A good way to start a basic anatomy class is to get students moving and getting to know each other. I take my students outside in this introduction on body parts an anatomical terms. They use chalk to outline a body and place cards in the approximate location of the structures.

Many students already know most of these terms. As a group, they do a pretty good job of placing the cards in the right spot. I also tell them not to use their phones, as this is an exercise in discovering what they know collectively.

This year, I noticed students in other classes looking out the window or walking by, wondering what we’re doing. How many of the adds I got that first week were a result of other kids being interested in what was going on in anatomy?

You can print the labels on card stock so they don’t blow away as easily. I also include a chunk of clay so they can stick them to the concrete if it’s windy. Both the chalk and the clay are cheap and we use them for other activities later. For example, when students learn the bones of the body, we use the clay to identify bone structures of the skull.