The Nervous System
Mrs Brandt's 4th grade
Day 3 Activities
Nerves and Signals (Neurons)
Nerve cells do the work of the nervous system. Another name for a nerve cell is a neuron. A neuron carries messages from one part of the body to another. Those messages or signals tell your body what to do.
Brain Pop Video on Neurons
https://drive.google.com/a/staff.hssd.k12.wi.us/file/d/0B03DV9hKyDqnQ2Z6R29LakFSTFk/view
Write down any vocabulary that you find helpful.
How do signals travel through the nervous system?
Signals, or messages, are traveling in your nervous system all the time. Your sense organs are sending signals to your brain RIGHT NOW!
1. The signals travel along nerves
Nerves are special wires in your bodies that carry messages from all over their body to the brain
- Nerve cells (neurons) in the brain send and receive signals….but how to they get there?
- Neurons transmit signals throughout the body
2.These signals are referred to as action potentials or nerve impulses
Another way to think of it:
Have you ever walked around bare foot on a hot sunny day? When you realized the ground was HOT, I'm sure you started jumping around! W hat happened? The skin on your feet sent a message to your brain, and then your brain sent a message to your feet to start hopping! The nerve cells in your body work like electrical wires transporting messages to and from your brain. Nerves work like wires because they use small amounts of electricity to rapidly to send messages.
What do neurons look like?
From this extend several thing like spidery parts called dendrites and one thicker wire like part called the axon.
What then do the arrows represent? Turn and talk to your neighbor.
Ready to draw?
https://drive.google.com/a/staff.hssd.k12.wi.us/file/d/0B03DV9hKyDqnVjhJSnlmR2djcU0/view