History of Medicine
Anatomical Metaphors can be conducted in a media center/computer laboratory or in the classroom.
Brief Description: Students will view anatomical illustrations to understand the metaphors used to describe and understand human body.
- View and evaluate metaphors used to understand the human body and its various functions.
- Expand knowledge of human body and its function.
- Conceptualize metaphors for various functions and parts of human body and create a composite illustration of a human body using metaphors. (e.g. drawing a human brain as a computer and its wires as nerve system)
Paper, pencil/pen, flip chart or overhead projector, construction papers, magic markers, old magazines and other art materials needed.
- Explain to students that they will use their knowledge of biology, art, and language (i.e., metaphor) for group projects.
- Tell students that the class will first look at examples together.
- Introduce the following two anatomical illustrations (one at a time or together):
- Use the following questions to conduct a class discussion:
- What is a metaphor?
- Observe this image for a few minutes to identify metaphors used. Note students responses on a flip chart or an overhead projector.
- How does each metaphor convey a certain body part or function?
- What are the differences and similarities between these two images and the types of metaphors used in each image?
- Can you think of other things to use as metaphors? List students' responses on a flip chart or an overhead projector.
- Tell students that they will be creating a collage of a human body/anatomy using metaphors.
- Prepare 5 pieces of paper in a bag with one of the following written in each paper: "head and neck", "upper torso", "lower torso", "arms and hands", and "legs and feet."
- Divide students into 5 teams and have each team draw a piece of paper from the bag.
- Tell each team that they will have 2 class periods to research and work on creating a collage to illustrate the part of body that they selected.
- Provide each team with a minimum information that need to be included such as:
- Labels for each metaphor and its corresponding human anatomy or its functions
- 1-page essay describing why they chose their specific metaphors, etc.
- When the project is finished, ask students to present their 'metaphoric anatomies' to their classmates.
- On one wall of the classroom or in the hallway, put together all 5 parts of the body for display.