In Unit 1, you will explore the idea of identity. You will move from general to specific as you first explore commonalities between all humans and then move on to explore the individual differences in tissues and cells. In the course, you will work with a two-foot skeletal model and use clay to build various organs, tissues, and vessels on the skeletal frame. Even though you are technically building the same structures on your model as other student groups, you will notice that the Manikens® do not all look the same. Faces will look different. Muscles may be more defined. Blood vessel placement may vary slightly. The core remains the same, but the specific details will define the individual.

Communication in the human body takes many forms. Our nervous system communicates with our organs and tissues using electrical signals. At the center of this communication network is the human brain, the amazing organ that receives stimuli, interprets data, and generates response. This organ coordinates communication around the body and integrates the function of many systems to assure the body’s continued homeostasis. The central nervous system, the brain and spinal cord, works with the peripheral nervous system, the network of nerves, to interpret and respond to the world.

In this lesson, you will be introduced to the concept of power in the human body. You will explore the resources that fuel life as well as debate how long the body can last when these resources become scarce. As the unit progresses, you will study the body systems that help create, process, or distribute each of the body’s three main resources—food, oxygen, and water.

From the graceful movements of a ballerina to the intense moves of a wrestler, these actions require the coordinated motion of our muscles and bones. With only one exception (the hyoid bone in the throat), every bone in the human body meets up with at least one other bone at junctions called joints. Our skeletons are rigid and offer great protection and support, but thanks to joints, they are also flexible and allow for a great range of motion. Without joints, we would be unable to bend and flex.

The skin is a living, functioning organ that plays a key role in maintaining the body’s homeostasis. The skin protects the human body, but it also allows humans to connect with the outside world. In this lesson, you will build a 3-D model of skin and label key layers of tissue as well as accessory organs. Given what you know about the composition and function of each layer of the skin, you will be able to discuss how damage to the skin through burns can affect function of the skin and of other body systems

This final unit focuses on the connection between all of the human body systems and examines how these systems work together to maintain health and homeostasis. You will explore how the body deals with extreme external environments as well as how the body reacts to and defends against injury and illness. You will begin to discuss and design medical interventions and will use the activities in this lesson as engagement for the subsequent course.