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FOSS at Home
FOSS® at Home
human body
Name ____________________________________
The FOSS® (Full Option Science System™) program offers a number
of ways to get parents involved in their child’s science education.
Included here are short descriptions of several ways to bridge from
classroom to home.
Letter to Parents. The letter to parents can be sent home at the start
of a new science module. The letter describes what children will
be learning and ways that parents can enrich the science-learning
experience.
FOSS Science Stories. FOSS Science Stories is a series of original books
developed to accompany and enrich the FOSS modules. The books
include a variety of articles written in a number of styles, including
narrative tales, expository articles, technical readings, and historical
accounts.
Here are some suggestions for using FOSS Science Stories at home.
• Expository and Historical/Biographical Readings. The
expository and historical/biographical readings provide
excellent opportunities for students and parents to discuss
the science content students are learning in the module.
Specific articles include The Shape of Your Shape, Muscles and
Bones: Working Together, and The Circulatory System.
Date
___________________________________
LETTER TO PARENTS
Cut here and paste onto school letterhead before making copies.
SCIENCE NEWS
Dear Parents,
Our class is beginning a new science unit using the FOSS
Human Body Module. In this unit your child will investigate
the basic structural systems of his or her body, which include
the skeleton, joints, and muscles, and the ways these systems
work together to provide movement and coordination. This is
an exciting unit for students. Over the next 6–8 weeks they will
engage in thoughtful investigations exploring bones, building
skeletons, making models, and testing their responses to sensory
stimuli.
Your child’s interest in the structure of the human
body can be increased by asking about the investigations at school and by providing additional
experiences at home. Investigate a turkey or chicken bone, or dissect a chicken wing to expose the
muscles, bones, tendons, and ligaments. Has a family member had an X ray taken recently? Ask
for the X ray; your child will enjoy examining it and sharing it with the class. Physical activity is
a great way to increase awareness of the human body. Encourage a game of Bone Tag or Twister.
Last, but not least, visit the library to check out some great books.
Watch for the Home/School Connection sheets I will be sending home with your child from
time to time. These suggest ways for the whole family to look more closely at the structure of the
human body and its wonders.
We are looking forward to many weeks of exciting investigations of the human body. If you
have any questions or comments, or have expertise you would like to share with the class, please
drop me a note.
Comments
FOSS Human Body Module
© The Regents of the University of California
Can be duplicated for classroom or workshop use.
Investigation 1: Bones
No. 1—Teacher Sheet
No. 1—Teacher Sheet
• Technical Readings. The technical readings provide good
opportunities for students to do a science activity at home
with their families or follow instructions for a science
project. For example, students could do the activity outlined
in Bones on the Outside as homework or research the topic
further for their end-of-module project.
• “Questions to Explore.” Students can read the article in
class and then answer the “Questions to Explore” at home
in their science notebooks. You might consider this strategy
after students read Comparing Joints or The Frozen Man.
• After the Story. See the Science Stories folio in the Teacher
Guide for suggestions on how to extend the stories at home.
For example, after students read A Marvelous Machine, you
might have students use student sheet number 3, Bone
Names, to locate each bone they just read about. Using the
information in the “Name That Bone” box, students can
match the bone descriptions to the skeleton illustration on
page 3 of the article.
human body
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Human Body
Name ____________________________________
Date
___________________________________
HOME/SCHOOL CONNECTION
INVESTIGATION 1: BONES (page 1)
Student Sheets. Throughout the module, students complete various
recording and response sheets. Students should bring the sheets and/
or their science notebooks home for families to review and discuss.
For example, student sheet number 18, Muscle Action, is a good
opportunity for students to explain and review with parents that
muscles contract when they work.
Home/School Connections. Home/School Connections are activities
developed specifically for the whole family to enjoy at home. For
example, in Investigation 1 (student sheet numbers 30 and 31),
students can assemble a skeleton model with their families.
FOSS Human Body Module
© The Regents of the University of California
Can be duplicated for classroom or workshop use.
Home/School Connection
No. 30—Student Sheet
No. 30—Student Sheet
Name ____________________________________
Date
___________________________________
MATH EXTENSION—PROBLEM OF THE WEEK
INVESTIGATION 1: BONES
An after-school science club was studying owls. They discovered that owls live longer in
captivity than they do in the wild. The barn owl lives about 16 years in the wild, and it
lives three times longer in captivity. How long does the barn owl live in captivity?
Show your work and explain your answer.
The great horned owl lives 12 years less than the barn owl in captivity. How many years
does the great horned owl live in captivity?
