Life Science Human Body Systems
Overview:
This unit focuses on human body systems. Students will know that body has organs which work together
as systems. They will explore the functions and structures of major internal organs through making
modals, using technology (videos, websites) and learn where they are located in the body. There are
three stages of teaching life science to grade five students. In the first stage they learn about the
characteristics of human digestive, excretory, respiratory, and circulatory and nervous system. In the
second stage they develop an understanding that these systems function together to meet the basic
needs of our body. In the third stage they analyze personal and societal requirements for, and impact of,
maintaining a healthy human body. In this unit I am focusing only on the first stage which in aligned with
the first outcome of life science unit for grade five (according to draft of new science curriculum).
Assessment:
Everyone has its own preferences for assessment processes. I am suggesting here few of my preferences
which I think are useful for assessing this unit. There are no of assessments which could be used
throughout the unit. At the beginning of each system you can use the KWL chart and then does the L
part at the end of that each system. Your KWL chart could become a part of your classroom question
wall. Science journals, exit slips and observation checklists could also be used during this unit. To assess
the science journals you can develop a rubric with the help of your students. I know no one will teach all
the systems at one time so students can do a project about how they can protect their body systems
and what type of common diseases are there for each system once they know about the functions and
characteristics of a system.
Classroom management:
Clear classroom expectation could be established with the students about working with hands on
materials in their science class. These instructions could be posted on a wall. Students could be arranged
in science groups, so they know with whom they are working with during their science class.
Safety considerations:
The lessons which require safety considerations have a description in it.
Clean up:
Each group will be responsible of cleaning up their table after using the materials. This rule will be listed
on the classroom management poster.
Some general links:
These links have detailed information about human body systems. Some of them have word search
games quizzes and interactive games about the body systems. You can use them to plan more lessons
about the systems.
The Digestive System
Lesson no 1
Description of lesson: This lesson is an introductory lesson to the human digestive system. Students will
brainstorm their prior knowledge about digestive system, and what they wanted to learn more about
the process of digestion. During a read aloud they will identify the body parts involved in the process of
digestion.
Outcomes:
Indicators:
HB5.1 Investigate the characteristics of the human
digestive systems.
Students will know that human body has organs
and systems.
These organs and systems have particular
functions and they are located at particular places
in our body.
Students will identify the organs which are part of
human digestive system.
Materials/Resources:
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Book :I know where my food goes by Jacqui Maynard
Science journal for each student
Classroom management ideas:
If somebody is not paying attention while you are reading. Move closer to that student and tap on his or
her shoulder.
5 ‘E: Engage
Presentation:
Set (10 min)
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What cars need to make it run? (fuel)
Our body is like a car, what is fuel for our body? (food)
Our body makes some changes to the food we eat so that it turns into energy for us. Just how
does that happen? (through our digestive system)
Tell student we are going to start learning about our digestive system.
Make the KWL chart together as a class. Write down the students responses about the K and W
part of the chart on the board later transfer these responses on a chart paper and post them on
your question wall.
Development (20 min)
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Tell students you are going to read a story “I know where my food goes by Jacqui Maynard” to
them which tells about the journey of our (food, once we ate it.
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Tell them, they will listen for the special information about what organs are involved in the
process of digestion.
They will write down the names of organs they noticed while the book was read to them in their
science journals.
Closure (5min)
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They will answer the following questions.
Where does the process of digestion start?
What makes you burp?
Assessment:
I will look in their science journals to see how much body parts they have identified as the part of
digestive systems.
Lesson no 2&3
Description of lesson: In this lesson students will work independently and they will investigate about
the body parts which are part of human digestive systems. They will use web sites and books to research
about the function, structure and location of these body parts in the human digestive system.
Outcome:
Indicators:
HB5.1 Investigate the characteristics of the human
digestive systems
Students will create a written and/or visuals
representation of the structure and function of the
major organs of the human digestive system.
They will create the visual representation showing
the location of the major organs of the digestive
system in the human body.
