The Nervous System
Understand that the nervous system has two parts — the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and nerves that branch throughout the body — and that nerve signals travel at high speed to coordinate senses, thought, and movement
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“Can your child explain how a message travels from their finger to their brain when they touch something hot, and then back to their hand to pull it away?”
Full guide and materials
- Activity. Understand that the nervous system has two parts — the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and nerves that branch throughout the body — and that nerve signals travel at high speed to coordinate senses, thought, and movement
What to notice. Name the two parts of the nervous system: central (brain + spinal cord) and peripheral (nerves throughout the body) • Describe the reflex arc: stimulus → sensory nerve → spinal cord/brain → motor nerve → muscle response • State that nerve signals travel extremely fast, which is why reflexes happen almost instantly
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Can your child explain how a message travels from their finger to their brain when they touch something hot, and then back to their hand to pull it away?
Understand that the nervous system has two parts — the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and nerves that branch throughout the body — and that nerve signals travel at high speed to coordinate senses, thought, and movement
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Check understanding
- Name the two parts of the nervous system: central (brain + spinal cord) and peripheral (nerves throughout the body)
- Describe the reflex arc: stimulus → sensory nerve → spinal cord/brain → motor nerve → muscle response
- State that nerve signals travel extremely fast, which is why reflexes happen almost instantly
“Can your child explain how a message travels from their finger to their brain when they touch something hot, and then back to their hand to pull it away?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Conceptual
- Subject
- Science
- Domain
- The Human Body
- Age range
- Ages 9–11