3 mistakes learners make with muscles and movement, each one named and explained.
A muscle can only pull, so movement in two directions needs two muscles.
A muscle at the elbow is described as rotating the shoulder or as causing no movement at all.
Muscles are learned as names on a diagram rather than as a pull between two specific points.
Question. What the biceps does when it contracts
A common answer. it rotates the shoulder
The answer. it bends the elbow
Why. A muscle can only move the joint it crosses.
Find both ends of the muscle. The joint in between is the only one it can move.
You answer that muscles push, or that they push and pull equally.
It feels like pushing when you press against something, so the word matches the sensation.
Question. How a muscle moves a bone
A common answer. by pushing it
The answer. by pulling it
Why. A muscle can only get shorter, and getting shorter pulls.
A rope can pull but never push. A muscle works the same way, which is why they come in pairs.
The biceps contracting is said to straighten the arm rather than bend it.
The two muscles are always named together, so which one does which action is easy to swap.
Question. The biceps contracts
A common answer. the arm straightens
The answer. the arm bends at the elbow
Why. The biceps sits on the front of the upper arm, so pulling it shortens the front.
Feel where the muscle is. It pulls the bone towards its own side.
WAJD spots these patterns in your child's answers and names the one behind their wrong answers, instead of just marking them wrong.