Learning for LIMBS Grade 6.6 — English © LIMBS International

Grade Level: 6

Overview:

LIMBS International was formed through the collaboration of Dr. Roger Gonzalez and his students. As a result, it occupies a unique place in the world of non-profit organizations. As the work of teachers and students, LIMBS links classroom instruction with real-world needs. LIMBS began as a senior engineering project for Dr. Gonzalez and his students at LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas. Students were challenged to design a low cost prosthetic leg which could be manufactured and maintained with resources available in existing clinics in developing countries. Dr. Gonzalez and his students expanded the classroom project to a world-wide collaboration. LIMBS International is now located in El Paso, Texas where Dr. Gonzalez and his students are developing more advanced versions of the LIMBS knee which are provided free of charge to patients. In 2011, Dr. Gonzalez reached out to the Longview Independent School District to expand LIMBS from the university classroom to elementary and secondary schools. Through the support of Texas IB Schools, Learning for LIMBS expanded in 2012 from Longview Independent School District to schools across the nation. At every level, LIMBS is the work of teachers and students, who are making the world a better place for others through their learning and their action to provide LIMBS prosthetics to the neediest patients in the world. “HOW TO BE A . . .” Helping Hand is a 6th grade lesson provided to schools to introduce the work of LIMBS International through 1 lesson. This will provide the opportunity for students and teachers to respond to the lesson by taking action to provide prosthetics through LIMBS International. This lesson will focus on the important role each body part plays in our daily lives and the world-wide need for the prosthetic legs and the relative cost of a LIMBS leg for these patients. Learning experiences will incorporate proportional reasoning, problem solving and 21st Century soft skills.

Vocabulary

Active

Amputee

Annotation

Collaboration

Passive

Prosthetic

Learning for LIMBS Grade 6.6 — English © LIMBS International

In this lesson, students will:

Brainstorm important body parts

Research body parts - their structures and functions

Write a whole class poem based on the information for one part - the eye/hand

Use vivid verbs

Use prepositional phrases to elaborate and describe

Choose a body part they could attempt to live without - eye, leg, finger, arm.

Experience part of the class without the part they have chosen, by using blindfolds, eye patches, ace band-

ages, noise reduction earmuffs, etc.

Write about the experience in journal form.

Then use that information to write a how-to be a(n) eye, foot, nose, ear, hand, etc.

Perform poem for the class

Students learn:

To be grateful for each body part that we have that works properly

How various body parts’ muscles, tendons and nerves actually work individually and work together

To use precise action words and descriptive nouns and adjectives

That our brains are in control of or bodies, but there is a powerful nerve and muscle system that has to

work together

That when we work together to solve a problem, we become more powerful

Students will be able to:

Explain the way their chosen body part works scientifically

Figurative language and poetic devices to express their ideas

Demonstrate the way muscles, tendons and nerves work together with a chart, hand drawn picture or

animated PowerPoint

Empathize with people who are no longer able to use this body part

Compare body systems and how they work together to other systems to create an analogy

(Nervous system is like the US Government because the muscular system is like the UN-Etc.)

Create an action plan in order to fundraise for Limbs International

Learning for LIMBS Grade 6.6 — English © LIMBS International

STEM Content Tie-In:

Research parts of the body and how each part works

Levels of Thinking:

use old ideas to create new ones

generalize from given facts

relate knowledge from several areas

predict, draw conclusions

Practice: The following activity provides the opportunity for student to understand the deeper meaning of the actions

of the character(s) in the story. In this lesson students will demonstrate an understanding of deeper meaning through

taking an informational text and translating it into a poem that demonstrates the underlying value.

Learning for LIMBS Grade 6.6 — English © LIMBS International

Day 1:

Introduction:

How do the many parts of the human body work together to create a whole? Begin by exploring the value of the

thumb:

Put students in pairs.

One student lightly tapes the other student’s thumb to the side of his or her hand. The student should still be able to

move his or her four fingers.

