An Introduction to the Nervous System: Components, Reflexes, and Instincts, Exams of Biology

Download An Introduction to the Nervous System: Components, Reflexes, and Instincts and more Exams Biology in PDF only on Docsity! Unit: Biology G – Nervous System Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B183 LESSON 5.1 - AN INTRODUCTION TO THE NERVOUS SYSTEM Overview: Students use their five senses to complete a writing exercise, complete a concept map about the nervous system and work through a reading and question package on the components of the nervous system, reflexes and instincts. Suggested Timeline: 2.5 hours Materials: • Sensible Writing (Student Handout) • What is the Nervous System? (Student Handout – Individual) • What is the Nervous System? (Student Handout – Group) • reflex hammer • QUIZ – An Introduction to the Nervous System (Student Handout) Method: INDIVIDUAL FORMAT: 1. Preview this section of the unit with students by going through the nervous system section of their unit organizer or instruct them to do it individually. 2. Provide students 15 minutes to complete ‘Sensible Writing’ (Student Handout). 3. Hand out ‘What is the Nervous System?’ (Student Handout – Individual) and have students complete the concept map, reading and questions. Students may need some guidance in completing their concept map. GROUP FORMAT: 1. Preview this section of the unit with students by completing the nervous system section of the unit organizer. 2. Provide students 15 minutes to complete ‘Sensible Writing’ (Student Handout). 3. Hand out ‘What is the Nervous System?’ (Student Handout – Group). Use the teacher notes to create a concept map with students about the nervous system and explain the components. Note that a sample concept map is provided. Students may also take notes on the key points made in the teacher notes. Unit: Biology G – Nervous System Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B184 4. Ask a volunteer to come to the front of the class and sit on a desk with his/her legs dangling over the edge. Use a reflex hammer to test the knee jerk response OR use the back of your hand and a swift, firm hit under the patella. Have students note the response. Without warning, snap your fingers in front of the student’s eyes. Have students note the response. Begin a discussion about reflexes. • Key Q: Where does the message go in each case? (above head – brain, below head – spinal cord) • Key Q: Can you control your reflex response? • Key Q: Why are reflexes important? 5. Have students complete the rest of the reading and questions on reflexes and instincts on their handout. Assessment and Evaluation: • Assessment of student’s level of understanding of the nervous system via questioning. • Student grade on quiz Teacher Support Material 3 Unit: Biology G – Nervous System The spinal cord relays information between the brain and the rest of the body. It is protected by bony vertebrae. It also controls reflexes below the head, like pulling your hand away when you touch a hot stove. Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B187 Teacher Support Material 4 Unit: Biology G – Nervous System The peripheral nervous system is divided into the somatic component and the autonomic component. The neurons that make up the somatic component are under voluntary control. For example, the neurons associated with muscles in your arm that move when you think about raising your hand would be associated with the somatic component of the peripheral nervous system. The neurons that make up the autonomic component are those associated that work automatically without you having to think about them working. For example, the neurons that extend into your liver and stimulate it to function to detoxify the blood would be part of the autonomic component of the peripheral nervous system. Adapted from The Nervous System, pp. 113-116 Human Biology and Health Activities Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B188 Teacher Support Material 5 Unit: Biology G – Nervous System Sample Concept Map for Nervous System Overview cell body axon dendrites neurotransmitters consist of support function of neurons Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B189 using communicate with one another at synapse made of individual sensory functions in motor divided into integrative neurons glial cells Nervous System central nervous system peripheral nervous system consists of divided into spinal cord brain somatic autonomic made up of (voluntary) (involuntary) brain stem cerebrum cerebellum diencephalon - autonomic functions (ie: breathing, heart rate) - thought - balance - brain filter - memory - co-ordination - maintains homeostasis - movement Unit: Biology G – Nervous System Name: ________________________ Date: ____________________ Period: _____ Student Handout INDIVIDUAL What is the Nervous System? VOCABULARY neuron – glial cell – cell body- dendrite – axon – myelin sheath – synapse – neurotransmitter – central nervous system – peripheral nervous system – cerebrum – cerebellum – diencephalon – Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B192 Student Handout INDIVIDUAL Unit: Biology G – Nervous System brain stem – spinal cord – autonomic nervous system – somatic nervous system – reflex – instinct - PART 1 - INTRODUCTION TO THE NERVOUS SYSTEM The survival of organisms depends on their ability to sense and respond to things around them. Sense organs of the body, such as the eyes, take