THE HUMAN BODY CORPORATION
WEBQUEST:

Introduction

You are a body organ, employed with the Human Body Corporation. Due to recent cost increases, the Human Body has been forced to lay off some of its workers. Because you are terrified of losing your job, you have decided to make a presentation to the Executive Board of the Human Body Corporation (your classmates), defending your position in the company. You must be persuasive, and clearly explain the relevance of your role, as the company is quite large, and usually only notices any given department when there are 'internal problems!' Good luck - the company's future 'health' depends on you!

The Task

For this WebQuest, you and your assigned partner must write a persuasive, first-person letter to the Human Resources Department of the company (i.e. your classmates).

In your presentation, you must provide answers to the following questions:
What is your name? (i.e. the name of the organ) What do you look like? Where are you found within the Human Body Corporation? What are five interesting facts about you, as a body organ?
What 'department(s)' [i.e. body system(s)] do you work with, within the Human Body Corporation? What are five interesting facts that you have learned about your department(s)?
What is your job within the department(s)?
What other organs are involved in your department(s)?
Why are you an important employee of the Human Body Corporation?
What would happen to the Human Body Corporation if you were 'fired'? Try to be as specific as possible. (Some things to consider -- What systems would shut down? Would the body develop a disease? If yes, how would this disease affect how the body functions?)
You must also have clearly labeled diagrams of your organ and its related system(s), which you will use during your presentation.

The Process

Working cooperatively with your assigned partner, you will:

1) Decide what organ you will personify in your letter and presentation. One person will research information on the organ, while your partner will study the systems that your chosen organ is involved with.
2) Read the entire WebQuest, to ensure that you completely understand what your task is, how to accomplish the assignment, and how you will be evaluated.
3) Use the given links to find information on your organ and the related system(s) that it works with.
4) Keep neat, detailed notes. You may want to organize your information by having the assigned questions serve as your section headings, ensuring that all questions have been fully answered, to the best of your ability. Make sure that you include in your notes, the name of the resource (website, book, etc.) where you found each piece of information.
5) Share your notes and information with your partner.
6) Use Microsoft Word to compose a letter to the Human Resources Department of the Body Corporation, requesting an audience with the Executive Board to make your presentation.

7)  You must also have clearly labeled diagrams of your organ and its related system(s), which you will use during your presentation.

Resources

Use the links below as well as your textbook to gather the information about your organ/system.

My Body

My Body by Kid's Health - Needs Shockwave

A Look Inside the Human Body -- Easy to read with colorful diagrams for different systems

Great Animations of the Human Body - Needs the FLASH PLAYER

Inner Body - shows all body systems; click on point and description shows in side frame

You've Got To Have A System! -- The circulatory, respiratory, and excretory systems are outlined in this site. Detailed definitions are also provided.

Science Fact File: Inside The Human Body -- This site provides information concerning the 'daily activities' of the circulatory, digestive, excretory, muscular, nervous, respiratory, and skeletal systems. The diagrams found in this site are very detailed.

Site Map: Tour Of The Human Body -- Wonderful descriptions and diagrams of the nervous, digestive, respiratory, circulatory, and urinary systems are found here. As well, an on-line glossary is provided for linked terms.

Body Quest -- an exploration of anatomy

The Endocrine System - Kid's Health Body Basics Article

Brain and Nervous System - Kid's Health Body Basics Article

The Digestive System - Kid's Health Body Basics Article

Kidneys and Urinary Tract - Kid's Health Body Basics Article

Bones, Muscles and Joints - Kid's Health Body Basics Article

Blood - Kid's Health Body Basics Article

Spleen & Lymphatic System - Kid's Health Body Basics Article

The Lymphatic System - Cancer Research UK

Male Reproductive System - Kid's Health Body Basics Article

Female Reproductive System - Kid's Health Body Basics Article

Guided Tour of the Visible Human 18000 digitized sections

Explore the Brain and Spinal Cord

Kid Info - Body Resources

iVillage - Conditions grouped by organ & body system

Wellness Web - Integumentary System (Skin)

Human Body Research Hotlinks (all systems)

