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9th grade Neurons and the main parts of the brain worksheet

6 printable versionsBuilding Confidence10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

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Neurons and the main parts of the brain

Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Read this first

    Use this

    Neuron drawing (model, not to scale): one neuron, with four parts marked W to Z. branching extensions that receive messages from other neurons; holds the nucleus and the other organelles of the neuron; a long, tube-like fiber that carries the impulse away from the cell body; an insulating wrap around part of fiber Y that speeds the impulse.

  2. Ari reads a neuron drawing. The job column says part Y is a long, tube-like fiber that carries the impulse away from the cell body. What is part Y?

    • The axon
    • The myelin sheath
    • The dendrites
    • The cell body

  3. Use this

    Neuron drawing (model, not to scale): one neuron, with four parts marked W to Z. Part | letter | job: ? | W | branching extensions that receive messages from other neurons; cell body | X | holds the nucleus and the other organelles of the neuron; axon | Y | a long, tube-like fiber that carries the impulse away from the cell body; axon terminals | Z | endings at the far end of the fiber that release chemicals onto the next cell.

  4. Bo reads the neuron drawing. The job column says part W has branches that receive messages from other neurons. What is part W?

    • The axon terminals
    • The dendrites
    • The cell body
    • The axon

  5. Use this

    Brain drawing (model, not to scale): a side view of the brain, with the spinal cord leaving below and four parts marked W to Z.

  6. Jun reads a brain drawing. The job column says part W is the large, folded top part that handles thinking, the senses and planned movement. What is part W?

    • The cerebrum
    • The brainstem
    • The spinal cord
    • The cerebellum

  7. Use this

    Brain drawing (model, not to scale): a side view of the brain, with the spinal cord leaving below and four parts marked W to Z. Part | letter | job: cerebrum | W | the large, folded top part; handles thinking, the senses and planned movement; cerebellum | X | the small ridged part at the back, under the top part; helps with balance and coordination; ? | Y | the stalk that links the brain to the spinal cord; helps keep breathing and heart rate going; spinal cord | Z | a long column of nerve tissue in the backbone that passes messages between the brain and the body.

  8. Kira reads the brain drawing. The job column says part Y is the stalk that links the brain to the spinal cord and helps keep breathing going. What is part Y?

    • The spinal cord
    • The brainstem
    • The cerebellum
    • The cerebrum

  9. Use this

    Brain drawing (model, not to scale): a side view of the brain, with the spinal cord leaving below and four parts marked W to Z. Part | letter | job: cerebrum | W | the large, folded top part; handles thinking, the senses and planned movement; ? | X | the small ridged part at the back, under the top part; helps with balance and coordination; brainstem | Y | the stalk that links the brain to the spinal cord; helps keep breathing and heart rate going; spinal cord | Z | a long column of nerve tissue in the backbone that passes messages between the brain and the body.

  10. Luz reads the brain drawing. The job column says part X sits at the back, under the top part, and helps with balance and coordination. What is part X?

    • The spinal cord
    • The cerebellum
    • The cerebrum
    • The brainstem

  12. Noah reads a labeled brain drawing. Which job belongs to part X, the cerebellum?

    • It does the thinking and stores memories
    • It keeps breathing and heart rate going
    • It helps with balance and coordination
    • It links the brain to the spinal cord

  13. Pia reads the labeled brain drawing. Which job belongs to part Y, the brainstem?

    Use the picture in question 6.

    • It helps keep breathing and heart rate going
    • It plans the movement of the fingers
    • It helps with balance on a bike
    • It stores memories and plans thoughts

  14. Signal path in one neuron (model, not to scale). Ren traces a signal through one neuron. Which part goes in the blank box?

    • The next neuron
    • The cell body
    • The axon terminals
    • The myelin sheath

  15. “(model, not to scale). Boxes in order:” Tala brushes a hand against a prickly pinecone, and the hand pulls away. Which neuron goes in the blank box?

    • A motor neuron
    • A sensory neuron
    • A muscle fiber
    • A glial cell

  16. Zee watches the reflex path after a hand pulls away from a pinecone. Which neuron carries the message out from the spinal cord to the muscle?

    • A glial cell
    • A receptor
    • A sensory neuron
    • A motor neuron
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9th grade Neurons and the main parts of the brain worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Neurons and the main parts of the brain. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can name the five parts of a neuron and say the job of each: dendrites receive messages from other neurons, the cell body holds the nucleus and other organelles, the axon carries the impulse away from the cell body, the myelin sheath wraps parts of the axon and speeds the impulse, and the axon terminals release chemicals onto the next cell.
  • I can say a signal moves one way through a neuron (dendrites, cell body, axon, axon terminals) and does not run back.
  • I can say that along the axon the signal is an electrical impulse, and that at a chemical synapse the impulse reaches the axon terminals, which release neurotransmitter chemicals that cross the gap and are picked up by receptors on the next cell. I can say that the message crosses one way.
  • I can say a neuron at rest has a voltage of about −70 mV, and I can read a model graph of one impulse (rest at −70 mV, a threshold near −55 mV, a peak, a return to rest).
  • I can tell the three neuron types apart in a reflex path: a sensory neuron carries messages in toward the spinal cord, an interneuron links neurons inside the spinal cord, and a motor neuron carries messages out to a muscle. I can say a reflex is quick because its path runs through the spinal cord while other neurons tell the brain afterward.
  • I can name the cerebrum (thinking, the senses, memory and planned movement), the cerebellum (balance and coordination, comparing a movement plan with feedback) and the brainstem (the link to the spinal cord, breathing and heart rate), and I can match each one to an everyday activity.

Standard: HS-LS1-2

Words to know

neuron: A nerve cell that sends and receives signals

dendrites: Branches of a neuron that receive messages from other neurons

cell body: The part of a neuron that holds the nucleus and other organelles

axon: The long fiber that carries the impulse away from the cell body

myelin sheath: An insulating wrap around parts of an axon; it speeds the impulse

axon terminals: The endings of the axon that release chemicals onto the next cell

impulse: The brief electrical signal that travels along the axon

synapse: The meeting place, with a small gap, where one neuron passes a message on

Common mistakes

Your child thought a nerve signal can run either way along a neuron. Inside one neuron the impulse runs one way, from the dendrites through the cell body and axon to the axon terminals, and a chemical synapse passes the message forward, not back. Ask your child to trace a signal through one neuron.

Your child thought the electrical impulse itself jumps across the gap between two neurons. At the usual kind of synapse, the impulse reaches the axon terminals, which release neurotransmitter chemicals that cross the gap. Ask your child what crosses the gap.

Your child thought the cerebellum does the thinking, perhaps because its name means little brain. The cerebrum handles thinking, the senses and planned movement. The cerebellum helps with balance and coordination. Ask your child which part helps keep balance on a bike.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with neurons and the main parts of the brain?

Your child thought a nerve signal can run either way along a neuron. Inside one neuron the impulse runs one way, from the dendrites through the cell body and axon to the axon terminals, and a chemical synapse passes the message forward, not back. Ask your child to trace a signal through one neuron.

Are these 9th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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