Student completes the activities shown below:

Write his or her name

Take off and put on his or her shoe

Open a door using a knob

Brush or comb his or her hair

Button a button

Zip a zipper

Blow up a balloon and tie it

Seal a plastic bag

Pick a coin up off a flat surface

Open a jar

Repeat the activities with the other student in each pair

Copy and complete the following

table:

Materials:

Transparent or masking tape

Clothing with buttons and zippers for each pair of students

Individual student shoes

1 coin for each pair of students

1 balloon for each pair of students

1 toothbrush

1 hairbrush or comb for each pair of students

1 sealable plastic bag for each pair of students

1 jar with a lid for each pair of students

Computers

Internet access

Notebook paper

Pencils

Chart paper

Markers

Body parts strips of paper from activity sheet

(included)

Paper sack or container for strips of paper for

drawing

Learning for LIMBS Grade 6.6 — English © LIMBS International

Respond to the following questions:

Questions:

1. Which activities on the list required lots of use of the thumb?

2. Which took longer without being able to use the thumb?

3. How did a person have to change some of the activities to do them without a thumb?

4. What other activity would be impossible or really hard to do without thumbs?

Adapted from http://www.nsta.org/publications/news/story.aspx?id=49036

Student activity: Students will begin exploring the importance of different parts of the body through the development

of a poem from an informational text.

Write the cut up the names of the parts of the body on the parts of the body activity sheet (provided)

Students research their body part on the Internet to find a short article about their body part

Students copy and paste their article including the citation for the website address into the left hand side

of a PowerPoint slide using the slide design shown below:

Students write an original poem showing the value of their body part to the body as a whole

Students copy and paste their original poem into the right hand side of the PowerPoint slide

Students write a compare and contrast question with four multiple choice answers which they include in

the PowerPoint slide

Students share their PowerPoint slides with the class as bell ringers during the subsequent class periods

Learning for LIMBS Grade 6.6 — English © LIMBS International

Day 2:

Introduction:

1. Today’s lesson will focus on poetic devices as the students develop a rubric and write a poem. The class will begin

with writing a class poem to teach or review poetic devices.

2. Begin with PowerPoint student bell ringers from Day 1.

3. Students are paired to THINK/PAIR/SHARE.

4. Each pair of students receives a sheet of chart paper.

5. Model THINK/PAIR/SHARE by dong the following:

Ask the class to think of all the things that are done with hands.

Allow one minute for thinking

Create a class T-chart

List all the student responses on the left side of the T-chart that can be shared in 2 minutes

Ask the class to think of all the ways life would change without a hand

Allow 1 minute for thinking

List all the responses on the right side of the T-chart that can be shared in 2 minutes

6. THINK/PAIR/SHARE

One student in each pair is the Thinker with the other student being the Recorder.

Pass out 3 X 5 cards with the following body parts to the thinkers:

Arm

Leg

Foot

Fingers

Ear

Eye

Allow 1 minutes for the Thinker to think

Allow 2 minutes for the Thinker to share and the Recorder to write

Have the Recorders share with the class and post their chart paper

Materials:

1 sheet of chart paper per pair of students

1 box of markers per pair of students

5 sets of 3 x 5 cards with body parts

1 set of 3 x 5 cards with one hand activity on each card

Learning for LIMBS Grade 6.6 — English © LIMBS International

Introduce or review poetic devices through the “Importance of the Hand” pantomime activity

Pass out 3 x 5 cards with one of the following hand activities written on each card

Show that your hand has five fingers

Show hands helping warm your body

Show hands petting the belly of the best dog in the world

Show hands pitching a private, ever evolving secret knuckleball

Show hands taking the crust off the best sandwich ever made on the planet

Show a hand on the pumping heart during the National Anthem

Show a hand shaking like a leaf when that special girl, you know the one, asks to sit by you on the bus

Show holding the hand of someone special

Show during the doorknob to your front door

Show swinging your little sister around and around

Show pouring cold, cold milk and lifting up the best cookie in the world to your watering mouth

Show high fiving your Mom for making the best cookie in the world

Show remembering that pointing is never polite

Show folding hands together to pray

List the activities shown by the hands in the pantomime

Discuss which are poetic devices

Poetic devices website for reference include the following:

Poetic Devices: http://www.powershow.com/view/14d885-MzJkO/

Poetic_Devices_powerpoint_ppt_presentation

Figurative Language: http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/aSGuest16388-173152-figurative-language-

new-education-ppt-powerpoint/

Annotate the poem together such as “New Kid on the Block” by Jack Prelutsky on the board or in groups after the

refresher.

