table of contentsTABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction ....................................................................................... I

Objectives ....................................................................................... VI

Teaching Suggestions and Additional Activities ....................... VII

Research and Standards ................................................................ X

Skeletal System

Bones

Student Lesson ........................................................................ 1

Activity Sheets ......................................................................... 5

Joints

Student Lesson ...................................................................... 10

Activity Sheets ....................................................................... 14

Skeleton

Student Lesson ...................................................................... 18

Activity Sheets ....................................................................... 23

Muscular System

Student Lesson ........................................................................... 26

Activity Sheets ............................................................................ 33

Health Issues

Student Lesson ........................................................................... 38

Activity Sheets ............................................................................ 43

Review

Review Sheets ............................................................................ 45

Assessments

Quizzes ....................................................................................... 53

Unit Test ...................................................................................... 65

Answer Key .................................................................................... 70

introductionINTRODUCTION

As growing and maturing individuals, adolescents must be prepared to

care for themselves independently after graduation from high school. A

basic understanding of their bodies and how they work is an important

step in the process of moving from dependence to independence.

Learning about the body systems, particularly how they interact and

affect each other, enables students to better care for themselves and

their health.

The five binders that comprise the revised Know Your Body series now

cover ten basic systems of the human body and include updated

information. Each binder is considered a unit in the series and completely

discusses two closely related systems. Students label, organize, categorize,

associate, and relate terms and functions of these systems through various

activities. A new section in each binder, Health Issues, addresses health

problems of each system, such as how to treat common illnesses and

when to seek a doctor’s advice.

Originally conceived by LD specialist Ellen McPeek Glisan, Know Your

Body has been specifically written for struggling readers and students

with learning disabilities. It is also appropriate for English language

learners and adult learners. For this revision, contributing author Debra

J. Weltha has written material that meets the unique needs of struggling

and reluctant learners. A certified secondary science teacher and special

education teacher, she has combined solid science concepts in the

lessons with high-interest activities. While the reading level has been

kept low, the material is presented in an age-appropriate fashion.

Detailed illustrations help readers comprehend complex concepts.

Ultimately, the Know Your Body series provides learners with important

functional knowledge and helps them master concepts tested on

high-stakes assessments.

I

Student Lessons

The first three sections all begin with a

student lesson that discusses important

points and highlights interesting facts. The

four system lessons begin with a labeled

diagram of the system being studied. On

the first page, important vocabulary words

used in the lesson are presented with

simple definitions. Then, to increase

students’ comprehension of the lesson,

two pre-reading activities are provided.

The first activity summarizes major points

students will learn in the lesson. The second activity asks students to

make personal connections to the content by posing several “Have You

Ever” questions.

Lessons are deliberately kept short and contain easy-to-understand

sentence constructions. In general, the reading level is 3.0–5.0. However,

key science vocabulary is retained. As various parts of the system are

discussed, appropriate drawings and diagrams are presented to illustrate

important facts and concepts. These visuals help students better

understand the text and increase the interest level.

III

Activity SheetsThree or more reproducible

activity sheets accompany

each lesson. Each of these

activities has been carefully

designed to reinforce student

learning of the objectives

while providing a variety of

formats. Many activities tap

into residual skills such as

organizing, categorizing,

reasoning, and analytical

thinking. Worksheets can be

used as individual assignments or as

collaborative activities for partners or small groups.

Review Sheets

Reproducible worksheets

that review key information

about the skeletal and

muscular systems are also

included. These sheets help

prepare students for quizzes

and unit tests.

IV

Quizzes and Unit TestsTwo levels of assessment

are provided for measuring

mastery of the objectives.

Quizzes test key concepts

from each lesson. The unit

test covers all of the material

in the binder. Two different

types of quizzes are included:

fill-in-the-blank and multiple-

choice. Teachers can choose

the type of assessment that best

fits their students’ needs. Alternatively,

one type of quiz can be used as a

pretest and the other as a posttest.

Answer Key

An answer key for every activity sheet, review

sheet, and quiz, as well as the unit test, is

provided in the back of the binder.

V

Form A

Form B

There are two forms of the unit

test. Form A includes word banks

and fill-in-the-blank test items.

Form B asks students to choose

and circle the correct answer from

two possible choices. Teachers

should administer the form that

best fits their students’ abilities.

VI

objectives OBJECTIVES

After completing this unit in the Know Your Body series, students will be

able to

• tell what cartilage is and know where it is found in the body.

• name the functions of the skeletal system.

• tell how many bones most people have in their bodies.

• explain why infants have skeletons made of cartilage.

• name the three types of connective tissue.

• identify where red blood cells are made.

• name the three basic types of joints.

• identify and give examples of the four types of movable joints in the body.

• tell which bones make up the skull, trunk, and limbs.

• identify some bones using both their scientific and common names.

• explain what muscles are and how they work.

• name the three types of muscle tissue.

