We first started the unit off by learning about homeostasis and the circulatory and respiratory systems. We learned that homeostasis is when an organism maintains its internal temperature. We also learned that positive feedback is when it goes one way quickly while negative feedback is when it dances around a set point. In addition, we saw that negative feedback is a lot more common than positive feedback. After learning about homeostasis, we learned about the circulatory and respiratory systems. We saw that the circulatory and respiratory systems work closely together in order to maintain homeostasis. We learned that the circulatory system transports blood, gases, and nutrients, collects and carries away waste materials, and separates oxygen-poor and oxygen-rich blood. We then learned that the respiratory system delivers oxygen from inhaled air to the blood and expels carbon dioxide and water.
After learning about homeostasis and the circulatory and respiratory systems, we covered the nervous, endocrine, and digestive system. We learned that the there are two parts to the nervous system: the Central Nervous System and the Peripheral Nervous System. The CNS includes the brain, brain stem, and spinal cord while the PNS includes cranial nerves, spinal nerves, sensory neurons, and motor neurons. We also learned that the the CNS processes information and the spinal cord controls reflexes. After the nervous system, we learned about the endocrine system. The endocrine system is a system made up of glands that release hormones. The nervous system and the endocrine system work together and coordinate communication in the body. The nervous system uses high speed electrical signals to control other cells while the endocrine system has slower but longer lasting control of bodily functions such as reproduction, growth, and metabolism. There are six endocrine system glands: hypothalamus, pituitary gland, thyroid gland, parathyroid gland, adrenal gland, and pancreas. After discussing the endocrine system, we moved on to the digestive system. We learned that the six types of nutrients are water, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals, and vitamins and that the two types of digestion are mechanical and chemical. The absorption of nutrients mostly occurs in the small intestine and the folded lining, villi, and microvilli really helps it retain the nutrients.Nearing the end of the unit, we learned about the immune system and the lymphatic system. We learned about innate immunity (all animals) and adaptive immunity (vertebrates only). We saw how the immune system responds to pathogens and other infections. The lymphatic system is a system of tubes and sacs throughout the body that collect waste and blood from tissues (lymph). We learned that lymph nodes helps fight infection and that white blood cells engulf pathogens.
I want to learn more about the lymphatic system because I think that it is really interesting to learn about how we fight pathogens and infections. An unanswered question I have is why is the small intestine so large compared to all other organs. I wonder more about the nervous system and I want to learn a lot more about because I think it is super interesting to see how it controls basically our whole body.
I think that I have grown a lot since my first post back in the beginning of the year. I think that I have especially gotten better at my unit reflections and relate and reviews. At first I kind of just rattled off the things that we learned about in the unit but now I feel that I thoroughly discuss each of the topics we learned about. I have definitely accomplished a lot throughout the way. I am very proud of my blog and I am for sure going to keep it so I can look back at it when I'm older. I am most proud of my Unit 9 Reflection and my Hunger Games Lab because I think that my Unit 9 Reflection was one of my best summaries out of any unit and that for the Hunger Games Lab I did a very good job of relating it to what we learned in class.
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