Download Exhibit Inquiry - Ontario Science Centre

Exhibit Inquiry
Body Works
Grade 4-8
Exhibit Inquiry
Body Works
Have students look for the following exhibits related to Body
Works during their visit to the Ontario Science Centre:
Following Our Food
Where to go:
Stairwell (Level 5)
Adjacent to Question of Truth Exhibit
Hall
Follow the path of food through the body as you examine a real human digestive
system.
What to say and do:
Track the digestive process from beginning to end. Name the parts of the
digestive system and state some of their functions. (Mouth breaks down
food into smaller parts and breaks down starch with saliva; liver produces
bile to break down fats; small intestine
further digests and absorbs
nutrients.)
Look at the exhibit for information on fibre. Why is it important to have fibre in
our diet? (Eating fibre helps humans move waste through their body. Waste is
easier to eliminate and it may help to prevent colon cancer.)
Blood: Liquid Life
Where to go:
Stairwell (Level 5)
Blood is the only liquid tissue in our bodies. Find the panel titled What is blood?
Adjacent to Question of Truth Exhibit
Hall
What to say and do:
Why would blood be called a liquid tissue ? (made up of liquid plasma and
cells)
Can you name three differences between white and red blood cells, in terms of
numbers, shape and function? (red blood cells much more numerous; red
have a nucleus and are doughnut-shaped cells, while white
blood cells have different shapes and are larger in size; red blood cells
transport oxygen and nutrients, while white blood cells are part of our immune
defense system).
Refer to the panel labelled What can you tell from a blood test? In sickle-cell
anemia, what happens to red blood cells? And in leukemia, what happens to
the number of white blood cells and how does this affect red blood cells?
Exhiit Inquiry
Body Works
Tell Tale Heart
Where to go:
Weston Family Innovation Centre
(Level 6)
Tell Tale Heart
Since the heart is a muscular pump, and muscles are driven by electrical impulses,
this sculpture can detect electric activity from your heart. The Tell Tale Heart
sculpture converts cardiac electrical signals into sound and light. You can listen to
your heart beat and see how light dances to it!
What to say and do:
Compare your heart beat to that of another student. If possible, try listening to one
person at a time, and then to more than one person.
Time your heart beats over the course of one minute. Determine your heart rate in
beats per minute.
If you did 30 jumping jacks, while your friend only did 10, how would the heart
rate compare? What do you predict will happen with the sound and light
patterns? Try this experiment!
Alternatively, compare the heart beats of an athlete to those of a non-athlete.
Tell Tale Bones
Where to go:
Hot Zone (Level 6)
Tell Tale Bones
Every skeleton has a story to tell. Imagine you are a forensics detective. Can you tell
anything about these skeletons by observing the bone structure?
What to say and do:
Before reading the exhibit panel, try to guess which skeleton is that of a female
(skeleton on far right represents a female).
Of the three skeletons on display, which would have had the greatest lung capacity?
How can you tell? (male skeletons have larger rib cage)
Where would the diaphragm have been located? (Base of rib of cage)
Is the heart located in the middle, left or right side of the chest? (middle of chest)
Can you identify the longest bone in the body? (femur)
How do we know anything about these people by the bone structure? Is there any
evidence of disease or injury? (Evidence of bone healing in the tallest skeleton, right
upper arm, near shoulder.
Resources
Body Works
Vocabulary
Artery
Atrium
Bronchiole
Bronchus
Diaphragm
Heart
Intestine
Oxygen
Stomach
Thorax
Trachea
Vein
Ventricle
Thick-walled, elastic vessel that carries blood away from the heart.
(pl. atria) The upper cavity of the heart that receives blood from the
veins and sends it to the ventricles through valves.
Any of the minor divisions of the bronchi, which eventually lead to the
alveoli.
(pl. bronchi) The major air passages of the lungs, usually referring to
the two main divisions of the trachea.
The dome-shaped muscle separating the thorax from the abdomen,
whose contraction during breathing leads to the expansion of the
lungs.
A muscular organ maintaining the circulation of blood by rhythmic
contraction and relaxation.
Organ of the digestive system. There are two intestines: the small
intestine, mainly responsible for nutrient digestion and absorption,
and the large intestine, mainly responsible for water absorption and
formation of feces.
A gas essential to human life which represents 21% of the total air
composition.
A sack-like organ that receives food from the esophagus. It secretes
acids, enzymes and mucus to dissolve and partially digest food. It
delivers its contents to the small intestine for further digestion and
absorption.
The chest cavity, located between the neck and the diaphragm. It
contains and protects the chief organs of circulation and respiration.
The windpipe. Reinforced by cartilage, the air passage that connects
the larynx (voicebox) to the bronchi.
Vessel that returns blood to the heart.
The chambers in the lower portion of the heart that receive arterial
blood from one of the atria, and contract to force it into the aorta or
pulmonary artery.
Internet Links
Human Body for Kids
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/humanbody.html
Books
The Human Body: A First Discovery Book, by Sylvaine Perols, Cartwheel Books, 1996.
PLEASE NOTE: Programs and exhibits are subject to change without notice.