_________________________________________________________Chapter 18 Endocrine System

Lesson Plan

1 Endocrine System
8
TEACHING FOCUS
Students will have the opportunity to learn how the endocrine system regulates many body functions by
releasing hormones into the bloodstream. The student will have the opportunity to learn the location of the
major endocrine glands and tissues, their primary secretions, sites of action and mechanisms of action, and
important bodily functions. Abnormal conditions arising from deregulation of the system and diagnostic tests
and procedures related to endocrine abnormalities will be presented for the student to better understand
medical terms used by endocrine specialists.

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

Flash cards (Lesson 18.4)

Glucose meter (Lesson 18.4)
Index cards (Lesson 18.4)
Insulin pump (Lesson 18.4)
Medical journals about endocrine
abnormalities (Lesson 18.2)

Medical pathology textbook (Lesson 18.2)

Transparency or PowerPoint slide of
illustration of endocrine glands (Lesson 18.1)
VCR and television (Lesson 18.2)
Video about the male and female
reproductive systems (Lesson 18.2)

LESSON CHECKLIST

Preparations for this lesson include:

Demonstration: insulin pump, glucose meter
Guest speaker: diabetic person who uses glucose meter and insulin pump
Student performance evaluation of all entry-level skills required for student comprehension and
application of endocrine system terminology, including:
o location, secretion, and action of endocrine tissue
o the major endocrine glands, the hormones they produce, and their actions
o abnormal conditions of the endocrine glands

KEY TERMS

Vocabulary (pp. 757-759)

adrenal cortex
adrenal medulla
ovaries
pancreas
parathyroid glands
pituitary gland (hypophysis)
testes
thyroid gland
adrenaline
adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)
aldosterone
androgen
antidiuretic hormone (ADH)
calcitonin
cortisol
epinephrine
estradiol
estrogen
follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)
glucagon

growth hormone (GH)

insulin
luteinizing hormone (LH)
norepinephrine
oxytocin (OT)
parathormone (PTH)
progesterone
prolactin (PRL)
somatotropin (STH)
testosterone
thryroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)
thyroxine (T4)
triiodothyronine (T3)
vasopressin
catecholamines
corticosteroids
electrolyte
glucocorticoid
homeostasis
hormone

_________________________________________________________Chapter 18 Endocrine System

hypothalamus
mineralocorticoid
receptor
sella turcica

sex hormones
steroid
sympathomimetic
target tissue

_________________________________________________________Chapter 18 Endocrine System

Terminology (pp. 760-763)
aden/o
adren/o
adrenal/o
andr/o
calc/o
cortic/o
crin/o
dips/o
estr/o
gluc/o
glyc/o
gonad/o
home/o
hormon/o
insulin/o
kal/i
lact/o
myx/o
natr/o
pancreat/o
parathyroid/o

phys/o
pituitar/o
somat/o
ster/o
thyr/o
thyroid/o
toc/o
toxic/o
ur/o
-agon
-emia
-in, -ine
-tropin
-uria
euhyperhypooxypantetratri-

Legend

CD
Companion
CD

iTerms

IRM
Instructors
Resource Manual
available on CD
and Evolve

Pathology (pp. 764-773)

hyperthyroidism
hypothyroidism
thyroid carcinoma
hyperparathyroidism
hypoparathyroidism
adrenal virilism
Cushings syndrome
Addisons disease
pheochromocytoma
Laboratory Tests (pp. 773-774)
fasting plasma glucose
serum and urine tests
thyroid function tests
exophthalmometry
computed tomography (CT) scan

REFERENCE LIST
PowerPoint slides (CD, Evolve): 1-78

Evolve
Evolve
Resources

PPT
PowerPoint
Slides

MTO
Medical
Terminology
Online

Class Activities are indicated in bold italic.

hyperinsulinism
diabetes mellitus
acromegaly
gigantism
dwarfism
panhypopituitarism
syndrome of inappropriate ADH
diabetes insipidus
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
radioactive iodine uptake
thyroid scan
ultrasound examination

