UNLV/Department of Teaching & Learning

Elementary Lesson Plan Template

UNLV Student:
Lesson Plan Title:
Date:
Grade Level:

Shannon Pennington
Our Skeletal System
02/10/15
4th grade

PSMT Name:
Lesson Plan Topic:
Estimated Time:
School Site:

Brett Sansevero
The skeletal system
55 min
Bonner

1. State Standard(s): (4)4.3 Explain that the human body is composed of systems of structures
that work together so the body can grow.
2. Teaching Model(s): Co-teaching model, one lead teacher/ One support teacher
3. Objective(s):
Students will identify the major bones of the body. (DOK-1, Bloom-knowledge)
Students will state the major functions of the skeletal system. (DOK-1, Bloomknowledge)
Students will understand the relationships between the skeletal system and other body
systems (DOK-2, Bloom Comprehension)
4. Materials and Technology Resources:
11 x 17 paper,
23 q-tips for each student
scissors
glue
bone labels
paper craniums clip-art
Dem Bones song and copies of the lyrics
labeled skeleton diagram
ELMO
5. Instructional Procedures:
a. Motivation/Engagement: (5 minutes) Play the song, Dem Bones, by Hip Science. Give
each student a copy of the lyrics. Say: Were going to see by the end of lesson if this
song gives us accurate information.
b. Developmental Activities or Learning Experiences: (40 minutes)
Part One (15 minutes)- Teacher will ask students questions regarding the skeletal
system. Students will take notes in a provided mini-book. After students have answered a
question, the teacher will write down the correct answers in a copy of the mini-book
which is projected with an ELMO.

Teacher will say:

What is the skeletal system? (a persons bones and teeth) Bloomknowledge
What does the skeletal system do? Teacher will instruct students to
discuss this answer with a shoulder partner.a. a frame, b. protects c.
stores, d. makes cells
What does the skeletal system protect? (skull and ribs) Bloomcomprehension
What do bones store? (calcium and phosphorus) Bloom- knowledge
Bones make 2 kinds of cells? What are they? (red and white) Bloomknowledge
How many bones does a person have? Bloom- Knowledge (206 for an
adult. Babies have 350 bones. Why do you think this number
decreases? Bloom- Application (Many of them fuse together as a person
grows.)
How many bones do you thinks one of your hands has? 27 bones How
about a foot? 26 bones. So, your hands and feet contain over half the
bones in your body.
Does anyone know what the smallest bone is? Bloom- Knowledge
(stapes- inside the ear, the size of a grain of rice)
What is the longest bone is? Bloom- Knowledge (the femur)
What connects your bones? Bloom- Knowledge (joints- We have 230 of
them.)
Part Two (25 minutes)- Students will construct a skeleton with q-tips. Q-tips will
be glued on a piece of 11 x 17 paper to construct a skelton. The teacher will model
each step using an ELMO. Once the q-tips have been glued in place, the teacher
will put a diagram of a labeled skeleton under the ELMO. The teacher will state
the common name of each bone and ask the class by looking at the diagram
what the scientific name is and where it is in the body. Then students will glue
their labels on their skeleton.
c. Closure: (10 minutes) 1.) Review the song lyrics. Discuss if they are accurate.
2.)Students will write down 3 things they learned about the skeletal system. It will be
their exit ticket (Lemov, technique #20).
d. Extension: If students have extra time, they can look up additional bones online and
add them to their diagram.
6. Accommodations, Modifications and Differentiations for Diverse Learners:
Accommodations- if needed, students can label their skeleton with the common names
and/or label fewer bones.
Modifications- Students can have more time if needed to complete the activity by taking
it home to finish. The teacher will walk around the classroom to assist students when needed.
7. Assessment and Evaluation of Learning:

a. Formative: Watch what students are doing during the activity.

b. Summative: Students response to 3 things they learned and their completed model.
8. Homework Assignment: Look up the names and position of 2 more bones in the body.
9. Reflection:
a. Strengths: The activity was very engaging. The students also really liked the song. I
was able to walk around the room and help students with their skeleton and come up with
some creative fixes for a couple of them.
b. Concerns: I needed to give clearer directions on procedures. The students needed to
know more specifically how many pieces of paper to get for each table and whether the
paper should be lined or not.
c. Insights: The engaging activities really helped the students stay focused and want to
learn more. They wanted to hear the song again. The activities made learning more fun
for them. Balancing pacing during a lesson is challenging. It was tricky to go fast enough
so students would not be bored, but slow enough not to leave students behind.