edHelper.com
Skeletal System
The Human Body

Skeletal System

Skeletal System
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 7 to 8
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   7.19

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    cushiony, fibula, humerus, patella, scapula, sternum, tibia, ulna, standing, jelly-like, built-in, femur, fused, pelvis, stirrup, thighbone

Print Skeletal System
edHelper.com subscriber options:
     Print Skeletal System  (font options, pick words for additional puzzles, and more)
     Quickly print reading comprehension
     Print a proofreading activity

Feedback on Skeletal System
     Leave your feedback on Skeletal System  (use this link if you found an error in the story)

Skeletal System
By Sharon Fabian 		  
1     A skeleton is good for scaring people on Halloween, but it does have other uses too. Your skeleton is what keeps you standing tall. Without your skeleton, you would just be a puddle of skin and stuff on the floor. Not a pretty sight! Your skeleton also protects your most important insides, like your heart, lungs, and brain.
 
2     Here are some of the main parts of your skeleton, starting at the top.
Skull--a built-in helmet for your brain
spinal column--backbone, made up of vertebrae
ribs--surround your heart and lungs
sternum--connects some of your ribs in front
pelvis--protects digestive and reproductive organs
humerus, ulna, and radius--arm bones
femur, fibula, and tibia--leg bones
patella--knee cap

 
3     Your skull is made of thirty bones, including the tiny hammer, anvil, and stirrup bones in your ear. The skull protects the brain and also provides the shape for your face. In an adult, the skull bones are fused together, but a baby's skull bones are still separate.
 
4     Your spine, or backbone, consists of thirty-three rings of bone called vertebrae. These discs are separated by cushiony layers of cartilage which protect the vertebrae and allow your backbone to twist and turn.
 
5     Most people have twelve pairs of ribs, but a few people have one or two extra pair! The ribs are attached in the back, to the spine. The top seven pairs of ribs are also attached in the front, to the bone called the sternum, which is in the center of your chest. The next two or three pairs are held together in front by cartilage. The bottom few pairs do not meet in the front; they are only attached in the back.

Paragraphs 6 to 11:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable
Copyright © 2008 edHelper