Resources: Paper, split pins, scissors, hole punch and the handout.
Core Handout: A skeleton to cut out and put together, as well as a series of follow-up activities.
Revise KS2 learning on the function and structure of the skeleton. The students should be familiar with the names and locations of the major bones in the body, including the skull, spine, ribs, pelvis, arms and legs. They should also be able to recall the different types of joints in the body and the role of the skeleton in protecting vital organs, supporting the body and providing a framework for movement.
Ask students to describe the skeletons of these animals. Which do they think has the most bones? Pictured: bat, horse, frog and snake.
Work through the powerpoint with the students. Introduce the skeleton as a organ system composed of bone and pause the slides to allow the students to absorb the new scientific vocabulary. Use slides 11 and 12 as an extended activity or discussion point. After introducing the different bones, go through the function of the skeleton and the role it plays in supporting and protecting the body.
The students will then cut out and pin together their model skeleton, which will enable the assessment of learning objective 2. When complete, ask the students to complete the handout, which includes a crossword of keywords. This will support the assessment of learning objectives 1 and 3.
Career Film: Duncan works as an Orthopaedic Surgeon for the National Health Service.
Expert Film: Tegan Brown works as a Registered Veterinary Nurse for Rackheath Vets. Tegan explains the structure and function of the skeleton.
Skeleton Model
Support: Give the students a few letters for the crossword to help them deduce what the words are.
Challenge: Use a skeleton and a recording device to film the skeleton performing some basic movements. The students can then research the muscles to record a voiceover, explaining what their role is.
There are a range of tasks available on the handout for this lesson, such as crosswords, a labelling activity and some comprehension questions.
The human skeleton is made up of 206 bones, although when we are born we have around 300, which fuse together during the childhood and adolescent years. A lot of infant bones are made up of a large amount of cartilage, and it is this cartilage that goes through a process called ossification which changes the cartilage into the harder bone that forms the adult skeleton. The bones become thicker and larger and fuse together, which is why adults have less bones that children. Cartilage can still be found in an adult; for instance, the ears are made of cartilage (feel them and your fingers and see what the difference is). The Latin for bone is 'os'.
Our bones give the body its shape and offer protection. The bone is made up of a hard outer layer of tissue, a spongy layer of tissue underneath, and bone marrow which goes through the middle of the bone.
Growth plates are areas of tissue at either end of the long bones in the body of a child/adolescent. These plates determine how long the bones will be once the child has reached adulthood. It is not until the child has stopped growing that these plates close and are replaced by hard bone.
The axial skeleton is made up of the skull, sternum, ribs, vertebrae and sacrum. They make up the column of bones in the centre of the body. These bones protect some of the most vital organs in the body, including the brain, heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, spleen and stomach. The appendicular skeleton is in two parts. The first part supports and includes the upper appendages - the pectoral girdle and the bones of the arm and hand. The second part supports and includes the lower appendages - the pelvic girdle and the bones of the leg and foot.
The hand is made up of 27 bones. 8 of these are in the wrist and are called the carpal. Up from the wrist are the 5 metacarpal bones, which are joined to the bones that make up the individual fingers, which are called the phalanges (singular phalanx). There are 14 phalanges in total (3 on each finger and 2 on the thumb).