Lesson 70

How Skin Detects Stimuli

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
■ identify the layers of the skin
■ explain how the skin reacts to temperature
■ trace the path of a stimulus from the skin to the nerve receptors
■ recall ways skin protects the human body
People’s faces and bodies react differently when

Lesson Review they feel hot and cold temperatures. Draw a picture
of a person holding something cold. Think about
If you need to review how the body gathers information about changes in our what the person’s face may look like. Think about
environment, please go to the lesson titled “Sensory Organs.” how the person might be moving their body. Now
draw a picture of a person holding something hot.
Academic Vocabulary Think about what the person’s face may look like.
Think about how the person might be moving
Read the following vocabulary words and definitions. Look through the lesson. Can their body. Share your drawings and discuss with
you find each vocabulary word? Underline the vocabulary word in your lesson. Write your instructor.
the page number of where you found each word in the blanks.
■ dermis: the middle layer of the skin that contains nerve receptors, blood vessels, and
sweat glands (page _____)
■ epidermis: the outer layer of human skin (page _____)
■ subcutaneous layer: the bottom layer of skin that is made up of fat cells
(page _____)

Materials Needed
three drinking glasses, water, ice, paper, a thermometer, a timer

SCIENCE • GRADE 5 • LESSON 70 1

 Imagine you are helping your parents set the table for breakfast. In your left hand,
you are carrying your mom’s coffee mug full of hot coffee. In your right hand, you are
carrying your brother’s glass of cold orange juice.

You set both cups down on the table. Then with both hands, you pick up a glass of
room temperature water. Suddenly, your left hand feels cold and your right hand feels
Skin Senses
warm—at the same time! Hot coffee can have a temperature of 200°F (93°C).
How can this be true? Are your skin’s nerve receptors tricking your brain? Cold orange juice from the refrigerator can have a
temperature of 40°F (4°C).
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How can our skin sense that difference in
........................................................................................................................................................ temperature? Why would it be important for our
........................................................................................................................................................ skin to be able to tell if temperatures are different?
........................................................................................................................................................ Discuss with your instructor.

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2 SCIENCE • GRADE 5 • LESSON 70

Skin Protects the Human Body
The skin is the largest organ on the human body. Skin covers and protects us. But
how does skin protect our body?

The skin helps to keep us safe by working with the immune system and nervous
system. The skin has three main jobs. It protects our bodies from germs. It
gathers information about the sense of touch. It helps to keep our bodies at the
right temperature.

The layer of skin you see when you look down at your arm is called the epidermis.
The epidermis is the outer layer of human skin. This layer acts as a barrier to our
environments. It prevents germs from entering our bodies. If you were to get a cut,
this layer of skin would work quickly to form a scab so that your body does not get
infected. This job of the skin supports the immune system.

The next layer of skin is called the dermis. The dermis is the middle layer of the skin that contains nerve receptors, blood vessels, and sweat
glands. The different nerve receptors in this layer send signals to our brain. Nerve receptors on the skin can detect many different stimuli. For
example, the skin gathers information on changes in pressure, pain, and temperature. With this information, the brain can make decisions on how
to keep our bodies safe. If you were to touch a hot stove, the nerve receptors in the skin would send signals to the brain. The brain would send a
message to quickly pull away your hand. This job of the skin supports the nervous system. The bottom layer of the skin is called the subcutaneous
layer. The subcutaneous layer is made up of fat cells.

Explain two ways the skin protects our bodies.

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SCIENCE • GRADE 5 • LESSON 70 3

 The Skin Gathers Information and Responds to Temperatures
The skin also helps to keep our bodies at the right temperature. Thermoreceptors are
important in gathering information and sending signals to the brain if the surface of
our skin gets too cold or too hot. Our bodies are safe if we maintain a temperature of
98.6°F (37°C). Our skin helps our body maintain this temperature by detecting stimuli
in our environment. There are two types of thermoreceptors, cold receptors and
Hot Receptors
hot receptors. This child’s hot receptors will start sending signals
Cold receptors begin to send signals to the brain when the surface of the skin changes to the brain when the temperature of the surface
of the skin rises. The brain will sense danger and
to below approximately 90°F (32.2°C). The brain uses this information to decide that
send a message to the arm to quickly move the
we are feeling something cold. If our skin gets too cold, our brain can send signals to
child’s hand off the stove.
blood vessels to narrow and pull back from the surface of our skin. This is why we get
goose bumps when we are cold. This is also why your fingers go numb if we are playing
in the snow too long.