in information from an organism’s surroundings and send them to the brain. The cells that make up the nervous system are called nerve cells or neurons. There are several hundred billion nerve cells in the human body! The brain itself contains over 100 billion nerve cells. There are actually other cells that surround neurons in the brain called glial cells. They greatly outnumber neurons and are thought to support neurons. Scientists are just starting to realize that they may have other functions too, but are not sure of what those functions are. A Spanish cell biologist Ramón y Cajal (1852-1934) was the first to show that the neurons make up the nervous system. Look at the picture of a typical neuron below. Each neuron is made up of a cell body with a nucleus containing the genetic material. From the cell body extend dendrites, acting like antennae to receive signals from other nerve cells. Each neuron has a single axon that shoots out from the its cell body and sends the signal to another neuron, muscle or gland. The myelin sheath is a fatty covering on the axon that allows the messages to be sent faster. Axons in your body may measure up to a meter long!! Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B193 Student Handout INDIVIDUAL Unit: Biology G – Nervous System Nerve cells transmit messages via electrochemical signals. Ions like sodium, potassium and chloride are important in the changes that occur in the cell as the message moves along the neuron. The difference in concentration of charged ions inside and outside of the nerve cell creates a voltage across the cell membrane. This is kind of like the voltage in a chemical battery! Once the impulse has moved from the dendrites axon axon terminals it will pass to another nerve cell, muscle or gland. There is always a tiny space, however, between a neuron and the neuron, muscle or gland that it ‘communicates’ with. This space is called the synapse. Information is sent across the synapse from by chemicals called neurotransmitters. These chemicals reach the neuron, muscle or gland to send the message. Drugs can numb sensation and paralyze nerves by interfering with the messages sent along the neuron, or by affecting the chemical balance of neurotransmitters at the synapse. The two major divisions of the nervous system are the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system is made up of the brain and spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system is composed of the nerves branching from the brain and spinal cord. The brain is composed of four major parts: the cerebrum, the diencephalon, the cerebellum, and the brain stem. The cerebrum is the top portion of the brain that has two parts. It is the area responsible for thought, memory, the senses and commands for motion. The diencephalon is found in the middle of the brain and filters sensory signals before they go to the cerebrum. For example, when you are asleep, the diencephalons ‘decides’ what sensory information you should wake for and which you can continue to sleep through. The diencephalon is also responsible for controlling the functions of your body so that it stays in a state of equilibrium or homeostasis by commanding the pituitary gland at the base of the brain to release hormones. The cerebellum is found at the back of the brain and controls co-ordination and balance. The brain stem is found at the bottom and back of the brain and controls the body’s automatic or autonomic functions like breathing, heart rate and the contraction of muscles in the digestive system that move food along. Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B194 Student Handout INDIVIDUAL Unit: Biology G – Nervous System PART 2 – A CLOSER LOOK AT REFLEXES From birth, there are things that you have done by yourself, without having to think about them. These include breathing, your heart beating, blinking, searching for food. You were not taught how to do these things. These kinds of responses are called reflexes. There are many kinds of reflexes, but they are all alike in the following ways: a) Reflexes are not learned. They are inborn. b) You do have to think about reflexes for them to happen. They are automatic and involuntary. c) A reflex is done the same way every time. Most of the time, you do not know that a reflex is happening. For example, when you pull your hand away from something hot, you respond without thinking. You know about it only after the response has taken place. Reflexes are important since they protect us and help us to stay alive. Our body organs are controlled mostly by reflexes. Answer the following questions about reflexes: Reflexes control the heartbeat. Reflexes control breathing. 1. a) What happens to your heartbeat when you 2. Which gas stimulates this reflex? (Hint: are excited? You breathe it out.) __________________________________ _________________ b) What happens to your heartbeat when you are asleep? __________________________________ Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B197 Student Handout INDIVIDUAL Unit: Biology G – Nervous System Reflexes protect you from injury. E.g., When you trip, your hands automatically E.g., When dust gets into your eyes, you move to cover your face. tear and your eyelids flutter automatically. 