How Muscles Contract
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Objective
I can describe the steps involved in muscle contraction.
Part 1 of 4
Warm-up video
Alila Medical Media · 2:49
We don't generate video — this one is by Alila Medical Media on YouTube. The practice questions and exit ticket below were drafted by AI for this objective, and every question is editable in the teacher guide.
Part 2 of 4
Key concepts
3 concepts
- 1
Muscle contraction occurs when actin and myosin filaments slide past each other, shortening the sarcomere.
- 2
Muscle contraction begins when a nerve impulse stimulates muscle fibers, releasing calcium ions which bind to troponin.
- 3
The binding of ATP severs the bonds between myosin and actin, and the energy released is stored in the myosin heads.
Part 3 of 4
Practice
11 questions
What is the basic functional unit of a muscle that is responsible for contraction?
According to the sliding filament theory, what happens to the sarcomere during muscle contraction?
Part 4 of 4
Exit ticket
Quick comprehension check
“Describe the steps involved in muscle contraction, starting from the nerve impulse and calcium ion release to the start of a new actin binding sequence.”
Sample answer included in the free materials
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Teacher guide, student handout, and slides — free, in Google Docs format
Teacher Guide
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