appendix A: Mock Exam	50 multiple-choice questions across all 20 chapters, with explanations and an answer key
Appendix E: Pilot Study Kit	A small pre/post study of Chapters 1, 5, 10, and 20 for a club or class: ethics and permission steps, a 10-question quiz with an answer key, an anonymous feedback form, and a scoring and results template (no pilot has been run yet)
Downloads	PDFs of each chapter and of the full book

Teaching sensitive topics¶

This book is about bodies, food, and feelings, so some of it may be personal for your students. In any class, some students may live with a gut condition, some may struggle with eating or body image, and some may be dealing with anxiety, depression, or thoughts of suicide. You may not know who they are.

No one should be asked to disclose. Never ask students to share their own or their family's symptoms, diagnoses, diets, or mental health. Keep discussion on the science and the fictional cases (Riya, Sam, and the At the Bedside patients).
Avoid food-shaming. Don't label foods or eaters as "good" or "bad," and don't ask students to log or share what they eat. The book treats food as nourishment, culture, and comfort. Chapters 12 and 15 explain why cutting out foods without a medical reason can backfire, and Chapter 15 discusses eating disorder risk. Preview them before class.
Give a heads-up. Chapters 7, 8, 11, 13, and 19 cover stress, pain, mental health, autism and ADHD, and stigma. Tell students ahead of time and offer a way to choose another task without explaining why.
Bathroom access. Students with gut conditions may need to leave quickly and often. Chapter 19 explains school accommodations such as 504 plans. A quiet, no-questions bathroom policy helps everyone.
Share help. In the US, anyone can call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, free and confidential, 24/7, or chat at 988lifeline.org. Remind students that the school counselor is there for them too. Let your counselor know when you plan to teach the mental-health chapters, and follow your school's reporting rules.
Language. Follow the book's lead: autism and ADHD are described as neurodevelopmental differences, not diseases to fix, and the book never says gut changes cause or cure them.
Not medical advice. If a student asks whether they should try a diet, supplement, or medicine, the answer is always "talk to your doctor." The cases are fictional teaching cases.

Standards connections¶

These are teacher-made connections

The table shows where chapters connect to NGSS high school life science performance expectations. The connections were made by the book's author to help with planning. The book is not reviewed or endorsed by NGSS or Achieve. Each code links to its official page; check your own state or district standards.

Performance expectation (paraphrased)	Chapters	How it connects
HS-LS1-2: Build and use a model of how interacting body systems are organized in levels to carry out functions in a multicellular organism.	1, 2, 4	The gut wall is a clear example of levels: neurons and smooth muscle form the enteric nervous system, which links to the vagus nerve, brainstem, and immune system. The NGSS clarification emphasizes system-level functions such as nutrient uptake and gives smooth muscle working with other tissues in an artery as an example; in the Peristalsis Builder, enteric neurons and smooth muscle work together to push food along, which is a similar gut example.
HS-LS1-3: Plan and carry out an investigation that gives evidence that feedback mechanisms keep the body in balance (homeostasis).	7, 4	Chapter 7 shows cortisol's negative feedback in the HPA axis. In the HPA Axis Stress Dial, students change one variable at a time (feedback on or off, acute or chronic stress) and record the result, a simple simulated investigation. The Cytokine Feedback Loop offers a contrast: a loop that can keep itself going.
HS-LS2-6: Evaluate claims, evidence, and reasoning that interactions in an ecosystem keep the numbers and types of organisms fairly steady under stable conditions, and that changing conditions can lead to a new ecosystem.	3, 6	The gut microbiome is a community that stays fairly stable and can shift after a disturbance. In the Microbiome Balance sim, students run an antibiotic course and a diet change and judge whether the community recovers. The "evaluate claims" part matches the Hype Meter.

Many chapters also practice NGSS science practices such as analyzing data, using models, and evaluating claims, especially Chapters 13, 15, 16, and 20.

Accessibility¶

Devices. The book works in a browser on phones, tablets, Chromebooks, and laptops. MicroSims resize to fit the screen.
Network. The MicroSims load the p5.js library from cdn.jsdelivr.net. If a sim shows a blank area on school devices, ask your IT team whether that site is blocked.
Screen readers. Each MicroSim includes a short text description for screen readers. It summarizes the sim rather than announcing every change, so pair students who use screen readers with a partner and use the sim's "About This MicroSim" section alongside it.
More notes are in the Teacher Guide.

Tell us how it went, or report an error¶

If you use the book with students, the author wants to hear what worked and what you changed. Please don't include student names or other personal information. The Contact page has forms to tell the author you're using the book, suggest an improvement, or report an error.

Fine print¶

Not medical advice. This book teaches; it does not diagnose or treat. The At the Bedside cases and the people in them are fictional. Anyone with symptoms should talk to a doctor.
Independent. The book is not affiliated with or endorsed by any medical society, patient group, or standards organization.