Students will learn about nerve impulses through this lesson plan which includes four key objectives: 1) Membrane potential and resting membrane potential 2) Local potential 3) Action potential 4) The differences between these potentials and what happens when electrical charges change. Students will read about these topics and be able to answer questions to demonstrate their understanding. An activity is included to have students match terms to their correct functions and describe the various potentials.

1. How does it work?
Complete lesson plans to help your students learn all about how
their bodies work.
By: Aldana, Erycha, Thomas, Alexia, and Syeda

2. Grade 12 Subject: Organization of Nervous Prepared Aldana
Level: System By: Alarcon
Overview & Purpose Education Standards
Students will learn about the nervous system and the Addressed
way it is organized TEKS
Teacher Guide Student Guide
Objectives 1. CNS You will be learning Materials
(Specify 2. PNS about the organization Needed
skills/information 3. Afferent and of the nervous · Paper
that will be Efferent system; this includes · Pencil
learned.) 4. Somatic and CNS, PNS, afferent · Netbook
Autonomic and efferent · Anatomy
Nervous System differentiation, and &Physiology
somatic and textbook
autonomic system.
Information CNS: composed of In the Anatomy and
(Give and/or brain and spinal Physiology text book,
demonstrate cord Pages 368 344, .
necessary PNS: consists of Students should read
information) the nerves and through any of the
ganglia outside of pages that are
the brain and spinal relevant and prepare
cord to answer any
Afferent: consists questions.
of all incoming
sensory nerves
Efferent: consists
of all outgoing
nerves
Autonomic:
regulates
involuntary actions
Verification How do the terms Students must be Other
(Steps to check for you learned about prepared to answer Resources
student work together? any questions that Anatomy and
understanding) were discussed while Physiology text
learning the material. book

3. Activity Be able to Be able to match
(Describe the understand and terms with their
independent perform a lab correct function, list
activity to reinforce activity concerning and describe the
this lesson) the time it takes the correlation of the
body to nervous system
communicate in
order to respond
quickly
Summary With this lesson Each student will be Additional
plan, students will held accountable for Notes
be able to learn and learning and knowing Be ready for
discuss the nervous all important any necessary
system and how it information about the tests and/or
is organized. nervous system quizzes over
this
information!
Synapse
By: Thomas Martinsen
Objectives: The students will learn about Summation and Neurotransmitters. Also they
will learn and understand how signals are transferred through neurons.
Information:
Electrical synapses – Occurs when two cells are joined end to end by gap junctions.
Theses occur between cardiac muscle and some smooth muscle.
Chemical synapses – They use a chemical transmitter called a neurotransmitter to send
a signal from the presynaptic cell to the postsynaptic cell.
Spatial summation – The sum of the local potentials reaches the threshold potential
thus produces an action potential.
Temporal summation - When sympatric knobs stimulate a postsynaptic neuron in rapid
succession their effects can add up and produce an action potential.
Neurotransmitters- Are how the neurons talk to each other
Acetylcholine – It is in a class of its own because of its unique chemical structure. It is
made up of acetate with choline.

4. Amine – They are created from amino acid molecules, tyrosine, tryptophan, or histidine.
They are found in regions of the brain and affect the learning, emotions, and motor
control.
Amino acids- Are the most common neurotransmitters in the central nervous system.
They are found in the cells of the body, and they are used to create structural and
functional proteins.
Neuropeptide– They are short amino acids also called polypeptides. They have
functions to control the hormones and the regulate digestive function.
Questions: To help make you understand
What are the main functions of neuropeptides?
Where are Amine’s mainly found in the body?
Why is the Acetylcholine unique?
The information above should have helped you understand what is in the
neurotransmitters and how they work. Also help understand what different parts of the
summation do what within the cells.
Grade 12 Subject: Cells of the Prepared Erycha Butler
Level: Nervous System By:
Overview & Purpose Education Standards
Addressed
What will be learned and why it is useful.
Students will learn about the different types of Texas
cells in the nervous system.
Teacher Guide Student Guide

