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Pituitary gland and hormones

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  • Pituitary gland and hormones

Using three short videos the different methods of hormone action are introduced. Students answer some simple questions about peptide and steroid hormones as structured note taking before answering more challenging IB style questions. A final activity outlines the relationship between the hypothalamus znd the pituitary gland.  The hormones released from the anterior and posterior pituitary gland together with the role of neurosecretory cells in the control of the pituitary gland are covered.

Lesson Description

Guiding Questions

How can a chemical released into the blood cause a change in the functioning of another cell?

What different types of hormones are there?

Could a neurone make a hormone?

Activity 1 - Peptide hormones

Watch the short video of the action of the peptide hormone Insulin on liver cell. Then answer the questions below.

 

Questions

1.  Which part of the liver cell does the epinephrine (adrenaline) bind to, and where exactly is it found?

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2.  Cyclic AMP acts as a second messenger.  What does this messenger do?

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3  What is meant by the term, "a cascade of enzymes"?

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Record your answers on the Student worksheet on endocrine glands and hormones

Click the eye icon toe view the student worksheet


Activity 2 - Steroid hormones

Watch this short video on the functioning of steroid hormones and answer the questions.

Questions

1.  Which part of the liver cell does the steroid hormone bind to, where exactly does this happen.

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2. What is the hormone -receptor complex made of?

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3  How does the hormone receptor complex bring about a change in the cell?

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Activity 3 - Hypothalamus & pituitary gland

Watch this final video on the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland and complete the questions.

Questions

It might be good here to have a short worksheet to summarise the hormones produced in the pituitary gland and it's relationship to the hypothalamus.

1.  What are the two main roles of the hypothalamus?

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2. What is the pituitary gland?

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3  Which of the following hormones are secreted by the anterior pituitary gland?

  • ADH
  • Growth hormone
  • Prolactin
  • Oxytocin
  • FSH
  • LH

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4. How does the hypothalamus control the secretion of the hormones made in the anterior pituitary gland?

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5. Which hormone(s) from the list above are secreted by the posterior pituitary gland?

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6. Where are these hormones made, and how do they get to the posterior pituitary gland?

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Teacher's notes

This lesson could be run as a simple whole class activity.  The teacher can give out the worksheet and then play the videos to the whole class one at a time.

It can be useful to pause each video several times to point out key concepts on the first time of watching then play the video a second time without interrupting it.

An alternative would be for students to use headphones and watch the videos on their own computer as many times as they need in order to answer the questions.

NOTE:

Students also need to know something about the following, and this will be included in a role play lesson (coming soon)

  • How some athletes take growth hormones to build muscles but that this has been banned by most sporting federations.
  • Control of milk secretion by oxytocin and prolactin.

Extra Activity 4 - IB style questions

Here are some IB style questions: IB style questions on hormones to test student understanding. 
There are already plenty of simple questions in this activity, so these questions are a little more demanding.

These questions have some model answers here.  IB style hormone questions - model answers 

Student access can be controlled in the 'Student access' section.