Spring SAVY 2017, Day 2- No Quick Fix

Posted by hallep on Monday, February 6, 2017 in Grade 3, Grade 4, SAVY.

We had a great week as the class learned about how to measure the health and function of certain body systems. After finishing up discussions on the major body systems, the class took their own clinical measurements in four different stations: respiratory, cardiovascular, nervous, and miscellaneous. We took different measurements in each station ranging from lung capacity to blood pressure to two point discrimination on our touch receptors.

The students, thankfully, were all in good health and discovered how these measurements can be useful in determining when body systems might not be working properly. There was also a discussion about the large value ranges the kids had for these different readings and how every person might fall somewhere different in a healthy range. We also learned that readings aren’t always precise so repetition and regular check-ups are important to a better understanding of our health.

After grasping how all these different tests working to get a picture of the workings of our body systems, I challenge my students to come up with their own diagnostic to check a particular system’s health. Many of these tests involved mucus and spit analyzing for bacterial infections while others involved blood testing that looked as easy as putting your arm in a cuff. I’m happy to stay one test was even reusable and potentially marketed for $9.99. I await the arrival at CVS.

I’m looking forward to next weekend when we delve into the immune system in more detail!