Show your work and explain your answer.
Interdisciplinary Extensions. Each investigation has suggestions for
art, language, math, social studies, and science extensions. These are
good family activities. For example, after Investigation 3 students can
look closely at a chicken wing. Chicken wings have nicely developed
muscle groups that move the several bones in the wing during flight. Students and their families can boil the chicken wings and let them
cool. By carefully removing the skin, students can find muscle groups
and determine the bones to which they connect. They can also see the
white tendons at the ends of the muscles that connect muscle to bone.
Students might also do the Math Problem of the Week at home.
FOSSweb (www.fossweb.com). FOSSweb is an interactive website
where families can find instructional activities and interactive
simulations specifically designed for each FOSS module. The great horned owl lives one-fourth fewer years in the wild than it does in captivity.
How many years does the great horned owl live in the wild?
Show your work and explain your answer.
FOSS Human Body Module
© The Regents of the University of California
Can be duplicated for classroom or workshop use.
Problem of the Week
No. 26—Student Sheet
No. 26—Student Sheet
NOTE: All student sheets,
including the Letter to Parents,
Home/School Connection, and Math
Problem of the Week, are available in
FOSS Teacher Guides and online at
www.fossweb.com. They are also
available in Spanish. See For
Parents and Teachers: Home/
School Connection on page 4 of this
folio.
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NOTE: Pages 3 and 4 of this folio can be photocopied and sent home
for parents to read. Those pages provide information on the resources
for students and their families on FOSSweb.
full option science system
FOSS at Home
FOSSWEB (WWW.FOSSWEB.COM)
The FOSS program maintains a resource-rich website for students and
their families and friends. To explore the resources available for the
Human Body Module, first enter www.fossweb.com in your browser. The FOSS website requires plug-ins for your browser. We recommend
that you click the “Test Your Browser” link at the bottom of the home
page before you begin to ensure your computer has the minimum
requirements.
Click the grades 3–6 icon to get a menu that links to each of the 3–6
modules. There you can choose Human Body and travel to a wealth
of information and activities specific to this module.
ACTIVITIES
In the Human Body Module, you’ll find an activity called Mr. Bones. Introduce this activity after students have completed Investigation 1,
Bones. Children are challenged to assemble a virtual version of the
same Mr. Bones they put together in Investigation 1. You might ask,
•
What is the function of the skeleton?
•
How many bones are there in the human skeleton?
•
How were you able to tell the difference between the bones when
you assembled the Mr. Bones skeleton? If necessary, review the paper versions of Mr. Bones as well as the
various skeleton posters. At the computer, show children how to use
the mouse to click and drag the bones to the appropriate locations.
When they move a bone to the correct location, they will hear a click.
Point out the labels that appear when you click on the different bones.
Show them the ? button at the lower-right corner. Here they can
connect to some helpful hints and other challenges. Show children
how to start with the rib cage bones positioned just to the right of
center. Don’t assemble the skeleton together, but have children try the
activity on their own.
human body
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Human Body
MOVIES
The Movies section includes imaging techniques, such as sonography
and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Students can compare these
images to one another and to the X-ray images in the Pictures section
and discuss what information these images provide that you don’t see
in an X ray.
PICTURES
In the Pictures section, you can view X-ray images of bones, including
a foot, hand, and forearm. You can use these images to begin a
discussion of how doctors use X rays to find out more about the
skeleton and what other techniques they use to image the inside of the
body (e.g. MRIs, CT scans). Students may want to do further research
on the skeleton, such as finding other images of the human skeleton,
as well as other animals for comparison.
WEBSITES
The Websites section includes links to sites that can extend and enrich
children’s experiences with the Human Body Module.
VOCABULARY
In the Vocabulary section, you will find the glossary words and
definitions used in the Human Body Module. They are provided in
English and Spanish.
BOOKS/SOFTWARE
This section includes an annotated list of books, videos, and software
recommended for the Human Body Module. You should be able to
find many of these titles at your local library. FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS: HOME/SCHOOL
CONNECTION
The For Parents and Teachers section includes the Home/School
Connection that describes ways for families to do science together.
For example, in Investigation 2, students and their families can put
clean chicken bones in vinegar, a common household acid, and
observe the result after a week. Bones are composed of both hard and
flexible materials. Calcium phosphate, the main hardening ingredient
in bone, is readily dissolved by acids. Look in this section for other
resources included in a downloadable PDF file, including a general
letter introducing the module, student projects, and math problems
that relate to the science investigations.
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Copyright The Regents of the University of California
full option science system
1014953