• explain the connection between the nervous system and muscular system.

• explain why muscle tone is important.

• tell the difference between voluntary and involuntary muscles.

• tell how sprains and strains are different and explain how to treat them.

• name the common injuries to bones and muscles.

• explain why doctors use x-rays and casts.

suggestions activitiesTEACHING SUGGESTIONS AND ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES

Teaching Suggestions

• This binder is designed to be a complete unit with basic information

on the skeletal and muscular systems.

• Science is best taught in an interactive manner. Please read and

discuss the material as a class whenever possible.

• While the text maintains a 3.0–5.0 reading level in general, critical

science terminology has been included and raises the technical

reading level of the text. Scientific terms are highlighted and defined

at the beginning of each lesson. When teaching and reviewing the

vocabulary, use a variety of interactive activities to help students

better comprehend the text. For example:

a. Divide the class into two teams. Give a definition to one team.

The team must correctly identify and spell the vocabulary

word. Continue to give definitions to that team until a word is

incorrectly identified or spelled. Then, give the second team

a turn at receiving definitions. Teams receive a point for each

correct answer. The game ends after all the vocabulary words

have been matched to definitions or after a predetermined

number of points has been reached by one team.

b. Create bingo cards using a 5 x 5 grid. Label the rows 1, 2, 3, 4,

and 5. Label the columns A, B, C, D, and E. Distribute one bingo

card to each student. Read a definition and a grid location.

Instruct students to write the correct vocabulary word in the

correct grid location. The first student who completes a row

or column wins the game.

c. Play a game of vocabulary charades. Assign each vocabulary

word to a different pair of students, and have the partners

illustrate the word’s meaning on an overhead transparency.

VII

Then, provide time for each pair to show its transparency to

the class. Ask the class to guess which vocabulary word is

being illustrated. The presenting pair may not speak or give

hints to the class.

• Do a variety of high-interest, hands-on activities so students will learn

that science can be fun.

• Use hand motions and “silly” things to help students remember

important facts.

• Watch for cartoons and articles in the newspaper that can be used to

show that the different systems of the human body do have an effect

on everyday life.

Additional Activities for Skeletal and Muscular Systems

1. The most important mineral in the bones is calcium phosphate, a

chemical made of calcium, phosphorus, and oxygen. What would

happen if your bones lost calcium? Remove all the meat from a small

chicken bone, and place the bone in a jar of strong vinegar. Leave it

for one to two weeks. The acid in the vinegar will dissolve the minerals

in the bone. After a period of time, the bone should become soft

and bendable.

2. From the slightest twitch to the large movements used in tumbling,

muscles allow all movement. Ask students to sit at their desks and

make several small, voluntary movements. Discuss the muscles

involved in each motion. Brainstorm a list of activities in which

movement is obvious.

Cover a bulletin board with butcher paper. Add the title “Muscles Make

Movement.” Have students cut out magazine and newspaper pictures

that show movement, from the smallest facial gesture to a body leaping

through the air. Attach the pictures to the bulletin board in a collage.

Encourage students to search for diagrams in reference books that

show the muscles used in the pictures.

VIII

3. At Halloween time, pick up an inexpensive cardboard skeleton.

This skeleton can be used for a wide array of activities, including

review exercises.

Suggested Resources

A visual dictionary/encyclopedia of the human body is a useful companion

to the Know Your Body series. Such a resource will help provide answers

to additional questions. It is also a good way for students to see the

details of the body that are not covered in this program. The following

books are recommended:

William, Francis. (1997). Human Body. NY: Dorling Kindersley Ltd.

(part of the Inside Guides series).

Parker, Steve. (1992). Human Body. NY: Dorling Kindersley Ltd.

(part of the Eyewitness Explorers series).

Walls, Byrn. (1991). The Visual Dictionary of the Human Body.

NY: Dorling Kindersley, Ltd. (part of the Eyewitness Visual

Dictionaries series).

IX

research and standards

X

RESEARCH AND STANDARDS

The amount of learning that takes place in content areas is directly related

to a student’s level of reading skills. In general, the better the reader is,

the higher the student achievement in the content area. Students with

below-grade-level reading skills often flounder when faced with complex

sentence structures. Vocabulary becomes a major deterrent to students’

mastery of the content when the words are presented with complicated

and lengthy definitions. As Sousa states, “The students’ lack of confidence

in reading can affect all their school work” (2001). In fact, scientific literacy

is now seen as a requirement for building scientific knowledge (Torres-

Velasquez and Rodriguez, 2005).

To meet the needs of these struggling secondary readers in science, PCI

has revised the Know Your Body series. Sentences have been written

using simple structures, and sentence length has been kept to a minimum.

