Lesson 6:

Nervous System

Muscular System

Learning Intention:

Students will be able to compare and contrast the nervous system and the endocrine system.

Success Criteria:

I am successful when I can...

Engage by discussing a relatable human experience.
Explore by reading a tiered text of my choosing.
Explain my knowledge to an A.I. friend and receive feedback on my comprehension.
Elaborate by extending my thinking and applying my knowledge to new situations
Evaluate by reflecting on my understanding of key concepts and vocabulary

Standards:

HS-LS1-2.

Develop and use a model to illustrate the hierarchical organization of interacting systems that provide specific functions within multicellular organisms.

Reminders:

Tutoring moved to tomorrow from 3:00 to 4:00 in A-301.
Body systems exam on Friday 2/5 on Lessons 1-7

Part #1

Warm-Up

(5 min)

Directions:

Choose two out of three questions to answer

Ballet

Jazz

Hip-Hop

Turn n' Talk #1

Part 2

(5 min)

Mr. Pinho came in early this morning to grade papers. He saw that Ms. Angarola accidentally left her tea kettle from the day before on his desk. He grabbed the tea kettle to move it and then without thinking, he quickly dropped it to the ground. It was burning hot! Unknown to Mr. Pinho, Ms. Angarola just made her morning coffee.

Have you ever touched something hot or painful and pulled your hand away without even thinking about it?

How does your body react so quickly without you consciously thinking?

Part 3

Turn n' Talk #2

(5 min)

Directions: View the image below.

Discuss what you SEE, THINK and WONDER with your group.

Part 4

Nervous System / Muscular System

(10 min)

Directions:

Step 1) Read the article

Step 2) As you read, make FIVE (5) annotations.

How the Nervous and Muscular Systems Work Together

In order to survive, organisms must maintain a stable internal environment known as homeostasis. To do this, your body needs to detect changes in the environment (stimuli) and react to them. This process is called regulation, and in humans, it is primarily controlled by the Nervous System.

But the Nervous System doesn't work alone. Once it decides on a reaction, it needs the Muscular System to carry out the physical movement.

1. The Neuron: The Messenger of the Body

The basic unit of the nervous system is a specialized cell called the neuron (nerve cell). Neurons are designed to send rapid electrical and chemical messages throughout the body.

2. The Synapse: It’s All About Shape!

Neurons do not actually touch each other. There is a tiny gap between the terminal branch of one neuron and the dendrites of the next. This gap is called the synapse.

Since an electrical impulse cannot jump over a gap, the signal must be converted into a chemical signal. This is where neurotransmitters come in.

The "Lock and Key" Model

When an electrical impulse reaches the end of a neuron, it triggers the release of chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. These chemicals float across the synapse and bind to receptor proteins on the surface of the next cell.

Key Concept: The most important thing to remember for the Regents exam is specificity.

Receptor molecules have a specific shape that is complementary to the neurotransmitter.
Neurotransmitters have a matching specific shape.
They fit together like a lock and key.

If the shape of the neurotransmitter does not match the shape of the receptor, the signal will not be received. This is why certain drugs affect the nervous system—they often mimic the shape of natural neurotransmitters.

3. Teamwork: The Nervous and Muscular Systems

The nervous system acts as the "manager," but the muscular system is the "worker."

Stimulus: Your eyes (sensory organs) see a baseball flying toward your face.
Processing: Sensory neurons send a message to your brain, which processes the information.
Response: The brain sends a signal through motor neurons to your muscles (the effectors) to duck.

The Neuromuscular Junction

The point where a motor neuron meets a muscle fiber is called the neuromuscular junction. Just like in the brain, the neuron releases neurotransmitters that bind to receptors on the muscle cells. This chemical binding causes the muscle fibers to contract (shorten). By pulling on the bones of your skeleton, the muscular system allows you to duck, catch the ball, or run away. Without the nervous system telling the muscles when to contract, coordinated movement would be impossible.

Part 5

Stop n' Jot

🛑 Stop & Jot: Nervous System Notes

Vocabulary

Neuron: A nerve cell that sends signals.
Neurotransmitter: The chemical messenger that floats across the synapse.
Receptor: The protein on the cell surface that receives the signal.

Key Concepts:

- The Neurotransmitter (Key) must have a specific shape to fit the Receptor (Lock).
- If the shape changes or doesn't match, the signal will not work.
- Medicines that target the receptors work by having a similar shape as the neurotransmitter. Example, Morphine (pain medicine) has a similar shape to endorphins (feel good neurotransmitter).

System Interaction

Nervous System: Detects the environment (stimuli) and sends instructions.
Muscular System: Receives the instructions and moves the bones.

Part 6

Exit Ticket

(10 min)

Question #1

Researchers have determined that silkworm moths have a mechanism that enables them to locate mulberry leaves. Mulberry leaves emit scented chemical molecules that are detected by highly sensitive receptors within the antennae of the silkworm, as shown in the models below

August 2025 Regents Q13:

Which statement best describes how the organization and interactions of two systems present within the silkworm moth enables it to find and use mulberry leaves as their source of nutrients?

(1) Special receptors in the nervous system of the silkworm pick up the scent of the mulberry leaves and send messages to the muscular system to spin a silk cocoon.

(2) Receptors in the nervous system within the antennae pick up scent molecules from mulberry leaves. The silkworm is able to fi nd and eat the leaves, using the digestive system to break down the nutrient molecules into a usable form.

(3) The nervous system of the silkworm sends messages to the digestive system to begin to break down the fats that are taken in to produce new muscle tissue for movement.

(4) The muscular system sends messages to the nervous system to receive scent messages from the mulberry leaves.

Question #2

Survival in the desert also requires that kangaroo rats have the ability to escape predators. Various body systems must work together to enable the kangaroo rat to perform lightning-quick escape maneuvers. Scientists studied the evolution of the kangaroo rat leap. They determined that although 81% of snake strikes were accurate, 78% of the time the kangaroo rats were fast enough to evade a bite that would kill.

August 2025 Regents Q31:

Which statement best describes an interaction that occurs between body systems during the kangaroo rat’s lightning-quick maneuver?

(1) The respiratory and nervous systems interact when sending a signal to the spinal cord to leap.

(2) The circulatory and nervous systems interact when sending a signal to the leg muscles.

(3) The respiratory and muscular systems interact to slow cellular respiration prior to the muscle contraction.

(4) The nervous and muscular systems interact to trigger the leg muscle to contract

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