The Lymphatic System, Alison’s Montessori

Human Anatomy, Ages 6-12

Learners in the upper elementary years begin to formally learn about human anatomy and require additional support given that lots of what is happening in the body cannot be seen! Often, they will have prior knowledge of how cells form tissues that form organs and systems such as the cardiovascular, nervous, digestive, and respiratory. The Lymphatic system isn’t commonly studied, yet; I found that the lymphatic system works along with the cardiovascular system as what is called a sewer system. The lymphatic system, not only sends an army of specialized white blood cells to take care of pathogens located in the body tissues, the lymphatic system also drained the residues and toxins left behind and helps the body expel them.

You will be delighted to learn about this particular system. It is easy to understand and actually consolidate the understanding of how the human body functions. The parts studied are the tonsils, right lymphatic duct, axillary lymph nodes, appendix, cervical lymph nodes, inguinal lymph nodes, subclavian vein, thymus gland, thoracic duct, spleen, and popliteal lymph nodes. Alison’s Montessori complete set includes a wooden puzzle that can be deconstructed, wooden labels, Nomenclature Cards with 6 parts to serve a variety of learners, and supplemental materials like a workbook, and a reproducible chart. In this post, I would like to share some information about the lymphatic system and how to use it.

Why learn about the Lymphatic System?

The Lymphatic System is responsible for removing unwanted toxins, fighting infections, and evacuating excess fluids from the body. The Lymphatic System is a subsystem working in close collaboration with the circulatory system and the immune system. The circulatory system isn’t the only system to control fluid influxes. The Lymphatic System handles the remaining 15% of fluids left in tissues after oxygen has been replenished in cells by the circulatory system.

There are many interesting facts to learn about the Lymphatic System. For instance, the tonsils and appendix are two lymphatic organs without which we can still function. When the two latter get seriously infected, they can be removed. Another interesting fact is that a clear liquid called lymph that circulates through the lymphatic vessels is packed with lymphocytes. Lymphocytes, which are white blood cells, fight infections. The waste from cells and bacteria is then sent to the thoracic duct where it is expelled back into the blood to be eliminated from the body.

Materials

• The Lymphatic System Puzzle with Nomenclature Cards (3-6)
• The Lymphatic System Puzzle with Nomenclature Cards (6-9)
• The Lymphatic System Puzzle
• The Lymphatic System (Nomenclature Cards) (3-6)
• The Lymphatic System (Nomenclature Cards) (6-9)

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How to Use the Materials

You may introduce the lymphatic system as part of human anatomy. Remind your learners that blood travels through the body using a system called the circulatory system. The function of the circulatory system is to bring oxygen to the cells throughout the body. Blood is composed of solids and a liquid called plasma. Some plasma remaining in the tissues is processed by another one-way system called the lymphatic system. Explain that you are going to explore this particular system, which helps drain excess liquid, get rid of waste products, and fight infections using a sophisticated network of ducts, nodes, and organs with various functions.

Wooden Puzzle, Labels & Control Chart

You may invite your learners to use the Control Chart and wooden Labels to label The Lymphatic System Puzzle. This way, your learners will get familiar with the names. You may want to name the parts together. Remove the labels from the puzzle and place them on the left side of the puzzle to get ready for the next part of the presentation.

6-Part Nomenclature Cards & Supplemental Printed Materials

Your learners are now somewhat aware of the location of each part of the lymphatic system. Begin to read the first description aloud and invite a learner to place the wooden label on the puzzle. Start with the first part at the top of the puzzle, the tonsils. Read the descriptions and continue in this manner. Once all the parts have been described and labeled. You may invite your learners to use the 6-part nomenclature cards to match pictures to descriptions/labels. Later, when your learners will feel ready for a self-assessment, they may use the cloze test cards (fill in the blank) to test their knowledge.

You may also make copies of the Reproducible Workbook and Reproducible Chart to assist your learners in integrating the knowledge. The Workbook is a replica of the Booklet in a fill-in-the-blank format. A black-and-white picture is also provided for learners to color the part in color. This helps learners determine if they can locate the part on a diagram. The large Reproducible Chart allows learners to work with all the parts at once. Learners are invited to color and label the chart, which they can save for their personal use.

This concludes this post about the lymphatic system. I hope you will learn a lot more through research and projects! Subscribe below for more Montessori-aligned materials information!

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