The Nervous System Hut

The nervous system hut focuses on the areas of the brain that control various parts of the body in the frog. Encourage students to think about the parts of the brain that are involved in jumping, in particular. How might an external stimulus (such as the appearance of a predator) begin a process in the nervous system of the frog that culminates in the jump response? Here are some learning objectives relevant to this hut:

• Understand the basic anatomical components of the brain and their functions

1. Define autonomic and central nervous systems
2. Identify by name and function
• cerebrum: thinking, memory, conscious thought
• cerebellum: muscle coordination, balance
• medulla oblongata: controls autonomic nervous system
3. "damage" specific areas of brain and predict/see consequences
4. compare human brain to frog - similarities and differences (structure, proportion, etc.)

• Describe the path of a "message" from stimulus to action / reaction

1. Given different scenarios, students will "map" the course of a message, from the point of stimulus to the actual reaction:
• frog spots fly
• frog senses (sees, hears) danger / predator
• frog feels pain (thorn, bite)

• Understand the basic structure and operation of nerves / neurons and spinal cord.

1. electrical conduction
2. nerve impulses - in humans, these electro-chemical signals move 300 feet/second!
• How far is that? Describe "300 feet" by comparing it to the length of something students are familiar with, like a hallway.
• If they move at the same speed in a frog, estimate the length of time between the stimulus and the reaction, if the nervous system were completely efficient. How is it possible to grab a frog before it has a chance to escape?