Materials /Resources:
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Construction Paper
Blister board
Pencils
Colors
Scissors
Tape
Computer
Books
Classroom management:
Students will be divided in groups. The groups will be made according to their ability levels. They will
assign roles in their groups who will be illustrator, recorder, browser, cutter, and writer. They will switch
rolls for each organ they will investigate. They will assess themselves at the end of their group
presentation. A self assessment rubric will be provided to them.
5’E: Explore, Explain
Safety considerations: students will be allowed to visit only the prescribed web sites. Be careful while
using scissors.
Presentation:
Set:
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Review the organs identified in the yesterday class as part of our digestive system.
Write down on board the names of those parts e.g. mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine,
large intestine.
Students will be divided into groups
Development:
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Students will be told they will investigate the function, structure, and location of the organs
which are part of human digestive system. The meaning of above terms will be explained in
simple words.
They will use the following websites: www.uen.org/utahlink/tours.
www.brianpop.com/health/bodysystems/digestivesystem.
http://kidshealth.org/kid/htbw/digestive_system. And the following book: the digestive system
by Susan H.Gray. Digestion and excretion by Louise Spilsbury. Multiple copies can be borrowed
from the Regina public library or required pages could be photocopied for each group.
They will use the construction paper to draw the organs and put them on the blister board in
the order they are located on human body. One person from the team can volunteer and lay
down on the blister board and one student can make an outline of the body.
They will write down the information they gather about each organ on the blister board as well.
Each group will present their poster to the class.
Alternate plan: you can give students a choice if they do not want to make poster they can act
out the functions of different parts involved in digestion.
Closure:
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Where in the digestive system nutrients get to the blood?
What happen to the indigestible part of food?
Lesson no 4
Description of lesson: In this lesson students will explore the process of digestion in their stomach.
They will be engaged in an activity to learn how food is broken down in small parts so that its nutrients
could be absorbed by the body and they will see which elements has stronger effect on the breakdown
of their food.
Outcomes:
HB5.1 Investigate the characteristics of the human
digestive systems
Indicators:
Students will carry out procedures to investigate
the factors that affect our digestive process,
Material/Resources:
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Whole milk
4 small clear plastic cups(for each groups)
Tablespoons
Water
Plastic wrap
Rubber bands
Lemon juice
Meat tenderizer
Coffee filters
Classroom management:
Students will be working in their science groups.
Safety considerations:
No one is allowed to taste anything. Handle the liquid stuff carefully if someone spill something inform
the teacher and wait for her to respond to you do not touch any liquid.
5’E: Explore.
Presentation:
Set (5 min)
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Students will be given a cracker to keep in their mouth for a minute.
They will observe what happen to the cracker it break down into small pieces and becomes a
soft smooth liquid. This is how the digestion starts in our mouth.
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Next they will brainstorm in which part of digestive system a major break down of food
happens. Someone will come up with stomach.
Here, they will be told that today we will see how digestion process takes place in our stomach
and how digested food gets to the body.
Development :( 30 min)
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Students will participate in an activity to see how food breaks down in their stomach with
the help of enzymes and acids (they would know through their previous project that what
enzymes and acids are).
Following directions will be write down on the board:
1. Pour three tablespoons of milk into each of the three plastic cups.
2. In the first cup put two table spoons of water .cover the cup with a sheet of plastic
wrap using a rubber band to hold the wrap in place.
3. In the second cup put two tablespoons of a weak acid such as lemon juice or vinegar
and cover as above.
4. In the third cup put two table spoons of an enzyme such as meat tenderizer and
cover as above.
5. Students have to wait for one hour.
6. During their waiting time they can make predictions which element will have strong
effect on the breakdown of milk into small nutrients.
7. After one hour they will observe the changes in the three glasses and write down
their observations in the science journals. (They will notice that water alone has
very little effect on the breakdown of food and the second and third cups are similar
to the digestive process that takes place in their stomach every day. They will also
observe that food takes some time to breakdown into nutrients.)
8. Next they will use a coffee filter and make a funnel shape in it, then place it in one
empty glass. Take one of the second or third cups (used in the above experiment)
and pour the contents of that glass into the filter (students need to hold the filter in
place.)
