Human Body Systems Models & Slides Help Science Come to Life
My students need a muscle/bone interaction model, a pumping heart model, a respiration model, heart and digestive system walk-throughs, and human body & bacteria slides.
"I never knew that there are two tubes in your throat, Mrs. Coffey! I thought your food and oxygen go down the same tube." One of my students had that "aha" moment after I demonstrated respiration with a lung model made from a 2-liter bottle and balloons. Models help my students visualize content.
I teach three 5th grade science classes at a rural, Title-1 school in the Piedmont region of North Carolina.
Over 60% of my students receive free or reduced-fare hot lunch. We have a large population of Hmong and Hispanic families, and many of my students' parents do not speak English. Several students in my class take home donated backpacks full of food on the weekend so they do not go hungry. Although my 5th graders are financially needy, they are richly engaged in their studies. They love coming to school, and they especially look forward to coming to science class. We do a lot of experiments working in groups, and they enjoy getting to talk with their friends as they conduct investigations. We have fun learning!
My Project
I am requesting models, activity mats, and slides to help my students visualize the systems of the human body. The heart pumping model will allow students to see how valves in the heart open and close to allow one-way flow of blood. The lung respiration model will show how the diaphragm contracts and expands to bring in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide. The arm model demonstrates the interaction between the muscular and skeletal system. Students will be able to flex and relax the arm and see how the muscles move the bones during this motion. My budding scientists will get to trace the steps of the digestive and circulatory system by walking along the paths on the Walk-Through Heart and Digestive System Mats. The slides will be used to observe cells from the human body system under a microscope. The bacteria slides will be used to show how microorganisms can harm the body. Lastly, we will use the taste paper to study inherited traits as we begin studying genetics.
I set out new, hands-on displays on the kidney table to encourage my students to touch and explore the concepts we are studying.
I have been making body system models from Pinterest, but they are not sturdy enough to last from year to year. With your help, we will have plenty of high quality models for my 5th graders to use to visualize how organ systems work together. We will also have new human body system and bacteria slides, so my students can view cells at a microscopic level. Thank you!
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Coffey and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
