OVERVIEW OF LESSONS

WEEK 1
DAY 1
November 9th
[Danielle and Miranda]

Introductory Skeleton Lesson & Activities

We will start with a KWL chart to be completed together as a class. This will engage students, activate prior knowledge, and
allow us to get a better understanding of what the class already knows about the skeletal system. Students will then participate
in centers. One center will be designated for the construction of Mr. Bones, piecing together the parts of a skeleton using the
provided cut outs and safety fasteners. Students at this center will also count their bones, using the provided worksheet to
determine the total number of bones in their bodies. Another center will dedicated to conducting observations of rodent and
chicken bones provided in the FOSS kit. The last center will be a labeling activity where students will be required to label the
parts of the skeleton using appropriate bone names. Students will be provided with a skeleton diagram and names of bones.
They will cut out the names of the bones and attach them to the appropriate part of the skeleton.

DAY 2
November 10th
[Miranda]

Owl Pellet Dissection & Observations

Students will dissect owl pellets and record observations using accompanying worksheets. Prior to dissecting owl pellets, we
will play a song for the students that explains the origin of owl pellets and inside they will find various rodent bones that the
owl had previously consumed. Students will dissect owl pellets in groups of two, but they will each fill in their own
observation sheet. Students will also piece the bones together to form the rodent skeleton, using the rodent bone identification
sheet as a guide, drawing and labeling each part of the rodents skeletal system.

DAY 3
November 11th
[Miranda]

Edible Bone Composition

The class will discuss the composition of bones including the periosteum, spongy bone, yellow and red bone marrow, blood
vessels and nerves, and compact bones. Following teacher instruction, each student will then create their own edible
representation of a bone using tortillas, bread, sugar wafers, jam, and twizzlers. The class will follow the teacher step-by-step,
as she discusses what each food will stand for and provide directions of where to put it in order to create the bone. Along the

way, the teacher will ask questions to further class understanding.

DAY 4
November 12th
[Miranda]

Joint Lesson, Experiment & Activity

Students will learn the three different types of joints (hinge, ball and socket, gliding) and study their structures and purposes.
After having explicitly explained the joint classification, students will participate in a matching activity together as a class,
where they will be required to match the joint type to a certain joint in their body. Students will then participate in a joint
experiment with a partner, requiring them to complete a series of task when certain joints in their hands and thumbs have been
immobilized. Students will determine the difficulty of completing these tasks.

DAY 5
November 13th
[Miranda]

Oral History Interview/Guest Speaker

If possible on this day, a chiropractor will come to the classroom to discuss bones, joints, the spine, and their profession in
general with the class. The students will have the opportunity to prepare questions ahead of time and interview the guest
speaker. If we are unable to get a chiropractor, we will have the gym teacher or the school nurse come to the class. They will
also act as participants in a student-conducted interview. The school nurse can have a discussion about how to protect our
bodies from injuries and how they heal. The gym teacher can talk about muscles and conduct a muscle activity with the
students.
WEEK 2

DAY 6
November 16th
[Danielle]

Introductory Muscle Lesson

Students will start by completing the response sheet, agreeing or disagreeing with the statements made. Students will be
required to explain their reasoning and what they already know about muscles. After discussing student responses, the class
will complete the accompanying muscle activity, creating a model representation of the arms using the provided materials.
Students will use this model to observe how their bicep muscle works and moves. Students will then further explore and
make observations using their own arms and how their muscles feel when performing certain actions. Finally, the class will
go into the hallway and conduct a brief activity to demonstrate how muscles contract during activity.

DAY 7
November 17th
[Danielle]

Muscle Activity with Math Integration

The class will have a discussion where they define mass and talk about how the mass of our muscles and bones is a
significant contributor to our total body mass. They will complete a math extension from the FOSS kit where they determine
the mass of bones and the mass of muscles. The teachers will create a worksheet with a math problem that the students will
solve as a whole class to determine how much of the individuals total body mass is composed of bones and muscles. The
students will then be given a worksheet with various word problems to determine the bone and muscle mass in different
people. The teacher will then tell the students that if they know their own body weight, they can find out the total mass of
their own bones and muscles.

DAY 8
November 18th
[Danielle]

Human Body Literacy Extension

Students will begin by playing a Simon Says game that incorporates the major bones and muscles that will be discussed in the
lesson. They will participate in an interactive read aloud using a book that mentions a lot of physical movement and actions.
For each action presented in the story, students will identify what parts of the body are being used, referring to the posters in
the classroom that name and label the different muscles and bones found in the human body. Students will be provided with a
worksheet divided into boxes. In each box, students will draw a picture of the action from the story and underneath write in
what bones, muscles, and/or joints are being used.

DAY 9
November 19th
[Danielle]

Stimulus-Response Experiment/Activity
We will explain the terms stimulus and response and how they are related to our bodies coordination. Students will then use
the response sheet that includes a story about coordination and identify each stimulus and response mentioned within it. The
class will then work in groups of two to complete an activity testing the response times of both their left and right hands when
an object is dropped from a certain height. Students will use the accompanying worksheets to record the data and analyze
their findings to determine whether their left or right hand is more coordinated in responding to visual stimuli.

DAY 10
November 20th
[Danielle and Miranda]

Culminating Activities - End of Unit Celebration

Before the end of the unit celebration, the students will complete a final assessment. The students will have an end-of-the-unit
party. Students will break up into two groups. They will alternate between sharing their final projects (completed at home)
and playing review games (Smartboard, Simon Says). The students will watch a fun skeleton video as they eat their snacks.
The students will be able to eat various treats that are centered around the skeletal system such as a veggie tray skeleton,
skeleton cupcakes, and candy skeleton people.

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November
5
Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

9
Introductory
Skeleton Lesson
& Activities

15

16
Introductory
Muscle Lesson

22

23

29

30

Wednesday
3

10
Owl Pellet
Dissection

Thursday

17
Muscle Activity
(Math)
24

11
Edible Bone
Composition

Friday
6

13

14

19

20
CELEBRATION!

21

26

27

28

12
Joint Lesson &
Experiment

18
Human Body
Literacy

Oral History
Interview

Stimulus
Response
25

Saturday