9. The filter will trap the undigested particles and the dissolves pieces will pass through
the tiny openings in the filter. (This same process happens in the body when
digested food passes through the walls of the small intestine in order to reach the
blood.)But students will try to explain on their own first, where in the digestive
system a similar action happens.
10. Later teacher can explain the process to students.
Closure :( 5 min)
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They will clean up their tables and bring the material back to the teacher.
They will write down three things they learned today in their journals.
Extension:
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Students can use flyers and magazine to cut out pictures of different foods they ate.
Then draw a stomach on a paper and paste those foods in the drawn stomach.
They can share with each other and compare what types of foods people eat in their
classroom.
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They can involve in a discussion which type of foods are used by most of the people in the
classroom. And how our choice of food can affect our health.
Some general links.
Digestive System
Digestive System 1
How the Body Works: The Digestive System
Human Digestive System
IMCPL Kids’ Guide: Digestive System
Kids Health: Your Digestive System
Pictures of the Digestive System
http://www.cln.org/themes/digestive.html
The Circulatory System
Lesson no 5
Description of lesson: in this lesson students will engage in an activity related to taking their heart rate
and make a comparison between heart rate taken at various levels of physical activities.
Outcome:
HB.5.1 1 Investigate the characteristics of the
human circulatory system.
Indicators:
Students will know that human body has organs
and systems.
These organs and systems have particular
functions and they are located at particular places
in our body.
Students would be able to describe what a heart
rate is.
They will know that their heart rate is affected by
various factors.
Materials/Resources:
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Straw
Modeling clay
Data collection sheet
Graph sheet
Stop watch
Classroom Management:
Students will work in groups of three. One person will do the activity second will count the no of heart
beats of first person and the third will watch the time. Then they will switch until they take the heart
rate of each member of their group.
Safety Considerations:
While they will be doing the physical activities they will take care of personal space for everyone. They
will use the same method of recording heart rate for each member of their group for a fair result.
Presentation:
Set :( 5min)
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The nutrients from our digestive system get absorbed in our blood. How this blood reaches to
our body parts .(through our heart)
Let students quickly open and close their fists over and over again until their hands get tired .tell
them their fist-sized heart squeezes this way every second of every day.
Let them find their pulse at their wrists or neck. Talk about what is this soft beating is.
Tell them what is a heart rate? And what is the average heart rate of a child of their age?
Development :( 30min)
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Students will take their heart rate by following the procedure below:
1. Insert the straw into a very small piece of clay.
2. Flatten the bottom of the clay.
3. Place your wrist, palm side up, on a table.
4. Place the clay on your wrist, and move the clay around with your thumb until the
match starts to slowly vibrate back and forth.
5. Count the no of vibrations that the straw makes in 15 seconds .And multiply it with
4.
6. This is your heart rate.
7. They will record their heart rate in the data collection sheet. This is provided to
them.
Each group will do the activities listed in the sheet and then record their heart rate after
doing that activity.
They will make a bar graph of the recorded heart rate.
Closure :( 5 min)
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Write the response to following questions in their science journals.
Students will write down how physical activities affect their heart rate.
Was their whole group has the same heart rate?
Lesson no 6
Description of lesson: In this lesson students will look at the function and structure of human heart.
They will take a look at how the blood flows in the heart.
Outcomes:
HB 5.1Investigate the characteristics of the human
circulatory system.
Indicators:
Create a written and visual representation of the
structure and function of the major organs of the
human circulatory system.
Material/Resources:
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Computer
Projector
Diagram of love heart
Diagram of human hear(its available on this
address: www.evgschool.org/heartdisagram.htm )
5E’s:engage explore.
Classroom Management:
They will work in their science groups.
Safety Considerations:
As they will be working on internet so they will only use the teacher suggested website they will not
be allowed to visit any other website.
Presentation:
Set:
Put the love heart and diagram of heart on the board and ask the students which heart shape is in
their body?
Development:
Give each student an unlabeled diagram of human heart .Let them watch them the video
www.science.nationalgeograpghic.com/science/health-and-human-body/human-body/heart-article.
