Skele-TONS of Fun in Science!
Isaac Losacco, Willow Room Assistant Teacher at 45th Street
The leg bone is connected to the knee bone. The knee bone is connected to the creativity bone!
In the Willow Room, our 3rd Graders spent a number of weeks in science class learning about the different bones in the human body and how they work together. They not only learned about the major bones – the skull, pelvis, ribcage and spine – but went even further in depth to locate and identify some of the smaller bones such as the radius, ulna, femur, sternum and metacarpals.
Our skeletal system investigation culminated in an engaging art project. Mr. Losacco is not only a teacher but also a professional illustrator and artist with a background in 2D Animation. He wanted to find a way to incorporate his drawing skills into his instruction, so he drew the bones being studied by his students on pieces of 11×17 inch paper. The bone drawings were then shuffled and randomly distributed to students to cut out. Upon gathering all of the cutouts, Mr. Losacco asked, “How do we piece this paper skeleton together?” The students worked diligently and joyfully to figure out which bone was which, and where each bone fits in relation to one another, gluing them down on a large sheet of black paper. The students had a blast! Their “funny bones” were definitely tickled that day as it was the most they have giggled in science class since the start of the school year.
The Willow Room students now have a giant paper skeleton hanging on their classroom wall just in time for Halloween, serving as an art installation that shows off both their group crafting skills and newly acquired science knowledge.
