Unit Title: Human Body Grade Level: 5
Lesson Title: How do muscles work and what are the
Standards: _1.2A, 1.2G
By the end of this lesson, the students will be able to:
J Describe how a muscle works
J Name and decipher between the different types of muscle
J Describe what a tendon is
J Describe what muscles need to work properly
J Draw conclusions based on information
J Write an equation and solve for a variable
J 2 teacher prepared worksheets
J Model of an arm
J Book The Human Body, by Jonathan Miller
J Book The Human Body, The Muscles, by Kathleen Elgin
J Visual aids of the different types of muscles for the board
Motivation: 10 minutes
Did anyone see the Jets play this weekend? Is anyone involved on a team, in dance, or
karate? What is the first thing you should do before you start any of these activities?
Why should you stretch?
What would happen if you did not stretch?
· Today we are going to discuss some of the different muscles in our body and how they work. We are going to use a power point presentation so that we remember everything we talk about. Choose a student and ask them to come up to the front of the classroom without using any muscles. Choose a student and ask them if they can sit at their desk and not use any of their muscles. See if the class knows why that is impossible. By the end of this lesson, you should be able to explain how a muscle works in addition to identifying the different types of muscles.
Developmental Activity 12 minutes
Ø What do we use our muscles for?
Ø How many muscles do you think we have in our body?
Ø Show the book written by Jonathan Miller, The Human Body.
Ø Can anyone tell me some places that we have muscles. (All over, point out the heart, skin, face, tongue, ear, veins)
Ø How many muscles do you think we have in our face and neck?
Ø Explain that we use our muscles to do almost everything. Without our muscles, we would not be able to live.
Ø Muscles are all made of the same material, a type of muscle fiber that is elastic (sort of like the material in a rubber band). Hundreds or even thousands of these small fibers make up each muscle
Ø Can everyone please pick up their textbook and hold it out in front of you with your right hand. Which muscles do you think you are using? Now can you bring the book up to you shoulder? Are the same muscles being used?
Ø Muscles need oxygen in order to work. When they do not get enough oxygen from the blood, they start to get tired and sore. When the cardiac muscles do not get enough oxygen, you get a heart attack.
Ø Can anyone tell me how a muscle works? Explain how muscles do not push, but pull. Show model
Ø Are muscles dense? Explain that they are and calculate about how much of their body weight is muscle.
Ø Explain that muscles usually work in pairs give examples
Ø Discuss how muscles are attached to tendons, which are attached to bones.
Ø Do you think the same type of muscle that allows you to pick up a book, also keeps your heart pumping? Explain
Ø There are three different types of muscles.
1) The muscles that allow you to move around are called your skeletal muscles. They are also sometimes called striated (striped) because of the light and dark parts of the muscle fiber make them look striped. Skeletal muscles are also known as voluntary muscles - these are the muscles that you can control. Your skeletal muscles is attached to a tendon which is then attached to your bone. This is what allows your to move. Your leg will not bend to kick the ball unless you want it to, and your dog's dinner will not find its way into the dish unless you tell your muscles to make it happen. A tendon is a tough cord that attaches muscle to bone.
2) Smooth muscles are sometimes also called involuntary muscles. You cannot control this type of muscle - these muscles work involuntarily. This means that your brain and body tell these muscles what to do without you even thinking about it. You cannot use your smooth muscles to make a muscle in your arm or jump into the air. Smooth muscles are found in your stomach. They help push food from your stomach into your small intestines. When you throw up, this is your smooth muscles acting that you have no control over. Found in bladder to help hold control, eyes to help focus,
3) The cardiac muscles cause the heart to contract (tighten up) and pump blood out. Then it relaxes (loosen up) to let blood back in after it has circulated through the body. Cardiac muscles are also involuntary. Just like smooth muscle, cardiac muscle works all by itself with no help from you. How many times a minute do you think your heart beats? The students will complete a math worksheet dealing with this question.
What happens when we do not use our muscles?
Assessment: 15 minutes
Give the students scenarios and ask them which muscles they would use.
1) Adams mom saw Adam score a goal in his game, so she started clapping.
What muscle did she sue to clap her hands?
2) Madison just ate her sandwich for lunch. Which muscle is going to help her
digest that sandwich?
3) Mr. Hunter was taken to the hospital because he is having chest pain. Which muscles are probably causing this pain?
Then the students will complete a teacher prepared worksheet to assess how much they retained from the lesson.
Wrap-up 5 minutes
Ø Today we learned all about our muscles. We talked about the different types and learned some difficult vocabulary. Why do you think it is important that we know about our muscles? What would happen if we did not have any muscles? We will be discussing some of the different muscles as the week goes progresses.
A follow up activity will be done during the week to reinforce the different types of muscles. We will be discussing different muscle groups and addressing what type of muscle they are. We will also talk about what makes us shiver, and the uniqueness of our tongue.