(In their science groups) which is about the structure and how blood transported from body to heart
and heart to lungs. They will label the valves and chambers of heart and write down the path
followed by blood in the heart. When they are done let them share their findings with the class. Ask
if everyone agree with the group who has presented their findings. If not, why? One or two group
can present their findings. Then you can explain to them the structure and how blood flow through
the heart, through the same video or you can use the www.childrensheartinstitute.org (it has
compared heart to a four chambered heart house, it’s a simple version for kids). And blood vessels,
blood and heart are part of our circulatory system and the function of our heart is to transport
oxygen rich blood to our body. Students can compare their findings with your explanation and if
there is any misconception they can correct it with your help.
Closure:
Write in your science journals:
How many chambers are in our heart?
Which organs are parts of our circulatory system?
Lesson plan 7
Description of lesson: this lesson is about how heart could be affected by the clogged arteries.
Students will participate in an activity to observe the flow of blood through clogged arteries.
Outcome:
Investigate the characteristics of the human
circulatory system.
Indicators:
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Students will know that human body has
organs and systems.
These organs and systems are located at
particular places in our body.
Students will know that their heart is
responsible for pumping blood with full
of oxygen to their bodies.
They will know that if oxygen rich is not
provided to heart tissues, it will get
weaken and stop pumping.
Materials/Resources:
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Computer
Projector
Beaker
Funnel
Plastic knife
butter
Tooth picks
Stopwatch
5E’s: explore
Presentation:
Set:
What could happen if blood stops pumping in one artery of our heart?
Development:
They will do an experimental activity to see how fatty deposits affect the flow of blood through an
artery in the heart.
1-place the funnel in the mouth of the jar. the funnel will represent an artery in the heart.
2-Time how long it takes to pour the glass of water into the jar through the funnel.write the time in
your science journal.
3-Return the water from the jar to the glass.
4-Use the knife to spread a small amount of butter along the bottom of the funnel’s neck.
5-With a toothpick, carve out a hole in the butter so that the funnel is partly, but not completely
clogged.
6-Repeat step 2 and record your observations in your science journal.
If funnel is the one of our blood vessel (suppose one of our artery) and water represent the blood
and the beaker is our heart .how the clogged blood vessel will affect our heart?
When students have made their suggestions and explanation after that you can explain them
further with the help of following video. They will watch a video about the clogged artery, and how
it results in heart attack.
Closure:
They will write down on an exit slip the two things they learned today.
Extensions:
Students can investigate what type of physical activity is recommended for healthy heart. They can
compare the other systems with circulatory system with the help of Venn diagram. They can
investigate the effects of smoking on heart. Following link has some lesson plans about how smoking
affects your lungs and heart. This lesson could be taught after circulatory and respiratory system.
http://www.heartandstroke.com/atf/cf/%7B99452D8B-E7F1-4BD6-A57DB136CE6C95BF%7D/3971gra5.pdf.
Some general links.
Cardiovascular System
Circulatory System
Circulatory System: The Life Pump
Circulatory System Theme Page
How Your Heart Works
IMCPL Kids’ Guide: Circulatory System
Kids Health: Your Heart & Circulatory System
The Respiratory System
Lesson no 8
Description of lesson: In this lesson students will be engaged in an experiment where they will
explore how our lungs work.
Outcomes:
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Investigate the characteristics of the
human digestive, respiratory,
circulatory systems.
indicators:
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Students will know which organs are
involved in the respiratory system
They will develop understanding of
how lungs function during their
breathing.
Materials/Resources:
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Plastic bottles (the bottom of the bottles will be cut apart)
Balloons (small and large)
 Straw
 Rubber band
 Modeling clay.
 Duct tape
 Computer and Books
Safety considerations:
No balloon popping .
5E’s: engage ,explore.
Presentation:
Set:
We know that our heart pumps oxygen rich blood to our body. Where did that oxygen get in our blood
and how? (Here you can introduce the respiratory system and most students may be come up with
lungs and breathing as a source of oxygen.)
