The 3rd graders have been learning about the human body! It's one of their favorite units. We focus primarily on the skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems. Be sure to read to the bottom of this post to see the cool project we used to tie it all together!
We read a selection of articles relating to each system, along with many demonstrations of how our bodies can move.
After reading some articles about the basics of bones, I brought this
new student in to our class to hang out. We called him Mr. Skeleton. :)
We used index cards to label the main bones of our new friend. The kids had a diagram of the skeleton to look at while we were labeling.
A chiropractor also let me borrow this awesome model of the spine. The kids loved counting the vertebrae and looking at the discs between the vertebrae.
We had a little science lab going on at the same time, too! We soaked some turkey bones in vinegar. The vinegar breaks down the calcium carbonate in the bones and makes them become bendy! See for yourself-- it worked!
BEFORE putting them in vinegar, I washed them really well to remove any bits and pieces from the bones. The bones had to soak in vinegar overnight (or longer) to see the effects.
The larger, wider bones did not become flexible. The only one that worked was the wishbone, and only the bottom ends became bendy. I would suggest using chicken bones (they're thinner, so they'll work better).
Look at that bendy bone! We also talked about WHY we need calcium and what foods we can eat that have calcium.
After learning about specific bones and seeing a skeleton, we tried to assemble our own. I downloaded a life-size printable skeleton from
this website. Each skeleton required around 20 pages. I made 6 packets, so the kids could work in groups.
Once they had the skeleton glued together, they could cut around it and glue it onto butcher paper.
Our next step was to label the skeleton using the same diagram we used to label Mr. Skeleton.
To tie the whole unit together, and to review before the test, we created these AWESOME human body lap books (courtesy of yours truly). It's very interactive, so students could read, fold, and flip through facts to review for the test. :)
Each student will need a file folder and the lap book pages. I copied each page on a different color paper, to differentiate between the body systems. We spent a long time cutting, organizing, and gluing the pieces into the folder.
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| The inside of the lap book. |
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| Students can read facts about the muscular system, and store the little fact booklet in a pocket. |
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| Students can open and close flaps to read facts about the nervous system. |
To get the lap book pages, AND other great resources for teaching about the human body, check out the NEWEST product in my
TpT store! Just click the picture to see the unit!
The kids LOVED learning about the human body! What science topic do your kids just eat up?
Until next time,
- Miss Woodward
