INTRODUCTION

This thematic unit is to serve as an introduction to the human body. The activities selected allow various modalities to be utilized in learning. The activity centers allow children to progress at their own pace, within a guided discovery environment. The assessment checklists include the areas of social, physical as well as cognitive development. The activities are designed to stimulate and actively engage the students, as well as allow them to interact with other students in order to increase their problem solving skills. The goals set for each learning plan are realistic and attainable for most of the students, the learning centers allow for remediation for students requiring the extra attention.

The title of the unit is "Learning about ME", its focus is on the human body. The themes within this unit include, nutrition, the five senses, the skeleton, the heart and lungs, and the digestive system. Each learning plan utilizes activity centers which focus on a specific content area within the theme.
The unit would start out with the lessons on nutrition. Students would learn about the four food groups and how to categorize food into these groups. A science experiment is included which shows students the consequences of eating too many sugary foods and the effects it can have on your teeth. An art project allows students to complete a menu using cut-ups from magazines.
A week long lesson the five senses would follow. Students would learn the five senses and be able to discriminate between objects using the senses. Activities which take advantage of the senses have been designed to stimulate students interests. Experimenting with foods which have a high sensory impact on students will raise the awareness. An art project which incorporates the five senses allows the tactile modality to be used to aid their learning.
The next week would then focus on the skeleton. Students would begin to understand the relationships between the topics of this unit. The previous lessons on nutrition would serve as a building block to understand how good nutrition helps the skeletal system become stronger. Students would learn how the bones work to help protect other parts of the body such as the ribs, heart and lungs. Students would begin to learn the names of some of the bones in the body.
The focus the following week would be on the heart and lungs. One of the activity centers for this week is a media center. This center incorporates an animated video on the circulatory system as well as interactive computer software which focus on the circulatory system. The science center would utilize models which demonstrate how the heart and lungs function.
The final week of this unit would focus on the digestive system. Prior knowledge gained in the lesson on nutrition would help students learn the new concepts presented as part of this lesson. The lesson has been designed to cover only the basic function and organs involved in the digestive system based on the grade level. A media center has been included in this area to assist students with their learning. An animated video on the circulatory system has been included as well as computer software. The science center has an activity designed for students to work in pairs an encourages the collaborated learning. The "Anatomy Apron" allows students to work together to complete the tasks of placing the organs in the right places.
Overall this unit can serve as a good start to furthering students knowledge of the human bodies. The topic is something they have familiarity with and should be interesting to them throughout the weeks. These topics are something that will be covered in greater depth through their education and serve as a good foundation to their future learning.