Lesson · Grade 6 · Science
The Nervous System: How Your Brain Knows What You Touch
- Grade 6
- Science
- 1 min 5 s
- British Columbia
- BC6-SC-04
A labelled diagram of the body builds up one part at a time: the brain, the spinal cord and the nerves that branch out from it, plus a close-up of a fingertip with receptors in the skin. When the fingertip touches an ice cube, a signal travels from the receptors along a nerve and up the spinal cord to the brain, which interprets it as "cold!" and sends a signal back that moves the hand away.
Concept: The nervous system: brain, spinal cord, nerves and receptors
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In one sentence
The question this lesson answers
How does your body know what you are touching?
Inside your head is your brain, the control centre.
Transcript
What the lesson says
How does your body know what you are touching?
Inside your head is your brain, the control centre.
Your spinal cord runs from your brain down your back.
Nerves branch out from your spinal cord through your body.
Together, your brain, spinal cord and nerves make up your nervous system.
Your skin has receptors, special cells that detect touch, heat and cold.
Now imagine your fingertip touches an ice cube.
The receptors send a tiny electrical signal along a nerve in your arm.
Your spinal cord carries the signal up to your brain.
Your brain interprets the signal: the ice is cold!
Then your brain sends a signal back down to the muscles in your arm.
Your arm muscles move your hand away from the ice.
Receptors send signals to the brain, and the brain sends signals back to the muscles.
Curriculum
Where this fits
- British Columbia, Grade 6
Science, Biology: the basic structures and functions of body systems: nervousBC6-SC-04
Previous: Hormones: the Body's Chemical MessengersNext: Why Optical Illusions Fool the Brain
The outcomes and strands follow the British Columbia curriculum.
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