_________________________________________________________Chapter 18 Endocrine System

LESSON 18.1
PRETEST
IRM Exercise Quiz A

BACKGROUND ASSESSMENT
Question: What is the function of the endocrine system and how does it work?
Answer: The endocrine system works through the use of certain glands that secrete chemical messengers
called hormones. The hormones travel through the bloodstream to receptor sites in the various target tissues
and cause a variety of effects.
Question: Janet is taking birth control pills. She knows that they regulate her menstrual periods but is not
sure how that keeps her from becoming pregnant. She learns that the pills contain hormones. Where are the
female hormones naturally produced and what are their functions?
Answer: The female hormones estrogen and progesterone are produced in the ovaries. Estrogen maintains
female secondary sex characteristics and interacts with hormones of the anterior pituitary to promote
ovulation and the menstrual cycle. Progesterone also interacts with pituitary hormones, but during pregnancy
it maintains and supports the growth of the embryo and surrounding tissues of the uterus. These two
hormones ebb and flow during the menstrual cycle; they first cause ovulation (release of an ovum to be
fertilized) and then promote an environment for the egg to be nourished and grow. When fertilization does
not take place, the uterine environment breaks down in the form of the menses. Birth control pills
hormonally mimic pregnancy and inhibit ovulation.

CRITICAL THINKING QUESTION

An enlarged thyroid gland can lead to symptoms that reflect either overproduction or
underproduction of thyroid hormones. How are both of these conditions possible from an enlarged
thyroid?
Guidelines: An enlarged thyroid (goiter) can result from a lack of iodine in the diet, resulting in the inability
of the gland to produce thyroid hormones. This causes the hypothalamus and adenohypophysis (anterior
pituitary gland) to secrete releasing factors that tell the thyroid to produce even more of its hormone, leading
to an enlarged gland where the prehormones are stored in follicles. On the other hand, tumors of the thyroid
(neoplasms) can enlarge the thyroid and produce both hyperthyroidism or, in the case of a malignant tumor, a
nonfunctioning gland (hypothyroidism).

OBJECTIVES
Identify the
endocrine
glands and their
hormones and
functions.

CONTENT

Introduction (p. 746)

Thyroid gland (p. 748)

Parathyroid glands (p. 749)

Adrenal glands (p. 750)

Pancreas (p. 752)

TEACHING RESOURCES
PPT 5-28
MTO Module 18, Section I, Lessons 1-2, 4-6
Figure 18-1 The endocrine system (p. 747)
Figure 18-2 The thyroid gland (p. 748)
Figure 18-3 The thyroid gland, its hormones
and actions (p. 749)
Figure 18-4 The parathyroid glands (p. 749)
Figure 18-5 The parathyroid glands, their
hormone and action (p. 750)
Figure 18-6 The adrenal (suprarenal) glands
(p. 751)
Figure 18-7 The adrenal cortex and adrenal
medulla, their hormones and actions (p. 751)
Figure 18-8 The pancreas (p. 752)
Figure 18-9 The pancreas (islets of
Langerhans), its hormones and actions (p. 753)
Table 18-1 Endocrine tissue (p. 747)

_________________________________________________________Chapter 18 Endocrine System

OBJECTIVES

CONTENT

TEACHING RESOURCES
Table 18-2 Major endocrine glands, the
hormones they produce, and their actions
(p. 756)
Divide the class into two
competing teams. Show them a transparency
or PowerPoint slide of the illustration of
endocrine glands. Call out a number and ask
them to identify the gland. The first team to
give a correct answer wins a point. Give an
additional point for the name of a hormone
the gland produces. The team with the most
points wins.
Class Activity

Alternately, hand out copies of

the blank illustration of the endocrine system.
Have the students label the diagram with the
organs and their combining forms.
Class Activity

Divide the class into groups, and

assign each group one of the major endocrine
glands listed in Table 18-2. Assign the
anterior and posterior pituitary lobes to two
groups. Have each group create a poster
listing the gland, its location in the human
body, the hormones the gland produces, the
hormones purpose, and the hormones point
of entry into the bloodstream. Then have each
group make an oral presentation to the class
based on the poster.
Class Activity

Divide the class into two or

more competing teams. Play a Jeopardy-style
game by giving them answers (from
the Vocabulary list) such as this: The
male hormone produced by the testes.
Award a point for the question, What is
testosterone?
Class Activity

Prepare a handout with the

hormones listed in Table 18-2 in column one,
and blank lines in columns two and three.
During class, review the list, asking students
to name each gland and the hormone each
Class Activity

gland produces. Have all students fill in

column two with the correct answer. When
the correct answer is provided, ask a student
to provide a fact about the hormone or gland
to serve as a memory aid. Have students fill in
column three with an appropriate memory
aid.

