The Skeletal System

Samantha Meyer
BIOL 303
Systems Lesson Plan

Title: Skeletal System

Grade Level: 2nd Grade

Purpose:
The purpose of this activity is to learn about the skeletal system and where the bones are located in the body.

Objective:
Students will be able to create their own model of the skeletal system and label a model of the skeletal system.

Materials:
Real life skeleton model
Smart board www.brainpop.com (skeleton)
Skeleton diagram worksheet (1 per student)
Skeleton model project cut outs (1 per student)
Q-tips (10 per student)
Black construction paper (1 per student)
Scissors (classroom set)
Glue (classroom set) www.abcya.com (learn the skeleton system – label the bones)
Exit slip

Inquiry Question(s):
What is the skeletal system?
What bones make up the skeletal system?
Where are the bones located in the body?

Vocabulary:
The skeletal system is the hard structure (bones and cartilages) that provides a frame for the body of a person and animal.
Bones are any of the pieces of hard, whitish tissue making up the skeleton in humans and other vertebrates.
The cranium is the skull, especially the part enclosing the brain.
Clavicle is the technical term for collarbone.
Ribs are the long curved bones, which form the rib cage. Ribs usually surround the chest, enabling the lungs to expand and thus facilitate breathing by expanding the chest cavity.
The radius is the thicker and shorter of the two bones in the human forearm.
The vertebrae is each of the serious of small bones forming the backbone, having several projections for articulation and muscle attachment, and a hole through which the spinal cord passes.
The humerus is the bone of the upper arm or forelimb, forming joints at the shoulder and the elbow.
Phalange is another term for phalanx, which is a bone of the finger or toe.
The femur is the bone of the thigh or upper hind limb, articulating at the hip and the knee.
The tibia is the inner and typically larger of the two bones between the knee and ankle (or the equivalent joints in other terrestrial vertebrates), parallel with the fibula.

Procedures:

Engage:
I will start the lesson with introducing the topic of body systems to the students. I will ask students questions to start the lesson.

Do you know any types of body systems?
What type of body system relates to the food we eat?
What type of body system helps us be strong?
What type of body system helps us fight off sickness?
What type of body system keeps our heart strong?
What type of body system is the structure or frame of our body?

After asking these questions, I will write “The Skeletal System” on the board. I will then bring out the real life skeleton model to show the class. I will then ask the students questions related to the skeletal system.

What makes up the skeletal system?
Does anyone know any of the bones in our body?
What is the purpose of the skeletal system?
What else do you know about the skeletal system or bones?

After asking these questions, I will show the class a BrainPOP. The BrainPOP will be about the skeleton. https://www.brainpop.com/health/bodysystems/skeleton/preview.weml (In this brainPOP, Tim and Moby take a closer look at the human skeleton and how it works. The students will learn their head is so hard and what body parts form their skeleton. They will find out some of the functions of their bones and what makes them so useful. The students will also discover what is inside their bones, and the role they play in making blood.) When the BrainPOP is over, I will ask students questions about it. I will write the answers on the board and encourage students to take notes.

What did you learn about the skeleton?
Why is our head so hard?
What body parts form our skeleton?
Why are our bones so useful?
Explore:
After the discussion about the BrainPOP, I will introduce the next activity to the class.
“Now that we have started to learn about our skeletal system, we are going to create our own models of the skeletal system.”
I will now hand out the skeleton diagram worksheet to the class while explaining the activities directions.
“We are going to create our own skeleton models using Q-tips. We will create the skeleton step-by-step as a class and then you will be responsible for cutting out the names of the bones and labeling your model.”
I will then hand out scissors, glue, Q-tips, the skeleton model cut outs, and black construction paper to each student.
Next, I will create the skeleton model with Q-tips step-by-step in front of the class with the students following along. I will place one Q-tip at a time until the skeleton is complete.
Once the skeleton is complete, I will instruct students to cut out their skeleton model cut outs and glue the bone names in the correct spot on their model.

Explain:
Once the class is finished creating their skeleton system models, I will instruct students to put their scrap paper in the garbage and materials away.
I will then tell students to share their skeleton model with the person next to them.
I will tell students to “check” their partner’s skeleton system model and make sure their models are the same.
When students are done sharing, I will go over the skeleton system model as a class. I point to a section on my unlabeled skeleton model and ask students to raise their hand and share what bone belongs in each place. (This will make sure every student has a correctly labeled skeleton system model.)
Extend/Elaborate:
The teacher will then have students participate in an interactive activity relating to the skeleton system.
I will explain to the class we will be participating in a class activity on the smart board.
I will bring up an interactive skeleton model that is unlabeled. The students will come up to the board and label the skeleton system correctly. http://www.abcya.com/skeletal_system.htm

I will have every students name written on a Popsicle stick and chose a stick randomly. The student who is chosen will come to the board and label a part of the skeleton. (This method allows every student to have a chance and makes sure all students participate instead of the same usual students.)
At the bottom of the skeleton, the website keeps track of how many “clicks” or chances it takes to label the entire skeleton system correctly. After the class completes the whole system, I will challenge the class to beat their score. (This will motivate students and continue learning)
I will allow students to participate in this activity for as long as time permits.

In order to close the lesson, the teacher will give the students a simple exit slip.

Questions on exit slip:

1. What is the skeletal system made up of?
2. What is another word for skull?
3. What is another word for collarbone?
4. What bones surround the chest?
5. What bones form the backbone?
6. What is another word for the bones of fingers and toes?

Evaluate:
The students will be evaluated on their skeleton system models, exit slip, and participation and understanding throughout the entire lesson in order to assess their knowledge and understanding of the topic and lesson.

Sources:

http://dictionary.kids.net.au

http://kidshealth.org/kid/htbw/bones.html

http://www.neok12.com/Skeletal-System.htm

http://www.watchknowlearn.org/Category.aspx?CategoryID=4701

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/activity/human-body-14-studyjams-interactive-science-activities

https://www.brainpop.com/health/bodysystems/skeleton/preview.weml

http://www.abcya.com/skeletal_system.htm