Fixing Bones, Breaking Boundaries

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

My Students

Do you remember what you wanted to be when you grew up? My students have identified their dreams of entering the field of biomedical sciences and are interested in careers ranging from surgeons to biomedical engineers. They all want to grow up and "help people" and they need your help to get there!

We are located in a large urban city, nationally known for pocket poverty.

Our student population is very diverse in all demographics: ethnically, culturally, and by socioeconomic level. Students in this program have identified themselves as having a high interest in pursuing a career in medical science and are taking proactive steps to get more involved and to increase their knowledge and skill sets in the pathway. They work together, both in class and outside the school boundaries, seeking to strengthen community ties and to be more involved in volunteer health events that benefit members of the community. When asked why they signed up for this class one student wrote, "My family suffers from a lot of health problems. I want to learn more about health and medicine so that I can understand what they're going through and discover ways to help them get better." This is an incredible group of kids, ready to make a positive impact in the world around them.

My Project

After learning about the bones in the body, students will research the differences between bone fractures and breaks. They will discover how the architecture of bones enables them to withstand large amounts of physical stress to the body, how fractures could potentially affect internal organs, and ultimately how the body works to repair fractures and return to a healthy state. This order includes 15 different x-ray images of various bones in the body. Students will study the images in pairs to locate the fracture and identify which bone structure they're working with. The activity will help them to make connections between a career pathway as an x-ray technician, or a general doctor, with the anatomy they will learn in class. Next school year they will be enrolled in an athletic training course, where they will learn how to treat injuries, so it is essential that this year they understand how to identify those injuries.

This project is about more than bones.

In this activity, students will work together to strengthen their collaboration skills, compile evidence and formulate an explanation to strengthen their reasoning skills, summarize findings in verbal and written reports to strengthen their communication skills, and conduct research to strengthen their evaluation skills. Working on inquiry-based projects like these will build character and prepare students for a brighter future.