Health: The Nervous System and the Brain
How the brain, spinal cord, and nerves help the body work
Health: The Nervous System and the Brain
How the brain, spinal cord, and nerves help the body work
Health - Grade 4-5
- 1
What are the three main parts of the nervous system described in many elementary health lessons?
Think about the control center, the message highway, and the smaller message paths.
The three main parts are the brain, the spinal cord, and the nerves. They work together to send and receive messages throughout the body. - 2
Explain why the brain is often called the control center of the body.
The brain is called the control center because it receives information, makes decisions, and sends messages that help the body move, think, feel, and stay alive. - 3
A student touches a cold ice cube and quickly pulls their hand away. Which body system helped the student feel the cold and react?
This system sends quick messages between body parts and the brain.
The nervous system helped the student feel the cold and react. Nerves sent information to the brain, and the brain helped the body respond. - 4
Put these steps in the correct order: The brain understands the message. Nerves in your skin sense heat. You move your hand away. A message travels to the brain.
The correct order is: Nerves in your skin sense heat. A message travels to the brain. The brain understands the message. You move your hand away. - 5
What job does the spinal cord do in the nervous system?
It is like a main message road connected to the brain.
The spinal cord carries messages between the brain and the rest of the body. It also helps with some very fast reactions called reflexes. - 6
Name two senses that send information to the brain, and tell what each sense helps you notice.
Answers may vary. For example, sight helps you notice colors and shapes, and hearing helps you notice sounds. Both senses send information to the brain. - 7
Choose the best word to complete the sentence: Nerves carry messages using tiny signals between the body and the ____.
This organ is inside the skull.
The best word is brain. Nerves carry messages using tiny signals between the body and the brain. - 8
The skull protects the brain. Why is protecting the brain important?
Protecting the brain is important because the brain controls thinking, movement, senses, breathing, and many other body functions. An injury to the brain can affect how the body works. - 9
List two safe habits that can help protect your nervous system during sports or active play.
Think about safety gear and safe choices.
Two safe habits are wearing a helmet when biking or skating and following safety rules during games. These habits can help prevent injuries to the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. - 10
What is a reflex? Give one example of a reflex.
A reflex is a quick, automatic body response that happens without much thinking. An example is blinking when something comes close to your eye or pulling your hand away from something hot. - 11
How do sleep and rest help the brain?
Think about how you feel when you do not get enough sleep.
Sleep and rest help the brain recover, remember what you learned, and get ready to focus the next day. They are important for healthy thinking and learning. - 12
Draw or describe a simple pathway that shows how a message travels when you smell popcorn.
A correct pathway could be: The nose senses the smell of popcorn. Nerves send a message to the brain. The brain recognizes the smell as popcorn. - 13
The brain has different areas that help with different jobs. Match each job with the body action: thinking, moving muscles, seeing, and hearing.
Each sense sends information to the brain for processing.
Thinking happens in parts of the brain used for planning and learning. Moving muscles is controlled by brain areas that send movement messages. Seeing is helped by the part of the brain that handles information from the eyes. Hearing is helped by the part of the brain that handles information from the ears. - 14
Why is it important to tell an adult if someone hits their head hard or feels dizzy after a fall?
It is important to tell an adult because dizziness or a hard hit to the head could be a sign of a brain injury. An adult can help the person get rest, care, or medical help if needed. - 15
Write one sentence that explains how the nervous system helps you learn in school.
Think about reading, listening, remembering, and solving problems.
The nervous system helps you learn because the brain takes in information from your senses, helps you think about it, and stores memories for later use.