3. Look at Figure C. What part of your body 4. How does the reflex shown in Figure D do you seem to protect first during this protect you? reflex? ________________________________ ___________________________________ How Do Reflexes Happen? Examine the event that is shown in the two pictures below. Here the heat stimulus moves from the An instant later, the message reaches the brain pan to the hand. which records pain in the hand. Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B198 Student Handout INDIVIDUAL Unit: Biology G – Nervous System The stimulus is touching a hot object. The response is pulling the hand away. In order for the response to occur, the following sequence of steps must happen: 1. Nerves send the message of ‘heat’ to the spinal cord and the spinal cord ‘decides’ what to do. 2. The nerves carry the message of what to do away from the spinal cord. The message is sent to the muscles of the hand. 3. The message tells the muscles to ‘let go’ of the hot object. The following questions correspond to the numbers that are seen in figures O and P (e.g., Question #1 is asking about step 1, as labeled in figure O). Answer each by choosing the correct phrase for the blank. 1. a) At this point, the brain __________________________ know what is happening. does OR does not b) The girl _____________________ feel pain. does OR does not 2. The girl __________________ had a chance to say ‘ouch.’ has OR has not 3. a) The brain now ____________________ know what is happening. does OR does not b) The girl now ____________________ feel pain. does OR does not c) Was the feeling of pain needed for the response to take place? ___________________ Choose the correct term for each statement and write it in the space provided. 1. Reflexes are _______________________. learned OR inborn 2. You _________________ control reflexes. can OR cannot 3. Reflexes ___________________ planned. are OR are not 4. Reflexes ___________________ happen by themselves. do OR do not 5. You ________________ know that most reflexes are happening. do OR do not Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B199 Student Handout GROUP Unit: Biology G – Nervous System brain stem – spinal cord – autonomic nervous system – somatic nervous system – reflex – instinct - PART 1 – An Introduction to the Nervous System Draw your concept map in the space below. Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B202 Student Handout GROUP Unit: Biology G – Nervous System PART 2 – A CLOSER LOOK AT REFLEXES From birth, there are things that you have done by yourself, without having to think about them. These include breathing, your heart beating, blinking, searching for food. You were not taught how to do these things. These kind of responses are called reflexes. There are many kinds of reflexes, but they are all alike in the following ways: 1) Reflexes are not learned. They are inborn. 2) You do have to think about reflexes for them to happen. They are automatic and involuntary. 3) A reflex is done the same way every time. Most of the time, you do not know that a reflex is happening. For example, when you pull your hand away from something hot, you respond without thinking. You know about it only after the response has taken place. Reflexes are important since they protect us and help us to stay alive. Our body organs are controlled mostly by reflexes. Answer the following questions about reflexes: Reflexes control the heartbeat. Reflexes control breathing. 1. a) What happens to your heartbeat when 2. Which gas stimulates this reflex? (Hint: you are excited? You breathe it out.) ______________________________ ________________________ b) What happens to your heartbeat when you are asleep? __________________________________ Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B203 Student Handout GROUP Unit: Biology G – Nervous System Reflexes protect you from injury. E.g., When you trip, your hands automatically E.g., When dust gets into your eyes, you move to cover your face. tear and your eyelids flutter automatically. 3. Look at Figure C. What part of your body 4. How does the reflex shown in Figure D do you seem to protect first during this protect you? reflex? ______________________________ _______________________________ How Do Reflexes Happen? Examine the event that is shown in the two pictures below. Here the heat stimulus moves from the An instant later, the message reaches the brain pan to the hand. which records pain in the hand. Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B204 Student Handout Unit: Biology G – Nervous System _____ 12 Name: _______________________ Date: _______________ Period: _____ QUIZ – An Introduction to the Nervous System PART 1 – Multiple Choice – Circle the correct answer. 5 marks 1. The building blocks of the nervous system are nerve cells called _____________. a) synapses b) myelin c) glial cells d) neurons 2. Nerve cells communicate chemically with one another by ______________. a) neurotransmitters b) electricity c) glial cells d) the hypothalamus 3. Which of the following is NOT a function of the cerebellum? a) balance b) memory c) co-ordination 4. What is the portion of the peripheral nervous system called that involves nerves that you cannot control? a) somatic nervous system b) sporadic nervous system c) autonomic nervous system d) central nervous system 5. The two-lobed, large portion of the brain that is responsible for functions like thinking and memory is the ______________. a) diencephalon b) brain stem c) cerebellum d) cerebrum Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B207 Student Handout Unit: Biology G – Nervous System PART 2 – Diagram – Label the diagram by filling in the boxes with one of the words in the word pool below. 