Topic: Construction and functions of the skeleton

Author: Elżbieta Szedzianis

Target group

7th grade students of an eight‑year elementary school.

Core curriculum

Lesson aim

The students describe the construction and functions of the skeleton.

Key Success Criteria

• you will talk about three parts of the skeleton;

• you will explain, what functions the axial skeleton has;

• you will name ten bones of the skeleton and show their position on yourself.

Key competences

• communicating in the mother tongue;

• communicating in a foreign language;

• Mathematical competence and basic competences in science and technology; 

• digital competence;

• learning to learn;

• Social and civic competences.

Methods/forms of work:

Work with text, substitute observation, JIGSAW method, workshop method.

Work in groups.

Teaching measures:

• abstract;

• interactive whiteboard or traditional blackboard;

• tablets/computers;

• sheets of brown paper;

• colour markers (red, blue, and green).

Lesson plan overview (Process)

Introduction

The teacher gives the topic and the aim of the lesson and explains the criteria of success. He then explains the basics of the work
during this class.

Realization

1. The teacher divides students into 4 groups at random. Members of each team select a leader among themselves.

2. The leader lies down on the sheets of brown paper. The remaining students in the team trace the outline of the body of the leader.

3. The teams are divided into three subgroups. Each subgroup is responsible for a different part of the skeleton: the first – axial skeleton, the second – girdles skeleton, the third– appendicular skeleton. The students, working with the text of the abstract and using the interactive illustration, learn about the structure, placement and functions of the bones, and then draw on the sheets of brown paper, within the outline of the body of the leader, the elements of the axial skeleton (in red), the elements of the girdles skeleton (in blue) and elements of the appendicular skeleton (in green). The team which completes drawing the entire skeleton as first informs the teacher about it.

4. The students work in groups, preparing to talk about the structure of the skeleton using JIGSAW method.

5. The teams present the results of their work. The winner is the group that gets the most points, and:

• 1 point is awarded for the fastest completed drawing;

• 3 points – for clarity of the drawing, correct placement of the boners and correct proportions;

• 2 points – for correct names and showing the bones, as well as for talking about the structure and functions of each part of the skeleton.

Summary

7. Students complete interactive exercises.

8. The teacher asks the students to think about the method of making a model of two adjacent vertebrae of the spine.

Optional homework

Volunteers create a model of two adjacent lumbar vertebrae.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Structure and functions of the skeleton

The skeleton is composed of axial skeleton and appendicular skeleton. The axial skeleton consists of the skull, the spine and the chest.

Bones of the skull, with the exception of the mandible, are connected with each other in an immobile form, using sutures in the form of a connecting line. The skeleton of a skull consists of:

• flat bones, attached by sutures, forming a box where the brain is enclosed (cranium);

• bones of different shapes – the scaffolding of the face (facial skeleton), which are the support for the teeth and allow us to chew food.

The spine is connected with the upper body, supports the skull and gives support for the bones of the limbs. It is situated in the dorsal part of the body. It consists of 33‑34 vertebrae and is divided into sections: cervical (7 vertebrae), thoracic (12), lumbar (5), sacrum (5), coccyx (3‑4). The biggest vertebrae are in the lumbar section, which can sustain a significant weight. Each vertebra is composed of a vertebral body, vertebral arches and processes. The vertebrae are positioned one on top of the other along the vertical axis of the body.

Vertebral bodies of the vertebrae are connected with each other by cartilage disks – intervertebral discs. The discs work as shock absorbers eliminating shocks that could be transferred to the skull, e.g. when we jump. When viewed from the side, the spine is curved in the form of a double S, which allows us to keep the vertical position. The curvature of the spine is shaped when we are one year old.

The arches of the vertebrae are connected with each other behind the vertebral bodies, creating a spinal canal, which protects the spinal cord that runs inside it.

The chest is composed of thoracic vertebrae, the ribs and the sternum. Ribs are connected with the sternum by means of cartilages, which allows us to change the volume of our chest when we breathe in and breathe out. The chest protects the lungs and the heart.

The bones of the limbs are connected with the spine using groups of bones that are arranged into horizontal sections called girdles. Shoulder girdle is composed of shoulder blades and clavicles – it attaches the skeleton of the upper limb. The place where it is connected is the sternoclavicular joint. It has a shallow joint socket, which allows great mobility of the shoulder. The bones of the upper limb are the humerus, 2 bones of the forearm - radius and ulna, and bones of the wrist, the hand and the fingers (phalanges).

The lower limbs are connected with the axis of the body via pelvic girdle that consists of two pelvic bones, which, together with the sacrum, create the pelvis - stable and massive pelvic girdle that supports the upper body. The limbs are connected with the pelvis on its outer sides, forming two massive support pillars. Long and wide feet on the ground provide a solid base for a vertical body.

The hip joint is a connection between the pelvic bone and the lower limb. The skeleton of the lower limb consists of a femur, 2 bones of the crus - tibia and fibula, and the bones of the foot - tarsal, metatarsal and of the toes (phalanges). Bones of the foot are arranged in such a way so that there is a characteristic arch on its internal part. It allows the gait to be flexible as well as it absorbs shocks.

• The skeleton is a scaffolding for the body and gives the body its shape.

• The axial skeleton consists of the skull, the spine and the chest.

• The spine that runs along the upper body gives it support, allows for bending the body, absorbs shocks that could reach the skull, protects the spinal cord which is situated in the spinal canal.

• Skull creates a protection for the brain and the senses.

• Chest is composed of many bones that are connected with each other mainly in a mobile way; together with the muscles, it is responsible for respiratory movements.

• Limbs are connected with the axial skeleton via girdles.