Lesson 6. Lesson 6: Regulating Homeostasis

Eleanor Kemp
Biology, Environmental Science
1-2 periods
High School Honors Biology
v1

Overview

In this lesson, students will learn about how the endocrine system regulates multiple body systems through hormonal control. 

Standards

Next Generation Science Standards
  • Life Science
    • [HS-LS2] Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
  • NGSS Crosscutting Concept
    • Patterns
    • Causation
    • Systems
    • Stability and Change
  • NGSS Practice
    • Analyzing Data
    • Asking Questions, Defining Problems
    • Using Models
Computational Thinking in STEM
  • Data Practices
    • Analyzing Data
  • Modeling and Simulation Practices
    • Using Computational Models to Understand a Concept
  • Systems Thinking Practices
    • Investigating a Complex System as a Whole
    • Understanding the Relationships within a System

Credits

Unit designed by Eleanor Kemp a teacher at Lindblom.

Acknowledgement

A significant portion of this lesson was adapted from Project Neuron. 

Activities

  • 1. Controlling Complex Systems
  • 2. The Endocrine System
  • 3. Identifying the Steps in the Endocrine Pathway

Student Directions and Resources


In this lesson, you will learn how the endocrine system and the brain work together to regulate multiple body systems and maintain homeostasis. 

1. Controlling Complex Systems


Whatever investigation you and your group conducting in the previous lesson, you should have observed that the body does maintain homeostasis in several different systems. But how does that work? What part of your body controls this regulation? How do the systems of your body "talk" to each other to respond to changes in the external (and internal) environment?  How does your body "know" when the set point is not being met and conditions are out of balance? 

You and your classmates will be asked to perform a coordinated task without being able to talk directly to each other.  Your teacher will assign you into groups and give you a procedure to follow. 

2. The Endocrine System


As you saw in the activity you and your classmates participated in, what seems like a simple task can become quite complicated when multiple systems are involved.  So how does your body coordinate the actions of multiple systems to maintain an internal balance? The human body has many systems, and all of them have some sort of set point that has to be regulated. Some systems are regulated via chemical messengers, more commonly known as hormones.  Watch the video below to learn a bit about how two important hormones work to maintain blood glucose levels in our body. 

Now that you have a little bit better understanding of the endocrine system, think back to the "cracker" activity.  Answer the questions below to demonstrate your understanding of this complex system. 


Question 2.1

The teacher represented the 

  hormone
  gland
  receptor


Question 2.2

Group A represented the

  hormone
  gland
  receptor


Question 2.3

Group X represented the 

  hormone
  gland
  receptor


Question 2.4

Group B represented the 

  hormone
  gland
  receptor


Question 2.5

Let's say we added a third group, called Group C, and their job was to clean the classroom after the "meal," by receiving a handshake. Would the classroom get cleaned? Use reasoning you gained from watching the video and from participating in the activity to explain your answer. 

3. Identifying the Steps in the Endocrine Pathway


In the previous video, the endocrine system works in a series of steps to regulate a system or particular condition (in this example, glucose levels in the bloodstream).  The numbered images below all represent different stages in the regulatory pathway, but they are not necessarily in order.  In the question that follows, you must put the diagrams in order from beginning to end.  

1.        ​2.      

3.        4.  

5.         6.


Question 3.1

In the space below, write the correct number order of the steps of hormone regulation in the bloodstream.  Remember that the pictures are NOT in the correct numerical order, so your answer may start with step 4 (or step 6, step 3, etc). 



Question 3.2

Now that you have identified the correct order of the regulatory sequence, you must explain what is happening in each step.  

Make sure you are referring to the correct order of the actual process, not the numerical steps pictured above!

An example answer would start like this: 

In step 1 of the endocrine pathway (picture # ____ above), the gland___________________. 

In step 2 of the pathway (picture # _____), ______________.

etc.