4 marks NOTE: The line above is pointed to the area defined by the circle PART 3 – Short Answer – Answer the question in the space provided. 3 marks 1. A friend of yours throws a piece of paper at your face and your eyes automatically blink. a) Is this an example of an instinct or a reflex? 1 mark ______________________ b) Explain the difference between a reflex and an instinct. 2 marks Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B208 Unit: Biology G – Nervous System Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B209 LESSON 5.2 - INVESTIGATING YOUR SENSES Overview: Students complete hands-on laboratory activities that allow them to explore each of their senses by investigating stimuli that affect each sense. Suggested Timeline: 2 hours Materials: • Sensing Your Surroundings – A Laboratory Investigation (Student Handout) • Playing with Perception – An Investigation of Vision (Student Handout) • a few gummy candies • Per lab group (for ‘Sensing Your Surroundings’ lab) - cotton-tipped swabs - compass with two points OR compass with one point + sharp pencil - ruler - container of hot water - container of ice water - container of room-temperature water - lemon juice - quinine water - 5% fructose solution - 10% sodium chloride (salt solution) - small cubes of potato, onion and apple - 5% sucrose solution (sugar solution) - blindfold - paper towels • Per lab group (for ‘Playing with Perception’ lab) - cellophane or tissue paper (red and green) - 2 flashlights - felt-tip markers (red, yellow and green) - ruler - rubber bands Method: INDIVIDUAL FORMAT: 1. Have students complete ‘Sensing Your Surroundings – A Laboratory Investigation’ (Student Handout) and ‘Playing With Perception – An Investigation of Vision’ (Student Handout) and hand in questions when completed. Note: If there is only one Science 21 student, he/she will need a helper for parts of the activities Unit: Biology G – Nervous System Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B212 Name: ______________ Partners: __________________ Date: ____________ Period: ____ Student Handout Sensing Your Surroundings A Laboratory Investigation ____ 24 Purpose: To learn about how we perceive temperature, touch, smell and taste. Materials: Touch: • compass with two points or with one point and a sharp pencil • ruler Taste: • lemon juice • 5% fructose solution • 5% sucrose solution • quinine water • 10% sodium chloride • cotton-tipped swabs Temperature perception: • container of hot water • container of ice water • container of room temperature water Smell: • small cubes of potato, onion and apple • blindfold • paper towels Background Information: Neurons, or nerve cells, carry information from the sense organs to the brain. Some of the receptors – those for pressure, pain, position and touch – are scattered throughout the muscle, skin or endothelium (lining of the organs). Other receptors – for smell, sight, hearing and taste – are concentrated in specialized organs. This lab will involve an investigation of touch, temperature perception, smell and taste. Student Handout Unit: Biology G – Nervous System Procedure: PART A – Touch The sense of touch is essential in perceiving stimuli in one’s environment. Humans use their hands for many activities. Follow these steps to investigate the sense of touch: 1. Work with a partner. Begin by setting up a compass so that the two tips (or the one tip and the pencil on the other end) are as close together as possible. 2. Have one person look away and hold out his/her hand with the palm facing up. 3. Gently touch the compass tips to your partner’s middle fingertip. If your partner feels only one point, spread the compass tips apart approximately 2 mm and touch the fingertip again. Repeat this until your partner feels two points. This is called the two-point threshold. Record this distance, in mm, in row one of the chart below. 0.5 mark per row x 6 rows = 3 marks 4. Repeat steps 2-3 for the back of the middle finger, the palm, the back of the hand, the inside of the forearm and the back of the forearm. Use the diagram below as a guide and record all two-point thresholds in the chart above. Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B213 Student Handout Unit: Biology G – Nervous System 5. Reverse roles and have the other partner record his/her two-point thresholds. PART B – Perceiving Temperature Getting information about the temperature of things is our environment is important for protecting ourselves and for finding an area in which our bodies work best. This part of the investigation will involve testing your perceptions of hot and cold water. 1. Immerse one hand in the container of ice water and the other in the container of hot water. Keep your hands there for one minute. 2. Dip both hands at once in the container of room-temperature water. a) Does the room temperature water feel hot or cold? Why do you think that this is so? 2 marks _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ PART C – Smell Humans have a sense of smell that is less sensitive than other mammals. The olfactory, or smell centre of the brain is smaller in humans. However, we still respond unconsciously to many different odors. Our sense of smell also contributes to the flavor of many foods. With a partner, complete the following steps to investigate your sense of smell. 