6th Grade · Science · Activity · shared by Luke Morgan
This free 6th Grade Science activity explores hormone communication, the endocrine system, and how the body sends chemical messages.
Hormone Communication: The Body's Chemical Messengers
Your body is constantly sending messages to different organs to keep everything running smoothly. These messages are sent by the endocrine system using chemical signals called hormones . Hormones travel through your blood to deliver instructions to specific cells. Think of it like a mailing system where the blood is the delivery truck and the hormones are the letters addressed to certain houses.
The human body has a special network that sends news to its many parts. This setup uses parts called glands to make small hormones . These act like tiny mail pieces that travel through the blood to far away spots. When a hormone gets to its spot, it looks for a match on a cell called a receptor . This is like a lock that only one key can open. This careful path makes sure the right news gets to the right cell.
One part of the body, the pancreas , helps manage the sugar we get from food. When sugar levels go up, it sends out a helper called insulin . This helper joins with cells to let glucose, or blood sugar, go inside to give us power. If sugar levels get too low, the body sends out glucagon instead. This tells the liver to change stored glycogen back into sugar. This steady work is a feedback loop that keeps the body in a safe balance.
📋 Student Worksheet: Two Truths and a Lie
Name: _________________________ Date: _____________
Topic: Hormone functions and signaling within the human endocrine system
Set #
The Three Statements
Which is the Lie?
1
A: Hormones travel through the bloodstream to reach cells in different parts of the body.
B: A hormone can unlock any cell it touches because all cells have the same receptors.
C: Receptors on the surface of a cell act like tiny locks for specific hormone keys.
2