Growth, Heredity & The Endocrine system

HEALTH EDUCATION (5) - Growing Up Healthy - Week 9/10

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

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

5TH GRADE VIRTUAL HEALTH

L1: Your Digestive System| L2: Food - Nutrients for the Body | L3: MyPlate | L4: Influences on Your Food Choices | L5: Food Labels & Advertising | L6: Changing Families, Changing Roles| L7: Communication in Families | L8: Growth Comes in Stages | L9: Growth, Heredity, and the Endocrine System | L10: Dealing with Adolescence  | EXTRA: Choices You Make Affect Growth

Growing UP Healthy

Growth, Heredity, and the Endocrine System

See below for the following:

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


LEARNING TARGET / SUCCESS CRITERIA

I will identify and describe factors that affect growth.

I will describe the functions of the major glands of the endocrine system.

I will describe the role of the endocrine system in the growth process.

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PRE-INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITY

Vocabulary

cartilage - soft rubbery material that forms par of the skeletal frame / a baby's skeletal frame contains lots of cartilage which usually prevents any broken bones / as you grow older, cartilage hardens into bone / cartilage remains in places such as your knees, ankles, and elbows to provide a cushioned, slippery surface so your bones can move against each other easily

environment - all the things that surround you everyday

endocrine system - sends messages around the body in the form of chemicals called hormones

glands - groups of specialized cells / each endocrine gland has certain target organs that its hormones act on / e.g. the parathyroid gland sends out hormones that set the level of calcium in the bloodstream affecting the growth of muscles and bones

heredity - passing traits from a parent to a child

hormones - chemical messengers produced by groups of cells called glands sent out by the endocrine system / one of the messages they tell the body is when it is time to grow

hypothalamus - the real control master that tells the pituitary gland when to release its hormones

pituitary gland - a tiny, pea-sized gland located just beneath the brain, connected to a part of the brain called the hypothalamus / the pituitary gland has been called the "master gland" because it send out hormones that tell the other glands what to do


OPENING (Engage)

Main Idea

Both heredity and environment affect your growth.

Why Learn This?

If you know what affects your body's growth, you can make choices to help your body grow healthy and strong.


WORK PERIOD (Explore/Explain/Extend/Elaborate)

READ: Growth, Heredity, and the Endocrine System


Heredity and environment combine to affect the way people grow from before they are born all through their lives until they die. Heredity (huh-REw-duh-tee) is passing traits from a parent to a child, and environment (in-vy-ruhn-muhnt) is all the things that surround you every day.


What affects growth?

You can't feel it happening, but you are growing right now. Your body grows by making new cells. Millions of new cells are being made inside your body every minute.


An environment that is good for growth includes clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, nutritious food to eat, and a safe neighborhood to live in. An environment in which you can get regular exercise will also help you develop a healthy body. When you are healthy, your body has more energy for growing. It doesn't need to use energy to fight off illnesses or to repair injuries.


As you grow older, you become more responsible for the environment you choose for your body. Healthful choices, such as staying away from illegal drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, encourage growth. Healthful choices help your body develop to its full potential.


Has anyone ever said you look like your mother or your father? Inherited traits can make family members look alike. Your parents gave you a personalized set of traits through heredity. Instructions for these inherited traits are carried in your cells. You may have the same hair and eye color as your mother or a nose with the same shape as your grandfather's. A dimple is also an inherited trait that can be traced through a family.


Some inherited traits can't be seen. The rate and timing of your growth, for example, are determined by heredity. Instructions in your cells tell your body when to start a growth spurt and how long it should last. These instructions explain why no two people grow at exactly the same rate or in the same way. Some diseases, such as sickle cell disease and cystic fibrosis, can also be passed on within a family. Scientists are working to find ways to change cell instructions so that illnesses such as these don't develop.


Your parents gave you your inherited traits. Parents also do their best to provide a healthful environment for their children. As you get older, your parents and other trusted adults can help you make good choices so you will continue to be strong and healthy.


How does the body grow?

Heredity and environment affect your growth, but your body's systems make growth happen. In many ways your body is a chemical factory. The chemicals it produces affect your body temperature, your body's reactions when you're frightened, and the digestion of your food. One of your body's systems, the endocrine system, is especially important in determining how your body grows. The endocrine system (EN duh-kruhn sis•tuhm) sends messages around the body in the form of chemicals called hormones. Hormones (HAWR-mohnz) travel to other parts of the body and pass on messages that cause things to happen. One of the messages they tell the body is when it is time to grow.


Hormones are produced by groups of specialized cells called glands. Each endocrine gland has certain target organs that its hormones act on. For example, the parathyroid gland sends out hormones that set the level of calcium in the bloodstream. This affects the growth of muscles and bones.


Hormones regulate your body functions.


The endocrine system has many glands that deliver hormones throughout your body. One gland, the pituitary gland (puh Too uh tair-ee GLanD), has been called the "master gland" because it sends out hormones that tell the other glands what to do. The pituitary gland is a tiny, pea-sized gland located just beneath the brain. It is connected to a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus (hy poh THA luh muhs) is the real control master because it tells the pituitary gland when to release its hormones.


