The concept of reflexes and body response is often introduced at the middle school level. Reflexes allow the body to respond to dangerous situations and find a way to survive, according to Newton's Apple.com. Coughing is the reflex response to an irritant entering the throat or windpipe. Blinking is the reflex response to a foreign particle entering the eye. Sneezing is the reflex movement when the nasal passages are clogged.
This is a common test that is performed at a doctor's office and it can also be done by students in the classroom. While the doctor uses a reflex hammer to perform this activity, your students can do it with the side of their hand. Have students pair up. One student should sit in a chair with one leg crossed over the other while the second student hits the leg just below the knee with the side of the hand. This will induce a response called the monosynaptic reflex. There is only one synapse used to complete the circuit from the spot the knee is tapped to the spinal cord to make the muscle move.
Blinking is the reflexive response when something may be coming directly at the eyes. Demonstrate this by having two students face each other with a glass window separating them. Have one student throw a tennis ball at the other. Observe the second student to see whether the student blinked or not. Do this 10 times and record how many times the student blinked during the experiment.
Have two students face each other. The first student will hold the top of a 24-inch ruler at eye level. The other student will hold his hand just below the bottom of the ruler. Have the first student drop the ruler and see how quickly the other student can grab the ruler. You can easily measure the response by seeing how many inches from the bottom of the ruler the student caught the ruler.. Record the data and then have the two students switch positions. Compare the reaction distance of each student in the class.