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Universe Within, The
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Classroom Activity
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Objective
To chart the electrical, chemical, and mechanical systems
that are engaged in the brain and body when a person picks up a pencil.
- copy of "Pencil-Lifting Flow Chart" student handout
(HTML)
Copy and distribute the "Pencil-Lifting Flow Chart" student handout. According to
what they observe in the program, have students complete the flow chart of the
series of events that takes place in the brain and the body when a person picks
up a pencil. They should include as many electrical, chemical and mechanical
systems as they can, in the proper order. After students have completed the challenge, discuss the other body systems
(not directly covered in the program) that are crucial to the success of
picking up a pencil, such as vision, balance, sensory input from fingers, and
cognition.
Student responses should reflect an understanding of the various systems of the
body presented in this program. The first step in picking up a pencil happens
in the brain, when the person decides to perform an action. The eyes locate the
pencil. The brain sends a nerve impulse to the muscles of the arm. The arm
muscles, connected to the arm bones, move, and the hand muscles and bones grasp
the pencil. As the body's weight shifts, the other parts of the body shift to
remain balanced.
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