Learning Log 12/13/13 Describe the function of sensory organs in humans and compare them to the ones in other animals. Smell “test”!

Review What is the function of the skin? Think about plants/trees. Which part of a plant/tree is most like the skin on a human?

Review When you bump arm on your desk, what is the first thing that happens within your nervous system?

Review The leaves on some plants help keep water inside. Which body part performs a similar function?

Sight

Eyespots

Example: Non-example:

Worms! Why do you think earthworms do not have a well-developed sense of sight? Earthworms also have eyespots.

What is the function of the eye? Discuss the question at your table and record them in your Organ Booklet. Please do not say, “it helps you see.” This would not be a good description.

Why Do Some Animals See Better at Night Than Others? Some more background information: Eyes use light-collecting cells called rods to see low light. Humans can’t see every well at night. But some animals, like owls and cats, can!

The retina is full of cells, called rods and cones, that sense light. Rods pick up light. Cones see color.

How does the number of rods in an eye change how much light the eye can collect? - Rods pick up light. - Cones see color. - Rods pick up light. - Cones see color. The more rods you have in an eye, the better you can see.

Hearing

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Why do you think dolphins and some whales use sound (echolocation) in the way that bats do?

What is the function of the ear? Discuss the question at your table and record them in your Organ Booklet. Please do not say, “it helps you hear.” This would not be a good description.

The average human can recognize about 10,000 different odors! How well do you recognize scents? 1.Vanilla 2.Lemon/Lime 3.Cinnamon 4.Vinegar

Analyze your results from our SciStarter! Were the scents easy or difficult to recognize? Why do you think this is?

Moth’s antennae

The “noses” on top of a honeybee’s antennae are chemoreceptors, which detect chemicals in the air. Can you think of how a honeybee might use chemoreceptors?

What is the function of the nose? Discuss the question at your table and record them in your Organ Booklet. Please do not say, “it helps you smell.” This would not be a good description.

As a table: Discuss what we read in the article. Create your own Flow Map on your paper.

Taste sensations on the tongue

Try holding your nose the next time you eat something. You will notice that your taste buds are able to tell your brain something about what you’re eating – that it’s sweet, for instance – but you won’t be able to pick the exact flavor until you let go of your nose.

What is the function of the tongue? To sense chemicals in food to send to the brain.

Cats have whiskers that allow them to feel. How might a cat use its whiskers?

What do all of your sensory organs have in common?

Brain Break! Stand up and do ten jumping jacks!

Summarize Today we learned about the sensory organs in animals (and plants). On the paper you used to draw your flow map, write a summary of how these organs work (their function) to help us process the world around us. Provide an example for each. EXAMPLE: My eyes take in light, which sends a signal to my brain to help me see. Right now, I am seeing the words I am writing on my paper.

Summarize Right now, my brain is processing information all around me. My eyes are focused on the words that I am writing…