Teachers’ notes and pupil activity sheets Plans/Lesson Plans 4/GrossActivi… · Teachers’ notes and pupil activity sheets Terminology Spelling ... There are six activity sheets

Grossology, based on a popular series of books by science teacher Sylvia

Branzei, is a light-hearted and ‘impolite’ look at the functions of the

human body. Developed in Canada, the exhibition has a range of hands-

on activities and computer-based interactives. It is most relevant to

pupils at KS2 and KS3, but will be enjoyed by older age groups.

Grossology uses the slang terms that children delight in when describing

their bodily functions. If you are unsure whether the content will be

suitable for your group, you are welcome to make a free planning visit.

You will need to bring along some proof of your teacher status (e.g. a

letter on school headed paper.)

Terminology and spellingNorth American spelling and terminology are used in the exhibition text.Below is a list of the UK English equivalent spelling, as well as anexplanation of some of the American terms:

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The (Impolite) Science of the Human Body

Teachers’ notes and pupil activity sheets

Terminology

Spelling

US UK

Center CentreColor ColourDiarrhea DiarrhoeaEsophagus OesophagusFeces FaecesFiber FibreLiter LitreMeter MetreMoisturize MoisturiseOdor OdourSulfide SulphideTheater Theatre

Baggie A plastic bag, often used to hold sandwichesBoogers Nasal mucus, bogeysEggplant AubergineCritters CreaturesDookie PooGarbage RubbishNickel 5 cent coin, similar in size to a 5 pence coinRestroom ToiletToot Break windUp-chuck Vomit

Activity sheetsThere are six activity sheets to accompany this exhibition (they follow theseteachers’ notes). To ensure that the sheets reflect the terminology used inthe exhibition, the slang words have been included. If you are uncomfortablewith any of the terms used, please feel free to cover over and rewrite the textbefore photocopying for your pupils. We would also suggest that you coverover the answers on the back of the sheets prior to making copies.

Pre-visit activityIn preparation for a visit to Grossology you could set a quiz for pupils usingthe following Grossology trivia that is sure to amaze, shock and amuse:

• Hydrochloric acid in your stomach is so strong that it can dissolvestainless steel razor blades.

• Fresh urine is cleaner than spit or the skin on your face because healthypee is not home to bacteria.

• Thomas Crapper was a successful Chelsea plumber in the 1900s. The USexpression 'the crapper' meaning lavatory, was brought back byAmerican troops serving in Britain during the First World War.

• In a study of people who do not speak English, researchers read a list ofwords and asked the people to choose which words they thoughtsounded pretty. Diarrhoea was one word that most people chose.

• You swallow about a litre of snot every day.

• Ear wax coats the inside of the ear canal to trap any nasty stuff like dirt,dust and bugs that get into your ear. People who live in big cities makemore ear wax.

• About 10 billion tiny scales of skin rub off your body every day. In alifetime you could fill eighteen 1 kg bags of sugar (40 lbs).

• At birth you have 350 bones in your body. You now have 206 bonesbecause many of them have fused together to make longer bones.

• Normal breathing sucks air into the nose at 4 mph (6 km/h). A goodsensory sniff is 20 mph (32 km/h). A sneeze will shoot out of the nose at100 mph (160 km/h).

• Your nose can smell best when you are 10 years old. That’s probably whychildren notice unpleasant smells faster than adults.

Curriculum linksThe content of the exhibition is generally relevant to aspects of Lifeprocesses and living things (Sc2) and PSHE and PSHE at KS2-4.

Museum linksTo create a themed visit to the Museum, the Grossology exhibition couldeasily be combined with:Who am I?, a gallery that explores how our understanding of human identityis being transformed by the biomedical sciences.Food for Thought, a gallery exploring the science, technology and socialhistory of food. Themes include food and the body.The Secret Life of the Home – discover the history and development ofmany familiar household appliances. See how toilets have changed and takea look at Thomas Crapper's bright red cistern, the origin of the phrase ‘thecrapper’.The Human Body large-format film in our IMAX Cinema. The film has a PGrating and costs £3.75 per pupil (1 adult free for every 10 pupils).Syr Hinge drama – join Syr Hinge and his partner Jones the Bones as theydelve into the squelchy depths of the human body (free, but needs bookingat least six weeks in advance).