1. Have one partner put on the blindfold and pinch his/her nostrils shut. 2. Have the other partner put a small cube of potato, onion or apple in the blindfolded partner’s mouth. 3. The blindfolded group member should then chew the cube, spit it into a piece of paper towel and identify the food with the blindfold still on. The results should be recorded by the seeing partner in the chart below. He/she should not tell the blindfolded partner if his/her identification was correct or not. 4. Repeat steps 2-3 for the other two foods. 5. Keeping the blindfold on, have the partner repeat steps 2-4, but now without the nostrils pinched shut. The order of the foods given should be changed. 6. Switch roles and complete the above steps for the other partner. Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B214 Student Handout Unit: Biology G – Nervous System Bitter taste – Foods taste bitter as a result of tasting several different kinds of large molecules. Some people are sensitive to certain bitter-tasting molecules, whereas others cannot taste them at all! Certain large molecules that stimulate the sweet-detecting taste buds can also stimulate the bitter-detecting taste buds. This may explain why some people find that artificial sweeteners have a bitter taste. Rinse your mouth with plain water. Dip a clean cotton swab into the quinine water and touch the four areas of your tongue. Was there one area where you perceived the bitter taste the most? If so, where? 1 mark ______________________________________________________________________________ Analysis Questions: 1. How would a keen sense of taste help an animal to survive? 2 marks ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 2. What did your reaction to the room temperature water tell you about temperature sensation? 2 marks ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 3. When you eat vanilla ice cream, what senses are involved? 1 mark ______________________________________________________________________________ 4. When you were investigating your sense of touch, you filled in a chart about your two-point thresholds. Review these results. What do your results tell you about the amount of touch receptors in different parts of the body? 1 mark ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 5. It is a commonly-held belief that a blind person’s senses other than sight become better developed because they cannot see. It seems more likely, however, that a blind person just relies more on the other senses. Many things in the world are modified for blind people. For example, in an elevator, Braille labels are sometimes added to the buttons. Suppose that you wanted to design a kitchen for a blind person. What modifications could be made for the blind person in each of the following situations? Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B217 Student Handout Unit: Biology G – Nervous System a) To use the controls on a stove: ____________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ b) To identify spices and extracts: _____________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ c) To put out a fire: _________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ d) To take a telephone message: _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ 4 marks Adapted from Touch, Temperature, Smell and Taste, pp. 193-200 Addison-Wesley Biology – A Systems Approach Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B218 Unit: Biology G – Nervous System Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B219 Student Handout 18 Name: __________________ Partner(s): ________________________ Date: _____________ Period: ____ Playing With Perception An Investigation of Vision Purpose: To learn about how human vision works by investigating several types of perception. Materials: • cellophane or tissue paper (red and green) • 2 flashlights per team • felt-tip markers (red, yellow and green) • rubber bands • ruler Background Information: • Much information about the world around us comes from our sense of vision. The organ of human vision is the eye. The eye contains rods and cones. These special cells make up the retina – a layer at the back of the eye onto which light from our surroundings is focused to form an image. Rods are sensitive to dim light and cones are used in bright light and to sense colour. • Since we have two eyes that both face forward, we see our world in three dimensions. This enables us to perceive depth and judge distance. • Whatever our eyes see is sent to the brain to be processed. Certain shapes like faces are remembered by the brain and we compare them with memories of other faces that we have seen. Student Handout Unit: Biology G – Nervous System When the retina of the eye has received a certain colour of light for a long time, it can no longer respond to it. This is called retinal fatigue. However, the receptors can still respond to the other colours of light. The combination of colours that the eye can still respond to leads to the colour that you can see in the blank parrot. 1. a) When you looked at the uncolored parrot at the right after staring at the colored parrot at the left, what colour did the areas that were red appear? 