One pituitary gland hormone is called growth hormone. It controls how much you grow and how fast. During puberty it causes a rapid growth spurt that affects both the inside and outside of your body. It is the last growth spurt of your life.

Changes during puberty cause you to grow from a child to an adult, capable of having children of your own.


Every day hormones circulate in your blood. They affect how you feel and how your body functions. The glands and hormones of the endocrine system work together to keep your body's chemicals in balance. If the level of one hormone is too high, other hormones make changes to fix the problem. Their function is to keep your body stable so you can grow and develop.


Hormones from the pituitary gland stimulate bone growth.

Your bones work together to form the skeleton that supports your body. Bones may seem dry and hard, but they are living parts of your body. Less than one-half of a bone is made up of hard minerals. About one-fourth of each bone is water. The rest is made up of living tissue.


Your bones change as you grow. When babies first learn to walk, they often fall down. But they seldom break any bones because a baby's skeletal frame contains a lot of soft, rubbery material called cartilage (KAR-tuhl-ij. Cartilage bends instead of breaking. As you grow older, cartilage hardens into bone. By the time you are twenty-five years old, your bones will be fully developed. Cartilage will remain only in places such as your knees, ankles, and elbows. In these areas cartilage provides a cushioned, slippery surface so your bones can move against each other easily.


Until adulthood your bones grow longer and bigger by making new cells. The new cells increase the length and thickness of your bones. Bone growth is very rapid during puberty, so you can grow several inches a year at this time.

Growth occurs at the growth plates near the ends of each bone. After adolescence the growth plates are replaced with bone tissue that joins the main shaft of the bone. This change in the growth plates causes bone growth to stop. You will not grow any taller after your early twenties.


Your muscles are responsible for all your body movements. You are able to move because your muscles contract, or get shorter, and pull on your bones.


Muscles grow in length and thickness, just as bones do. Like bones, your muscles stop getting longer after adolescence. Exercise, however, can make your muscles grow thicker and stronger. Vigorous exercise works your muscles. It tires them and wears them down. Then your muscles use nutrients from the healthful food you eat to repair themselves. During this repair process they grow a little stronger than they were before.



Career - Endocrinologist 


What They Do

Endocrinologists are doctors who study and treat problems with the endocrine system. If a person seems to be growing too little or too much, an endocrinologist can identify the cause and treat the problem. If a growth spurt does not happen within the usual age range, an endocrinologist can help determine the levels of growth hormone in the person's body.


Education and Training

Endocrinologists have medical degrees and have received special training about the endocrine system and hormones.


REMEMBER...Both heredity and environment affect your growth. If you know what affects your body's growth, you can make choices to help your body grow healthy and strong.


CLOSING (Evaluate)


Standard(s)

HE5.1a - recognize the relationship between healthy behaviors and disease prevention

HE5.1b - describe and apply the basic personal health concepts of healthy eating and physical activity

HE5.1c - describe and apply the basic health concept of mental and emotional well-being

HE5.1d - describe and apply the basic health concept of personal hygiene and safety

HE5.1e - distinguish the short and long-term physical effects of use and/or misuse of substances

HE5.1f - identify trusted adults and when it might be important to seek health care or emergency help for themselves or others

HE5.1g - identify the changes that occur during puberty

HE5.1h - distinguish between tattling, reporting aggression, bullying, cyberbullying, and violence (physical and/or sexual) and how to report these instances

HE5.1i - identify strategies to avoid physical fighting and violence

HE5.2a - evaluate the influence of family and peers on personal health behaviors and decisions

HE5.2b - describe how the school and community can support personal health practices and behaviors

HE5.2c - explain how media/technology influences thoughts, feelings, and health behaviors

HE5.3a - identify characteristics of valid health information, products, and services

HE5.3b - access resources from home, school, and community that provide valid health information

HE5.3c - assess the characteristics of valid health information, products, and services

HE5.4a - apply effective verbal and nonverbal communication skills to enhance health

HE5.4b - model effective nonviolent strategies to manage or resolve conflicts

HE5.4c - demonstrate how to ask for assistance to enhance personal health and the health of others

HE5.5a - identify health-related situations that might require a thoughtful decision

HE5.5b - list healthy options and possible consequences to a health-related issue or problem

HE5.5c - predict the potential outcomes of each option when making a health-related decision

HE5.5d - analyze when assistance is needed in making a health-related decision

HE5.5e - choose a healthy option when making a decision

HE5.5f - describe the outcomes of a health-related decision

HE5.6a - set a personal health goal and track progress toward its achievement

HE5.6b - identify and utilize resources to assist in achieving a personal health goal

HE5.7a - practice responsible personal health choices

HE5.7b - demonstrate a variety of healthy practices and behaviors to preserve or enhance personal health

HE5.7c - model a variety of behaviors that prevent or decrease health risks to self and/or others

HE5.8a - review accurate information and develop an opinion about a health issue

HE5.8b - advocate for positive health choices


Essential Question(s)


Big Idea(s)


RESOURCES / INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS


DCSD Board-Approved Instruction Materials


Technology