Mammals_Concept_1
What's that bit called?
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Subject facts
Why you need to know these facts.
Vocabulary Amazing facts
Common Misconceptions
Questions
Teaching Ideas
Subject Facts
For young children, the most intriguing aspect of studying the body is not conceptual development (it can be taken for granted that they will have at least some awareness of their own body parts) but the names by which the parts are known. Once children are aware that the part of their body where the eyes, ears, nose and mouth are is called the head, most will have little difficulty in transferring this idea accurately to most other mammals.
It is when the names children are expected to use change, as the need for a greater degree of scientific accuracy arises, that the problems begin to arise. At what stage do the words chest' and 'tummy' need to be replaced by 'thorax' and 'abdomen'?
Is 'stomach' an acceptable alternative to 'tummy, when there is also an internal organ by that name? What is really the correct answer to the question 'How many fingers do you have?'
There are other areas of science where vocabulary in common usage can lead to confusion with the ‘correct' scientific words or names, but probably none more so than here. So where do you start? One useful approach is to encourage the children to realise that, although there are specific names for every single part of every single type of mammal, we also have general words that are appropriate in most cases. For example, the general term 'foot' can cover a range of cases which are known specifically as trotter', 'paw', 'hoof' and so on.
Some names of body parts can be used for specific mammals, in particular humans; others can be applied equally to almost every mammal (see Figure 1). Having a standard set of names for body parts is useful: it allows us to share information more easily. If we were alf to use different names Mammal body parts for body parts, there would be utter confusion when it came to discussing the functions of various parts of the body. Having consistent terms for a given species will encourage the children to be consistent between species, so that there is a commonly understood terminology to which specific examples can be added (such as 'mane' or 'hoof') for particular cases,
'Scientific' terms
Terms such as 'abdomen' and 'thorax' only really need to be introduced at KS3; but some more able children particularly if they are reading around the subject, researching using the internet, will find the use of more scientifically precise terms helpful. A search using the words 'tummy' or 'belly' probably wont get you very far — or might get you to places online that you would rather not be — but 'abdomen', being a recognised scientific term, will focus on the cavity between chest and pelvis.
As happens when any database is searched, some terms prove to be more effective than others, Unfortunately, there are no hard and fast rules about which words will work and which won't. Developing your own thesaurus for a particular database (such as Natural History Museum, BBC Education) is a very useful activity in its own right — and one that I've often found children are happy to perform, even as a homework task.
Why you need to know these facts
Although at the primary level children should know the names of specific body parts, this must be regarded only as a first step, Having a common vocabulary as a basis for
communication will enable children to develop an understanding of each named body part, including how it works and the purpose that it serves.
Since this is a purely vocabulary-based topic, we can move on directly to consider teaching ideas,
Teaching ideas
'Simon says' (identifying)
This is an old favourite that can be played by the youngest children, but can still cause amusement in groups of teachertraining students ('Simon says touch your patella). It provides a quick and easy means of assessing the level of anatomical knowledge of a whole class at once, I would suggest that the more able children are placed towards the back of the group (to prevent copying), and that you consistently get it wrong so the children are not able to copy you,
'Old MacDonald says' (identifying)
This is similar to the above, but the children have to point to named parts of stuffed toys or plastic model animals that they are holding. Be sensitive with your choice of animals so as not to conflict with any religious beliefs. This game is best played with a group of up to eight children: any more than that, and you will have difficulty seeing who is pointing to what. It also provides you with an opportunity to use species-specific language: if trotter' is called, for example, only those children holding model pigs will be able to point.
Matching and mapping (identifying)
Ask the children to match the names of body parts to blank labels on a model or diagram. This activity is easier to manage (and to store as evidence of attainment) if you use pictures and words on a sheet of paper; but models with coloured wool, word cards and Blu-tack@ or sticky tape can make an interesting alternative. Large-scale diagrams or models will make an excellent display — again, pictures are easier to manage, but large stuffed toys can be more effective. If you do use stuffed toys, be sensitive about how you attach them to the wall: watching a teacher pin a teddy bear to the wall with a staple gun can be a traumatic experience for a five-year-old! Also, keep the number of body parts identified to a reasonable level — seeing a teddy bear strapped to a display board by multiple strands of wool, like some kind of bizarre bondage ritual, can be a traumatic experience for a headteacher entering your classroom with a prospective parent.
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