Name _____________________________
Date ________________
Science Investigations Explore
The Human Body
A patient walks into the doctor’s office complaining of difficulty breathing with severe
coughing, the doctor performs blood tests, breathing tests, and a chest x-ray, and
diagnoses the patient with Asthma. The doctor prescribes some medicine, and the
patient begins feeling better. What’s going on here?
A patient walks into the doctor’s office complaining of severe abdominal pain, vomiting
and diarrhea. The doctor orders several tests – blood tests, urine tests, stool tests, a
sonogram, and a gastroscopy. The results come back, showing that the patient has a
bacterial infection, so the doctor prescribes an antibiotic. The pain improves, but the
doctor doesn’t understand why. The infection should have only produced diarrhea, not
pain. Now the doctor orders a CT scan, and a colonoscopy. What’s going on here?
A patient walks into the doctor’s office complaining of coughing, sneezing, a runny nose,
and headaches. They don’t have a fever. The doctor diagnoses the patient with
allergies and recommends an antihistamine. What’s going on here?
A patient walks into the doctor’s office, complaining of a fever, sore throat, coughing,
difficulty breathing, and a severe headache. The doctor listens to the patient’s lungs,
takes a throat culture, does blood tests, a chest x-ray, and a sinus x-ray, and diagnoses
the patient with bronchitis and sinusitis. The doctor prescribes an antibiotic and the
patient gets better, but as soon as they finish the antibiotic their symptoms come back.
What’s going on here?
A patient walks into the doctor’s office complaining of constant hunger and thirst,
frequent urination, and weight loss. The doctor does blood and urine tests and
diagnoses the child with Type I Diabetes. What does this mean?
A patient walks into the doctor’s office, complaining of a fever and a very sore throat, so
the doctor takes a throat culture. A few days later the doctor calls the patient to say they
have Strep Throat and need to start an antibiotic. What’s going on here?
Every day people assess how they are feeling and decide if they need to see a doctor.
Doctors run tests, and provide diagnoses, and treatments, and people either get better
or they don’t. Whether or not they get better, it’s important for people to understand
what is going on in their bodies and how they can feel their best. Whenever you visit a
doctor or hospital it is essential that you explain your symptoms clearly, and try to
understand what the doctor is telling you. Understanding how your body systems work,
how medicines work, and how to keep yourself healthy will allow you to advocate for
yourself at the doctor’s office. Being able to do this can be critical to your health and
well-being. It’s not just doctors who need to understand how the human body works, it’s
patients, too!
In this unit you will work with a partner to learn critical information about one body
system. Based on your research, you will both create a PowerPoint presentation to
teach your classmates about your body system. Your classmates will take notes during
your presentation, and at the end of the presentation you should give them a quiz to
make sure they understood what you were saying. After all body systems are presented,
we will review key points of each system as a class and take a unit test. By the end of
this unit you should understand key structures and functions of all your major body
systems, and you will be a better-informed customer the next time you visit the doctor’s
office.
By the end of this unit you should know:
o The major structures and functions of the respiratory, circulatory, digestive,
excretory, nervous, endocrine, muscular, skeletal, and immune systems.
o How the major systems interact with each other
o Symptoms, causes, and treatments of at least two diseases affecting each major
system
By the end of this unit you should be able to:
o Label major structures of each body system on a diagram
o Identify which body system is shown in a diagram
o Identify which body system is most likely malfunctioning based on a patient’s
symptoms
By the end of this unit you should know the following specific information about
each system:
Circulatory System
o Label a diagram that includes the major parts - heart, artery, vein, capillary - and
lists the function(s) of each.
o Describe each of the components of blood - red blood cells, white blood cells,
platelets, & plasma
o Describe the path blood follows through the heart – Include a labeled diagram
showing the four chambers, valves, aorta, inferior and superior vena cava,
pulmonary artery and pulmonary vein. Include arrows showing the path of
bloodflow, into, through, and out of the heart and lungs.
Respiratory System
o Label a diagram that includes the major parts - trachea, lungs, diaphragm,
epiglottis, larynx, vocal cords - and lists the function(s) of each.
o Describe what happens during “breathing”. Be specific.
Nervous System
o Description and major functions of the central nervous system and peripheral
nervous system.
o Diagram that includes the major parts - brain, spinal cord, nerves, and neurons and lists the function(s) of each part.
o Describe the path a nerve impulse travels through your body from stimulus to
response.
Skeletal System
o Label a diagram that includes all major bones, and include labels for the cranium,
clavicle, humerus, scapula, sternum, rib, vertebra, ulna, radius, carpals,
metacarpals, phalanges, pelvis (may also label parts of pelvis), femur, patella,
tibia, fibula, tarsals, and metatarsals.
Also, include and label the ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) on your diagram of
the skeletal system.
o Describe each of the following joint types and where they are located: hinge,
pivot, and ball-and-socket. You may include other joints as well.
o Define bone, ligament, and tendon. Provide labeled diagrams showing the major
parts of a bone, a ligament, and a tendon.
Muscular System
o Describe the function and locations of each type of muscle - skeletal muscle,
smooth muscle, and cardiac muscle
o Label a diagram that includes major muscles in the body - biceps, oblique
abdominis, deltoid,
orbicularis oculi, gastrocnemius, pectoral, gluteus maximus, quadriceps, rectus
abdominis, and triceps. If other muscles are labeled in your diagram, be sure to
highlight those listed above during your presentation.
o Describe how muscles work in pairs to make parts of the body move using the
biceps and triceps as an example.
Excretory System
o Label a diagram that includes the major parts - lungs, kidneys, urinary bladder,
ureter, urethra, liver, and skin - and list the function(s) of each.
o Label a diagram of the skin – the diagram must include the epidermis, dermis,
and subcutaneous tissue, sebaceous (oil) gland, hair shaft, eccrine (sweat) gland,
pore of sweat gland, erector pili muscle, nerves, fat (adipose) tissue
o Explain how the skin functions as a temperature control for the body in cold
conditions (the original purpose of ‘goose bumps’).
Digestive System
o Label a diagram that includes the major parts - mouth, esophagus, stomach,
small intestine, liver, pancreas, and large intestine - and list the function(s) of
each
o Describe the path food travels throughout the digestive system.
Endocrine System
o Describe what hormones are and what they do
o Label a diagram that includes the major parts - hypothalamus, pituitary, thymus,
thyroid, parathyroid, adrenals, pancreas, ovaries, and testes - and lists the
function(s) of each.
Immune System
o List the functions of each part of the immune system - thymus, white blood cells,
antibodies, epidermis, cilia, mucus, and saliva.
o Describe the Anatomic Response, the Inflammatory Response, and the Immune
Response – the three lines of defense of the immune system.
o Explain how vaccinations work and give three examples of diseases that are
prevented through the use of vaccinations.
o What happens when someone has an autoimmune disease? Give one example
of an autoimmune disease along with its symptoms, causes, and treatments.
o Explain four ways you can help keep your immune system healthy.