6th Grade Science Makes No Bones About the Human Body

by Carmen Burke

            “…For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.  I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” (Psalm 139:13-14a). Ask any sixth grader at Granite Classical Tutorials, and he’ll vouch for that claim without hesitation.  And how do I know?  I’m the tutor for 6^th Grade Science—and we have the coolest of all studies:  The Human Body.  Thanks to past tutor, Sharon Ihde, this class is probably the most looked-forward-to course in Granite’s program.  (And I am totally unbiased when I make that unscientific observation!)  Years ago she had the idea to go “hands-on” with human body systems and, literally, brought the cow to us. So where else can an 11-year-old carve open and examine real gray matter?  Or where—short of medical school—can you trace the path of life with your own fingers through the chambers of a flesh and blood heart?  Ever looked into an eye?  I mean really snipped one open and checked the iridescent inside of the mirrors of one’s soul?  We do it all in the 6^th grade.

            “Marvelous are your works, and that my soul knows very well.  My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth” (Psalm 139:15).  Sixth grade science class is where it all happens.  Our course considers the human body as eleven distinct but related systems, and real organs are used for study and dissection at least five times a year for specific units of study.  Yep, bones, brains, hearts, eyes, and kidneys.  Er…not people organs, but close representations from a variety of farm animals—discarded, reclaimed, and sanitized for the pursuit of knowledge. 

            “Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.  And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them”  (Psalm 139:16).  An introductory study of the human body begins with cells, life’s microscopic universal building blocks.  And right off the bat we’re having a ball with cake, candy, clay, and other cool combinations as students create their cell models that we sometimes even consume!  We continue with the skeletal system and a look at bones, then on through the remaining organ systems that make up the human body—muscular, sensory, digestive, and immune, to name a few.  Occasionally, we rein in and delve into serious readings on the vastly interesting history of medicine.  (Believe us when we say, “Be ye thankful—things have come a long, long way!”)  Finally, so as not to make it seem like too much fun, at the end of each unit, students are required to research a disease or disorder of the organ system studied, and a few times during the year, each is asked to present her report to the class.  In the end, my sixth graders will tell you, “It’s all fun in learning.  Really! …But please, please, don’t tell Mrs. Schult.”