Nervous System Lessons

Welcome to the Nervous System

This unit is all about the nervous system. You'll learn about the different branches of the nervous system and each of their functions. You'll learn about how nerve transmissions take place, how reflexes happen, and about the senses of sight and hearing.

Follow the directions in each of the lessons in the table of contents. Do everything listed on each page as doing it all will help you learn the information well. If you do the minimum through these lessons you'll find much difficulty through this course.

Each lesson may have a video, a practice worksheet, a quiz, activity etc. and they are all there to help you understand the information better. If you see something highlighted in blue, it is a hyperlink for you to click. If you see something highlighted in green, it is also a link to click and it is an assignment/quiz which will be for marks.

Lesson 1 - Nervous System Organization

In this lesson you will learn about

1. Watch this video to learn about how the nervous system is organized in the body. 

2. Watch this video to learn about a neuron. Only watch up until 7 minutes. The rest is for a different lesson.

2. Once you've watched the video answer the questions from this document. These questions will help make sure that you correctly understand the information from the lesson.

3. Read Chapter 11 page 366-369 and page 372-373 from the textbook for a deeper understanding of this material.

This PowerPoint outlines all the main points that you need to know from this lesson. You can use this PowerPoint as a review when you revisit this information at a later date.

Self Assessment Section. Have you come away from the lesson knowing all of the things that you need to know?

i) I can define this list of words:

ii) I can organize the hierarchy of the nervous system using this prompt and these words:

central nervous system, peripheral nervous system, nervous system, brain, spinal cord, sensory pathways, motor pathways, sympathetic nervous system, parasympathetic nervous system, somativ nervous system, autonomic nervous system.

iii) I can draw the structure of a neuron.

Lesson 2 - Reflex Arc

In this lesson you will learn about

1. a) Watch this video to learn about the reflex arc. The reflex arc is a response that our bodies do automatically to help us avoid danger. 

b) Here is another video about the reflex arc as well. It is 2 minutes long. Username and password for the following video - username: palliserrd   password: digital

2. Once you've watched the video answer the questions from this document. These questions will help make sure that you correctly understand the information from the lesson.

3. Read Chapter 11 pages 369-371 from the textbook for a deeper understanding of this material.

This PowerPoint outlines all the main points that you need to know from this lesson. You can use this PowerPoint as a review when you revisit this information at a later date.

Self Assessment Section. Have you come away from the lesson knowing all of the things that you need to know?

i) I can define this list of words: 

ii) I can explain the importance of the reflex arc.

iii) I can draw a diagram of a reflex arc, starting with the stimulus and ending with movement of the muscle.

4. Once you have learned the information for this lesson, complete the assignment Nerve Communications

Lesson 3 - Nerve Impulse

In this lesson you will learn about

1. Watch this video to learn about how stimuli are transmitted through a neuron. *Note: in this video he uses the number 30mV for when repolarization occurs. We use the number 35mV, as that is the number in our textbook. 

2. Once you've watched the video answer the questions from this document. These questions will help make sure that you correctly understand the information from the lesson.

3. Read Chapter 11 pages 373-377 from the textbook for a deeper understanding of this material.

This PowerPoint outlines all the main points that you need to know from this lesson. You can use this PowerPoint as a review when you revisit this information at a later date.

Self Assessment Section. Have you come away from the lesson knowing all of the things that you need to know?

i) I can define this list of words: 

ii) I can describe a whole action potential starting with the stimulus causing depolarization, ending with the neuron being polarized after the action potential has passed.

4. Once you have learned the information from this lesson, complete the assignment Action Potential

Lesson 4 - Saltatory Conduction

In this lesson you will learn about

1. Watch this video to learn about a little bit more about the action potential and to learn about saltatory conduction, which is how nerve impulses can go really fast. 

2. Once you've watched the video answer the questions from this document. These questions will help make sure that you correctly understand the information from the lesson.

3. Read Chapter 11 pages 377-378 from the textbook for a deeper understanding of this material.

This PowerPoint outlines all the main points that you need to know from this lesson. You can use this PowerPoint as a review when you revisit this information at a later date.

Self Assessment Section. Have you come away from the lesson knowing all of the things that you need to know?

i) I can explain how saltatory conduction increases nerve impulse speed.

ii) I can explain how nerve impulses are all or none.

iii) I know how the brain can perceive nerve impulses as more or less intense.

Lesson 5 - Electrochemical Transmission

In this lesson you will learn about

1. Watch this video to learn about the synapse, which is the space between neurons. Learn what happens to pass an action potential from one neuron to the next. 

2. Once you've watched the video answer the questions from this document. These questions will help make sure that you correctly understand the information from the lesson.

3. Read Chapter 11 pages 378-383 from the textbook for a deeper understanding of this material. Make sure to pay attention to the reading on acetylcholine and cholinesterase, on page 380-381. You have to know this!

This PowerPoint outlines all the main points that you need to know from this lesson. You can use this PowerPoint as a review when you revisit this information at a later date.

4. Complete the mouse party assignment.

Self Assessment Section. Have you come away from the lesson knowing all of the things that you need to know?

i) I can define these words

synapse, neuromuscular junction, neurotransmitters, acetylcholine, cholinesterase, endorphins

ii) I can describe the process of an action potential crossing the synapse between two neurons.

