Download Systems of the Human Body

Systems of the Human Body
Purpose
To understand that there are different systems within the body and that they work independently
and together to form a functioning human body.
Context
At this level, children can begin to view the body as a system, in which parts do things for other
parts and for the organism as a whole. Through the use of an online interactive activity, children
learn about the concept of separate components working together to build a body system. In
addition, this lesson focuses on activities to help students learn that body systems work together
to build the functioning human body. This lesson could be used in conjunction with instruction
on the human body and/or systems.
In order to be able to do this lesson, students should understand that most items are composed of
different parts and that an item may not work if its parts are missing. Also, they should know that
an assembly of parts can perform functions that the single parts cannot perform alone. More
specific to the human body, students at this level should realize that the human body has parts
that help it seek and take in food when it feels hunger. They should understand that the brain is
the part of the body that enables humans to think and it communicates with the other parts of the
body.
This prerequisite knowledge should help elementary-school students understand that parts within
a system usually influence one another and that a system may not work as well, or at all, if a part
is missing, broken or worn out, or misconnected. In addition, they should be able to make
correlations about systems in general to systems of the human body. Specific to the human body,
students should understand the following: by eating food, humans obtain energy and materials
for body repair and growth; by breathing, humans take in the oxygen they need to live; by
communicating with all parts of the body, the brain understands what is going on at different
parts throughout the body; and the skeleton provides the body with structure and protection.
Research indicates that elementary students may believe that a system of objects must be doing
something (interacting) in order to be a system and/or that a system that loses a part of itself is
still the same system. (Benchmarks for Science Literacy, p. 355.) Research shows that student
misconceptions about systems arise from their difficulty in recognizing that a natural
phenomenon (e.g., the human body) occurs by systems working independently and together (e.g.,
circulatory, respiratory, nervous, digestive). Studies of student thinking show that, at all ages,
they tend to interpret phenomena by noting the qualities of separate objects rather than by seeing
the interactions between the parts of a system.
For upper elementary-school students, research specific to the human body indicates that, in
terms of internal bodily organs, upper elementary students are able to list a large number of
organs. In terms of the nervous system, they know the brain helps the body parts but do not
always realize the converse (that the body helps the brain). They do know, however, that nerves
conduct messages, control activity, and stabilize the body. Upper elementary students do not
understand the brain's role in controlling involuntary behavior. In terms of the digestive system,
once students reach the fifth grade, they know that food undergoes a transformation process in
the body. In terms of the respiratory system, they associate the lungs' activities with breathing.
Further, they may have some knowledge about the exchange of gases in the lungs and understand
that air goes to all parts of the body. In terms of the circulatory system, upper elementary-school
students realize that the heart is a pump, but they do not realize that the blood returns to the
heart. (Benchmarks for Science Literacy, pp. 344-345.)
Ideas in this lesson are also related to concepts found in the following benchmarks:
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6C The Human Organism: Basic Functions (3-5) #1-2, #4
Planning Ahead
Materials:
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Paper and pencil
Poster board
All Systems Go! student E-Sheet
Note: In the "Going Online" section of the E-Sheet, students will answer questions using
an online tool. As an alternative, students can answer the same questions on the printable
All Systems Go! - Learn More student sheet.
Motivation
Questions about familiar body systems can be useful in getting students to start thinking about
systems in general. This process can initiate the understanding that each organ affects and is
affected by others.
Hold up an apple (or some other healthy snack). Ask students:
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What am I holding in my hand?
If I were going to eat this apple, what parts of my body would I use?
Have students discuss the body parts we use when biting, chewing, swallowing, and digesting an
apple. You may want to create a chart on the blackboard or a large sheet of paper to record
students' ideas. If so, you can use these categories to help you organize the information:
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Body Parts for Biting
Body Parts for Chewing
Body Parts for Swallowing
Body Parts for Digesting
Now ask students:
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How do the different parts work together? (Each part plays a special role, so once one
task is accomplished, then the next part can perform it's role.)
