Lesson Plan: An Introduction to the Nervous System

Section: Animal Science Unit: Unit 7—Anatomy and Physiology Lesson Title: Lesson 8: The Nervous System Student Learning Objectives As a result of this lesson, the student will: 1. Briefly describe the two main divisions of human and animal nervous systems, the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system. 2. Diagram how neurons, dendrites and axons function within the nervous system. 3. Identify the main parts of the human brain and their functions Tools, Equipment and Supplies Colored Pencils Materials to make brain matter (see recipe below) PowerPoint Presentation Copies of slide #5, one per student Music for e-moment Digital or overhead projector Copies of worksheet for students Two different colored highlighters for each student Brain Mix A: 1.5 cups (360 ml) instant potato flakes 2.5 cup (600 ml) hot water 2 cups (480 ml) clean sand 1 gallon Ziploc bag Combine all of the ingredients in the Ziploc bag and mix thoroughly. It should weigh about 3 lbs. (1.35 kg.) and have the consistency of a real brain. OR Brain Mix B: 2 cups water 2 cups flour 4 teaspoons cream of tartar 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1 cup salt Red food coloring Mix the water, salt, flour and cream of tartar in a large bowl or blender until the lumps disappear. Then mix in the vegetable oil. Put the entire mixture into a sauce pan and "cook" it over low heat until it gets lumpy. Pour the mixture out and let it cool. Then knead and shape it into the form of a brain. Don't forget to add wrinkles (gyri) to your brain. Squirt in red food coloring for blood vessels. 1 Key Terms. The following terms are presented in this lesson: Central Nervous Neuron System Dendrites Peripheral Nervous Axon System Sensory Neurons Interneurons Motor Neurons Synapse Neurotransmitter Interest Approach Get two student volunteers to come to the front of the classroom, have them stand with one student facing the other’s back. Have the student in back tap the other student on the shoulder. The student’s instinct is to turn their head and look at whoever tapped their shoulder. Ask the students in the class to tell you what just happened. How did the front student know to turn around? Answer: Receptors in the skin sense touch or other stimuli. Sensory neurons transmit the touch message. Information is sorted and interpreted in the brain. A response is determined. Motor neurons transmit a response message to the shoulder muscles. The shoulder muscles are activated, causing the head to turn. The amazing part of this is that this all happened in the split second it took the front student to turn their head. Our nervous systems take in hundreds of stimuli every minute, interpret it and make us respond. In fact, messages can travel in neurons at speeds up to 268 miles per hour! It’s truly an amazing system in each of our bodies. Today, we’re going to take an in depth look at our nervous systems so that tomorrow we can make some comparisons with animal nervous systems. 2 Summary of Content and Teaching Strategies Objective 1. Briefly describe the two main divisions of human and animal nervous systems, the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. First, let’s take a look at the two main divisions of both human and animal nervous systems: the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. You will take notes on the worksheet I’ve given you as we journey through this presentation. Show Nervous System PowerPoint, slides #1-4. Discuss the information while students complete the worksheet. They will need green and yellow colored pencils to code the diagram on their worksheet. Keep one copy of the worksheet with you so you can point out to the students what key words to add to their notes. If you model this in the beginning, students will get in the habit of continuing. Show slide #5 Because we are studying agriscience, we need to understand the difference between the animal nervous system and the human nervous system. Fortunately, there aren’t many differences, which may explain part of the reason we can use pig organs in human bodies! I want you to take one highlighter and highlight the central nervous system. The central nervous system includes the brain and spinal cord. Remember to make a key at the bottom of the page so you remember which color is which! Now, let’s take the other highlighter and highlight the peripheral nervous system, which includes all nerves that carry messages from the central nervous system to the body and back. These are all the outlaying nerves. Is central nervous system Is peripheral nervous system Now, we’re going to stop for one moment and digest this information. We’re going to have 60 seconds of music while you write down two questions you have about the