How our lungs work when we breathe in and out?
Development:
Students will conduct the following activity to explore how our lungs function while we breathe.
Directions for the activity:
1- Get a plastic bottle, a straw, two rubber bands one small one large, two balloons one small one
large. And modelling clay.
2- Attach the tiny balloon to one end of the straw with a rubber band and insert the straw and
balloon into the bottle so the open straw sticks out of the neck of the bottle. If you blow into the
straw, the tiny balloon will inflate.
3Seal the bottleneck around the straw with clay.
4- Cut off the bottom part of a large size balloon. Tie the stem of that balloon in a knot, and slip the
balloon over the bottom of the bottle with the knot on the outside. Stretch the balloon tight
around the bottle, and secure it with rubber bands and duct tape.
5- Experiment by pulling down on the knotted balloon. Observe what happen to the small balloon.
They will record their observations in the science journals.
Next they will explain which parts of this modal represent our lungs, diaphragm. They will use the
following book and website.
Respiration and circulation by Louise Spilsbury.
http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/health-and-human-body/human-body/lungsarticle.html
Later you can discuss with students what causes the air to move in and out of our lungs and our lungs
deliver oxygen to our blood.
Lesson no 9
Description of lesson: In this lesson students will take their breathing rate observe the factors which
affect their breathing rate.
Outcomes:
HB 5.1 Investigate the characteristics of the human
respiratory system.
Indicators:
Students will describe which factors affect their
breathing rate.
Materials /Resources:
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stop watch
Breathing rate recording work sheet.
Procedure:
Set:
How many times you breathe in a minute?
How do you know?
How would you go about finding out?
Development:
Students will work in groups of three .one student does the activity; second counts the number of
breaths ;( one breathe is one inhalation and one exhalation) third student is the time keeper. Count
the no of breathe a student take in two minutes, for accuracy take it two or three times and fine the
average (you have to tell students how to find the average). Divide the average by two to find the no
of breathe in one minute. Let students compare their breathing rates with another group. Is it same
for every one? Is there any difference in girls or boys breathing rate?
Let students do the activities listed in the work sheet and record their breathing rate after each
activity .let them get their activity sheet done.
Once students are done let them explain what is their breathing rate at rest?
What happen to their breathing rate when they did exercise?
Why do you think exercise makes a person breathe faster?
Lesson plan 10
Lesson description: In this lesson students will measure lung capacity and explore factors that affect the
amount of air the lungs can hold. For this lesson you can take you students to the science lab.
Outcome:
HB 5.1 Investigate the characteristics of the human
respiratory system.
indicators:
Students will describe which factors affect their
breathing rate.
Material/Resources:
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Dish pan
Drinking straw
Plastic tube (60 cm)(its
available at aquarium or from your school science lab.)
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ruler
Measuring cup(250
ml)
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Water
Gallon jug (you can
use the plastic water bottles of 4 litres.)
5E,s: Engage, Explore
Procedure:
Set:
Ask students how much air do they think their lungs hold?
How could they measure it?
Do boys have bigger lungs than girls?
Development:
Students will do the following activity to measure the capacity of their lungs.
Directions: fill the dishpan about one quarter full of water. Fill the jug to the very top with water and
make a mark with marker. Put your hand tightly over the mouth of jug and invert it in the dish pan,
making sure not to let any air get out into the jug. Put one end of the plastic tube into the mouth of
the jug and keep the other end out of the dish pan. Now slid a drinking straw in the end of plastic
tube which is outside the dish pan. With one continuous breath keep blowing through the drinking
straw, until you are completely out of air. When you cannot blow any more, slide your hand over the
jug’s mouth and turn it right side up. To measure how much air you exhaled, do this:
1-
Pour measuring cups
filled with water into the jug until you have refilled the jug to the mark.
2-
The amount of water
you use to refill the jug is the amount of air you exhaled.
Use separate straw for each student.
Closure:
Is there any difference in the lung capacity of the members of your group?
Who has the larger lung capacity in your group, boys or girls?
