Human Body Lesson Plans

Human Boday Nevous System Synapse
        Human body lesson plans designed for high school, middle school, and elementary school science teachers are downloadable here. NGSS Life Science offers many great science lessons. Click the titles below to see a list of lessons for each category. Free human body lesson plans include:

  • Circulatory System Lesson Plans

    • Heart - left atrium, left ventricle, aorta, coronary arteries, vena cava, right atrium, right ventricle, pulmonary arteries, sinoatrial node.
    • Blood Vessels - arteries, capillaries, veins.
    • Blood - plasma, hemoglobin, red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets.
    • Blood Type - A, B, AB, O, Rh factor.
    • Transport Materials - blood pressure, O2, CO2, hormones, food nutrients, distributes heat.

  • Digestive System Lesson Plans

    • Mouth - canine teeth, incisor teeth, salivary glands, saliva, amylase enzyme.
    • Esophagus - peristaltic contractions.
    • Stomach - sphincter, gastric juices, hydrochloric acids, pepsin enzyme.
    • Small Intestine - nutrient digestion, nutrient absorbtion, duodenum, gallbladder, bile, liver, blood sugar, pancreas, lipase enzyme, villi, microvilli.
    • Large Intestine - colon, aborb water, feces.

  • Endocrine System Lesson Plans

    • Endocrine Glands - adrenal, hypothalamus, parathyroid, pineal, pituitary, thymus, thyroid, overy or testis.
    • Pancreas - islets of Langerhans, insulin, glucogon.
    • Homeostasis - negative feeback mechanisms, positive feedback loops.
    • Hormones - amino acid based hormones, steroid homones, thyroid hormones, receptor proteins.

  • Immune System Lesson Plans

    • Nonspecific Immunity - barrier, chemical, phagocytosis, inflammation, fever, interferon, white blood cells.
    • Physical Barrier - skin.
    • Chemical Barrier - mucous membranes, lysozyme, lactic acid, hydrochloric acid, spermine.
    • Phagocytosis - phagocyte, bacterium, lysosome, egestion.
    • Inflammation - swelling of blood, histamine.
    • Fever - slow bacteria growth, pyrogens.
    • Interferon - stimulate non-infected cells, stop viral replication.
    • White Blood Cells - neutrophils, macrophages, natural killer cells.
    • Specific Immunity - antigens, humoral immunity, cell mediated immunity.
    • Antigens - foriegn substances, start immune response.
    • Humoral Immunity - immune response, antibody, B-cells, B-lymphocytes, viral inhibition, neutralization, agglutination, preceipitation, macrophage, phagocytosis.
    • Cell Mediated Immunty - T lymphocytes, cytotoxic T cells, helper T cells, interleukin.

  • Integumentary System Lesson Plans

    • Skin - epidermis, dead keratin cells, dermis, subcutaneous tissues.
    • Regulate Temperature - blood vessels, sweat glands.
    • Hair - insulation, dead keratin cells.
    • Nails - protect tips of fingers and toes.

  • Lymphatic System Lesson Plans

    • Capillaries Fluid Loss - fluid that does not go back into the capillaries is pick-up and recycled.
    • Lymph Nodes - lymphatic vessels, bone marrow, spleen, tonsils, thymus.

  • Muscular System Lesson Plans

    • Muscle Movement - tendons, flexor, extensor.
    • Muscle Contraction - myofibril, sarcomere, z lines, actin, myosin, binding sites.

  • Nervous System Lesson Plans

    • Neuron - nerve, nucleus, cell body, dendrites, axon, myelin sheath, nodes of Ranvier, axon terminals.
    • Action Potential - membrane potential, sodium potassium pumps, K+, Na+, nerve impulse.
    • Neurotransmitters - synapse, presynaptic neuron, postsynaptic neuron.
    • Neuron Types - sensory neurons, motor neurons, interneurons.
    • Central Nervous System - brain, spinal cord.
    • Brain - corpus callosum, cerebral cortex, limbic system, brain stem.
    • Cerebral Cortex - outer cerebrum, processing senses, gray matter.
    • Limbic System - inner cerebrum, cerebullum, thalamus, hypothalamus, emotions, memory.
    • Lower Brain Stem - midbrain, pons, medulla oblongata.
    • Peripheral Nervous System - cranial nerves, spinal nerves, ganglia, somatic nervous system, autonomic nervous system.
    • Sensory Receotors - chemoreceptors, mechanoreceptors, pain receptors, photoreceptors, thermnoreceptors.

  • Nutrition Lesson Plan

    • Nutrients - types of carbohydrates, types of proteins, types of fats, water.
    • Vitamins & Minerals - fat soluble, water soluble, sources and functions.
    • Calorie - metabolic rate, caloric values, daily intake.

  • Reproductive System Lesson Plans

    • Male Reproductive System - testes, seminiferous tubules, epididymis, vas deferens, urethra, penis.
    • Semen - sperm cells, seminal vesicles, prostate gland, bulbourethral glands.
    • Female Reproductive System - ovary, fallopian tube, uterus, cervix, vagina.
    • Hormones - estrogen, follicle-stimulating, luteinizing, progesterone.
    • Ovarian and Menstrual Cycles - follicular phase, ovulation, luteal phase, lining of the uterus, menstruation.
    • Gestation - cleavage, blastocyst, implantation, embryo, placenta, fetus, umbilical cord.

  • Respiratory System Lesson Plans

    • Lungs - bronchioles, alveoli, diaphragm.
    • Air Flow - nose, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi.
    • Air Transport - O2, CO2, HCO3 ions, diffusion.

  • Skeleton System Lesson Plans

    • Axial Skeleton - skull, spine, ribs, sternum.
    • Appendicular Skeleton - arms, feet, hands, legs, pelvis, shoulder.
    • Bone Structure - bone marrow, peiosteum, Haversian canals, osteocytes.
    • Joints - ligaments, ball-and-socket joints, gliding joint, hinge joint, pivot joint, saddle joint.

  • Urinary System Lesson Plans

    • Kidneys - nephrons, glomerulus, Bowman’s capsule, loop of Henle, kidney dialysis.
    • Bladder - ureters, urine, urethra.
    • Liver - nitrogen waste, ammonia, urea.
Human Kidney


Lessons Organized by NGSS Standard



Free Lesson Plans

NGSS Life Science is a curriculum community for middle school and high school science teachers. High school and middle school curriculums include anatomy and physiology labs, cardiovascular experiments, nervous system projects, muscular system activities, immune system demos, brain worksheets, and anatomy and physiology exam / test / quiz questions. Human body lesson plan systems include circulator, digestive, endocrine, excretory, immune, muscular, nervous, respiratory, skeletal and more.