_________________________________________________________Chapter 18 Endocrine System

18.1 Homework/Assignments:

18.1 Teachers Notes:

_________________________________________________________Chapter 18 Endocrine System

LESSON 18.2
CRITICAL THINKING QUESTION
The abnormal conditions of gigantism, acromegaly, and dwarfism have symptoms that are very
different from each other, yet they each result from secretory problems in the same glandthe
pituitary. How is this possible?
Guidelines: The timing of the abnormal secretion of the pituitary hormones in relation to the developmental
stage of the individual has a strong influence on the resulting symptoms and conditions that arise.
Acromegaly results from an excess of growth hormone due to neoplasms of the pituitary gland that occur
during adulthood. Overgrowth of the feet, hands, face, and jaw results. In gigantism, the hyperfunctioning
of the pituitary occurs before puberty. Benign tumors result in an excess of growth hormone, leading to
overgrowth during a period of naturally rapid growth. Dwarfism is the result of hyposecretion of growth
hormones; children are normal mentally, but their bones remain small. Some of these conditions can be
corrected if the cause of the symptom is discovered early.

OBJECTIVES
Identify the
endocrine
glands and their
hormones and
functions.

CONTENT

Pituitary gland (p. 753)

Ovaries (p. 755)

Testes (p. 756)

TEACHING RESOURCES
PPT 30-40
MTO Module 18, Section I, Lessons 3 and 6
Figure 18-10 The pituitary gland (p. 753)
Figure 18-11 The relationship of the
hypothalamus to the anterior pituitary gland
and the posterior pituitary gland (p. 754)
Figure 18-12 The pituitary gland, its hormones
and actions (p. 755)
Figure 18-13 The ovaries and testes, their
hormones and actions (p. 757)
Table 18-2 Major endocrine glands, the
hormones they produce, and their actions
(p. 756)
Exercises G-H (pp. 781)
Discuss why a pituitary tumor might cause
tunnel vision.
Obtain a video about the
function of the male and female reproductive
systems. Divide the class into four groups.
Have two groups per male/female category.
Each group within the same sex must report
on two topics. One topic is the formation of
the germ cells for that organ and how
hormones influence that process. The second
group explains how hormones regulate
Class Activity

secondary sex characteristics and, in the case

of females, pregnancy as well.
Give several competing teams
two sets of index cards each. One set has a
card for each major endocrine gland; the
other set lists the names of corresponding
hormones. Have the teams match the
hormone with the gland. The first team to
complete the task correctly wins. Have the
winning team present its answers to the class.
Class Activity

_________________________________________________________Chapter 18 Endocrine System

OBJECTIVES
Analyze medical
terms related to
the endocrine
glands and their
hormones.

CONTENT

Terminology (p. 760)

TEACHING RESOURCES
PPT 41-49
Figure 18-14 Hypophysectomy (p. 762)
Exercises A-C (pp. 778-780)
Review Sheet (pp. 790-791)
Have each student obtain one
article from a leading clinical journal and
underline all terms related to the endocrine
organs, hormones, and malfunctions of the
system. Use only 25 terms from each article.
Have students exchange articles and define
the terms in the article.
Class Activity

Read the Practical Application

to the students. Ask them to answer the
questions following the report. Have them
spell, analyze, and underline the accented
syllable in each term.
Class Activity

18.2 Homework/Assignments:

18.2 Teachers Notes:

_________________________________________________________Chapter 18 Endocrine System

LESSON 18.3
CRITICAL THINKING QUESTION
Diabetes is a disease of improper metabolism of sugar, starch, and fat. However, there are two types
of diabetes, which occur at very different points in life and have a different inheritance pattern. In
addition, one type presents with a very thin person, and one type usually presents with an obese
person. What are the differences between these two types of diabetes?
Guidelines: Type 1 diabetes has an early onset, usually in childhood, and presents in a very thin person. It
involves destruction of the cells in the pancreas (beta cells) that are responsible for producing insulin. It has
a rapid onset and often results in ketoacidosis (improper burning of fats leading to ketones and acids in the
body). Type 2 diabetes has a different inheritance pattern and presents in older and obese patients. The onset
is very gradual. The cells that produce insulin are generally not destroyed, but the ability of insulin to act on
its target cells is reduced and ketoacidosis seldom occurs. Both diseases use different approaches to
treatment. Type 1 patients can use insulin pumps to maintain glucose levels. Type 2 patients can often
change their diets, lose weight, exercise, and, if necessary, use insulin or oral hypoglycemic agents.

OBJECTIVES
Describe the
abnormal
conditions
resulting from
excessive and
deficient
secretions of the
endocrine
glands.