Extensions:
Students can explore different factors which can affect the function of our lungs e.g. smoking
(you can use the lesson which is mentioned at the end of circulatory system).
They can fill the water in the balloon which shows lungs in their lung modal activity and observe
how it affects the breathing process. This will lead an investigation how fluid in our lungs affects
our breathing and it can lead to serious illness because of less absorption of oxygen.
Some general links.
Air Bags: The Respiratory System
How the Body Works: The Respiratory System
Kids Health: Your Lungs & Respiratory System
Oxygen Delivery System
Respiratory System
Teach Your Child – Respiratory System
Your Respiratory System
The Nervous System:
Lesson no 11
Outcome:
Investigate the characteristics of human nervous
system.
Indicator:
Create the visual or written representation of the
structure and function of the major organs of the
human nervous system.
Use appropriate scientific terminology when
referring to human body systems.
Matrial /Resources:
Items that can be quietly dropped. Enough for ½ the class. (Examples: soft ball,
tennis ball, erasers.
5E’s: engage explore
Presentation:
Involve students in a discussion about how we keep on breathing and our heart keep on pumping blood.
How all these actions happen? We as human being can some time forget to breathe what will happen?
This discussion will lead to the brain and nervous system where you can introduce that our nervous
system (brain, nerve, spinal cord) is the control system of our body and it commands our body to
perform all these functions even when we are sleeping.
Have students work in groups of three to do a quick experiment about reflexes. Each
group needs an item that they can quietly drop. The item needs to be small enough to be
caught and held with one hand. Items that could be used are a soft ball, an eraser,
a tennis ball, etc. Each student should have a piece of paper to record their results. A stop watch for
each group is required too. In the experiment one student will hold the object in front of the other
student. The object will be held at about shoulder height of the second student and at about arm’s
length away. The second student will have their arms down by their sides. The first student will
softly count to five and the let the object go. When they let go they say “drop”. The
second student must catch the object with their dominant hand. When the student catches
the object they must say “catch”. The third student watches the time and starts recording
when they hear “drop” and stops recording when they hear the word “catch”. This is
repeated two more times and recorded. Then the object is dropped and the student
attempts to catch it with their non-dominant hand. This is done 3 times and recorded.
Repeat for the second and third student. Each student should get a turn to drop, catch, and
record the time. Find averages.
Have the class discuss their results and the differences, if any, between the dominant and
non-dominant hands. Use this simple experiment to introduce the brain and nervous
system involvement in eye-hand coordination, reflexes, and left and right sidedness.
Lesson no 12 and 13
This lesson is the continuation of previous lesson.
Material /resources
• Drawing paper
• Pencils
• Fruit such as apple, banana, orange. (1 piece of fruit for every 5 students.)
• Poster board
Presentation:
Organize the students to work together in groups of 5. Give each group an apple, orange,
banana or a picture of a piece of fruit. Also make sure one student has drawing paper and
color pencils.
Ask one student from the group to draw the fruit. Ask the other group members to pay
attention to all the activities going on in the drawer’s body that helps them draw the fruit
and keeps their body working well while they draw the fruit. Have the students take notes
on the side of their paper about what they notice. Ask them to notice everything large and
small, voluntary and involuntary, that the drawer’s body does. You have to explain to your students
what voluntary and invoulantry actions are?
Have each group make a master list of everything the group thought of. Have each group
record which body systems are involved.
One student in the group should be the recorder. Another student can present their
information to the class.
Possible answers:
Sensory signals from the eye about fruit color, shape, etc
Image recognition
Memory
hand and fingers holding the pencil, to direct the pencil to draw
the image
Motor signals for sitting position remaining upright, leaning on the desk, crossing the
legs, etc.
Heart muscle pumping
Breathing
Smells they are aware of
Sounds in the room or outside
Digestion after lunch, or hunger pangs if before meal break
Other unconscious body activities such as scratching nose or ear, sneezing, etc.
Have each group presenter tell the class what they discoverd.
Record the answers on the board. Group the responses together according to each body
system
Now ask them what part of our body makes all this happen? What body system controls our body?
