7th grade · Science · Unit 6 of 16
Body Systems
Nerves, hormones, kidneys and more
What your child practices
How the nervous and endocrine (hormone) systems send messages, how the excretory system removes waste, and the basic organs of the reproductive system, all at a simple organ-and-job level.
Alabama Course of Study content standard: 7.4 · how cells, tissues and organs of the body systems work together
How we explain it
Children can open this short lesson before they practice.
- The nervous system sends fast signals along nerves. A reflex is fast and automatic.
- The endocrine system sends slower messages with hormones in the blood.
- The excretory system removes waste: kidneys filter blood and the bladder stores urine.
Example: You pull your hand away from a hot pan before you think. What is this? It happens automatically. It is very fast. Answer: a reflex
Body Systems in Alabama
In the Alabama Course of Study, this is unit 6 of 16 in 7th grade Science, after Cells from Cells and before Heart, Bones & Muscles.
Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
Your heart pounds before a big race. Which hormone from the adrenal glands causes this?
🏃- melatonin
- growth hormone
- insulin
- adrenaline
adrenaline
Hint: This hormone gets your body ready for action: a faster heartbeat and quicker breathing.
Question 2
Put the path of liquid waste (urine) through the excretory system in order.
- Urine leaves the body through the urethra
- The bladder stores urine
- Ureters carry urine down from the kidneys
- Kidneys filter wastes out of the blood
Kidneys filter wastes out of the blood → Ureters carry urine down from the kidneys → The bladder stores urine → Urine leaves the body through the urethra
Hint: The kidneys clean the blood first. Tubes called ureters lead to the bladder, which stores urine until it leaves through the urethra.
Question 3
Which bones protect your brain?
⛑️- the ribs
- the skull
- the kneecaps
- the pelvis
the skull
Hint: The brain sits inside a hard case of bone in your head.
Question 4
What is a reflex?
- a hormone made by the kidneys
- a slow decision you plan carefully
- a fast, automatic response you don't have to think about
- a type of bone in the arm
a fast, automatic response you don't have to think about
Hint: Blinking when something flies at your eye is a reflex. It happens before you can think about it.
Question 5
Which body system does each part belong to? Tap an item, then tap its basket.
Sort into: ⚡ nervous system · 🚰 excretory system · 🧪 endocrine (hormone) system
- 🎛️pituitary gland
- 🎈bladder
- 🦋thyroid gland
- 💧kidneys
- 〰️nerves
- 🧠brain
⚡ nervous system: nerves, brain · 🚰 excretory system: bladder, kidneys · 🧪 endocrine (hormone) system: pituitary gland, thyroid gland
Hint: The nervous system carries fast electrical messages. The excretory system removes wastes. Endocrine glands release hormones into the blood.
Question 6
What are nephrons?
- glands in the neck
- tiny filters inside the kidneys
- tubes that carry urine to the bladder
- nerve cells in the brain
tiny filters inside the kidneys
Hint: Each kidney has about a million of these tiny filtering units.