General Information

Lab 6 familiarizes students with the bones of the human body. Specifically, it introduces them to the axial and appendicular skeleton.

In this lab, students will:

• Have the opportunity to handle real bones.
• Learn how to identify bones by shape, size, and features.

This lab includes a video created during the COVID-19 pandemic that you can view below (please disregard the COVID-era references).

• Learn the Bones of the Human Body (27:32 min) by Basic Biology (2020)

Purchasing Information

Lab 6 can be difficult to purchase items for if you do not have access to your institution’s health-related program supplies. If necessary (or on a limited budget), students can watch the video shown above, and you can provide them with smaller models and diagrams to look over.

Note that the following supply list can be expensive without the previously mentioned access to your institution’s supplies.

Required materials for Lab 6 include:

• Posters of the skeletal system showing the main bones of the axial and appendicular skeleton
• 2 or 3 complete human skeletons — Preferably real ones, but plastic works too
• Loose bones, including:
  • Skull — Showing plates, fissures, and foramen (nice if the mandible is detachable)
    • (Optional) An “exploded” skull — Shows each piece detached from each other in the same orientation/grouping they would be in a regular skull
  • (Optional) A fetal skull — Highlights differences in fissures and size compared to the female pelvis
    • This skull is optional because it can be difficult to acquire.
    • Although it is not critical to the lab, you will have to amend the manual a bit or provide a photo (in the Lab 6 Printables section of this guide).
  • Pelvis structure models — 1 male and 1 female
  • Sacrum
  • Sternum
  • Loose vertebrae, including:
    • Axis & atlas (C1 and C2)
    • Cervical example
    • Thoracic example
    • Lumbar example
  • Long bones (loose bones and a sample arm and leg), including:
    • Femur
    • Tibia
    • Fibula
    • Humerus
    • Radius
    • Ulna
  • A knee model — Includes bones and ligaments
  • Extra bones for the “name that bone” bonus activity

Lab Setup

Time: Approx. 45 minutes

Board Notes

Welcome to Lab 6: Tissues

• Please hand in:
  • Post Lab 5
  • Pre Lab 6
• Work with a partner, talk about what you are looking at
• Point at the bones with a probe or your finger – please do not point with pencils or pens
• Remember to do the “Name that bone” activity before you leave

Setup Photos

I STILL NEED TO ADD THESE

References

Basic Biology. (2020, October 22). Learn the bones of the human body [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sa08rgYE_uU.