THE ORGANISATION OF THE HUMAN BODY

Vocabulary

bone, cartilage, fixed joint, gliding joint, ligament, movable joint, muscular system, skeleton, antagonistic, contract, extend, flex, length, muscle, relax, tendon.

Bone decalcification

• Place two thin, clean chicken wing bones in two jars. Add white vinegar to one of the jars to cover the bone. 

What do you think will happen?

• After two days, remove the bone from the vinegar and wash it. Try to bend both chicken bones. 

What do you notice?

• Bones are strong due to high calcium content; vinegar removes calcium from the bone and makes it soft. Point out how important it is to have enough calcium in your diet.

COMPARE

The girl on the left is dancing( she is using her whole body). But on the right is reading a book (She is  also using  her entire body, but is in more stable position)

- What would happen if we didn’t have a skeleton? (We would have soft bodies like gelatine.)

- What do you notice about our skeleton? Is it internal or external? (internal)  Internal skeletons support proportionally more weight and do not limit growth as much.

* Let´s go to stand up and bend forward to try to touch their toes (without bending their knees). Hold this

position five seconds. Return to standing for five seconds. Repeat this pattern five times.

  Did you notice any changes during the exercise? (It should be easier to reach further down with each

repetition.)

  What do you think happened? (Stretching causes muscles to change in length.)   Stretching is important to help avoid injuries.

- Do you think the human body has more bones or muscles? (more muscles) 

- How many muscles do you think are involved when you take a step? (200)

Here is an interesting link http://www.kidsknowit.com/flash/animations/bio-human-body.swf

                                  PLAY A GAME

http://sciencenetlinks.com/interact  ives/AllSystems.swf
 

Exercises
 Comprehension. Write the words of each sentence in the correctorder to make sense:
1. body / supports / the / the / skeleton
2. meet / places / bones / two / joints / where / are / the
3. ends / the / of / cartilage / covers / bones / the
4. flexible / cartilage / tissue / is
5. elastic / strong / ligaments / are / tissue


True or false? Decide if the following statements are true or false. If they are false, correct them.
1. When muscles contract, they become longer.
2. When muscles relax, they return to their original length and thickness.
3. Tendons connect the bones of a joint.
4. Antagonistic muscles perform the same actions.
5. Arms bend at the elbow with a flexing movement.

Comprehension.  read the following definitions and write the corresponding words:
1. This part of the brain controls voluntary movements.
2. This part of the brain coordinates movements and maintains balance.
3. This part of the brain regulates internal organs.
4. These are the principal cells of the nervous system.
5. These are involuntary movements in response to external stimuli.