Science

Common mistakes in the skeleton

4 mistakes learners make with the skeleton, each one named and explained.

All common mistakes

The skeleton supports, protects and gives muscles something to pull against.

A job given to the skeleton that is not its own

What it looks like

Support, protection or movement is picked as the job the skeleton does not do.

Why it happens

The question asks for the odd one out, and three genuine functions in a row is hard to read against.

A worked example

Question. Which is not a job of the skeleton

A common answer. protection

The answer. making food

Why. Support, protection, movement and making blood cells are all real skeletal jobs.

Put the two side by side

The skeleton supports, protects, moves and makes blood cells.
It has nothing to do with making food.

Learn the four real jobs, and the odd one out picks itself.

Another tissue named at the joint

What it looks like

Cartilage or skin is given as what joins muscle to bone.

Why it happens

Several different tissues meet at a joint and they are all learned together.

A worked example

Question. What joins a muscle to a bone

A common answer. cartilage

The answer. a tendon

Why. Cartilage cushions the ends of the bones; it joins nothing to anything.

Put the two side by side

Cartilage cushions.
Tendons pull.

Give each tissue one verb. The verb tells you which one the question wants.

Tendons and ligaments swapped

What it looks like

Muscles are said to be joined to bones by ligaments.

Why it happens

Both are tough white connective tissue at a joint, and both words are learned in the same minute.

A worked example

Question. What joins a muscle to a bone

A common answer. a ligament

The answer. a tendon

Why. Ligaments join bone to bone and hold the joint together.

Put the two side by side

Tendon: muscle to bone.
Ligament: bone to bone.

Tendon and muscle both have the letter pattern of a pull. Ligament links two like things.

The wrong organ matched to the wrong bone

What it looks like

The rib cage is said to protect the brain, the kidneys or the stomach.

Why it happens

The skeleton protects several organs, so which bone guards which is a separate fact to learn.

A worked example

Question. What the rib cage protects

A common answer. the brain

The answer. the heart and lungs

Why. The skull protects the brain; the ribs sit around the chest.

Put the two side by side

Skull: brain.
Rib cage: heart and lungs.

Point at where the bone actually is on your own body. The organ underneath is the answer.

WAJD spots these patterns in your child's answers and names the one behind their wrong answers, instead of just marking them wrong.

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