The Human Body: The Immune System

We are using the Montessori Sixth Great Lesson analogy of The Great River (click the link and then choose "The Nation of the Great River - Narration and Music - by Lizby Dingus and Kai Engle" to hear ETC Montessori's version of this lovely story; choose "Teacher's Notes" to download the words as a PDF).

This story is a wonderful way to frame our work. In a Montessori Lower Elementary classroom students ages 6-9 would hear this story every year. It is part of the Peace & Cosmic Education subject of the curriculum.

This isn't as rich and hands-on as when I taught The Human Body as a summer camp in 2018, of course, because we are doing social distancing and meeting via Zoom. But you do the best you can with what you have!

With this "Flipped Classroom" approach, students are doing the "Prior to Meeting" activities at home with their families before we gather on Zoom.

Previous Sessions in this Science Club topic were:

• The Twelve Senses
• Teaching About ASL and Braille
• The Human Body: The Nervous System
• The Human Body: The Circulatory System
• The Human Body: The Muscular System
• The Human Body: The Skeletal System
• The Human Body: The Teeth
• The Human Body: The Digestive System
• The Human Body: The Respiratory System
• The Human Body: The Excretory System
• The Human Body: The Integumentary System

Friday, August 21

Prior to Meeting

Review of The Integumentary System
(The Department of Maintenance)

• coloring pages from Human Anatomy Coloring Book by Margaret Matt and Joe Ziemian

  "Scarring, Nails, and Cooling" on page 43

  

• assemble the model of "The Skin" from The Body Book: Easy-to-Make Hands-on Models That Teach by Donald Silver and Patricia Wynne

  

Introduction to The Immune System

• experiments from The Human Body: 25 Fantastic Projects Illuminate How the Body Works by Kathleen Reilly

  "Make Your Own Ball Soap" on page 112

  "Make Your Own Immunity Slush Drink" on page 113

  

• "Drawing Monsters" activity from "Re-Story Your Immunity: Strengthen Your Immunity Defenses with Creative Imagination" workshop with Nancy Mellon

  NOTE:
  I took this incredible storytelling workshop with Nancy in May/June 2020, but I'm thrilled to see she's offering it again through Emerson College and it starts TOMORROW! Here's the link with more info!

  

During the Meeting

• review the results of student at-home activities
• discuss the power of creativity in boosting our immune system; share our storytelling and our characters
• look at images of B cells and T cells
• read the chapter "Diseases and Immunity" from The Human Body: 25 Fantastic Projects Illuminate How the Body Works by Kathleen Reilly

  

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