Find the following activities below to enhance learning of the integumentary system
1) Skin is not a trifling thing – edible learning
2) Histology as art
3) Integumentary Healing
1) Skin is not a trifling thing
Make trifle where you use different substances for the different layers of skin.
(Trifle is a British dessert with layers of fruit, pieces of cake, pudding, whipped cream, crumbled cookies, etc. in a glass bowl.)
You might have lab groups / study groups split up the layers of the skin.
You can have the group discuss what substances they will use for each layer and why. In other words, they should assign an ingredient to a layer for a reason whether compositional, physical appearance, or any other reason that links the ingredient with the characteristics of a particular layer of the integument.
Then they can bring the separate layers to put together along with a poster board to place beside the dish explaining the connections between the substances and the layers of skin.
Alternately, you can bring the substances and let each group come up with their own explanation on paper that identifies and explains the layers and substances used. Trifles are traditionally made in a clear straight-sided bowl, but tall, clear plastic cups would work as well.
As always, there is a way to do this on Blackboard that does not use class time. Students can create their ‘In-trifle-egumentaries’ in groups on their own and then take a picture of both their finished product and their explanatory poster with labels and post it to blackboard. Students could also video someone explaining the layers as they build their trifle.
2) HISTOLOGY as art:
Create a collage of histological pictures, labeling tissue types throughout.
The student could arrange the pictures into a shape or simply make a beautiful collage.
Websites to mine for pix:
http://nhscience.lonestar.edu/bioL/tissue.html
http://www.meddean.luc.edu/lumen/MedEd/Histo/virtualhistology.htm (an incredible site that also has a helpful section on muscles w/ origin and insertion info)
http://www.uoguelph.ca/zoology/devobio/210labs/histo1.html
http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/ms/resources/anatomy/histologyimages/homepage.html (this last one has gorgeous photos)
3) Integumentary healing
The following video covers the inflammatory process – healing of damaged tissue. The very first part is slow but hang in there because the visual of the actual process looking at a cross section of skin is very helpful. Have students watch it twice and the second time, stop it and have them identify what they are seeing on the screen. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, it is more fun if students anthropomorphize the experience. In other words, have them make characters out of the participants… for example, the white blood cells are members of a favorite sports team and the bacteria are members of the rival team. Imagine the on-lookers cheering with the ingestion of the bad guys. Imagine what the person would be saying if they were aware of every step of the process and could respond. Make it funny. Make it fun. Then they will remember it. This can also be done with a study partner and each person takes different parts to provide voices as they watch the animation. These ‘sketches’ could be posted on Blackboard or shared while watching in class.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FraKUUetOpc