(The brain our nervous system)
You can explain the function of the nerve cell here with the help of the following book:
The nervous system by Darlene R. Stille page 24-29. And the video at
www.brainpop.com/nervoussystem
Next have students role paly the different parts nervous sytem and act out the reflex arc
sending and receiving messages from the brain and right hand.
Here is the link for directions to plan this activity ,this link is the source for the all lesson of nervous
system. http://www.healerwithin.org/IMLS/Gr5_nervous.pdf. you will find all the teacher related notes
about the nervous system on this web site as well.
Extentions:
You can use the lessons from grade four senses unit to teach some more about nervous system if your
students have not been taught senses before.
Students can create modals of different parts of nervous system and describe their functions.
Some useful resources:
IMCPL Kids’ Guide: Nervous System
Kids Health: Your Brain and Nervous System
Nervous System
Nervous System: The Control Center
Neuroscience for Kids
Neuroscience for Kids-Explore the Nervous System
Seeing, Hearing, Smelling the World
The Human Nervous System
Types of Neurons
Your Gross and Cool Body
Welcome to the Nervous System
The excretory system
Lesson no 14 &15.
Outcome:
Investigate the characteristics of human excretory system.
Description of lesson:
Involve students in a discussion what they will do if they know there is poison somewhere in their
house. What strategy they will use to get rid of it. One possible response could be they will find it and
through out of their house.
Tell them in the same way our body get rid the waste materials out of our body. Because those waste
materials would work as poison in our body if would not get rid of. Tell them about the structure and
function of our excretory system.
Students will make a model of excretory system.
Materials:
Written description of the structure of excretion system (you can write it from one of the websites in
clluded in the general links.)
small marshmallows
glue
kidney beans
cafeteria straws
scissors
spaghetti (uncooked)
red yarn
brown paper sack
blue yarn
tag board
Procedure:
Had the students work in small groups. Each group had a brown lunch sack with all of their materials
inside. On the outside of the bag I wrote what each student needed to grab out of the bag. Had the list
on the board as well.
Each student needs:
2 Kidney Beans (Represents the Kidneys)
2 Spaghetti pieces (Represents the Ureters)
1 Marshmallows (Represents the Bladder)
1 Straw pieces (Represents the Urethra)
1 pieces of Red Yarn (Represents the Arteries)
1 pieces of Blue Yarn (Represents the Veins)
Making the Model:
Glue on the kidney beans.
The yarn will be approx. 3 inches long. The student will have to separate the yarn into two pieces about
1/2 way up so that the arteries and the veins can go down each leg. Glue on the arteries and the veins.
Insert the approximately 1 inch long spaghetti lengths into the mini-marshmallow at an angle. This
represents the ureters draining down into the bladder.
Insert the approx. 1 centimeter long piece of straw into the bottom of the marshmallow. This represents
the urethra. Place glue on the marshmallow only. The spaghetti should be just high enough to‹go over
the top of the yarn.
The students now have a wonderful model so that they can describe to a partner just exactly what
happens in the Excretory System.
Another engage and explore activity:
Now involve students in a discussion where else in their body happens the same process. Someone will
come up with large intestine. Talk about what they remember from the digestive system what happens
in small or large intestine.
Next they will participate in the following activity.
Students can simulate digestion and the removing the solid wastes from food by making a zip top bag
stomach. Add crackers, corn and a few other food items to a zip top bag and add water. Simulate the
contracting of the stomach muscles by squeezing the bag. Then drain the bag through a coffee filter.
Some particles will go through but the solid wastes will remain in the filter, similar to what happens in
the small intestine. Carefully squeeze excess water from the filter. This represents the large intestines
function. Finally, you should be left with only solid wastes, especially the fibrous items like the corn or
fruit. This would be excreted from your body.
Extensions:
Students can investigate factors which could affect their excretory system.
Biology: Human Excretory System
Excretory System
IMCPL Kids’ Guide: Excretory System
Kids Biology: Excretory System
Kids Health: Your Urinary System
Poison Protection
The Excretory System
Urinary System
Urinary System 1
Yucky: Armpits
Yucky: Poop