Health: The Skeletal System: Bones and Joints
Learning how bones, joints, and cartilage help the body move
Health: The Skeletal System: Bones and Joints
Learning how bones, joints, and cartilage help the body move
Health - Grade 4-5
- 1
List three important jobs of the skeletal system.
Think about shape, safety, and movement.
The skeletal system supports the body, protects important organs, and works with muscles to help the body move. - 2
The skull is made of bones that surround the brain. Explain why the skull is important.
The skull is important because it protects the brain from injury and helps give shape to the head. - 3
Name the long bone in the upper arm and explain one movement it helps with.
This bone is between the shoulder and the elbow.
The long bone in the upper arm is the humerus. It helps the arm bend, lift, reach, and move at the shoulder and elbow. - 4
What is a joint? Give one example of a joint in the body.
A joint is a place where two or more bones meet. One example is the knee joint, where bones of the upper and lower leg meet. - 5
The knee can bend and straighten like a door hinge. What type of joint is the knee, and why is that name a good fit?
Compare the knee to something that opens and closes.
The knee is a hinge joint. That name is a good fit because it mainly moves back and forth, similar to how a door hinge moves. - 6
The shoulder lets your arm move in many directions. What type of joint is the shoulder?
The shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint. This type of joint allows movement in many directions. - 7
Cartilage is smooth tissue found at the ends of some bones. Explain how cartilage helps joints move.
Think about what might happen if two hard bones rubbed together.
Cartilage helps joints move by cushioning the ends of bones and reducing rubbing when the bones move against each other. - 8
Match each bone to the body part it protects: skull, ribs, backbone. Use the choices brain, heart and lungs, spinal cord.
The skull protects the brain. The ribs protect the heart and lungs. The backbone protects the spinal cord. - 9
A student says, "Bones are not alive." Explain why this statement is not correct.
Think about how a broken bone can repair itself over time.
This statement is not correct because bones are living tissue. They have blood vessels, grow as a person grows, and can heal after a break. - 10
Choose two habits that help keep bones strong, and explain why they help.
Eating foods with calcium and vitamin D helps build strong bones. Weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, running, or jumping, also helps bones stay strong. - 11
Why is it important to wear a helmet when riding a bike, scooter, or skateboard?
A helmet adds a protective layer around the head.
It is important to wear a helmet because it helps protect the skull and brain if a person falls or crashes. - 12
Describe how bones, muscles, and joints work together when you bend your arm.
Muscles pull, bones provide structure, and joints allow movement.
When you bend your arm, muscles pull on bones near the elbow joint. The bones move at the joint, allowing the arm to bend.