Bones and Muscles Of All Creatures Great and Small - Author(s):Anne T. Phinney - Grade Level 5 - In this learning experience students will learn about the relationship between the bones and muscles in their own bodies. The function of these two systems will be examined and finally, students will appreciate the relationship between their own bones and muscles and those of other species of animals. This last concept will raise questions about human evolutionary roots and relationships with other animals.

Learning Experience

Bones and Muscles of All Creatures Great and Small

By: Anne T. Phinney
Fifth Grade
Town of Webb School
Old Forge, New York

Learning Context:
In this learning experience students will learn about the relationship between the bones and muscles in their own bodies. The function of these two systems will be examined and finally, students will appreciate the relationship between their own bones and muscles and those of other species of animals. This last concept will raise questions about human evolutionary roots and relationships with other animals.

This Learning Experience addresses the requirements of MST Standard #4 under the benchmarks for the Living Environment. Students will understand the structures and functions of the human body at different organizational levels. Students will know how organisms are classified into a hierarchy of groups and subgroups based on similarities that reflect their evolutionary relationships.

This experience will take place during the unit on Human Body Systems. The first systems that are generally covered in a textbook are the skeletal and muscular systems together. Since these two systems are responsible for animals being able to move from place to place to get food they seem to be a natural lead in to teaching students about how closely related to other animals we humans truly are. From this point it will be apparent to students that all of our systems have similarities to those in other animals.

Students will be required to recognize a skeleton and determine the difference between that of a human and that of an animal. They will also need some knowledge of what a muscle is.
Procedure:
Students will begin the experience with an introductory lesson, (1/2 hour), that will discuss bones and muscles and their direct relationship. Students will brainstorm other systems of levers in the physical world for comparison. In the second lesson students will use a graphic organizer to record the names and locations of bones in the human body, (45 min.). At this time students will discuss the location of these same bones in the skeleton of mammals, birds and reptiles. In the third session students will come to school in dark clothing. In pairs they will label their own bones with help from the graphic organizer. Tape and/or chalk can be used for the labels. Allow the students to experiment with both. This session, (45 min.), will wrap up with a game of Simon Says using the bones. In the fourth session students will be given another graphic organizer with the skeletons of a bird, other mammal, and reptile. With their knowledge of the human skeleton they will label the bones of these diagrams in their paired groups. In the fifth lesson students will construct skeletons of birds, mammals and people using pipe cleaners.
Instructional/Environmental Modifications:
Students with IEP's will follow their individual plans and their Resource Room teachers will push-in during activities. Students with visual disabilities will be accommodated at the front of the room near the instructor and an aide will be there to assist them. Physically disabled children will be accommodated for depending on their individual needs. Those with limited English proficiency will work with another student for clarification purposes.
Time Required:
This Learning Experience will take, on average, one week to complete. This is based on spending one hour a day engaged in an activity for each of the five days. Planning will require twenty to forty minutes a day depending on the background knowledge of the teacher. Assessment will require an additional hour the following week with one half-hour planning time.
Resources:
Student:

www.mindspring.com/~zoonet/ -Great information for kids about animals by linking them to zoos worldwide.

http://kidshealth.org - Games and puzzles for kids that teach them about the human body.

Teachers:

The Science Book and The Evolution Book by Sara Stein- Both of these books offer outstanding information and activities to teach kids about the human body.

www.science-education.org. -Lots of science information and lesson plans are available at this teacher friendly site.
Assessment Plan:

The teacher will assess the student’s learning by way of the graphic organizers and conferences with each paired group. A quiz will be given at the end of the experience to test the declarative knowledge acquired by the assessment tasks.

Reflection:

This learning experience was developed for students to learn the purpose of, names of, and relationship between bones and muscles. It is necessary for students to have a working knowledge of their bodies so that they can make decisions that will enhance the health of their physical selves. It was also developed to build an awareness of the relationship between the physical structure of a human being and other animal life. This idea will establish knowledge of evolution and the origin of animal life.

I learned that students enjoy a physical learning environment and are most successful when the topic is of an ilk that directly relates to them personally. Labeling one's own body and classroom pets with various muscle and bone parts is a great way to ensure the knowledge is learned. It also strengthens the human/animal bond in the classroom and beyond by emphasizing the relationships between human and animal instead of ranking their differences.