Prices and duration of visitAlthough educational visits to the Museum are free there is an admissioncharge for Grossology. Discounted prices for pre-booked groups duringboth term and holiday are:

• £2.95 per pupil

• 1 adult free for every 8 pupils (supervision level 1 adult for every 8 pupils)

• £5.95 for additional adults

• Groups of up to 40 pupils can be booked into the gallery every 20 minutesand can stay for 1 hour.

BookingTo book visits please use the online booking form in the ‘learn and teach’section of our Website at:www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/learningPlease book at least two weeks in advance of your visit.

Nigel Nose-It-AllAnimatronic Nigel explains all about how the nose works. This exhibit uses microscopes to investigate the causes of runny noses.

Tour du NoseWalk inside a giant nose to discover its different features. Be careful not toget blown away!

Skin Climbing WallPupils can climb across a section of skin using pimples, warts, moles,pores, hair and wounds as hand and foot holes, then they discover whatcauses them.

Burp ManPump fizzy 'pop' into the burp man until he has a 'gas attack'. Then learn allabout the stomach and what causes burps.

Gas Attack!Play customised pinball machines and learn which foods cause gas. Ananimatronic pig comments on your playing abilities.

GI SlideYounger pupils can crawl through a giant 3D model of the human digestivesystem. Find out how long the small intestine is and view an endoscopyvideo.

Patients Please!Learn the body parts in this interactive skill challenge styled after theclassic game 'Operation'.

Click IckVisit exploratory laboratories and play gross games in this interactive CD-ROM.

Listen to Your BodyImmerse yourself in the sounds of the heart, stomach, throat and lungs.Discover the science behind body noises.

Look InsideLook into the mirror and see an x-ray machine playing an animated videoshowing food passing through the gastrointestinal system.

Up Your NoseFind out what causes you to sneeze by launching dust balls into a giant nose.If you send too many the nose will sneeze and shoot the balls back at you.

Urine the GamePlay this virtual-reality game and act as a kidney to remove waste from the bloodstream. The more you catch the higher you will score on the 'peemeter'!

Vomit CenterFollow a mechanical model of the digestive system and understand thephysical process that occurs when you vomit.

Y U StinkSmell the odours, feel the bacteria, then match them to the area of the bodythat they come from.

Toot TootThis exhibit is about the physics of gas: how air, vibration and pressurecreate different sounds. Pump air through different lengths of tubing tomake different sounds.

Let's Play GrossologyTake up a multiple choice challenge to discover how much you have learnt about Grossology.

Exhibits

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vomitvomit

vomit

Feelin’ QueasyWhat is the most disgusting thing your body does? Most people

think vomiting is the most disgusting thing their body does. You vomit because your

body is trying to get rid of stuff that might be dangerous to you. Vomiting is so

important that there’s a part of your brain (called the vomit center) to control it.

GROSSOLOGY is a registered trademark of Penguin Putnam Inc.

Grossology is brought to you by:

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Find the answers to these questions at the exhibits called Vomit Center, GI Slide and

Look Inside.

Investigations in GrossologyDraw the Vomit Machine from the

Grossology exhibition.

cause of food

poisoning

throwing up

makes bilehelps digest

fats

part of brain that

controls puking bile

salmonella

vomit center

reverse

peristalsis

gall bladder

1. Name four things that

can cause vomiting.

2. How long does it take foryour body to digest food?

3. What makes your throat feel

sore when you throw up?

4. How long a path does food takefrom your mouth to your anus?

5. How much food does an averageAmerican eat in a lifetime?

6. What can you do to avoid food poisoning?

the science of

really gross things

grossology

1.Motion, too much sugar, pregnancy, food poisoning, bacteria ...2.24hours.3.Acids and enzymes from your stomach.4.7.9metres or 26feet.5.30 000kg or 66 000pounds.6.Clean your utensils, keep meat in the fridge.reverse peristalsis—throwing upvomit center—part of brain that controls pukingbile—helps digest fatsgall bladder—makes bilesalmonella—cause of food poisoninggrossology—the science of really gross thingsAnswers:

pee

peepee

I Gotta Go!Why do I pee? Your blood is full of waste materials (like sodium, potassium and

urea) which come from food you eat. An excess of these materials can harm your

body. Your kidneys are blood scrubbers that clean the waste from your blood. They

drip the waste materials into your bladder. The waste is washed away in the form of

urine. The main ingredient in pee is water. Your body gets rid of extra water because

it slows down important chemical reactions in your body.