nervous system on your paper. They can relate to any part of the nervous system we have already covered or might cover later. Ready, set, go! (Use radio or have CD cued up but turned down to provide music for this activity.) Okay, stop. As we go around the room, share one question you have – rapid fire! We’re not going to answer them now, but by the 3 end of the day we might have answered some. (This is the Newton e-Moment – see book for more details and ideas.) Objective 2. Diagram how neurons, dendrites and axons function within the nervous system. Continue with the PowerPoint presentation and worksheet, slides #6-11. Everybody take a deep breath together and focus your mind again to learn about neurons. They are the building blocks of our entire nervous system. So, take two minutes and use colored pencils to draw one on your worksheet and label the three main parts: dendrites, axon and cell body. There’s one other way you can make a model of a neuron. Hold out your arm and spread your fingers. Your hand represents the "cell body" (also called the "soma"); your fingers represent "dendrites" bringing information to the cell body; your arm represents the "axon" taking information away from the cell body. So now you have two ways to remember the three main parts of a neuron. Let’s learn about their uses. (Continue on with notes through slide #10.) 4 Objective 3. Identify the main parts of the human brain. Before class, use one of these recipes to create a brain in a bag, or several if you can. Recipe 1 (from the Pacific Science Center and the Group Health Cooperative in Seattle, WA) Materials: 1.5 cups (360 ml) instant potato flakes 2.5 cups (600 ml) hot water 2 cups (480 ml) clean sand 1 gallon Ziploc bag Combine all of the ingredients in the Ziploc bag and mix thoroughly. It should weigh about 3 lbs. (1.35 kg.) and have the consistency of a real brain. Recipe 2 (from BrainLink) Materials: 2 cups water 2 cups flour 4 teaspoons cream of tartar 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1 cup salt Red food coloring Mix the water, salt, flour and cream of tartar in a large bowl or blender until the lumps disappear. Then mix in the vegetable oil. Put the entire mixture into a saucepan and "cook" it over low heat until it gets lumpy. Pour the mixture out and let it cool. Then knead and shape it into the form of a brain. Don't forget to add wrinkles (gyri) to your brain. Squirt in red food coloring for blood vessels. Put the brains in bowls and ask for some volunteers to come forward with eyes closed to touch a brain. These should have the texture and correct weight of a real brain. After all students sit down. The average human brain weighs three pounds. However, it is probably the most important three pounds of your body. We are going to use our last couple of minutes today to learn a few basic facts about your brain that will help us understand the nervous systems of livestock in our lesson tomorrow. Review slides #11-14, taking notes on worksheet. When talking about the three main sections, have students color code them on their diagrams. Then, have students label the lobes on their diagram. 5 Review/Summary. The “Show what you know” at the end of the PowerPoint presentation (slides #15-19) is identical to the quiz included with this lesson. You may use the two in several ways. 1. Use the quiz as class discussion to review at end of lesson and give it as a quiz the next day. 2. Use it as a quiz grade that day. 3. Use it simply as class discussion. Let’s review a little bit by answering some questions as a class. If you know the answer to the question I put on the screen, then please raise your hand. You may use your notes. See answers to assessment for key to questions. 6 Application Extended classroom activity: If time allows, go more in depth on the depolarization process and impulse transmission on pages 1,009-1,111 in the Biology textbook. Use the following table to assign topics of research for diseases and disorders of the nervous system. Students could present their findings to the class. Major Nervous System Diseases Disease Number of Cases Cost per year Chronic Pain 97,000,000 $100 billion Hearing Loss 28,000,000 $56 billion Depression Disorders 18,700,000 $30.4 billion Alzheimer's Disease 4,000,000 $90 billion Stroke 3,800,000 $40 billion Epilepsy 2,500,000 $3.5 billion Traumatic Head Injury 2,000,000 $25 billion Schizophrenia 2,000,000 $32.5 billion Parkinson's Disease 1,000,000 to 2,000,000 $25 billion Multiple Sclerosis 350,000 $2.5 billion Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury 250,000 $5 billion During objective #2 when students create questions – have a research time so they can find the answers to the questions. FFA activity: Learning about the brain can be useful when memorizing the creed or preparing for contests. Parts of this lesson might be presented at a preparation meeting. Students could take a personality test to discover how they work best in teams. SAE activity: Evaluation. Use quiz at the end of the lesson for evaluation as well as the completion of the notes worksheet. 