DE Science Elementary
“5-Minute Prep” For
Human Body
Systems of the Body
Skeletal System
Skeletal System – The Big Ideas
• The skeletal system holds up the body and protects
internal organs.
• The skull, vertebrae, hips, ribs, arms, legs, hands, and
feet are major bones.
• Cartilage and muscle connect bones.
Skeletal System – Prior Knowledge
Students will have knowledge of some systems of the body
prior to this study. It will help for students to use the FUNdamental, Building A Body, to review the Skeletal System. It
will also help if they are able to:
– Explain that the body is made up of systems.
– Name a few bones in the body.
Skeletal System – Common Misconceptions
• The funny bone is a bone in your arm.
– Reality: The sensation that one gets when they hit their “funny
bone” is actually the sensation caused by hitting the ulnar nerve
which runs through a bone called the ulna, one of two bones in
the forearm.
• Bones are not living structures.
– Reality: The bone marrow is critical for production of both red
and white blood cells. Even maintenance of bone structure is a
dynamic process; the action of specialized cells called
osteoblasts to form new bone is counterbalanced by other cells,
osteoclasts, which break down bone through resorption. As
people age, bone resorption predominates over bone formation.
Skeletal System – Using DE Science Content
When you close this presentation, you can review the
following recommended resources for the Skeletal System.
• Reading Passage: Move Those Bones
• Reading Passage: Your Living Bones
• eBook: Your Skeleton – Hard at Work!
• Video Segment: Skeletal System
Use the PowerPoint version of this presentation for
hyperlinks to these resources or you can get to them
through the browser or search feature.
Skeletal System – Instructional Ideas
• Place students into pairs and assign one student to read
the Reading Passage, Your Living Bones. Assign the
other student to read the Reading Passage, Move Those
Bones.
– Ask students to share the details from their passages
with one another and create a chart of similarities and
differences between the two passages.
– Share the charts as a class.
Skeletal System – Instructional Ideas
• Watch the Video Segment, Skeletal System.
– Place students into pairs.
– Ask students to take turns laying flat on pieces of
large poster paper while another student traces the
outline of their body.
– Then, ask students to draw and label the bones of
their bodies inside the outline. Have pictures from
books available for additional reference.
– Share the drawings and hang them around the room
for the duration of the study.
State Standards:
If you wish to review your state standards regarding the
Skeletal System, click here to get to the curriculum
standards search feature of DES.
http://discoveryeducation.com/forward/curriculum.cfm
You can click on any standard to see what resources are
available to teach it.
Additional Information:
For additional content, check the Extend section within the
concept.