Our Body

Lead-in

  • What three adjectives would you use to describe the human body?
  • Would you sell your body to science? Why or why not?
  • How many parts of your body can you name?

Presentation

Pre

  • Have you ever had the habit of biting your nails?
  • Why do you think people bite their nails?

Top Down

  • What would be a good title for the text? Read it and find out.
  • Disadvantages of nail biting. 
  • What do fingernails and toenails do?
  • Useless body parts.
  • Disadvantages of nail biting. 
  • What do fingernails and toenails do?
  • Useless body parts.

You may not think about your nails unless you just painted them blue or your mom says it’s time to trim them. But your nails have a job to do. The hard surface of your nails helps to protect the tips of your fingers and toes. And your fingernails make it easier to scratch an itch or remove dog hair from your sweater.

Nails themselves are made of keratin (say: KAIR-uh-tin). This is the same substance your body uses to create hair and the top layer of your skin. You had fingernails and toenails before you were even born. Where do they come from?

It may look like your fingernails and toenails start growing where your U-shaped cuticle (say: KYOO-tih-kul) begins. But there’s more going on under the surface. Nails start in the nail root, hidden under the cuticle.

When cells at the root of the nail grow, the new nail cells push out the old nail cells. These old cells flatten and harden, thanks to keratin, a protein made by these cells. The newly formed nail then slides along the nail bed, the flat surface under your nails. The nail bed sits on top of tiny blood vessels that feed it and give your nails their pink color.

Your fingernails grow slowly — in fact, they grow about one-tenth of an inch (2.5 millimeters) each month. At that rate, it can take about 3 to 6 months to completely replace a nail.

Where your nail meets your skin is your cuticle. Cuticles help to protect the new nail as it grows out from the nail root. The lunula (say: LOON-yuh-luh) — which comes from the Latin word for “moon” — is that pale half circle just above the cuticle. Your lunula is easiest to see on your thumbnails.

Modified from source

Bottom Up

  • True or False
  1. Nails are purely decorative.
  2. Nails are made of the same substance your body uses to create hair and the top layer of your skin.
  3. Nails start in the same place as the cuticle.
  4. The nail bed sits on top of a vessel-free spot.
  5. Your fingernails don’t grow fast.
  1. Nails are purely decorative. False
  2. Nails are made of the same substance your body uses to create hair and the top layer of your skin. True
  3. Nails start in the same place as the cuticle. False
  4. The nail bed sits on top of a vessel-free spot. False
  5. Your fingernails don’t grow fast. True

Post

  • What information from the text is new to you?
  • How do you take care of your nails?

Target Language

Body Parts

Controlled Practice

  • Put the expressions in the correct column. There is one example.
  1. Eye
  2. Nose
  3. Mouth
  4. Tooth
  5. Shoulder
  6. Chin
  7. Elbow
  8. Neck
  9. Ear

(   ) The opening in the lower part of the human face, surrounded by the lips, through which food is taken in and from which speech and other sounds are emitted.

(   ) The part projecting above the mouth on the face of a person or animal, containing the nostrils and used for breathing and smelling.

(   ) The organ of hearing and balance in humans and other vertebrates, especially the external part of this.

(   ) The part of a person’s or animal’s body connecting the head to the rest of the body.

(   ) The protruding part of the face below the mouth, formed by the apex of the lower jaw.

(1) Each of a pair of globular organs in the head through which people and vertebrate animals see, the visible part typically appearing almond-shaped in animals with eyelids.

(   ) The upper joint of the human arm and the part of the body between this and the neck.

(   ) The joint between the forearm and the upper arm.

(   ) Each of a set of hard, bony enamel-coated structures in the jaws of most vertebrates, used for biting and chewing.

  1. Eye
  2. Nose
  3. Mouth
  4. Tooth
  5. Shoulder
  6. Chin
  7. Elbow
  8. Neck
  9. Ear

(3) The opening in the lower part of the human face, surrounded by the lips, through which food is taken in and from which speech and other sounds are emitted.

(2) The part projecting above the mouth on the face of a person or animal, containing the nostrils and used for breathing and smelling.

(9) The organ of hearing and balance in humans and other vertebrates, especially the external part of this.

(8) The part of a person’s or animal’s body connecting the head to the rest of the body.

(6) The protruding part of the face below the mouth, formed by the apex of the lower jaw.

(1) Each of a pair of globular organs in the head through which people and vertebrate animals see, the visible part typically appearing almond-shaped in animals with eyelids.

(5) The upper joint of the human arm and the part of the body between this and the neck.

(7) The joint between the forearm and the upper arm.

(4) Each of a set of hard, bony enamel-coated structures in the jaws of most vertebrates, used for biting and chewing.

Freer Practice

  • Use the target language and complete the sentences according to your own ideas.
  1. I think the most important part of our body is…
  2. Once I hurt my… and…
  3. I believe that the most fragile body part is… because…
  4. I lost my first tooth when I was… and it was…
  5. Our body is… and…

Production

  • Use what you learned so far to describe 6 body parts of your choice.

Example: Nails are made of keratin. We use them to…

Homework

Complete the missing letters to make words.

Example: S_ _ _ _ _ _ > S T O M A C H

  1. T _ _ _ _
  2. S _ _ _ _ _ _
  3. E _ _ _ _
  4. C _ _ _
  5. M _ _ _ _
  1. Tooth
  2. Stomach
  3. Elbow
  4. Chin
  5. Mouth

Choose the best option for each sentence.

Example: Humans have two (eye/eyes) > Humans have two eyes.

  1. Adults have 32 (tooth / teeth).
  2. Wash your (hand / hands) before you eat.
  3. I like to apply milk and honey to my (face / faces).
  4. My cat has a pink (nose / noses).
  5. People have 5 (finger / fingers) in each (hand / hands).
  1. Adults have 32 teeth.
  2. Wash your hands before you eat.
  3. I like to apply milk and honey to my face.
  4. My cat has a pink nose.
  5. People have 5 fingers in each hand.

Put the words in order to make sentences.

Example: dirty / hands / My / are > My hands are dirty.

  1. need / brush/ to / teeth / You / your
  2. head / hit / my / yesterday / I
  3. hurting / foot / My / is / much / very
  4. tattoo / have / I / back / on / a / my
  5. have / don’t / I /eyes / green
  1. You need to brush your teeth.
  2. I hit my head yesterday.
  3. My foot is hurting very much.
  4. I have a tattoo on my back.
  5. I don’t have green eyes.

Fill in the gaps with the correct word from the target language.

Example: I smell with my___ > I smell with my nose.

  1. When we meet someone for the first time, we shake ____.
  2. If you agree with what I said, nod your ____.
  3. The food smelled so bad that I covered my ____.
  4. She has beautiful brown ____.
  5. Use your right ___ to kick the ball.
  1. When we meet someone for the first time, we shake hands.
  2. If you agree with what I said, nod your head.
  3. The food smelled so bad that I covered my nose.
  4. She has beautiful brown eyes.
  5. Use your right foot to kick the ball.

Correct the mistakes.

Example: I love the make up on your teeth. > I love the make up on your face.
  1. You should chew with your elbow closed. 
  2. Don’t point at me with your feet.
  3. Put this scarf on your teeth.
  4. It’s not nice to pick your stomach. 
  5. Close your face and try to sleep.
  1. You should chew with your mouth closed. 
  2. Don’t point at me with your finger.
  3. Put this scarf on your neck.
  4. It’s not nice to pick your nose. 
  5. Close your eyes and try to sleep.

Writing

Write a short text about body parts and their function.

Example: Our necks are for providing support for the skull and…