How the Nervous System Interacts with Other Body Systems

Gross & Cool Body - Skeletal System

Gross & Cool Body - The Brain

Gross & Cool Body - The Cardiovascular System

Gross & Cool Body - The Digestive System

Gross & Cool Body - Endocrine System

Gross & Cool Body - Muscular System

Gross & Cool Body - Nervous System

Gross & Cool Body - Respiratory System

Gross & Cool Body - Skin

Gross & Cool Body - Urinary System

Word! A Glossary of Medical Words

Information on Body Organs:

The Heart: An On-Line Exploration -- The development and structure of the heart are accurately described in this site, with the assistance of an excellent glossary. You can also view a picture of an actual heart that has been preserved, and find great tips on maintaining a healthy heart.

The Heart -- An easy-to-read, but descriptive outline of the activities of the heart, can be found here. A basic diagram is also provided.
Kidneys -- A clear, basic diagram, accessible glossary for difficult terms, and an excellent description of the kidneys' activities, can all be found at this site.
The Brain -- A general diagram and description of the brain can be found here.

Journey Inside the Human Brain - webquest

The Nervous System and The Human Brain -- This site provides excellent, in-depth descriptions of the major parts of the brain, and their functions. WARNING: Not all 'Show me the diagram!' links may work. However, those that you can access will hopefully be of use to you.
The Lungs -- An in-depth description of the role of the lungs in the respiratory system is given in this site. A good description of a lung's structure, and a basic diagram are included as well.
The PBC Foundation -- P.B.C. stands for Primary Biliary Cirrhosis, which is a slow-occurring liver disease, that destroys the bile ducts, or channels, in the liver. There is presently no cure for this disease. This site provides a very detailed overview of the liver's structure and function within the body. The signs and consequences of a liver that is not working properly, are also outlined.

Additional Resources

When one "department" doesn't pull its weight. Sites about working with chronic illness:

JUST Because We Have a DisAbility Doesn't Mean We BYTE! - an introduction to a number of common disabilities, both visible and invisible, with the intent of eliminating fear, prejudice, and intolerance of people who are different.

BandAides and Blackboards - When chronic illnes or some other medical condition goes to school.

Asthma - combines easy-to-understand text on the causes and symptoms of childhood asthma with graphics and animations of the human respiratory system
Cerebral Palsy - a multimedia tutorial; basic information on different types of cerebral palsy and their effects on muscles.
 

Evaluation

The evaluation of your assignment will be equally divided into three sections: a) The Research Process; b) The Presentation and c) The Letter.

The Research Process:
These are the guideline questions which I will be referring to, when evaluating your research:

Did the student work well during class?
Did the student cooperate with their partner?
Did the student visit, and record with their information, all sites that had material on their organ or system?
Were the student's notes logically and neatly organized?
Did the students make an organized outline?
Did the student find or create a well-labeled diagram of their organ or system?
 

The Presentation:
These are the guideline questions which I will be referring to, when evaluating your presentation:

Was the student's argument convincing?
Was the student's presentation informative?
Did the student obviously understand their diagram, and were they able to clearly explain it to the class?
Could the student correctly answer logical questions asked by other students? Did the student "know their stuff?"
Did the student speak in a loud, clear voice?

The Letter:
These are the guideline questions which I will be referring to, when evaluating your letter:

Was the students' letter convincing? Did the students write in the first-person?
Did the students clearly answer all of the given questions?
Did the students organize their material logically? Did the students write their letter using complete sentences, and indenting new paragraphs when necessary?
Did the students use proper grammar when writing their letter?
Were there any spelling mistakes in their letter?
Was the students' letter double-spaced, and typed or neatly printed?

 

Conclusion

I hope that you have found your time as an employee of the Human Body Corporation, to be both fun and educational. Through completing this WebQuest, you should now clearly understand the structure and function of a variety of organs (heart, kidney, brain, lungs, and liver), and their roles within the major systems of the body (circulatory, respiratory, excretory, urinary, digestive, muscular, nervous, and skeletal). You should also be able to recognize the difficulties which can arise when organs malfunction, and why it is important to look after our bodies.