For many years, the thought of guiding students in a study of the systems of the human body did not overly excite me. This is not like me. I’m interested in almost everything. I love to learn. Perhaps it has something to do with the way they were taught to me when I was in school. Anyway, these novel activities definitely sparked my enthusiasm, challenged my thinking, and I loved including them in our GT studies.
THIRD GRADE:
In 3rd Grade GT, our universal theme for the year was SYSTEMS. On the first day of class, we’d do some introductory activities first (see “Electric Quizboards” and the jigsaw puzzle challenge in “Thinking Outside the Box”). Then, we’d brainstorm all of the things that came to mind with the word “systems.” The students always named the solar system, sometimes the Dewey Decimal system, and – inevitably- the systems of the body were brought up, one by one.
Many expressed a real interest in the human body systems, too. So, an internet search years ago produced these two activities for older elementary students that incorporate tools of DEPTH and COMPLEXITY and, for my third graders, made the entire study of human body systems much more challenging, meaningful, and fun! For a long time, I couldn’t find the source of these activities, but recently, I found the FREE resource HERE. My students had no idea how many higher-level thinking skills they were using, and they made so many connections to our universal theme!
DEAR MR. HUMAN BODY
After a brief introduction, and finding out what students already knew about body systems, the class was divided into groups, and each group did research to learn about one body system. The group’s job was to find out the BIG IDEA of the system (its main purpose and how it impacts the body), some LANGUAGE of the DISCIPLINE (major organs and parts – some students enjoyed learning a little Latin and medical terminology here), and DETAILS about how the system worked and how it was connected to other systems of the body. Here are some possible sources for research:
After researching about the assigned body system, each group prepared a letter to Mr. or Ms. Human Body or to the C.E.O. of the Human Body Corporation. They were told that the human body was considering “firing” or eliminating some systems. Writing from the perspective of the body system, the students prepared persuasive letters explaining how vital their group’s system was to the entire body and asking that they not be eliminated (MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES, DETAILS). The sample letter below was written by students, and here are a couple of other examples of my students’ letters (I love the one signed “Mr. Skelly System” and the creative addresses: “Oxygen Way,” e.g.) This is a great time to review the components of a good business letter.
JIGSAW GROUP INTERCONNECTIONS ~ GIANT HUMAN BODY DIAGRAM
After each group had completed the research and letter, new groups were formed, using a variation of the jigsaw grouping method. Each group had at least one representative from each of the original groups so that the new groups had at least one expert in each of the body systems studied (i.e. one member of the group was an expert in the nervous system, one had researched the skeletal system, etc.)
Students then created life-sized diagrams in groups. After tracing one student’s body, they got to work drawing and coloring in the vital organs and parts of each body system (as shown in the photo at the top of the post). This was a great activity in itself, but what really took it to another level was when they wrote how various parts of each system connected to parts in other systems. Using sticky notes, colored pens, and yarn, they worked on displays that showed the connections among all the systems of the body.
This was a quick mini-unit for us, not something we spent several weeks on. There are many, many additional activities and great resources you could incorporate into a study of the human body. For example, teacher Kris Olquin shared this fun idea via Instagram. Students created skeletons using the names of the bones in place of drawings of bones (see photo). 💜
If you are interested, I’ve listed some additional resources below including virtual dissection, a simulation, and educational apps. You might like to also check out the electric quiz board in this article. One year, we had time to incorporate making those!
FIRST GRADE:
LEARNING THROUGH LITERATURE
The universal theme in 1st Grade GT of WONDERS includes introductions to all kinds of wonders and to the delight of “wondering”- asking questions or developing “curiosita,” one of the seven essential elements of genius coined by Michael Gelb in his book How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci. Students at this age are fascinated by the wonders of the human body, and we explored it through this Time/Life book, Voyage of the Micronauts, a story about tiny aliens who are accidentally swallowed by an 8-year-old “Earth boy” and travel around inside his body, learning about the parts and inner workings.
I think it would be worth ordering a used copy of this book because it combines factual information and science-fiction fantasy in a way that captures’ young students’ imaginations, but there may be some similar ones out there. You might also incorporate videos like these.
Prior to reading the book, we’d spend a little time discussing how our bodies work. We’d talk about various organs and parts, and students shared things they knew about the heart, the lungs, the eyes, the skin, etc. I would show them the front cover and have them predict what was going to happen in the book.
READ / PAUSE / DO
Then, as we read through the book, I would frequently pause. Rather than read all of the informational text in the margins, I would ask questions (see red text below). To keep students engaged, we’d jump up and do some simple activities and experiments to reinforce what we were learning. Here are a few examples:
HAIR: Why does it hurt when someone pulls on your hair, but it doesn’t hurt at all when you get a haircut? ~ It’s fun to tell them the hair on their heads is dead! This- and the fact that we have about 100,000 hairs on our heads- AMAZED my first graders! Here is a good explanation and a video that will answer most questions. Students can also begin to understand the concept of nerves, too. Here is a video you can share.
EYES: Why is there a black spot in the middle of an eye? What is it and what does it do?(“What?! I have holes in my eyes??) If you have access to handheld magnifying glasses and mirrors, you can try this pupil dilation experiment, or just have the students observe a partner’s eyes. Look at the size of the pupil in the bright light, then dim the lights, have students close their eyes, and- after a few moments- open them and look at their partners to observe that the pupil got larger. Here is a 30-second video that shows this.
SKIN: Why doesn’t my skin soak in the water when I take a bath, like a sponge? My students loved learning about sebum and what it does. There is more information about the skin here and you can also try this experiment.
You can explore as many of the wonders of the human body as time will allow and depending on the students’ interest. Most of the sites linked in this post explain things in simple terms but also include advanced LANGUAGE of the DISCIPLINE (biology).
TAKE-HOME MINI-PROJECT
K-2 students in my classes took home little projects frequently and, after this mini-unit, they prepared simple HUMAN BODY QUIZ questions to share at home. They loved quizzing their parents with questions such as “About how many hairs are on your head?” and “Why doesn’t your body soak up water like a sponge?” and then impressing them with their knowledge. Sometimes these were preprinted on labels and added to illustrated layered-book, multi-tab, or pocket “foldables,” and other years they were just placed in baggies. This quiz cards varied from year to year; students chose the questions they thought would stump their families the most!
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Here is a list of apps and websites that might accompany a study of the human body.
Virtual Dissection – “all the excitement without the mess”
Code Blue – Interact simulation
If you have other resources and/or activities to recommend, we’d love to read your comment below!