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Find the answers to these questions at the exhibit called Urine the Game.

Investigations in GrossologyDraw a toilet from The Secret Life

of the Home gallery (in the

basement)

stores urine

clean your

blood

main

ingredient in

pee

tube that connects

kidneys to pee hole

waterurethra

kidneys

bladder

urochrome

makes pee

yellow

1. What’s in pee?

2. How much can yourbladder hold?

3. How much urine do you make each day?

4. How often do your kidneys produce

a drop of pee?

5. Why don’t you make as much pee whileyou’re sleeping?

6. What might happen to your pee if you ate lots of beetroot?

How about lots of asparagus?

the science of

really gross things

grossology

1.Water, urea, vitamins, and colouring pigments.2.About 2cups or 500 ml.3.1–2litres.4.Every 15seconds.5.Your body’s chemical activity slows down.6.Beetroot—pink, asparagus—funny smell.kidneys—clean your bloodbladder—stores urinewater—main ingredient in peeurochrome—makes pee yellowurethra—tube that connects kidneys to pee holegrossology—the science of really gross thingsAnswers:

poop

pooppoop

and Out the OtherIn One End



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How does food turn into poop? Digestion breaks food down into

molecules that your body can use. It starts when enzymes in saliva break starch

molecules and turn them into short sugar molecules. It ends when the undigested

food is clumped together into poop and exits from your anus.

Find the answers to these questions at the exhibits called GI Slide and Look Inside.

Investigations in Grossology

absorb nutrients

into your blood

scientific word

for poopingredient

of saliva

the last part of

your large

intestine

where poop

leaves your body

faeces villi

acid

uric acid

rectum

anus

Draw two foods that make your

mouth water.

helps break down

food in the stomach

1. List four things that are in poop.

2. How long are your intestines?

3. How long does it

take to digest food?4. Waste is pinched along by yourintestines. What’s this called?

5. When your rectum is fullof poop, and you’ve GOTTO GO, it’s called a ...

6. What makes poop brown?

7. Your small intestine is longer than your

large intestine. How did it get its name?

1.Undigested food, plant fibre, water, salt, skin cells, bacteria, bacteria wastes.2.7.9m or about 26feet.3.24hours.4.Peristalsis.5.Peristaltic rush.6.Bile being decomposed by bacteria.7.It’s narrower.faeces—scientific word for poovilli—absorb nutrients into your blooduric acid—ingredient of salivarectum—the last part of your large intestineanus—where poop leaves your bodyacid—helps break down food in the stomachAnswers:

gas

gasgas

It’s a GasWhy do I burp and toot? There’s always a little bit of gas in your

stomach. When you eat and drink, you swallow air, which adds gas. When the

stomach digests, it adds acid to the foods and creates gas of its own. If you take

antacid or sodium bicarbonate for an upset stomach, these chemicals react with

your stomach acid and create even more gas. When the gas pressure gets too

great, gas escapes—BuRRRRRRP! A toot is not a backwards burp. Bacteria in

your large intestine produce gas as they break down food. This gas escapes from

your anus in a toot.



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Find the answers to these questions at the exhibits called Burp Machine, Gas Attack, Listen to

Your Body and Toot Toot.

Investigations in GrossologyDraw a lunch that would give you

lots of gas.

something your

stomach can’t

digest

stomach

growlsburping

vibrates to

make a tootsmells like

rotten eggs

make gas in

your intestine

plant fibre

hydrogen

sulfide

borborygmieructation

bacteriaanus

1. Name four foods that

can cause toot gas.