What happens if one of the parts is missing? (For example, if the teeth were missing, then
it would be difficult if not impossible to chew some foods, and if one couldn't chew
something large to get it small enough to pass through the esophagus, then they could
choke.)
Continue to guide student understanding of systems by asking:
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Who remembers what it's called when a number of different parts work together to make
something happen or function? (Guide students so that they come up with system as an
answer.)
Can you think of an example of a system? (Some possible examples are a bicycle, a
computer, a school, or a bus.)
For the system you picked, write down any parts that belong to that system. (For
example, some parts that are necessary for a bicycle are two wheels, gears, brakes, foot
pedals, and handles.)
Development
Now have students use the All Systems Go! student E-Sheet to access the All Systems Go!
interactive. This activity requires students to drag organs of different body systems into the
human body cartoon (Arnold) classifying them according to certain systems (digestive, skeletal,
circulatory/respiratory, and nervous). For each system, once the correct organ is placed into the
body, it will stay there. However, if an incorrect organ is placed into the body, all the organs will
move out of the human body (Arnold) and the student will have to start over for that body
system. Once all of the correct organs for a body system have been placed within Arnold, the
next organ system will automatically appear at the bottom of the screen. When all four systems
are done, the clothed Arnold will reappear.
The student E-sheet includes both instructions on how to play the interactive activity and
questions regarding the activity. Answers to the questions can be found in the activity and in the
Learn More section on this site. To answer the questions, students can use the online tool
provided on the student E-Sheet, or they can answer the same questions on the printable All
Systems Go! - Learn More student sheet.
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What body system helps humans turn the food they eat into energy? (Digestive.)
What body system helps humans breathe? (Respiratory.)
What body system controls other body systems? (Nervous.)
What body system provides structure for the body? (Skeletal.)
What body system allows us to move? (Muscular.)
What body system includes a transport system (blood) and a pump (the heart) that keeps
the transport system moving? (Circulatory.)
Can you think of two body systems that work together? (Examples include the respiratory
and circulatory, muscular and skeletal, digestive and circulatory, and nervous and any
other system.)
What part of the nervous system is essential for it to work properly? (Brain.)
What event could disrupt one or more body systems? (Injury or disease could disrupt one
or more body systems.)
What parts of the respiratory system would need to be blocked to not allow any air into
this system? (The mouth, nose, or trachea.)
This activity should help teach students that organs within a system work together to make that
system function, and it should be pointed out that in turn all systems function together to make
the human body function.
At this point, ask students to name any other body systems. See how many systems they can
generate on their own and fill in the gaps where necessary. The primary focus of this lesson is
the digestive, respiratory/circulatory, skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems.
Body systems covered:
Digestive
Circulatory/Respiratory
Skeletal
Muscular
Nervous (includes the 5 senses)
Other body systems:
Urinary
Skin
Reproductive
Note: Students should focus on the fact that systems work together not necessarily on the names
of each organ.
Assessment
The main point of this lesson is to understand that there are different systems within the human
body and that these systems work independently and together to form a functioning human body.
Ask students to revisit the questions from the Motivation that they answered before they did the
online interactive activity (see the first two questions below). They should answer them again
with their new knowledge and then answer the third question. Give students five to ten minutes
to do this and then have them share what they wrote down before and after doing the online
interactive.
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Who remembers what it's called when a group of things function together as a whole?
Can you think of an example of a system? For that system, name some of its parts.
What six body systems did you learn about in this lesson?
Next, ask students to hypothesize about what might happen if part of a body system were
missing. Once they've come up with their theories, have students create a poster of a body
system working properly and one that is not because it is missing one or more of its parts. When
they are done with their posters, have students share them with the rest of the class. Students can
view each others posters and discuss the different systems.
Extensions
Innerbody provides in-depth coverage of ten body systems. It includes clickable body diagrams
with many components of each body system.
Your Gross and Cool Body reviews body systems via gross and cool things that your body does
(e.g., burps, gas, ear wax, etc.).