1 mark ________________________________ b) Using the information in the paragraphs above, explain why this is the case. 2 marks ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Repeat the above procedure with the blackbird. BONUS +1 – What colour did the areas that were black appear on the uncolored blackbird? Why? C. Which Eye is Dominant? Just like people are right or left handed, people have a dominant right or left eye. In this section you will find your dominant eye. Go outside or to a window that allows you to see some small object that is far off in the distance. Point at that object and keep your hand pointed to it. Close one eye, then the other. The eye that remains in line with the object is your dominant eye. You used this eye when you pointed at the object. 1. Which eye is your dominant eye? 1 mark ___________________________ 2. Are you right-handed or left-handed? 1 mark ________________________ 3. Compare your results with those of your classmates or with friends and family after school. a) How many people have a dominant eye and hand on the same side? 1 mark ____________ Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B222 Unit: Biology G – Nervous System b) What percentage of the people that you tested had a dominant right eye and right hand? (Reminder: To find %, divide the number that had a dominant right eye and right hand by the total number of people that you tested and multiply by 100) 1 mark Student Handout _______________________________________________________________________ c) Why do you think that this is so? 1 mark _____________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ D. Perceiving Color Color gives us the ability to tell the difference between objects in our surroundings. In this section, you will investigate this fact. Use rubber bands to fasten red cellophane (or three layers of red tissue paper) over a flashlight. When you turn on the flashlight, the light should be red. Using this same procedure, prepare the second flashlight so that the light is green. Close your eyes. With the flashlights off, have your partner hold one of the colored flashlights in front of one eye and the other in front of the other eye. Have your partner turn on both of the flashlights at the same time. At that same instant, open your eyes. 1. What colour do you see? 1 mark ___________________________ 2. Why do you think that this is so? 1 mark ________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Reverse roles and repeat the steps. Analysis Questions: 1. Why is being able to see in three dimensions useful? (Hint: Try covering one eye and walk around the room for a while.) 1 mark ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 2. When fighting fish (sometimes called Beta fish) first see each other, they become very aggressive. If put in contact with one another, a fight will occur. If they are separated by clear glass, however, they soon ignore each other. Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B223 Student Handout Unit: Biology G – Nervous System Which of the following visual mechanisms may be involved here? 1 mark a) perspective b) afterimage c) retinal fatigue d) eye dominance e) colour perception Explain your answer. 1 mark ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 3. Think about what you learned in the part C of this investigation. Would a person with a dominant left eye most likely kick a ball with the right or left foot? Explain your answer. 2 marks ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Adapted from Visual Perception, pp. 201-204 Addison-Wesley Biology – A Systems Approach Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B224 Teacher Support Material 2 Unit: Biology G – Nervous System Fast Money Teacher-Led Reaction Time Activity Materials: $5, $10 and $20 bills 1. Ask students in the class who is interested in making some quick cash. Explain to them that all they have to do is catch the money! Tell them that you will even show them how it is done! 2. Hold the forefinger and thumb of your left hand about 5 cm apart. With your right hand, hold a $5 bill vertically and about half way between the two fingers of your left hand. 3. Let the bill fall and catch it between your two fingers. 4. Have a student come to the front. Tell them that any money that they catch, they can keep. Instruct them to position the fingers of their left hand in the same way that you did while you hold the $5 bill between their fingers. Rules: They cannot move their hand down. Their fingers must be 5 cm apart. 5. Give the student three tries, varying the time between placing the $5 bill between their fingers and letting go of it. 6. Repeat the activity with other students, increasing the denomination of the bill. Remember to vary the dropping time, or you will lose your money! 7. Discuss the following questions: a) Why was the teacher able to catch the bill so easily when he/she dropped it her/himself? b) Why did the teacher vary the time between placing the bill between the students’ fingers and dropping the bill? c) With the teacher dropping the bill for the student, why was it never caught? d) What was the stimulus for the response of closing one’s fingers? e) Where did the information have to go between the stimulus and the response? Information to include in your discussion/explanation: The initial stimulus was the eye seeing the bill drop. This had to cause the sensory neurons in your eye to send the message to the brain, which sent the message to the motor neurons. The motor neurons stimulated the effector, in this case the muscles of your hand, to close. Although it takes the information very little time to be sent along this pathway, this time is greater than the time it takes the bill to drop under the influence of gravity. Therefore, the bill could not be caught. It is easier to catch the bill if you drop it yourself, because you anticipate the bill falling and actually start to close your fingers before the bill starts to drop. Adapted from Catch the Dollar Bill, p. 447 Invitations to Science Inquiry, 2nd Ed. Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B227 Unit: Biology G – Nervous System Student Handout GROUP Name: ________________________ Date: ____________ Stimulus and Response Conditioning the Nervous System 1. What was the stimulus in the activity? ___________________________ 2. What was the response? ___________________________________________ 3. Why did the teacher pair the strikes with the saying of “write”? 4. Why do you think that a different stimulus (the strikes with the stick) ended up causing the same response (students adding a tic to their paper)? 5. Why did everyone eventually stop writing? Notes from class discussion: Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B228 Student Handout INDIVIDUAL Unit: Biology G – Nervous System Name: ______________________ Date: ___________________ Period: _____ Training Your Virtual Dog Conditioning the Nervous System You will need to use a computer with internet access and sound to play this game. 1. Go to http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/medicine/pavlov/ 2. Click on ‘how to play’ to review the procedure for the game. 3. Go back to the main page. Click on ‘Play the Pavlov’s Dog Game.’ Play the game to try to get the dog to salivate at the sound of your horn, drum or bell. 4. Answer the following questions: a) What is an unconditioned response or reflex? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ b) When food was the unconditioned stimulus, what was the unconditioned response? __________________________________________ c) How did you get the dog to salivate with only the sound of the instrument? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ d) Complete the sentence: When sound was the conditioned stimulus, salivating was the ____________________________________. e) If you continued to only honk the horn/strike the drum/ring the bell and not deliver food to the dog, do you think that he/she would continue salivating? Why or why not? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B229 Unit: Biology G – Nervous System meter stick. Read the value on the meter stick where you have caught it, as before. Record this under ‘Trial 1’ for activity B in your chart. Repeat for trials 2 and 3. 7. Complete three more trials, but this time, look away from the meter stick and have your partner touch your other hand when he/she drops the stick. Close your fingers as quickly as possible. As done for the other activities, record readings for the three trials in the chart. 8. Find the difference between the readings before and after the meter stick was caught by subtracting values. Complete the appropriate columns in your chart. 9. Find an average distance dropped for each activity by adding together the difference values for the three trials and dividing by three. Reading on Meter Stick Before it is Dropped (cm) Reading on Meter Stick After it is Dropped (cm) Difference Between Before and After Readings (cm) Average Distance Dropped for this Activity (cm) Activity TRIAL 1 TRIAL 2 TRIAL 3 TRIAL 1 TRIAL 2 TRIAL 3 A. When looking at the meter stick B. When listening for the word ‘go’ C. When touched by the tester Chart values worth 5 marks 10. Find your reaction time for activity A – When looking at the meter stick. You will need to use the following formula to do this: t = √ 2d Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B232 a where t= reaction time in seconds d = distance the meter stick falls in cm a = acceleration due to gravity = 980 cm/s2 Student Handout Student Handout Unit: Biology G – Nervous System Show your calculation here: 2 marks 11. Find your reaction times for activities B and C. Show your calculations for each in the spaces below. Calculation of reaction time for activity B – When listening for the word ‘go’ 2 marks Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B233 Student Handout Unit: Biology G – Nervous System Calculation of reaction time for activity C – When touched by the tester 2 marks Analysis Questions: 1. The average fingertip reaction time for humans when looking at a meter stick is between 0.20 and 0.25 seconds. a) How did your reaction times for activity A (looking at the meter stick) compare to this average value? 1 mark _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ b) How did your reaction times for activities B and C compare to this average? 