Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v4 - SHS 1
ESSENTIALS FOR SURVIVAL
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ESSENTIALS FOR SURVIVAL
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Subject: General Science
Class: SHS 1
Term: 2nd Term
Week: 9
Grade code: 3.2.1.LI.2
Strand code: 2
Sub-strand code: 1
Content standard code: 3.2.1.CS.1
Indicator code: 3.2.1.LI.2
Theme: PROCESSES FOR LIVING
Subtheme: ESSENTIALS FOR SURVIVAL
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Welcome, students. Today, we are exploring a fascinating and vital part of our body's control system: the Peripheral Nervous System. Think about it: how do you know to pull your hand away from a hot coal pot? How do your legs know to run when you're playing football? How does your heart beat without you even thinking about it? The answer lies in a network of nerves that acts like the body's electrical wiring, connecting your brain and spinal cord to every single part of you. This is the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS). Understanding it helps us appreciate how we interact with our environment, from feeling the harmattan breeze on our skin to digesting a meal of *waakye*.
A. The Overall Structure of the Nervous System
Before we dive into the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS), let's understand the bigger picture. The human nervous system is our body's main control and communication centre. It is divided into two main parts: The Central Nervous System (CNS): This is the "command centre." It consists of the brain and the spinal cord. It receives information, processes it, and makes decisions. The Peripheral Nervous System (PNS): This is the network of all the nerves that branch out from the CNS (brain and spinal cord) and extend to all other parts of the body, including our limbs, organs, and skin. Its job is to carry messages *to* the CNS from the body (sensory information) and carry commands *from* the CNS back *to* the body (motor commands).
Analogy: Think of the CNS (brain and spinal cord) as the head office of a large company, like ECG or Ghana Water Company. The PNS is like all the cables, wires, and field workers that connect the head office to every single house and business in the country, delivering services (commands) and reporting back issues (sensations). B. What is the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)?
The Peripheral Nervous System consists of all nervous tissue outside the brain and spinal cord. It is made up of nerves and ganglia (clusters of nerve cell bodies). These nerves are bundles of axons from nerve cells (neurons).