Bones can't move by themselves. They need muscles to move them. Muscles move everything in your body. They move your eyes, your tongue, and your legs. They move your body like strings move a puppet! 

Muscles are made out of many stretchy, elastic cells and fibers. You have more than 600 muscles in your body. Your muscles make up half of the weight of your body. 

Muscles work in pairs. One muscle pulls the bone forward, and another muscle pulls the bone back. When one muscle is working (contracting), the other muscle is relaxing. Your muscle pairs work very well together. 

Your muscles also help to hold your organs in place. Your muscles help your organs do their work. Your diaphragm muscle helps your lungs breathe. Your heart muscle makes blood move through your body. 

Muscles help you chew food and close your eyelids. Muscles help you to run and to play. Your muscles even help you to smile! Did you know that it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile? 


 Body Language 

Objective:  to identify how muscles communicate messages to other people 
Student Information:
Discuss with students:  Your muscles help your face to "talk" even when you are not speaking out loud. The muscles you use in your face give messages. Using your face muscles, show happy. Which muscles did you use? Show sad. Could you feel the different face muscles that were used? Show angry. Which movement do you think used the most muscles: happy, sad, angry? 
Assessment: Journal Entry  
  • Show a happy face. Draw arrows to the muscles that are used. 
  • Show an angry face. Draw arrows to the muscles that are used. 
  • Which expression do you think used more muscles?

  • Source: Integrated Theme Units, Scholastic, Inc., 1993


    Objective: to compare artwork (Picasso portraits) with realistic human form 
  • art book containing examples of Picasso's cubism
  • paper with one inch grid
  • crayons  

  • Procedures: 
    Student Information:
    Give each student a sheet of graph paper. Have them place the paper so that the grid side is not showing. Using crayons, have the students create a self portrait. Be sure that the majority of the paper is of the main subject (themselves). The background should be colored as well. Discuss with students the various expressions that they might present in their works. Store the portraits.  

    Show the students examples of Picasso's work with cubism. Explain the process and discuss with the students how his work differs from how they view themselves. Discuss why they think Picasso chose this form to express himself. 

    Have the students retrieve their portraits. Cut the pictures along the grid lines. On a separate piece of paper, have the students glue their pieces together rearranging their features as Picasso might have done. 

     Assessment:  Final Product

    Range of Motion 

  • to explore muscular range of motion
  • to define strength, endurance, flexibility 

  • Discussion: 
    Student Information:
    We often hear that exercise is good for us, but are not aware of all the possibilities or which activities qualify as exercise. 
    Procedures: Begin by having students offer their own definitions of exercise. Then have them describe ways they ususally get the exercise they need. List these on a chart pad. Explain that one way to understand exercise is to divide physical activities into three categories: strength (the ability to lift, pull, or push weight), endurance (the ability to do something for a long time), and flexibility (the ability to bend and stretch easily). Supply the class with examples such as: strength-weight lifting, endurance-long-distance running, flexibility-stretching. 

    Then have the students categorize the items on their list according to the three criteria. Explain that some activities (like gymnastics or swimming) may fall under more than one category. 

    Invite students to act out an activity and then decide which category the activity develops. (If strength is indicated, have students think about what part of the body is being strengthened.) 

    Assessment:  Journal Entry  
  • Design your own exercise program. 
  • Include exercises that will increase strength, flexibility, endurance. 



    Curriculum Home Page
    Henry County Public Schools
    This integrated instructional unit was designed by teachers of the:
    Henry County School System
    396 Tomlinson Street
    McDonough, Georgia 30253
    Telephone:  770/957-6601

     Updated 4/17/98