7 Answers to Assessment: The Human Nervous System Quiz Key 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. The Central Nervous System is made up of what two parts? Brain and spinal cord What does the Central Nervous System do? It’s the body’s control center – coordinates activities. What is the Peripheral Nervous System is made up? Nerves that carry messages to and from the brain. What’s the difference between the somatic and autonomic nervous systems? Somatic system is consciously controlled movements, reflexes Autonomic system is involuntary control of organs. Draw a neuron and label the axon, dendrite and cell body. Describe what roles the dendrites and axons play in a neuron’s transmission of impulses. Dendrites: branch-like extensions that receive impulses and carry them toward the cell body. Axon: single extension of the neuron that carries impulses away from the cell body. 7. What are the three types of neurons? Sensory neurons, interneurons, motor neurons 8. What is the sequence of events that occurs when someone taps you on the shoulder? (5 steps) 1. Receptors in the skin sense touch or other stimuli. 2. Sensory neurons transmit the touch message. 3. Information is sorted and interpreted in the brain. A response is determined by interneurons. 4. Motor neurons transmit a response message to the shoulder muscles. 5. The shoulder muscles are activated, causing the head to turn. 9. What does the cerebrum enable us to do? Controls memory, intelligence, muscles 10. Compare and contrast the roles of the cerebellum and brainstem: Cerebellum controls balance, posture and coordination Brainstem controls involuntary activities such as breathing 6. 8 The Nervous System PowerPoint Presentation Notes Name ___________________________________________ 1. Date _______________ The Central Nervous System Is made up of ________________________________________  Acts as body’s _________________________________  Coordinates ___________________________________  Impulses travel through ________________ to reach the brain Label the parts seen here. Color the Central Nervous System yellow and the Peripheral Nervous System green. 2. The Peripheral Nervous System Is made up of ________________________________________  Similar to _________________________________  Central Nervous System and Peripheral Nervous System work together to __________________________________________________________  What are the two parts to the Peripheral Nervous System?  What’s the difference between the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems? Label the central nervous system with one highlighter and the peripheral system with the other. Make a key so you remember which is which! 9 Quick – Question Authority! Write down two questions you have about nervous systems. We’ll answer them later. 3. Neurons: The Basic Unit of Structure and Function Draw a neuron and label the axon, dendrite and cell body. What does a dendrite do? An axon? 10 What are the three types of neurons? Write down how you will remember the differences. So, if someone taps you on the shoulder…what happens? (fill in the blanks) 1. __________________ in the skin sense touch or other stimuli. 2. __________________ neurons transmit the touch message. 3. Information is sorted and interpreted in the brain. A response in determined by ____________________________. 4. _________________ neurons transmit a response message to the shoulder muscles. 5. The shoulder muscles are activated, causing the head to turn. How is an impulse transmitted? 1. 2. 3. 11 The Brain Using colored pencils, color code the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem Label the main lobes of the brain What do these things do? Cerebrum: Cerebellum: Brainstem: 12 The Human Nervous System Quiz Name _________________________________________ Date _________________________ 1. The Central Nervous System is made up of what two parts? 2. What does the Central Nervous System help coordinate? 3. What is the Peripheral Nervous System is made up? 4. What’s the difference between the somatic and autonomic nervous systems? 5. Draw a neuron and label the axon, dendrite and cell body. 6. Describe what roles the dendrites and axons play in a neuron’s transmission of impulses. 7. What are the three types of neurons? 8. What is the sequence of events that occurs when someone taps you on the shoulder? (5 steps) 9. What does the cerebrum enable us to do? 10. Compare and contrast the roles of the cerebellum and brainstem: 13