Vocabulary words have been given clear and concise definitions. Most

importantly, lessons have been written so that reading comprehension

skills and science content intertwine. Explicit objectives for each lesson

are provided in “Things to Look For,” which helps students establish a

purpose for reading. Prior knowledge and predictions are elicited through

discussions of the “Terms to Know” and “Have You Ever” features on the

first page of each lesson (Dimino and Kolar, 1990). By combining these

metacognitive strategies, research has shown that reading comprehension,

both literal and inferential, can be significantly improved as shown by

scores on standardized assessments (Nolan, 1991).

In addition, the Know Your Body series meets the content standards for

middle school students set by the National Academy of Science. The

following are applicable points from Content Standard F:

“As a result of activities in grades 5–8, all students should develop [an]

understanding of personal health.”

“By middle school students begin to realize that illness can be caused by

various factors, such as . . . malfunctioning of organs and organ systems,

health habits, and environmental conditions. Students in grades 5–8

tend to focus on physical more than mental health. They associate health

with food and fitness more than with other factors such as safety and

substance abuse. One very important issue for teachers in grades 5–8 is

overcoming students’ perceptions that most factors related to health are

beyond their control.”

“Developing a scientific understanding of health is the focus of this

standard. Healthy behaviors and other aspects of health education are

introduced in other parts of school programs.”

Dimino, J. and C. Kolar (1990, November). Using Frames to Improve At-Risk Students’ Comprehension in the Content Areas. http://searcheric.org/ericdb/ED331015.htm

The National Academy of Science. “National Science Education Standards: An Overview.” The National Academics Press, 2004. http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/html/overview.html#content

Nolan, Thomas E. (1991, October). Self-Questioning and Prediction: Combining Metacognitive Strategies. Journal of Reading, 35, 132–138.

Sousa, D. A. (2001). How the Special Needs Brain Learns. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc.

Torres-Velasquez, D. and D. Rodriguez (2005). Mathematics & Science Instruction for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. Paper delivered, CEC Convention, Baltimore, MD.

XI

The Skeleton

Have you ever thought about why you are able to stand up straight and

not fall down in a heap on the floor? It is because of the framework of

bones inside your body that make up your skeleton. Without your skeleton,

you would be shapeless and limp like a jellyfish!

The skeleton has five basic functions:

1. It supports your body.

2. It stores minerals.

3. It allows you to move.

4. It protects your internal organs.

5. It makes blood cells.

Bones are living tissue. Blood vessels feed the bones a constant supply

of nutrients and oxygen. There are also nerve endings in bones.

Have You Ever …

• seen a skeleton or

a picture of one?

• heard the song

starting with

“The knee bone

is connected to

the thigh bone”?

• thought about how

many bones you

have in your body?

2 Know Your BodyP C I R E P R O D U C I B L E

P C I R E P R O D U C I B L E

bones

Name_____________________________________________________ Date________________________

FILL IN THE BLANKS

5 Know Your Body

Directions: Use words from the word bank to complete the sentences.

Some words will be used more than once.

Word Bank

protect ears cartilage flat

support 206 blood bones

long skull nose limbs

bend trunk

1. The two shapes of bones in your body are ___________________ and

___________________.

2. Your body does not fall in a pile on the ground because your bones

___________________ you.

3. The bones of your head and face are called the ___________________.

4. Your skeletal system is made up of ___________________

and ___________________.

5. ___________________ cells are made inside some bones.

6. Most of the bones in your ___________________ do not move.

7. Your ___________________ and ___________________ are made of

cartilage instead of bone.

8. Unlike bone, cartilage will ___________________ without breaking.

9. When you were a baby, your skeleton was made of

___________________.

10. ___________________ is another name for your arms and legs.

11. The part of your body that is not your head, arms, or legs is called

your ___________________, or torso.

12. One job of the skeleton is to ___________________ the internal organs.

13. Most adults have ___________________ bones.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Skeletal and Muscular Systems

P C I R E P R O D U C I B L E

P C I R E P R O D U C I B L E

Name_____________________________________________________ Date________________________

6 Know Your Body

Directions: Use the information below to show two ways that bones are

distributed in your body. First, make a pie chart. Then, draw a bar graph.

Hint: 25% equals one-fourth of the circle.

Bone Distribution in Your Body

Bones Number of Bones Percent of Total

Ribs and sternum 25 12%

Vertebrae 26 13%

Skull 29 14%

Pelvis, legs, and feet 62 30%

Shoulders, arms, and hands 64 31%

206 100%

Pie Chart Showing Bone Distribution

bonesCHART THOSE BONES

Skeletal and Muscular Systems

P C I R E P R O D U C I B L E

P C I R E P R O D U C I B L E

Name_____________________________________________________ Date________________________

7 Know Your Body

bonesCHART THOSE BONESpage 2

Skeletal and Muscular Systems

Ribs and sternum

Vertebrae

Skull

Pelvis, legs, and feet

Shoulders, arms, and hands

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Number of Bones

Bar Graph Showing Bone Distribution

P C I R E P R O D U C I B L E