Subjects

• Science
  --Life Sciences
  ----Biology

Grade

• 3-5

Brief Description

Students research a system of the body, write questions and answers on game cards in Word, and then play the using a game board template from Word.

Objectives

• gain understanding of the basic facts about systems of the human body.
• select the most important facts about a specific body system.

Keywords

human body, anatomy

Materials Needed

• Student access to computers equipped with Microsoft Word.
• Student access to computers with Internet access.

Lesson Plan

Before beginning this lesson with students, you'll need to create a template for the game cards. To do so, follow the instructions in the Make a Concentration Game in Word techtorial. In that techtorial, you'll learn how to create game cards that can be used in this lesson plan. When you have completed the techtorial and created a six-card template, save a copy to each student computer. To save the document as a template (so students can open, edit, and print game cards without altering the original document), go to File>Save As and choose Document Template (.dot) from the Save as type pull-down menu.

This lesson works best at the end of a unit on the human body, when students have acquired some basic knowledge about the various body systems (circulatory, digestive, etc.). Begin the lesson by explaining to students that they are going to play a game, but that first they must make the game pieces and the game board. Then complete the steps below with students to make the game cards:

• Arrange students into groups of 2-3.
• Assign each group a particular body system (circulatory, digestive) or organ (heart, brain...).
• Have each group research its system or organ, using either print materials or such Web sites as Enchanted Learning's Human Anatomy, to find 5-7 important facts about it.
• Tell students to write their group's 5-7 facts on a single piece of paper and have them approved before moving on. (Remember, during the game, all the other groups will try to answer the questions, so the facts should be information that has been covered in class.)
• After the facts are approved, students should phrase each fact in a question-and-answer format (For example, "In what part of the body would you find the anvil, hammer, and stirrup?"), and type their questions only (not the answers!) on the game piece template you created and saved on their computer(s). Remind students to save their original questions and answers as well.
• Have each group print its cards and give them to you to shuffle and later use in the game.

Whether you decide to have students play the game in groups or as an entire class will determine the number of game boards you need. If you're using just one board, you might choose to have it ready before the lesson, or you might have the group or groups that finish first make the board(s). To create the game board(s), go to Jefferson County's Word Game Boards, and click the first download link in the middle of the page to save a Word copy of the game board to your computer. You also might want to make paper dice and game tokens. (Note: The game cards made by students will not fit in the spaces allotted on the game board, but that won't affect play.)

To play the game: Students play cooperatively in their groups. A player from one group rolls a die and the group is read a question from one of the game cards (not its own!). The group then must agree on a single answer. If that answer is correct, the group moves its token ahead on the game board the number of spaces indicated on the die. If the answer is incorrect, the group doesn't move its token. Play rotates from group to group. (Each group only gets one question and one possible move per turn.) The group that reaches the end first wins!

Assessment

• knowledge of a body system as evidenced by the facts collected during their research, and their answers to the game questions.
• group skills during the research, creation of game cards, and playing of the game.

Lesson Plan Source

Education World

Submitted By

Lorrie Jackson

National Standards

SCIENCE
GRADES K - 4
NS.K-4.3 Life Science
GRADES 5 - 8
NS.5-8.3 Life Science