Science lesson plan · 10th grade (Year 11 in England) · 60 minutes
Nervous system, reflexes and hormones
Human body and health
CCSS NGSS.MS-LS1-8CCSS NGSS.HS-LS1-3England: KS4 Combined Science: Coordination and control
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Nervous system, reflexes and hormones.
- I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
- I can explain each step and say why it works.
- I can check my answer and spot a mistake.
Before and after
Needs first: Cells, tissues, organs and organ systems
Leads to: Homeostasis and negative feedback loops; Reflex arcs and reaction times; Endocrine glands and the hormones they release
Materials: Stopwatches, Body diagrams, Mini whiteboards, A diagram or short video clip of the idea, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 6 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Cells, tissues, organs and organ systems). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Which organ system includes this part: brain? (skeletal system / circulatory system / digestive system / nervous system) → nervous systemPrompt: What job does this part do?
- Which list goes from largest to smallest? (organ, cell, organism, tissue, organ system / cell, tissue, organ, organ system, organism / organism, organ system, organ, tissue, cell / tissue, organism, cell, organ, organ system) → organism, organ system, organ, tissue, cellPrompt: Read carefully: largest first.
- Which organ system includes this part: trachea (windpipe)? (digestive system / respiratory system / circulatory system / skeletal system) → respiratory systemPrompt: What job does this part do?
Hook · 6 min
- Ask everyone to find their pulse, then jump for 30 seconds and find it again.
- Share the objective: Nervous system, reflexes and hormones. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 12 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: Why are reflexes useful?
- Step 1: Reflexes skip conscious thought, so we react quickly to danger.
- Step 2: So the answer is: They are fast and automatic, protecting the body from harm
- Answer: They are fast and automatic, protecting the body from harm
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 12 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- Why are reflexes useful? (They let us think carefully first / They are slow and careful / They only happen when we sleep / They are fast and automatic, protecting the body from harm) → They are fast and automatic, protecting the body from harmPrompt: The message does not have to go to the conscious brain.
- Coordination and control: which statement is true? (Reflex actions are controlled by conscious thought. / Normal human body temperature is about 37 °C. / Hormones travel along nerves. / Insulin raises blood glucose.) → Normal human body temperature is about 37 °C.Prompt: Nerves carry electrical impulses; hormones are chemicals.
You do: independent practice · 17 min
- Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
- Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.
The 5 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 7 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- How do hormones travel around the body? (through the bones / through the air / in the blood / along nerves as electrical impulses) → in the bloodPrompt: Hormones are chemical messengers.
- Coordination and control: which statement is true? (Insulin raises blood glucose. / Hormones travel along nerves. / Reflex actions are controlled by conscious thought. / Normal human body temperature is about 37 °C.) → Normal human body temperature is about 37 °C.Prompt: Nerves carry electrical impulses; hormones are chemicals.
Watch out for
- Everyday meanings of words getting in the way of the science meaning: define key words explicitly.
- Remembering facts without the reason: ask "why?" and "what is the evidence?"
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: Cells, tissues, organs and organ systems.
- Use concrete materials: stopwatches.
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Move on to: Homeostasis and negative feedback loops; Reflex arcs and reaction times; Endocrine glands and the hormones they release.
- Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
- Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.
Homework and more practice
Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-10.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder