Teacher's Guide for ASK ^® Inside the Body

January 2006

Teacher Guide prepared by Betty Lou Askin, a retired elementary school principal in Ontario. She continues to teach and be an administrator, part time, in the school system as the need arises. She also continues to write stories for young children.

The cover of this issue offers an opportunity to have some fun discussing the ideas that are presented.

• Ask the students what they think the various items represent in the body.
• Let them suggest what the comments might mean.
• View the Contents page

1. Ask what the boy with the flashlight might be doing.
2. Have them predict what the man on page 17 is trying to do.
3. Let them suggest what the hand represents.
4. If they are not familiar with a leech, this could be a time to explain the nature of this critter.

Scoops Copycat Chimps (pg.2-3)

Vocabulary: researchers, respective, experiment

• What did the scientists want to prove?
• What did Georgia's group do with the block?
• What did Ericka's group do with their block?
• What did the experiment prove for the scientists?
• What was the new and interesting finding from this experiment?

Music on the Wing (pg. 2-3)

• How does the club-winged manakin attract a mate?
• How fast does the manakin's wings move?
• How did the scientists conduct their test?
• Describe how the manakin makes music.
• What other insects make sound this way?

Research - Find other birds or insects that have unusual habits.

Supersuit (pg. 3)

Vocabulary: robotics

• What is HAL?
• How does it help people?

Creative Arts - Write a story about you wearing a HAL suit and how you help people. Make a drawing of a person in a HAL suit assisting someone.

Nestor's Dock (pg. 4-5)

• List the first five tests conducted on Phil.
• Why was he afraid to have the blood test?
• What was his last test?

Language Arts - Write a story about your experiences at the doctor or having tests like Phil.

Art - Make a drawing about your personal experience. Create your own cartoon using Nestor's Dock as your guide.

Mysteries of Inner Space (pg. 6-13)

Some of the words used in this article are repeated in later articles. They will only be listed here rather than being repeated.

Vocabulary: arteries, veins, urine, gurgling, gladiators, dissected, microscope, blood vessels, capillaries, oxygen, carbon dioxide, bloodletting, hastened, humors, stagnant, nourishment, germ, aorta, heart, liver, kidneys, bladder, cells, plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, knobby, protein, hemoglobin, marrow, transfusion, transplant, saliva, clotting, anesthetic

• Why is the heart a type of pump?
• How quickly does blood flow through your body?
• What is the job of the arteries?
• What is the job of the veins?
• Why did the people years ago not understand how the heart worked?
• What was wrong with Galen's theory about the heart?

The Circle of Blood

• What great discovery was made in the 1600s?
• Describe how Harvey proved that Galen was wrong.
• Why did Harvey pinch off arteries and veins?
• What are the two circuits that Harvey proved?

What Is Blood?

• How do the lungs help our blood?
• What was bloodletting?
• Why did doctors drain a person's blood?

Little Doors in the Veins

• What is a valve?
• Describe how a vein's valve works.
• Why does blood go from bright red to a darker color?
• Explain why your veins are like rivers and streams.
• What is the function of the capillaries?
• Describe red blood cells.
• What is the purpose of hemoglobin?
• How do we get new blood?

Research - If it is appropriate, groups of students could do research on the various parts of the body. The research could be presented as reports to the whole class.

Sharing Hearts, Sharing Blood

• What is the most powerful muscle in our bodies?
• Why is a real heart better than a mechanical one?

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Updated: 11/21/08 05:59 pm
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