Science.7
The Endocrine System / Name ______
Date ______
Essential Questions
  1. What are the structures of the endocrine system?
  2. What is the function of the endocrine system?
  3. How does the endocrine system work to maintain balance in the body?
  4. How do we respond to stress?
  5. How does the endocrine system work with the nervous system?
/ Vocabulary
Endocrine System, hormone, gland, fight or flight, secrete, homeostasis, regulate / Objectives
  1. Identify the function of the endocrine system.
  2. Identify major structures of the endocrine system.
  3. Investigate how the human body responds to external stimuli
  4. Describe responses that result from internal stimuli and allow for the human body to maintain stability

What is the Endocrine System?

  • The endocrine system is a complex collection of ______that control basic body functions such as ______, ______,______,______.
  • Some hormones also allow you to ______.

How does the endocrine system regulate the body?

  • It is made of ______that ______directly into your bloodstream
  • These hormones cause ______in your body

What is a hormone and what do they do?

  • A hormone is a “______”
  • A chemical that delivers a message
  • Hormones are ______of your endocrine system and ______
  • They travel through your blood until they reach special ______

Examples of Hormones

Hormone / Gland / Function
Pineal / Causes sleepiness: “circadian rhythm”
Adrenal / Fight or flight response
Pituitary / Stimulates growth and cell reproduction
Pancreas / Regulates energy and glucose (sugar) in the blood
Testes / Production and regulation of male
reproductive system
Ovaries / Production and regulation of
female reproduction system

How does the endocrine system compare to the nervous system?

•Like the nervous system, the endocrine system is a ______

•The brain controls the endocrine system, but they ______

•In the brain is the hypothalamus, also known as the "______."

  1. Hormones are transported around (to their target organs) the body by the blood. ______
  2. Many hormonal responses (ex: growth) occur over relatively long periods of time.
  3. The main purpose of the Endocrine System is to ______within the body (that is, to keep the internal environment constant/within ______)
  4. The key function of the Nervous System is to ______.

Work with your group to compare and contrast these two systems using a Venn Diagram:

Endocrine Nervous

Fight or flight response

  • Controlled by an area of the brain called the ______:

the part of the brain that links the nervous and endocrine systems.

  • When we think we are in ______, the hypothalamus begins a ______and ______like adrenaline, into our bloodstream.
  • These patterns of nerve cell firing and chemical release cause our body to undergo a series of very ______
  • These changes are designed to either help you fight run away (flight) to safety in times of danger .

Cartoon:

Read pages 554-558 in Glencoe Science

Follow Up Questions:

  1. What is the function of the endocrine system?
  1. Define hormone:
  1. Name 3 endocrine glands:

______

  1. Which best describes how the body regulates glucose levels in the blood?
  2. The body produces a hormone that keeps glucose levels from getting too high.
  3. The body produces a hormone that keeps glucose levels from getting too low.
  4. The body produces two hormones that keep glucose levels from getting too high or too low.
  5. The body produces hormones that continually release stored glucose.

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