Activity/Context		Montage
Scottish Level		A/B/C
Visual elements		Colour, pattern and texture
5-14 Art Strands		1, 2, 3, 4
Relevant topics		Body parts/Myself/Egyptians
Number of sessions		2
Materials		Cartridge paper, glue, scissors, oil pastels/wax crayons.

fig 1

Focus of learning

To investigate our internal organs, using children’s own perceptions of what these might look like. Clarification of the true image of each organ will come at the end - through the Body Jigsaw, courtesy of Whipple Museum of the History of Science.

Exhibit 56 from the Anatomy Acts exhibition, ‘The Anatomy of Mansur of Shiraz, early 19th century copy of late 14th early 15th century treatise’, has been used as the inspiration for this task.                                                                                 

Introduction

Q: What organs do you think are in the body?     

In the discussion you are aiming to give the children an idea of each organ’s function, not to visually influence the children’s ideas of what these organs look like. You can reveal the organs true colour and shape towards the end of the lesson by showing the Body Jigsaw, which has been provided at the end of this lesson plan. This will help the children identify organs and learn where they go in the body.

Make a concise list of each organ on the board and discuss each organ’s function in simple terms

The following list may help you to simplify the organs functions. I suggest the children do not include the liver or diaphragm in their pictures as these organ’s functions are difficult to simplify. However you should still discuss these in your list of organs.                                                        

These similes may help you when describing organ functions with the children.
The heart as a pump - pumping all the blood round the body.    
The lungs as balloons - blowing them up and then squeezing out the air as you breath in and out.
The kidneys as filters/sieve - filtering/sieving out all the rubbish, the bits your body doesn’t need.                            
The intestines as a rubbish shoot - where all the food waste gathers ready to be thrown away.
The stomach as a liquidizer - breaking down all the big chunks of food.                                   

In the discussion you can refer to the fact that the study of the structure of the body is called ‘Anatomy’.

Main lesson (day 1)
* Having been involved in the discussion about each organ and its function. The children will now draw what they think each organ looks like. Each organ should be drawn on a piece of A5 paper.                                

* Having drawn their organs the children now need to choose what colour they think each organ should be, according to it’s function. The children should use oil pastels or wax crayons to achieve a bold/colourful effect.

Main lesson (day 2)
* Now use the Body Jigsaw provided at the end of this lesson plan to show the children what each organ actually looks like. (Please note these are models of organs).

fig 1

* Now look at 'Tashrih-i Mansuri: The Anatomy of Mansur of Shiraz', (early 19th century copy of 14/15th century treatise).

Q Can the children identify any of the organs featured in this picture?
Q: Has this artist put the organs in the correct place?
Q: Have the organs in this picture been drawn correctly?

Discuss issues about the age of 'Tashrih-i Mansuri'. Developments in modern Pathology giving us a better and more accurate understanding of the organs and what they look like.

* Now the children should be given an A3 outline of a body. An example of one can be found at the end of this lesson plan. The children should now think about where to place each organ on their body outline. If necessary, the organs can be placed on top of each other and affixed so they can be lifted up like layered flaps.

Discuss with the children that the activity, which has just been completed, is of an artistic nature. If the activity had been of a scientific nature they would have been trying to make the organs look as life-like as possible by using investigation strategies to inform their thinking.

Assessment		Vocabulary
* Have the children identified the correct placing of the organs?		organs, bright, placing, function
* Have they used their imagination to think about a suitable image for each organ?		Anatomy, pumping, filter, shoot, waste, outline

Body Jigsaw, courtesy of Whipple Museum of the History of Science
Use the Body Jigsaw to see what the organs really look like and learn where they go in the body. Click on the link below and select 'anatomy'.


http://www.hps.cam.ac.uk/whipple/explore/interactives/

 

fig 2. Resemblance of how body outline should look.

fig 1. Anatomy Acts Object Guide No.56
Tashrih-i Mansuri: The Anatomy of Mansur of Shiraz, (early 19th century copy of late 14th - early 15th century treatise)
Anon.
University of Edinburgh Library, Special Collections, OR.MS416. F.96V.

fig 2. Outline of the human body