10.

3
Science
Stage 5
Human Body
Part 2
 10.2 Human Body Part 2

Icons
Here is an explanation of the icons used in this unit.

Write a response or responses as part of an activity.

Glossary
Cells Basic unit of life.
Tissues Cells grouped together eg muscle cells grouped together make muscle
tissue in your thigh.
Organ Made up of different tissues eg the heart is an organ.
Multicellular A living thing made up of many cells.
Brain The main organ of the nervous system which controls all the systems
of the body.
Brain stem The base of the brain which controls involuntary actions such as
breathing and heartbeat.
Cerebellum A small crinkly part of the nervous system at the lower back of the
brain which controls involuntary actions such as balance and
coordination.
Cerebrum The largest part of the brain, it controls memory, speech and
voluntary actions, and receives information from sense receptors.
Endocrine glands Glands found in various places in the body which produce hormones
and release them directly into the blood.
Hormones Chemical messages which control important processes of a living thing
such as growth.
Negative feedback A system of control in the body in which the response acts as a
system stimulus to oppose the change caused by the original stimulus.
Neuron
The basic unit of the nervous system.
Reflex action
An automatic response to a stimulus without involving the brain.

Acknowledgements
• Public Domain images used unless specified
• Involuntary and voluntary actions
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/body/factfiles/peripheralnervoussyste
m/peripheral_nervous_system.shtml
• Parts of brain pictures from: http://brainmadesimple.com
• Concussion
https://secure.ausport.gov.au/clearinghouse/knowledge_base/sport_participation
/sport_injuries_and_medical_conditions/sports_concussion_and_head_trauma
• Brain dissection
http://www.biologycorner.com/anatomy/sheepbrain/sheep_dissection.html
• Whalley, K et al Science Focus 3 2nd Edition Pearson Australia Victoria 2009
• The Human Body Hawker Brownlow Education Victoria 2001

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10.2 Human Body Part 2

Lesson 1: The nervous system

Do you remember that the nervous and endocrine
system coordinate and control all body systems in
the body?

This week you will be focusing on the nervous

system.

What is the nervous system?

The nervous system consists of

the brain, the spinal cord and
nerves which run to all parts of
the body.

What does the nervous

system do?

The nervous system controls

• muscle movement
• senses (sight, hearing, pain, taste…)
• heartbeat
• breathing
• digestion
• memory
• speech

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10.2 Human Body Part 2

The nervous system allows living things to detect

what is going on around them. A change which the
nervous system detects is called a stimulus.

The nervous system processes the information and

then a gland or muscle reacts. This is called a
response.

Activity 1

a) What are the 3 parts of the nervous system?

_________________________________________
_________________________________________

b) Fill in the spaces:

i) The nervous system controls m_____________

m__________.

ii) The nervous system d____________ what is

going on around us.

iii) A s______________ is what the nervous system

detects.

iv) The nervous system sends a message to a

g___________ or m_______________ to cause a
r______________.

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10.2 Human Body Part 2

Two parts

The nervous system can be divided up into two

regions:

• the central nervous system and

• the peripheral nervous system.

The central nervous system includes the brain and

the spinal cord.

The peripheral nervous system is a network of

nerves that spread throughout the body.

There are 12 pairs of cranial nerves, which come

from your brain and 31 pairs of spinal nerves,
which branch off from your spinal cord and supply
the rest of your body.

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10.2 Human Body Part 2

Activity 2

a) Label the following diagram

The brain and spinal cord

The brain is the control centre of your

body. It is a soft mass of white and grey
nerve tissue that rests in the skull.

The brain sends and receives messages

to every part of the body through
nerves.

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10.2 Human Body Part 2

It uses the five senses to determine what is

happening outside your body.

Your eyes, ears, skin and nose detect what is

around you. These sensory organs send messages
through nerves to the spinal cord and brain.

Activity 3

Follow the path of a message from the eyes to the

brain:

a) Label the eye

b) The eye detects a stimulus like a STOP

sign when you are driving.

The eye sends a message along the

o___________ n____________.

c) The optic nerve reaches the thalamus. Label this

on the diagram.
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10.2 Human Body Part 2

d) The nerve message is then processed and sent

along more nerves to the part of the brain coloured
purple in the diagram. This is called the occipital
lobe. Label this on the diagram.

Activity 4

Your brain gets information from outside your body

through many different sense organs. Label the
different sense organs in this picture.

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10.2 Human Body Part 2

Parts of the brain

The brain has three main parts.

• cerebrum
• cerebellum
• medulla or brain stem

Each part of the brain is responsible for a different

job.

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10.2 Human Body Part 2

Activity 5

Label the parts of the brain using these words:

cerebrum, cerebellum, brainstem, spinal cord

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10.2 Human Body Part 2

The cerebrum:

The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain. It

controls memory, muscle movement, speech and
sensation such as touch and sight.

The cerebrum also controls actions such as walking,

running and jumping.

There are different parts of the cerebrum called

lobes. The different lobes are responsible for
different functions.

Activity 6

a) Read the labels on this diagram of the brain.

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10.2 Human Body Part 2

b) Label this diagram to show the different lobes of

the cerebrum.

c) Fill in this table to show what different areas of

the cerebrum control.

Lobe What does it control?

Temporal

Occipital

Frontal

Parietal

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The cerebellum

The cerebellum allows us to

perform everyday tasks such as
walking and writing.

It is also allows us to stay

balanced and upright. It is also
involved in muscle coordination.

Activity 7

What of the following activities would be hard to do

if a person had an injured cerebellum?

(Circle your choices)

i) Running in a race or marathon.

ii) Talking and listening to a friend.

iii) Playing baseball in the park.

iv) Swimming or diving in a pool.

v) Singing a song out loud.

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10.2 Human Body Part 2

The medulla (part of the brain stem)

The medulla carries out and regulates

life functions such as breathing,
swallowing, blood pressure and heart
rate.

These functions are involuntary, or

done without thought.

We would not be able to live without the medulla.

As a part of the brain stem, it also helps transfer

messages from the brain to the spinal cord.

Activity 8

True or false?

a) The medulla regulates breathing rate _______

b) The medulla controls balance _______

c) The medulla controls breathing _______

d) The medulla controls speech _______

e) The brainstem transfers messages

from the brain to the spinal cord _______

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