The bones of the human skeleton are solid, strong and are various shapes with different functions.
The skull protects the brain.
The rib cage protects organs such as the heart and lungs.
The spine protects the spinal cord.
Despite being strong and solid, anyone can break a bone.

Common misconception

Children may think that bones are unbreakable.

Show children X-rays of broken bones and give them examples of where we wear extra protection to protect our bones.

Keywords

Protection - The hard bones of the skeleton provide protection for the organs and keep them safe from injury.
Organs - Organs are parts of the body that do a particular job, such as the brain, heart and lungs.
Skull - The skull is the name for the bones of the head.
Rib cage - The rib cage are bones that protect your organs and attach to the spine.
Spine - The backbone of vertebrate animals is called a spine.

When discussing how to protect bones, ask if anyone has broken a bone in your class or share when you perhaps have. Ask them what may have helped to prevent it - what type of protection could they have worn? If access to own X-rays, share these.

Teacher tip

Equipment

See additional guidance.

Content guidance

Contains subject matter which individuals may find upsetting.
Exploration of objects encouraged.
Equipment requiring safe usage.

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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Worksheet

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.

What structure inside your body supports your body from falling over?

walking stick

crutches

Correct answer: skeleton

Q2.

What is a human skeleton made from and why?

Metal as it is strong and hard.

Bones as they are soft and floppy.

Plastic as it is bendy and flexible.

Correct answer: Bones as they are hard and strong.

Glass as it is fragile and breaks easily.

Q3.

What is this type of image called?

Correct Answer: X-ray , X ray, x-ray, x ray

Q4.

Which statement about bones is true?

The bones in your skeleton are dead.

Correct answer: The bones in your skeleton are living.

Some bones in your skeleton are dead and some are living.

Q5.

This person has had an accident. Look at the X-ray, what can you see?

No damage, they are fine.

They have broken their skull.

Correct answer: They have broken their arm.

They have broken their spine.

Q6.

Match these materials to their properties.

Correct Answer:wool,soft

soft

Correct Answer:rubber,flexible

flexible

Correct Answer:glass,transparent

transparent

Correct Answer:bone,strong

strong

Q1 UYSEG

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.

What is a human skeleton made from?

skin

hair

Correct answer: bones

organs

Q2.

Our bones are strong, solid and hard so they can organs in the human body.

Correct Answer: protect, protects , protection

Q3.

Which statement about bones is true?

Bones are soft so they sometimes break.

Bones are flexible so they sometimes break.

Correct answer: Bones are strong but they sometimes break.

Bones are strong so they never break.

Q4.

Which two organs does the rib cage protect?

brain and heart

lungs and brain

Correct answer: heart and lungs

Q5.

Match the bone with the organ it protects.

Correct Answer:skull,brain

brain

Correct Answer:rib cage,lungs

lungs

Correct Answer:spine,spinal cord

spinal cord

Q6.

Tick all of the objects that you would wear to protect your bones from damage.

slippers

Correct answer: bike helmet

waistcoat

Correct answer: shin pads

Correct answer: body armour

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