1. Create a quick rubric for a poem which might include the following:

Must be accurate

Must include vivid verbs

Must include specific nouns

Must have three examples of figurative language

Must have four examples of sound devices

2. Record the rubric on chart paper and post for reference.

Learning for LIMBS Grade 6.6 — English © LIMBS International

Materials:

Chart Paper – 1 sheet per student

Markers – 1 box per pair of students

Computer-projector for Prezi

Student activity: Writing a group poem about “Helping Hands”

Each student writes 3 to 4 lines

Students contribute their ideas to a group poem

The group poem is recorded by each student to be edited on Day 3

Day 3:

Introduction: The group poem written by the students on Day 2 will be revised to include active verbs.

Begin with student PowerPoint bell ringers from Day 1

Teacher shows the Prezi at the following link: http://prezi.com/r81h-8fggbmb/using-artwork-to-find-vivid-verbs/

Teacher and students write rules to help identify active verbs.

Student Activity:

Students individually revise their group poem to include vivid verbs

Students edit and write the final draft on chart paper

Students choose a body card from the 3 x 5 body part cards from Day 2

Whichever part they have chosen, is what they will try not to use for the next 20 minutes during their

presentation of the group poems

Students present their individual revisions of the group poem

Student poems are displayed around the room

Students write a reflection to the question: “How did you feel without the use of your (insert the body part

which was drawn)

Learning for LIMBS Grade 6.6 — English © LIMBS International

Day 4:

Introduction:

Students will progress from writing and revising a group poem to writing and revising an individual poem.

Begin with student PowerPoint bell ringers from Day 1.

Student Activity:

In the computer lab or with individual classroom computers for each student.

Students access this websites shown below for research:

Videos: http://kidshealth.org/kid/htbw/

Articles: http://kidshealth.org/kid/htbw/bodyarticles.html

Students individually research hands and legs under the topic of “bone systems”

Students use this research to write and revise an individual poem on hands or legs

The final poems are typed into word processing software

Students read their poems to the class

The individual poems are collected into a class book

Materials:

Computer Lab

Printer

Printer paper

Learning for LIMBS Grade 6.6 — English © LIMBS International

Day 5:

Introduction:

Today the class will be introduced to the work of LIMBS International and consider taking action based to help

amputees in the developing world.

1. Watch the LIMBS International video

Go to LIMBS International videos on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/WalkwithLimbs/videos Select LIMBS Promotional HD Watch and explain the video Relate the patients on the video to list student responses to the simulations

2. If the teacher and the students decide to take action based on what they have learned, they could consider the following information: Teacher: LIMBS International can provide a patient with a LIMBS prosthetic leg for $300.00. This includes making the

leg, fitting the leg and teaching the patient to maintain the leg. LIMBS legs can be repaired by the patient with materials

available at a hardware store anywhere in the world. This is true for even patients in the poorest of countries.

3. Creating a plan of action

Discuss the need

Brainstorm ways to help which might include publishing and selling the class book of poems or using ideas

which students have developed in other schools as shown below:

Free dress for $1.00 day Bake sale Creating art and selling it through a school auction or online auction Walk-a-thon Getting parents to pledge for a student earning a certain grade or meeting a certain goal Creating a babysitting club Develop a class plan of action Post the LIMB-o-meter

Materials:

Computer Lab

Printer

Printer paper

Learning for LIMBS Grade 6.6 — English © LIMBS International

Helping Hand

Parts of the body

Cut into strips for students to draw a part of the body

hand fingers arm elbow

foot toes leg knee

eyes ears nose mouth

shoulders neck skull ankles

lungs heart brain big toe

kidneys muscles skeleton ribs

Learning for LIMBS Grade 6.6 — English © LIMBS International

New Kid on the Block by Jack Prelutsky

There’s a new kid on the block, And boy, that kid is tough,

That new kid punches hard, That new kid plays real rough, That new kid’s big and strong,

With muscles everywhere, That new kid tweaked my arm,

That new kid pulled my hair. That new kid likes to fight, And picks on all the guys,

That new kid scares me some, (That new kid’s twice my size), That new kid stomped my toes,

That new kid swiped my ball, That new kid’s really bad, I don’t care for her at all.

source: www.theatreworksusa.org/uploads/flyer/flyer_168.pdf