UNDERSTANDING LIFE SYSTEMS:​ HUMAN ORGAN SYSTEMS  

Grade 5 

HUMAN ORGAN SYSTEMS 

By Cosette Manson 

 
  

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DEFINITIONS 

ORGAN:  ​A  part  of  the  human 

body  that is made up of tissues 
and  cells.  Organs  perform 
specific  tasks  in  the  body.  An 
example  of  an  organ  would  be 
the heart. 

SYSTEM:  ​A  group  of  organs  in 

the  human  body  that  work 
together  to  perform a function 
in  the  body.  An  example  of  a 
system  would  be  the  digestive 
system. 

MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM:   ​Consists  of  bones,  muscles,  and  other 

connective tissues that allow humans to walk, move, and perform actions. 

MUSCLES: ​Tissues in the human body that allow our bodies to move.  

BONE: ​A hard material that makes up our skeleton.  

DIGESTIVE SYSTEM: ​A group of organs (stomach, intestines, etc) that allows 
us to eat and digest food. 

DIGESTION:  ​The  digestive  system’s main function. It is the process of eating 

and digesting food, as well as absorbing nutrients.  
  

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STOMACH:  ​An  organ  in  the  digestive  system  that  mixes  up  and 
breaks down food. 

NUTRIENTS:  ​During  digestion,  nutrients  are  separated  from 

food to give the body energy. 

INTESTINES:  ​An  organ  in  the  digestive  system  that  breaks  down  food  and 
absorbs nutrients. 

CIRCULATORY  SYSTEM:  ​A  group  of  organs  (heart,  veins,  etc)  that  pumps 
blood  throughout  our  body,  and  transports  oxygens  to  other  organs, 
through blood. 

CIRCULATION:  ​The  circulatory  system’s  main  function.  When  the  heart 

beats,  oxygen  is  sent  to  other  organs  through  blood.  After  the  oxygen  has 
been  sent  to  the  organs,  the  blood  is  sent  to  the  lungs  to  pick 
up more oxygen, and the cycle starts all over again. 

HEART: ​An organ that pumps blood throughout the body. 

VEINS:​ Blood travels to and from the heart through the veins.  

OXYGEN: ​A gas that humans breathe in. 

CARBON DIOXIDE: ​A gas that humans breathe out. 

RESPIRATORY  SYSTEM:  ​A  group  of  organs  that  allows  us  to  breathe  by 
taking in and letting out air. 

RESPIRATION:  ​The  respiratory  system’s  main  function.  When  we  inhale 

oxygen,  our  lungs fill with air, and send oxygen to our blood cells. When we 
exhale, we exhale carbon dioxide.  
  

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LUNGS:  ​An  organ  that  allows  us  to  breathe  by  filling  up 
with air as we inhale, and getting rid of air as we exhale. 

RIBS: ​A set of bones that protect the lungs. 

NERVOUS  SYSTEM:  ​Consists  of  nerves  that  sends  and  receives  messages 
from our brain. 

BRAIN:  ​An  organ  that  is  part  of  the  nervous  system.  It 
controls our actions and thoughts. 

 
  

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HUMAN ORGAN SYSTEMS CONTENT - GRADE 5 

1. IMPORTANT CONCEPTS 
Systems and Interactions: ​Systems and Interactions is a fundamental 
concept in Science and Technology. It’s important for students to 
understand that the organs in the human body are part of a larger system, 
such as the digestive system. They should also understand the specific 
interactions and relationships between the human organ systems. 

Structure and Functions: ​Structure and Functions is a fundamental 

concept in Science and Technology. It’s important for students to 
understand that organs are linked to specific functions. Students should 
also be able to describe the basic structure of the organs. 

2. GRADE 5 SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS 

Relate Science and Technology to Society and the Environment: ​It’s 
important for students to understand the effects of certain actions on 
their health, or the health of others. Students are expended to understand 
the effects of social and environmental factors on their health, and to 
come up with ways that they can reduce harm.  

Developing Investigation and Communication Skills:​ It’s important for 

students to develop investigation skills that will allow them to explore this 
topic. For example, students should be able to use experimental skills to 
explore physical changes that occur after physical activity, such as an 
increased heart rate. In addition, students should be able to demonstrate 
how different organs work together. They should be able to use a variety 
of forms to communicate this, such as orally or with graphs. 
  

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Understanding Basic Concepts: ​It’s important for students to be able to 

understand the basic concepts of this topic, such as identifying the major 
systems in the human body, and their roles and relationships. In addition, 
they should be able to describe the structure and function of the major 
organs. Lastly, they should be able to identify common diseases of the 
organs. 

