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Bilingual material 6 level of Primary Education

1. THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

Human beings, like all the animals, capture
what occurs around us: we see, we hear, we feel...
Then, we act in accordance what we capture:
we move, we cry, we speak...
This process is the function of relationship is
possible thanks to the nervous system, the senses
and the locomotive system.

1.1. CENTRAL AND PERIPHERAL NERVOUS

SYSTEM
The nervous system is the system through which we
send and receive information. It also coordinates other
systems like the digestive system.
The nervous system is the control center of the body.
It’s divided into two main systems, the central nervous
system and the peripheral nervous system.
• The central nervous system consists of the brain
and the spinal cord.
In the brain we can distinguish three parts:

The cerebrum controls voluntary movements.

The cerebellum coordinates movements controls
a reflex movement
balance.

The brain stem communicates the brain with the
spinal cord.
The spinal cord controls reflex movements.

By Miguel A. Cabo Sánchez 1

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Bilingual material 6 level of Primary Education

cerebrum

Brain stem

cerebellum

• The Peripheral nervous system consists of

nerves. The brain sends messages to the rest parts of
the body through the nerves.
The brain communicates with the rest of the body
through the spinal cord and the nerves. They tell the
brain what is going on in the body at all times.

1.2. SPINAL CORD AND NERVES

The spinal cord is located in the back. It controls
involuntary movements. It runs down a tunnel of holes in
our backbone. The bones, called vertebrae, protect it
from damage. The cord connects our brain with the rest
of our body.

Spinal cord is located in

Nerves carry information from the organs to the
the back. brain and from the brain to the rest of the body. These
nerves are called neurons or nerve cells. Neurons are
the principal cells of the nervous system, they receive
and transmit information. They are grouped together to
form nerves.

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Bilingual material 6 level of Primary Education

1.3. REFLEX AND VOLUNTARY MOVEMENTS

We can distinguish two types of movements:
• Reflex movements: they are involuntary
movements in response to external stimuli.
• Voluntary movements: They are the result of
decisions.

1.4. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

The Nervous System coordinates all the body´s
internal processes, such as the beating of the heart or
the digestion of food. The nervous system can do this
thanks to the involuntary muscles and the
endocrine system.
We cannot control the involuntary muscles,
they work automatically and they are very important for
our body.
On the other hand, the endocrine system is
responsible for functions such as growth and
reproduction. The endocrine system consists of
endocrine glands which secrete substances called
hormones.
The principal glands are:
• Thyroid gland: it produces the hormone
thyroxin which enables the body to absorb nutrients.
• Pancreas: it produces insulin which controls
the amount of sugar in the bloodstream.
• Ovaries (female) and testes (male): they
produce sex hormones, which are responsible for
reproduction.
• Pituitary gland: it produces growth hormones.

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Bilingual material 6 level of Primary Education

• The nervous system is the system through which we send and receive
information.
• The nervous system is divided into two main systems, the central
nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and the peripheral nervous system
(nerves).
• Spinal cord controls involuntary movements and nerves carry information
from the brain to the rest of the body.
• There are two types of movements: reflex and voluntary movements.
• The Nervous System coordinates all the body´s internal processes and do
this through the involuntary muscles and the endocrine system.

ACTIVITIES
1. Complete these sentences.

• The nervous system is the system through which we ………….. and ……………
information.
• The nervous system is divided into two main systems, the central nervous
system and the ……………………………………………...
• In the brain we can distinguish three parts: cerebrum, ………………………. And
brain stem.
• The spinal cord controls ………………………………………… .
• The Peripheral nervous system consists of ……………………….. .
• The ……………………… connects our brain with the rest of our body.
• The brain ……………. messages to the rest parts of the body through the
……………… .
• …………………….. are the principal cells of the nervous system.
• We can distinguish two types of movements: …………………. and
……………………… movements.

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Bilingual material 6 level of Primary Education

2. Complete the diagram.

3. Match the glands with their functions.

Thyroid gland produces insulin which controls

the amount of sugar in the bloodstream

Ovaries and testes produce sex hormones, which are

responsible for reproduction

Pancreas produces growth hormones

Pituitary gland produces the hormone thyroxin which

enables the body to absorb nutrients

4. Look at the pictures, comment with your classmates and write. Voluntary
or involuntary movements?

1
2 3 4

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Bilingual material 6 level of Primary Education

5. Complete this outline.

NERVOUS SYSTEM

………………………………… PERIPHERAL
NERVOUS SYSTEM

…………….………… SPINAL CORD …………….…………

……………… ………………

………………

6. Read the sentences and write true (T) or false (F).

a) Spinal cord is located in the abdominals.
b) The nervous system is the system through which we reproduce.
c) Spinal cord controls reflex movements.
d) Nerves are the principal cells of the nervous system.
e) The endocrine system is responsible for functions such as growth and
reproduction.
f) Reflex movements are the result of our decisions
g) The nervous system is divided into two main systems, the central
nervous system and the peripheral nervous system.
h) There are two types of movements: control and voluntary movements.
i) The endocrine system consists of endocrine glands which secrete
substances called hormones.

7. Correct the false sentences of the activity before.

For example: Spinal cord is located in the back.

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Bilingual material 6 level of Primary Education

8. Watch this video, listen and fill in the gaps with the most
suitable word.
fibers nerves pairs outside cells spinal network
inside system thirty one cranial heartbeat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqvoV4R7T2g&feature=related

CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

The Nervous System is a complex _______________ of nerves ___________ and nerve
_____________ spread throughout the body. Its functions it to interpret, store and
respond to information received from ______________ and _____________. The Central
Nervous System or CNS consists of the brain a __________ cord and is responsible for
processing information gathered from the rest of the nerves and transferring the
instructions to the body.
Messages passing to and from the CNS are carried by the _____________ at the
peripheral nervous ____________. This system includes 12 _________ of cranial nerves
and ____________ pairs of spinal nerves. The __________ nerves and spinal nerves (are
responsible for) movements and sensations.
The autonomic nervous system consisting in sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves
fibers controls such involuntary functions as the _______________.

9. Read and complete.

Brain

Nerves Spinal Cord

By Miguel A. Cabo Sánchez 7