ESL
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
the Bone
Student
Pages
Designer Sara Thompson, Brianne Miller
B1
ESL Activity I:
Teaching Point
Science students will know the importance of
lightweight bones and use models to show their
understanding of how bones look and feel.
Bone Module - Student Pages
Building Big Bones
10 minute mini-lesson + 40-50 minute activity
Every human being has a skeleton
that is made of 206 bones. All of
these bones work together to help
you move the way you want to
move. The bones also hold your
body up and protect the organs
inside your body!
Bones aren’t just dry, solid
sticks! Bones are a living
tissue, and need food and
oxygen just like other organs
and tissues!
Vocabulary Words
Blood Vessels- small tubes that
carry blood throughout the body.
Bone Marrow- the hollow
space in the middle of the bone.
Nutrients- natural elements
that the body needs to grow and
stay healthy. We get them mostly
through food.
Calcium- a kind of nutrient that
the body uses to help make our
bones strong.
The outer layer of
the bone is made
of hard, compact
bone tissue.
Leg Bone
hard bone
spongy bone
bone marrow
At the center of some bones,
there is bone marrow.
In between the two layers
of hard bone and marrow
there is a layer of bone that
is soft and light, almost like
a sponge! This spongy bone
allows you to move because it
is lightweight—like a sponge!
Inside each bone you will also
find blood vessels. The blood
vessels help give your bones
calcium and other important
nutrients. Bones need these
nutrients to stay strong and
healthy.
blood
vessels
Organs- the parts of the human
body; heart, lungs, liver, etc.
Learn more on-line at www.sepa.duq.edu!
B2
Materials Needed:
◊◊ 2 cardboard tubes (1 for each partner)
◊◊ 10-15 small rocks
You will be working with a partner to make “bones”
out of cardboard tubes. In Part 1, you will fill the tubes
with different materials, in Part 2, you will observe your
partner’s “bone”, and in Part 3, you will answer questions
about the “bones” that you made.
Ready! Set! Go!
◊◊ 10-15 pieces of kitchen sponge
◊◊ Masking tape
◊◊ Scissors
◊◊ Ruler
◊◊ Permanent Marker
◊◊ Worksheet #5 and #6
Instructions
The person whose FIRST NAME comes FIRST
alphabetically is Partner A. The person whose FIRST
NAME comes LAST alphabetically is Partner B.
Procedure—Part 1
Pair Up!
1. Gather all materials.
2. Partner A will fill their tube with rocks.
3. Partner B will fill their tube with sponge.
Partner A
1. Use a ruler to measure out a 1-inch piece of masking tape.
2. Write the word “rocks” on the tape.
3. Put your tape label on the side of your cardboard tube.
4. Cover one end of your tube with small pieces of tape so nothing can fall out of the tube.
5. Stand your tube up so the tape is on the bottom.
6. Fill your tube with small rocks, ALMOST to the top. Not too much!
7. Now, tape the end of the tube up so the rocks can’t spill out!
Partner B
1. Use a ruler to measure out a 1-inch piece of masking tape.
2. Write the word “sponge” on the tape.
3. Put your tape label on the side of your cardboard tube.
ESL: Regenerative Medicine. Version #1
Bone Module - Student Pages
Task
B3
nothing can fall out of the tube.
5. Stand your tube up so the tape is on the bottom.
6. Fill your tube with sponge, ALMOST to the top. Not too
much!
7. Now, tape the end of the tube up so the sponge can’t
spill out!
B4
What do you think are the
differences between rocks and
sponges?
Procedure—Part 2
1. Take turns holding each others tubes.
2. Write your observations here:
soft
loud
rough
heavy
quiet
inflexible
flexible
noisy
crunchy
hard
light
Bone Module - Student Pages
4. Cover one end of your tube with small pieces of tape so
Example:
◊◊ How does the “ROCKS” tube feel?
◊◊ How does the “SPONGE“ tube feel?
◊◊ Are they different?
◊◊ Are they the same?
On your left are some useful terms you can use
to write your observations!
SPONGE
ROCKS
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3. Write down your thoughts about bones:
ESL: Regenerative Medicine. Version #1
WHAT WE KNOW
WHAT WE WANT TO KNOW
WHAT WE LEARNED
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Procedure - Part 3
Answer the following questions:
1. Which materials made the “bones” lightweight and strong?
_____________________________________________________________
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2. If bones were heavy like the “bone” filled with rocks, what kind of
problems would humans have with movement?
_____________________________________________________________
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ESL: Regenerative Medicine. Version #1
Bone Module - Student Pages
About Bones
B5
Why?
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4. How is the material you mentioned in Question #3 like spongy bone?
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ESL: Regenerative Medicine. Version #1
Bone Module - Student Pages
3. Which material would be best for bones - the sponge or the rocks?
B6