Hot receptors begin to send signals to the brain when the surface of the skin changes
to above approximately 100°F (37.8°C). The brain uses this information to decide that
we are feeling something hot. If our skin gets too hot, our brain can send signals to our
sweat glands to make us sweat and cool down. This is also why our skin can turn red if
we are running on a hot day. Signals from thermoreceptors can also tell our brain that
we should move body parts to avoid danger and harm.

Take a look at the picture of the person touching the frozen lake.
How does the skin help our body know this ice is cold?

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What could happen if you left your hand on this ice for a while?

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4 SCIENCE • GRADE 5 • LESSON 70

Thermoreceptors
Thermoreceptors in skin sense changes in temperature. They send these signals to
your brain to decide if you are feeling something hot or cold. Let’s see how hot and
cold thermoreceptors send signals to your brain. For this activity, you will need three
glasses, water, ice, thermometer, timer, three pieces of paper, and a writing utensil.

1. Label the three pieces of paper Glass 1, Glass 2, and Glass 3. Then set each glass on
the paper. In this lesson, you learned:

2. Fill Glass 1 with ice and water. Fill Glass 2 with room temperature water. Fill Glass 3 • Skin protects our bodies from germs.
with hot (not boiling) water.
• Skin gathers information about the sense
3. Use a thermometer to take the temperature of each glass of water. Record your of touch.
feeling for each glass and then the actual temperature of the water on a separate • Skin helps to keep our bodies at the
sheet of paper. right temperature.
4. Put your hand around Glass 3 for 30 seconds. When the timer goes off, quickly • The skin has three layers: epidermis, dermis,
move your hand to Glass 2. Does this glass feel warmer or cooler than Glass 1? and subcutaneous layer.
• The skin uses cold and hot receptors to
  ................................................................................................................................................... sense changes in the temperatures on the
5. Now put your hand around the Glass 1 for 30 seconds. When the timer goes off, skin’s surface.
quickly move your hand to Glass 2. Does this glass feel warmer or cooler than
Think About It
Glass 1? How can thermoreceptors work with pain
receptors in the skin? How does the skin protect
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the body?
Explain how the room temperature water glass feels both warm and cool.

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What are the thermoreceptors in your skin detecting?

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SCIENCE • GRADE 5 • LESSON 70 5

 Complete each sentence using a word from the Word Bank.

Word Bank: epidermis subcutaneous layer dermis

1. The ______________________________ is the top layer of the skin that prevents germs from entering our bodies.

2. The ______________________________ is the middle layer of the skin. This layer contains blood vessels, sweat glands, and nerve receptors.

3. The ______________________________ is the bottom layer of the skin and is made up of fat cells.

Choose the correct answer for each question.

4. What is NOT a job of the skin?

A. It protects our bodies from germs.
B. It gathers information about the sense of touch.
C. It gathers information about the sense of sight.
D. It helps to keep our bodies at the right temperature.

5. How does the skin work with the nervous system?

A. Thermoreceptors detect changes in temperatures and send signals to the brain.
B. Thermoreceptors detect changes in pain and send signals to the brain.
C. Thermoreceptors prevent germs from entering our bodies.

6. You notice goose bumps on your skin. Why do you have goose bumps?
A. Cold receptors send signals to your brain that the surface of your skin is getting colder.
B. Cold receptors send signals to your brain that the surface of your skin is getting warmer.

7. You touch a hot slide on the playground. You jump off of the slide. How did your body know how to react to this feeling?
A. Cold receptors gather information on the hot temperature of the slide and decide you need to be colder.
B. Hot receptors detect a rise in the temperature of the surface of your skin, and those thermoreceptors send signals to your brain.

6 SCIENCE • GRADE 5 • LESSON 70

Answer the following question.

8. Explain a situation where the same object can feel both warm and cool.

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Make a slideshow presentation reporting on what
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you learned during the experiment with the ice
  .................................................................................................................................................. water, room temperature water, and hot water. Be
  .................................................................................................................................................. sure to include images in your slideshow. Share
your presentation with your instructor.
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  .................................................................................................................................................. Use this outline for your presentation:
  .................................................................................................................................................. • Slide 1: Title page
  .................................................................................................................................................. • Slide 2: Question
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• Slide 3: Prediction
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• Slide 4: Materials
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• Slide 5: Procedure
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• Slide 6: Observations
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• Slide 7: Conclusion
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SCIENCE • GRADE 5 • LESSON 70 7