3. IN ORDER TO TEACH THIS TOPIC... 

It’s important to have a firm understanding of human organ systems 
before teaching this topic. First of all, I read the Science Curriculum 
document to know the important concepts and specific expectations. This 
was very helpful because the Curriculum document has sample questions, 
and short explanations of concepts. After reading the document, I wrote a 
short list of important terminology. I did a lot of research to fully 
understand the roles of the organs, as well as their relationships. Here is a 
short summary of the body systems, which includes all of the important 
concepts that are taught in Grade 5. These systems are quite complex, so 
the summaries I’ve provided is simply what is needed to teach Grade 5. 

System  Summary 

Musculoskeletal  The musculoskeletal system consists of bones, muscles, and 

System  other connective tissues that allow humans to walk, move, and 
perform actions. Our bones make up our skeleton, and protects 
our organs. An example would be the ribs, which protects our 
lungs. Muscles are tissues in the human body that allow our 
bodies to move, but our muscles also control some of our 
organs, for example, muscles allow our hearts to beat. When we 
exercise, it’s possible to tear our muscles, which can be painful. 

Digestive  The digestive system consists of the stomach, intestines, mouth, 

  

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System  etc, and it’s main role is digesting the food that we eat. The 
digestive system digests food by going through our digestive 
tract. After we break down food in our mouth, the food goes to 
our stomach, which is an organ that mixes up and breaks down 
food. Next, it’s sent to the intestines, where the food is broken 
down further. The intestines also absorb nutrients, which gives 
us energy. Some people live with diseases related to the 
digestive system, and an example of this is Crohn’s disease. 

Circulatory  The circulatory system consists of the hearth and veins. Our 
System  heart pumps blood and the blood is transported through our 
body through veins. The circulatory system works with the 
respiratory system to transport oxygen through blood. After 
the oxygen has been sent to the organs, the blood is sent to the 
lungs to pick up more oxygen, and the cycle starts all over 
again. Some people live with diseases related to the circulatory 
system, and an example of this is heart disease. It’s important 
that we take care of our heart. Some things have negative 
effects on our heart health, such as eating too much junk food. 
 

Respiratory  The respiratory system consists of lungs, ribs, and alveoli. 

System  These organs work together and allow us to breathe. We 
breathe by inhaling oxygen with our lungs, and then exhaling 
carbon dioxide. The oxygen is transported by blood cells 
through the alveoli. The blood returns to our lungs after it has 
transported oxygen, and then we exhale carbon dioxide. The 
respiratory system works together with the circulatory system 
to transport oxygen. Our lungs are protected by the ribs. Some 
people live with diseases related to the respiratory system, and 
an example of this is asthma. It’s important that we take care of 
our lungs. Some things have negative effects on our lung health, 
such as smoking. 

Nervous System  Our brain and neurons are part of our nervous system. Our 
nerves send messages to and from our brain. Our brain is an 
organ that controls our actions and thoughts. Our nervous 
system works closely with every system in our body. It sends 
signals to our organs so they can perform their tasks. Some 
people live with diseases related to the nervous system, and an 
example of this is epilepsy. It’s important that we take care of 
our nervous system. Some things have negative effects on our 
brain, such as using alcohol and drugs. 
  

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To ensure that I had a firm understanding of the material, I created a 

concept map of the human organ systems. It is a little bit messy; however, 
it will be used as a reference for me (the teacher). Concept maps are a great 
tool to see if students understand the material, too! 
  

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RESOURCES 
I found a few great resources to teach this material.  

ScienceNetLinks​: ScienceNetLinks has great activities to teach this topic, more specifically, 
All Systems Go!, which is a game where students have to find the correct organs from different 
systems. 

ScienceKids​: ScienceKids is a website that has a specific section about 

the human body, its organs, and health. There are activities and games 
related to these concepts. The goal of the games is to keep a cartoon child 
healthy.  

BodyWorlds​: BodyWorlds is an exhibition that has preserved human 

bodies. Here, people can learn about anatomy, organs, organ 
configuration, etc. This would make for a great class trip.  

 
 
  

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References 

Britannica Kids. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://kids.britannica.com/ 

All Systems Go! (n.d.). Retrieved from 

http://sciencenetlinks.com/afterschool-resources/all-systems-go/#edu 

Body Worlds (2019, August 22). Retrieved from https://bodyworlds.com/ 

ScienceKids: Human Body for Kids. (n.d.). Retrieved from 

https://www.sciencekids.co.nz/humanbody.html 

Nemours KidsHealth (n.d.). Retrieved from https://kidshealth.org/en/ 

Toronto Zoo: Home. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.torontozoo.com/