Your Brain & Nervous System

HEALTH EDUCATION - Lesson 2 - Week 2/10

Growing Up Healthy (4)

HPE Lesson Plans - Health - KHE, 1HE, 2HE, 3HE, 4HE, 5HE

Safety | Mental, Social & Emotional Health | Substance Abuse & Disease Prevention | Growing Up Healthy

4TH GRADE VIRTUAL HEALTH

L1: You Are Growing Cell by Cell| L2: Your Brain & Nervous System: The Control Center for Growth | L3: Your Skin & Its Care | L4: Your Teeth & Their Care | L5: Your Vision & Hearing | L6: Your Posture| L7: Your Physical Fitness | L8: Nutrients & Your Digestive System | L9: Food and the Nutrients It Contains | L10: Using MyPlate | EXTRA: Understanding a Food Label | EXTRA: Preparing Food Safely

Growing Up Healthy

Your Brain & Nervous System: The Control Center for Growth

See below for the following:

Standard(s), Essential Question(s), Big Idea(s)


LEARNING TARGET / SUCCESS CRITERIA

I will know and be able to explain how the brain controls the body.

I will know and be able to describe how the brain and the central nervous system respond to the body's needs.

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PRE-INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITY

Vocabulary

nervous system - a communication network that coordinates all your body's activities utilizing its two main parts (central nervous system & peripheral nervous system) / millions of messages are traveling around your body all the time to keep you alive, growing, and able to adjust to change

central nervous system - the brain and spinal cord make up the central nervous system

peripheral nervous system - made of nerves that carry messages to and from the central nervous system

cerebrum - the biggest part of the brain where all your thinking takes place

cerebellum - located in back of the cerebrum, it controls your movements / without the cerebellum you couldn't keep your balance or stand up straight

brain stem - connects the cerebrum with the spinal cord

hypothalmus - in the brain stem, it controls growth / when it's time for a growth spurt, the hypothalamus sends a message to the pituitary gland at the base of the brain

pituitary gland - releases chemicals that make cells multiply quickly, causing you to grow

neurons - nerve cells that your nervous system uses to carry its messages


OPENING (Engage)

Main Idea

The brain controls all your body systems. It also controls your emotions, memory, and learning.

Why Learn This?

Knowing how your body works and how you grow and develop helps you see why it's important to take good care of yourself.


WORK PERIOD (Explore/Explain/Extend/Elaborate)

READ: Your Brain & Nervous System: The Control Center for Growth


How does your brain control your body?


How do you remember the way to school? Why do your eyes blink even though you don't think about it? How does your body know when it's time to grow faster? Your amazing brain manages these and many more activities.


Your brain and your nerve cells make up your nervous system. Your nervous system is a communication network that coordinates all your body's activities. Millions of messages are traveling around your body all the time to keep you alive, growing, and able to adjust to change.


The nervous system has two main parts, the central nervous system and the peripheral (puh-RIH-fuh-ruhl) nervous system. The brain and spinal cord make up the central nervous system. The peripheral nervous system is made of nerves that carry messages to and from the central nervous system.


The brain is the master control center of the nervous system. It has three main parts: the cerebrum, the cerebellum, and the brain stem.


The cerebrum (suh-REE-bruhm) is the biggest part of the brain. It is where all your thinking takes place. The cerebellum (sair-uh-BEH-luhm) is located in back of the cerebrum. It controls your movements. Without the cerebellum you couldn't keep your balance or stand up straight. Other parts of the brain are in the brain stem, which connects the cerebrum with the spinal cord.


The hypothalamus (hy•poh•THA•luh•muhs) is in the brain stem. It controls growth. When it's time for a growth spurt, the hypothalamus sends a message to the pituitary gland at the base of the brain. The pituitary gland (puh•TOO•uh•tair•ee GLAND) releases chemicals that make cells multiply quickly, causing you to grow.


What else does your brain do?


To keep you alive, your brain has to know everything that affects you. Thanks to the millions of messages the nervous system sends, your brain knows how to react when something happens. If you have a cold, if a car is coming toward you, or if the temperature drops, the brain orders the nervous system to tell the right parts of the body to rest, get out of the way, or put on a jacket.


Your nervous system uses nerve cells called neurons (NOO•rahnz) to carry its messages. You have millions of neurons in your body. Each neuron has tiny branches that allow it to connect to other neurons. When you were born, you had the same number of neurons that you have now. In order for you to learn something new. like riding a bike, the messages had to travel from one neuron to another, over and over again. In time the brain made pathways between the neurons. Then riding your bike became easier, and you could do it without falling. Your brain builds more new pathways as you continue to learn new things.


The brain makes it possible for you to learn new things and to remember what you already know. Scientists have found that memories are stored in many parts of the brain. When you remember a trip to the beach, for example, the memory of the smell of salt water is stored in a different place from the memory of the sound of the waves.


You build memory power through practice. Memorizing chess moves or songs on the piano helps improve your memory, Conneet-ing something you want to remember with something else that is interesting helps memory. You may have learned songs to help you memorize the alphabet or the names of all the states.


The brain is also the center of your emotions. When a barking dog surprises you, your brain produces feelings of fear. When someone breaks a toy you like, you feel anger.


You need your brain to live. It controls your body systems, growth, ability to think, memory, and emotions. It is important to make choices that help your brain stay healthy and do its many important jobs.


REMEMBER...The brain controls all your body systems. It also controls your emotions, memory, and learning. Knowing how your body works and how you grow and develop helps you see why it's important to take good care of yourself.


CLOSING (Evaluate)


Standard(s)

HE4.1a - recognize the relationship between healthy behavior and disease prevention

HE4.3a - identify the characteristics of valid health information, products, and services

HE4.3b - list resources from home, school, and community that provide valid health information

HE4.5b - describe the possible consequences of an unhealthy decision and healthy alternatives when making a health-related decision


Essential Question(s)


Big Idea(s)


RESOURCES / INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS


DCSD Board-Approved Instruction Materials


Technology