CONTENT

Pathology (p. 764)

Thyroid gland (p. 764)

Parathyroid glands (p. 765)

Adrenal cortex (p. 766)

Adrenal medulla (p. 767)

Pancreas (p. 768)

Pituitary gland (anterior lobe)

(p. 771)
Pituitary gland (posterior lobe)
(p. 772)

TEACHING RESOURCES
PPT 51-59
MTO Module 18, Section II, Lessons 1-4
Figure 18-15 A, Goiter; B, Exophthalmos
(p. 764)
Figure 18-16 (A) Myxedema; (B) Cushing
syndrome (p. 766)
Figure 18-17 Addisons disease (p. 767)
Figure 18-18 Insulin pump (p. 769)
Figure 18-19 Secondary complications of
diabetes mellitus (p. 770)
Figure 18-20 Progression of acromegaly
(p. 771)
Figure 18-21 Gigantism (p. 772)
Table 18-3 Comparison of type 1 and type 2
diabetes mellitus (p. 769)
Table 18-4 Abnormal conditions of endocrine
glands (p. 773)
Exercises D-F, I (pp. 779-780)
Discuss famous people who suffered from
abnormal conditions of the endocrine system.
If students have difficulty finding references,
they can start with the medical histories of the
U.S. presidents. How did they learn to cope
with their conditions?
Discuss why some adrenal gland tumors
cause virilism. Why do people get cortisone
shots when they have musculoskeletal
disorders?
Have small groups each pick a
card from a set of index cards with the names
of abnormal conditions on them. Ask each
group to name the gland involved and
Class Activity

_________________________________________________________Chapter 18 Endocrine System

OBJECTIVES

CONTENT

10

TEACHING RESOURCES
describe the causes and effects of the
condition. Have a representative of each
group share the description with the class.
Have the class offer improvements.
Use a library or the Internet to
locate four to six photographs of patients with
visible signs of abnormal endocrine activity.
Print out or photocopy relevant photos and
number each copy. Pass the numbered copies
through the class, asking students to write
the underlying cause of each patients
appearance and the gland involved on a
separate piece of paper. Discuss the results as
a class activity, or break the class into smaller
groups and ask each group to reach a
consensus for each patient.
Class Activity

18.3 Homework/Assignments:

18.3 Teachers Notes:

_________________________________________________________Chapter 18 Endocrine System

11

LESSON 18.4
CRITICAL THINKING QUESTION
Why is a radioactive iodine uptake test useful for evaluating an enlarged thyroid?
Guidelines: There are several reasons why a thyroid can be enlarged. A thyroid uptake test will show not
only the anatomy of the gland but also the function of the gland, which will aid in the diagnosis of why the
gland is enlarged. Radioactive iodine is administered orally, and the uptake into the gland is evidence of
thyroid function. Functional tests aid in the evaluation of tumors to help distinguish between benign and
malignant conditions.

OBJECTIVES
Identify
laboratory tests,
clinical
procedures, and
abbreviations
related to
endocrinology.

CONTENT

Laboratory tests (p. 773)

Clinical procedures (p. 774)

Abbreviations (p. 775)

TEACHING RESOURCES
PPT 61-62
MTO Module 18, Section III, Lessons 1-3
Exercise B (p. 778)
Have a person who uses a
glucose meter and insulin pump come to class
and demonstrate their use.
Class Activity

Divide the class into two

competing teams. Give each team a set of
different flash cards with the names on them
of laboratory tests, clinical procedures, or
abbreviations related to endocrinology. The
teams take turns showing a card to the
opponent, who has to define the test or
procedure, or give the abbreviated term. The
correct answer wins a point. However, the
first team loses a point for accepting an
incorrect answer or rejecting a correct
answer. The team with the most points wins.
Class Activity

Have students research the

newest findings in treatment for diabetes
mellitus. Ask them to present their findings to
the class.
Class Activity

Apply your new

knowledge to
understanding
medical terms in
their proper
contexts, such
as medical
reports and
records.

Practical applications (p. 776)

PPT 63-77
MTO Module 18, Section V
Have students take turns
reading the sentences in Exercise K. The
student reading the question will answer it:
Class Activity

the class will spell, analyze, define, and

underline the accented syllable in each
answer.

_________________________________________________________Chapter 18 Endocrine System

OBJECTIVES

CONTENT

Performance
Evaluation

TEACHING RESOURCES
ESLR Student Quiz Chapter 18
MTO Module 18, Sections I-III quizzes
MTO Module 18 Exam
iTerms Chapter 18

18.4 Homework/Assignments:

18.4 Teachers Notes:

12