Use the following activity to visualize the ion movements of an action potential: If you’re in a classroom with several other students, label half of them as sodium ions and half as potassium ions. Find an object to represent a membrane (e.g., a line in the floor); label four mats or pieces of paper to represent different membrane proteins, and lay them across the line. Choose which side will be the inside of the cell. Act out how the ions move before, during, and after an action potential. Alternatively, if you are working alone or in a small group, use 20 coins of two different types to represent 10 Na+ and 10 K+ ions. Draw a line on a piece of paper to serve as a membrane, add four types of proteins, and label the inside and outside of the cell. Position the ions before, during, and after an action potential. Then, write a sentence or two about your activity.