Unit B Introduction Cells and Sytems
Completion requirements
Unit B: Introduction to cells and systems.
Watch
Watch the following introduction video for Unit B. You will see five questions during the video. Think about the questions, and think about other things you would like to learn as you study cells and systems.
Unit B Introduction: Cells and Systems
Figure B.I.1 – The Rod of Asclepius is a medical symbol.
The Amazing Human Body
The human body is a fascinating system, which is why people have studied it for many years. Understanding human anatomy, or the structures in the body, also allows us to learn how different diseases impact the body.
Our modern medical methods first started to be developed in ancient Greece. Hippocrates was a Greek doctor that made careful observations about how disease symptoms were related to human body structures. Graduating doctors today say the Hippocratic Oath, which is a promise to make good decisions when treating patients. In Greek mythology, the god of healing and medicine was named Asclepius. He carried a rod with a snake coiled around it. The rod and snake of Asclepius is still used as a medical symbol today.
Leonardo da Vinci was a famous painter during the Renaissance. He also was a scientist and inventor. Da Vinci did many dissections of dead human bodies, which allowed him to make very accurate drawings of human anatomy. Da Vinci never published his anatomy drawings, so his medical discoveries were hidden until hundreds of years later.
People continue to study the human body today. We have developed a number of machines that can create pictures of a live person’s anatomy. The ability to see inside a body allows medical professionals to diagnose and treat diseases.
We still don’t know everything about the human body and diseases. Millions of researchers work everyday to further our understanding in this area. What medical breakthroughs will we discover next?
The human body is a fascinating system, which is why people have studied it for many years. Understanding human anatomy, or the structures in the body, also allows us to learn how different diseases impact the body.
Our modern medical methods first started to be developed in ancient Greece. Hippocrates was a Greek doctor that made careful observations about how disease symptoms were related to human body structures. Graduating doctors today say the Hippocratic Oath, which is a promise to make good decisions when treating patients. In Greek mythology, the god of healing and medicine was named Asclepius. He carried a rod with a snake coiled around it. The rod and snake of Asclepius is still used as a medical symbol today.
Leonardo da Vinci was a famous painter during the Renaissance. He also was a scientist and inventor. Da Vinci did many dissections of dead human bodies, which allowed him to make very accurate drawings of human anatomy. Da Vinci never published his anatomy drawings, so his medical discoveries were hidden until hundreds of years later.
People continue to study the human body today. We have developed a number of machines that can create pictures of a live person’s anatomy. The ability to see inside a body allows medical professionals to diagnose and treat diseases.
We still don’t know everything about the human body and diseases. Millions of researchers work everyday to further our understanding in this area. What medical breakthroughs will we discover next?
Figure B.I.2 – The artist Leonardo da Vinci studied and drew human anatomy.
Figure B.I.3 – Modern medical machines create pictures of human anatomy.
Watch More
The Anatomy of Understanding the Human Body
Watch this video to learn more about Leonardo da Vinci’s anatomy drawings.
Watch this video to learn more about Leonardo da Vinci’s anatomy drawings.
This creative stop-motion video portrays human anatomy in a unique way.
Try It!
My Anatomy Knowledge
What do you already know about human anatomy? Try this activity to record your existing knowledge.
Materials:
Instructions:
What do you already know about human anatomy? Try this activity to record your existing knowledge.
Materials:
- Large sheets of paper
- Tape (optional)
- Pencil
- Eraser
Instructions:
- Draw an outline of a human body on a large sheet of paper. You can make a life-sized outline if you like. To do this, tape several large sheets of paper together, lay down on them, and get someone to trace the outline of your body.
- On your body outline, draw and label all the body parts that you already know. Label parts both inside and outside the body. If you know the purpose of a body part, write that down on your diagram as well. Don’t look up body parts on the internet
– use your memory to see what you already know!
- Keep your body outline. As you work through this unit on cells and systems, check your body diagram. You might need to change some of your original drawings and add more parts as you learn more! Once you have finished the unit, your body outline
will be a very useful study tool.
Questions to Think About:
- What characteristics do all living things have?
- What are cells and how do they work together to perform functions in the body?
- How do organ systems work together in a healthy body?
- How do researchers use their knowledge of the human body to find cures for diseases?
Words to Think About:
Check the word cloud below. It pictures the important words you will learn in this unit. Likely, you will know many, but check new words or any that seem fuzzy to you! Watch for these words and combinations of these words as you read. When you see them
highlighted, you can click them to learn more about their meanings. You can also visit the course glossary and read definitions for all of these words.
Unit B: Checklist and Key Ideas
Focus On: Cells and Systems
This unit has four sections. Each section has a key idea that will help you learn more about cells and systems. As you work through the unit, you will complete five tasks (one at the end of each section and one unit project) that will count for marks.
On the next page is a checklist of the tasks you need to complete for the unit. On the page after that are the key ideas, lesson titles, and key questions for this unit. Note that you can reach these two pages whenever you want by clicking the "Key Ideas" and "Unit Checklist" on the top corner of almost every page in the unit.
This unit has four sections. Each section has a key idea that will help you learn more about cells and systems. As you work through the unit, you will complete five tasks (one at the end of each section and one unit project) that will count for marks.
On the next page is a checklist of the tasks you need to complete for the unit. On the page after that are the key ideas, lesson titles, and key questions for this unit. Note that you can reach these two pages whenever you want by clicking the "Key Ideas" and "Unit Checklist" on the top corner of almost every page in the unit.