2. People pass gasabout times a day.

3. What are the stinkygases in toots?

4. What is in plant fibre thatbacteria use to make gas?

5. How long does it take for air to travelthrough your digestive system?

6. Find two ways gas gets into your stomach.

1.Onions, garlic, cabbage, aubergine, mushrooms ....2.14.3.Indole, skatole, hydrogen sulfide.4.Complex sugars.5.30minutes.6.You swallow it, comes from acid digesting food, antacids.borborygmi—stomach growlseructation—burpingbacteria—make gas in your intestinehydrogen sulfide—smells like rotten eggsplant fibre—something your stomach can’t digestanus—vibrates to make a tootAnswers:

snot

snotsnot

The Nose KnowsWhy does my nose make snot? One of the important things your nose

does is to keep junk from reaching your lungs. It does this in lots of ways. You

have nose hairs or vibrissae (vye-BRIS-ee) which trap dirt and dust. Snot, made of

mucus and special bacteria-killing chemicals, coats the nose hairs to help the dirt

stick. Tiny hairs called cilia swish the mucus (and the trapped dirt and germs) to

your throat. You swallow the dirty snot and the junk is destroyed in your stomach.

Your nose-cleaning crew does such a good job that your nasal area is actually one

of the cleanest parts of your body.



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Find the answers to these questions at the exhibits called Nose Plumber, Tour du Nose and Up

Your Nose.

Investigations in GrossologyDraw your nose. Draw a friend’s

nose.

cleans, warms

and moistens air

causes

allergies

nose hairsgives some

people

hay fever

pass snot

towards throat

divides nose into

two passages

pollen

cilia

nose

vibrissae

septumrhinotillexomania

dust mite

poop

keeps food

out of lungs

epiglottis

nose

picking

1. What’s in snot?

2. What parts of yourbody make mucus?

3. Name three things that can cause a runny nose.

4. Most snot doesn’t drip out ofyour nose. Where does it go?

5. How often does your nose make anew batch of snot?

6. How fast is a sneeze?

1.Mucus and bacteria-killing chemicals.2.Nose, throat, lungs, stomach, large intestine.3.Colds, allergies, crying, cold weather ...4.Your stomach.5.Every 20 minutes.6.160 kilometres/100miles per hour.cilia—pass snot toward throatseptum—divides nose into two passagesepiglottis—keeps food out of lungsrhinotillexomania—means nose pickingdust-mite poop—causes allergiesnose—cleans, warms and moistens airpollen—gives some people hay fevervibrissae—nose hairs

Answers:

skinGROSSOLOGY is a registered trademark of Penguin Putnam Inc.

skinskin

What’s the largest organ of the human body? The skin! Your skin

probably weighs about 7 pounds (3 kg) altogether. It’s alive and constantly changing,

as you shed flakes of skin and grow new skin cells. You get a whole new layer of

skin every 28 days. Tiny pores in your skin contain oil and sweat glands to keep your

skin elastic and cool, and to protect you from bacteria.


Birthday SuitYour

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Find the answers to these questions at the exhibits called Climbing Wall and Y U Stink.

Investigations in Grossology

layer of living

skin cells

skin oil

stinky

armpits

keeps you

warm

layer of dead skin

cells

caused by bacteria

infecting hair

follicle

sebum

scabboil

epidermis

dermis

fat

Draw a hair follicle.

bromidrosis

dried

blood clot

1. Where can you find keratin

in your body?

2. You grow a whole new layer of skin every days.

3. What’s the largest organof the human body?

4. Which parts of your body

don’t produce oil?

5. Which parts of your body have themost sweat glands?

6. What causes warts?

7. What’s pus made of?

1.Hair, soles of feet, palms of hands.2.28.3.The skin.4.Hands, feet, lips.5.Palms and soles of feet.6.A virus.7.Body fluids, dead bacteria, dead fighting cells.sebum—skin oilboil—caused by bacteria infecting hair follicleepidermis—layer of dead skin cellsdermis—layer of living skin cellsfat—keeps you warmscab—dried blood clotbromidrosis—stinky armpitsAnswers:

Documents

Teachers’ notes and pupil activity sheets Plans/Lesson Plans 4/GrossActivi… · Teachers’ notes and pupil activity sheets Terminology Spelling ... There are six activity sheets