1 mark ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ c) Do you think that your average reaction time for this activity and others would have changed if you were allowed to do more trials? Why or why not? 2 marks ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B234 Student Handout Unit: Biology G – Nervous System NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS A Science 21 Research Project DUE DATE: ________________________ OBJECTIVE: To research a specific disorder of the nervous system and make a brochure that a doctor would give to a person who has been diagnosed with the disorder. (Alternatively, you may make your target audience a parent of a child with the disorder.) EXPECTATIONS: STEP 1 – Choose one of the following disorders. If one that you would like to do is not on this list, check with your teacher to see if it is appropriate. • Alzheimer’s Disease • Asperger’s Syndrome • Attention Deficit Disorder • Autism • Bipolar Disorder • Cerebral Palsy • Dyslexia • Epilepsy • Fetal Alcohol Syndrome • Huntington’s Disease • Multiple Sclerosis • Narcolepsy • Parkinson’s Disease • Rett Syndrome • Schizophrenia • Spina Bifida • Tourette Syndrome STEP 2 – Research your disorder. Be sure to choose trustworthy online resources. STEP 3 – What is expected in your brochure. Information - to be included in the following order: 1. Description of the disorder – focus on the anatomy and physiology of the brain and nervous system 2. Symptoms – what can be expected in someone that has the disorder as time passes 3. Statistics – number of people with the disease (in CANADA, if possible) or chances of getting the disease 4. Treatment options Format: Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B237 Student Handout Unit: Biology G – Nervous System • Your brochure must be typed in font that is large enough to be easily read. • Include pictures. Use clipart or internet sources. • Tri-fold the brochure with printing on the back and front (to accommodate school printers, you can print out two pages and then tape them together) • HINT – Use the following website to help you to make a brochure if using Microsoft Word: • http://www.computorcompanion.com/LPMArticle.asp?ID=143 • You MUST include a list of at least three sources of information that you used in creating the brochure. Notes: Pamphlets, just like essays, have a logical order. When you fold the brochure, please ensure it is done so that your work will make sense. DO NOT copy and paste information from your sources. Your job is to synthesize the information, put it into your own words and organize it. Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B238 Student Unit: Biology G – Nervous System Science 21 Bio G – Nervous System B239 Handout EVALUATION: The following rubric will be used to grade your brochure. You should read through the rubric carefully before you begin so that you clearly understand what is to be expected of you. SCORES CATEGORY 10 7 3 Information – Focus • The number of facts included that relate to the disorder • The extent to which the information relates to the human nervous system __/10 • an extensive number of well-described facts are provided • included information relates well to what was studied in class on the nervous system • an adequate number of facts on the disorder are included • some of the information provided relates to the nervous system • few relevant facts on the disorder are included • the reader would likely have many questions about the disorder after having had read the brochure • a small amount of the information relates to the nervous system Information – Audience • How well the target audience is addressed • How well the included information is written and in terms that someone with little science background would understand __/10 • information is clear and concise • no spelling or grammatical errors are made • information is written in a way that could be easily understood by someone with little science background, such as a patient or the parent of a patient • some of the information in the brochure is unclear and includes too much or not enough detail • there are a few spelling +/or grammatical errors • information is too technical at times – someone with little science background could have trouble in understanding • too much or not enough detail provided • many spelling +/or grammatical errors • information is often too technical or lacks enough detail • it is unlikely that an average reader would have a good grasp of the disorder 5 3 1 Organization • How well the brochure is arranged so as to follow a logical order and is easy to read __/5 • set-up of the brochure is logical, easy to follow and organized well into appropriate sections • most of the information in the brochure is easy to follow • the rearrangement of some sections would make reading the information easier and could possibly aid in understanding • information in the brochure is scattered and follows an illogical sequence • the reader’s understanding would be negatively affected by the lack of organization Format and References • How well the expectations for format are followed • List of at least three references included __/5 • brochure is typed in font that is easy to read • appropriate pictures are included • brochure is tri-folded • 3 or more references are listed on the brochure • brochure is typed – font choice could be smaller or larger to make reading easier • pictures included • brochure is tri-folded • less than three references are included • font choice is inappropriate – much too small or large OR information is not typed at all • few or no pictures • brochure is not folded properly • 1 or no references listed Creativity • How interesting the brochure is • The extent to which appropriate pictures and graphics are included so as to make the brochure attractive and engaging __/5 • brochure is interesting and engaging • information is presented in a unique way that would aid in one’s understanding of the disorder • most of the brochure is interesting • some parts of the brochure are unique • it is unlikely that the reader would find the information in the brochure interesting • little or no attempt is made to make the brochure attractive and engaging to the reader 35