5. Objectives Cell of the Nervous Glia Materials
System Neurons Needed
(Specify
skills/information Neuron Classification  Paper
that will be
learned.)  Pencil
 Netbook
Information Two main types of In the Anatomy and
cells compose the Physiology text book,  Anatomy
(Give and/or nervous system, Pages 344 to 114 and
demonstrate namely Neurons and read and be able to Physiology
necessary Glia. Neurons are answer questions text book
information) excitable cells that about cells of the
conduct the impulses nervous system and
that make all possible how to classify
all nervous system neurons
functions. In other
words, they form the
“wiring” of the
nervous system’s
information circuits.
Glia or glial cells, on
the other hand, do not
usually conduct
information but
support the function
of neurons in various
ways. Some of the
major types of Glia
and neurons are
described in the
following sections.
Verification Questions about Students must be Other
lesson able to answer Resources
(Steps to check for EX: How can you questions for
student classify different types reassurance of Anatomy and
understanding) of neurons? knowing the Physiology text
information book

6. Activity Know the cells of the Be able to match cells
nervous system and with their correct
(Describe the the different images and classify
independent classification of certain types of
activity to reinforce neurons neurons.
this lesson) Match cells with the
correct images
Summary With this lesson plan, Each student will be Additional
students will be able held accountable for Notes
to learn and discuss learning and knowing
the different types of all important Be ready for
cells of the nervous information about the any necessary
system, and neuron cells of the nervous tests and/or
classifications. system and neuron quizzes over
classifications. this information
Grade Level: 12 Subject: Nerve Impulses Prepared By: Alexia Nava
Overview & Purpose Education Standards
Addressed
What will be learned and why it is useful. Students will
learn about. Texas
1. Membrane Potential
2. Resting Membrane Potential
3. Local Potential
4. Action Potential
Teacher Guide Student Guide

7. Objectives 1. Membrane Potential Materials
Resting Needed
(Specify
skills/information 2. Membrane Potential · Paper
that will be
learned.) 3. Local Potential · Pencil
4. Action Potential · Netbook
· Anatomy
and
Physiology
online
lesson.

8. Information Membrane Potential Resting: In the Anatomy and
Electric charge difference Physiology text book,
(Give and/or inside a cell membrane, online lesson you will
demonstrate measured relative to just find everything you
necessary outside the cell membrane need, based on what
information) we are learning today.
-Basis of resting membrane
potential:
Selective permeability of
plasma membranes.
Strong permeability of
potassium ions (K +).
Weak permeability of sodium
ions (Na+).
Impermeability of large
anions.
Local Potential: Stimulation of
neuron by chemical, light,
heat, or mechanical distortion
-Local potentials are graded;
that is, they vary in
magnitude. -Local potentials
are decremental; that is they
get weaker the farther they
spread from the point of
stimulation.
-Local potentials are
reversible. If the stimulation
ceases, the membrane
potential drifts back to resting
membrane potential without
affecting the cell.
Action Potential:
Change in membrane
potential in an excitable tissue
that acts as an electric signal
and is propagated in an all-or-
none fashion
-It begins with a steady
depolarization called the
generator potential. If the
generator potential reaches a
critical voltage called the
threshold, the membrane will
continue to depolarize,
followed by a period of
repolarization and then a

9. Verification Questions about lesson Students must be able Other
to answer questions Resources
(Steps to check EX: -The plasma membrane for reassurance of
for student is more permeable to? knowing the Anatomy
understanding) information and
-The value of the resting Physiology
membrane potential is? text book
Activity Describe the different Be able to match
potentials of the Nerve terms with their
(Describe the Impulses, and there correct function, list
independent differences, along with writing and describe the
activity to the definitions. different potentials,
reinforce this and what happens
lesson) when the electrical
chargers change.
Summary With this lesson plan, Each student will be Additional
students will be able to learn held accountable for Notes
and discuss the difference learning and knowing
between the “potentials”, and all important Be ready
understand what they are. information about for any
permeability changes necessary
in action potentials, tests
including the basis of and/or
a resting membrane quizzes
potential, and know over this
about the local information
potential.

10. Nerve impulses have
been found to travel as
fast as 100 m/s. What
could account for the
difference between your
answer to Question 2
and this value obtained
by researchers?
Our value was 25.59 so it
is significantly slower
than the result the
researchers obtained. the
reasons probably was the
area that was hit and
maybe it wasn’t the exact
spot it needed to hit.
Assume the speed of a nerve impulse is 100 m/s. How does this compare to the speed of
electricity in a copper wire (approx. 3.00  108 m/s)?
It is a lot slower.
Compare the data you obtained in this experiment with other members of your group/class.
Can individual differences be attributed to any physical differences (body shape/s ize,
muscle mass, physical fitness level)?
Yes definitely the persons height and weight contributes to their reflexes and how fast
or slow it may be. for example a person who works out regularly may be faster than a person
who is out of shape.