Lesson 6 - Central Nervous System

In this lesson you will learn about

1. Watch this video to learn about the parts of the brain. 

Here is a chart from the textbook with the parts of the brain and their major functions. You need to know all of them!

2. Once you've watched the video answer the questions from this document. These questions will help make sure that you correctly understand the information from the lesson.

3. Read Chapter 11 pages 385-395 from the textbook for a deeper understanding of this material.

This PowerPoint outlines all the main points that you need to know from this lesson. You can use this PowerPoint as a review when you revisit this information at a later date.

Self Assessment Section. Have you come away from the lesson knowing all of the things that you need to know?

I can define these words

4. Do this self-check about the brain. It is not for marks, but it is for you to check to see how well you understand this lesson.

Lesson 7 - Peripheral Nervous System

In this lesson you will learn about

1. a) Watch this video to learn about the autonomic nervous system. Username and password for the following videos - username: palliserrd   password: digital

b) Watch this video to learn about the somatic nervous system.

2. Once you've watched the videos answer the questions from this document. These questions will help make sure that you correctly understand the information from the lesson.

3. Read Chapter 11 pages 396-400 from the textbook for a deeper understanding of this material.

This PowerPoint outlines all the main points that you need to know from this lesson. You can use this PowerPoint as a review when you revisit this information at a later date.

Self Assessment Section. Have you come away from the lesson knowing all of the things that you need to know?

i) I can define these words

ii) I can describe numerous effects that the sympathetic nervous system has on the body

iii) I can describe numerous effects that the parasympathetic nervous system has on the body

iv) I can explain the purposes of both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.

4. Once you have learned the information from this lesson, complete the assignment Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Responses

Lesson 8 - Eye, Senses, and Perception

In this lesson you will learn about

1. a) Watch this video to learn about the structures and functions of the structures of the eye. 

b) and watch this video to learn about how light passed through the eye to be focused on the retina. She will talk about some refractive indices (random numbers on things). This is not important for you to know-it is a physics 30 concept. 

c) Watch this video to learn about about defects of the eye. 

2. Once you've watched the video answer the questions from this document. These questions will help make sure that you correctly understand the information from the lesson.

3. Read Chapter 12 pages 406-418 from the textbook for a deeper understanding of this material.

4. a) Complete the questions from this document to help prepare you for the eye quiz.

b) Check your answers here

5. Complete two gizmo assignments

a) eye and vision 2 - focusing light.

b) eye and vision 3 - sensing light.

6. Once you have learned the information from this lesson, complete the Eye quiz

This PowerPoint outlines all the main points that you need to know from this lesson. You can use this PowerPoint as a review when you revisit this information at a later date.

Self Assessment Section. Have you come away from the lesson knowing all of the things that you need to know?

i) I can define these words

ii) I can explain the process of how incoming light it focused onto the fovea centralis

Lesson 9 - The Ear

In this lesson you will learn about

1. Watch this video to learn about hearing and balance. 

2. Once you've watched the video answer the questions from this document. These questions will help make sure that you correctly understand the information from the lesson.

3. Read Chapter 12 pages 419-425 from the textbook for a deeper understanding of this material.

4. a) Complete the practice questions from this document. 

b) Check your answers here

This PowerPoint outlines all the main points that you need to know from this lesson. You can use this PowerPoint as a review when you revisit this information at a later date.

Self Assessment Section. Have you come away from the lesson knowing all of the things that you need to know?

i) I can define these words

ii) I can explain the process of hearing beginning with soundwaves, as they pass through the structures of the ear until they get to the brain.

iii) I can why the semicircular canals function to provide three dimensional balance.

Lesson 10 - Taste, Touch, and Smell

In this lesson you will learn about

1. a) Watch this video to learn about the senses of taste, touch, and smell. 

b) Watch this video to learn a little bit about smell. This is a really cool experiment that was done. 

2. Once you've watched the video answer the questions from this document. These questions will help make sure that you correctly understand the information from the lesson.

3. Read Chapter 12 pages 425-430 from the textbook for a deeper understanding of this material.

4. Complete the senses gizmo assignment.

4. Finally, now that you're ready and have finished reviewing and studying write the nervous system quiz here

This PowerPoint outlines all the main points that you need to know from this lesson. You can use this PowerPoint as a review when you revisit this information at a later date.

Self Assessment Section. Have you come away from the lesson knowing all of the things that you need to know?

i) I can explain how humans sense their environment through olfactory receptors

ii) I can explain how humans sense their environment through receptors in the skin

iii) I can explain how humans sense their environment through taste receptors

Module 1 Review and Quiz

Before doing the final module 1 quiz, make sure to go through these resources to make sure that you know what you know, and that you know what you don't know.

The first step is to go through the detailed nervous system notes to make sure you're familiar with all the points learned throughout the unit.

The next unit system notes are less detailed so that you should be able to fill in extra info based on what you know.

Finally, go through the concept guide. The concept guide has just a few things listed on it, and you will want to be able to read the the words and be able to explain the processes/ define the words. you want to be able to explain and define everything on the concept guide without looking at the PowerPoint/textbook readings.

1. Here are detailed nervous system notes

2. Nervous system review notes

3. Here is the concept guide. You will want to be able to verbalize and explain everything from this document.

You are now through the nervous system unit, and can begin on module 2, in which you will learn about hormones and the endocrine system.