JOSE LUIS PELAEZ INC/GETTY IMAGES
There are 22 bones in your skull.
By the time you’re seven, your skull is 90 percent of its adult size.
The oldest human skull ever found is about 300,000 years old.
ISTOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES; SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
Your Super-Cool Skull
Dive headfirst into some fun facts about your noggin.
From the October/November 2020 Issue
Common Core Standards
TEKS Standards
ISTOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES
Humans are the only animals with chins. Wondering why? Scientists are too! Some think this bone helps us chew or speak, but no one can say for sure.
LOSTINBIDS/GETTY IMAGES
When babies are born, their skull bones aren’t fully joined yet, creating several soft spots called fontanels. These close up over time.
This infographic was originally published in the October/November 2020 issue.
Activities
(2)
Skills Activities
Answer Key
(1)
More About the Story
Skills
reading for information, evaluating
Complexity Factors
Purpose
The infographic provides interesting facts about the human skull.
Structure
Information is presented using text, text boxes, and images.
Language
The language is mainly conversational but includes a few higher-level words (e.g. fontanels) and some wordplay (e.g. “These facts will blow your mind.”)
Knowledge Demands
The text includes a couple of numbers that might challenge younger readers (300,000; 90 percent).
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
1. Reading and Discussing
Project the infographic as students follow along in their magazines.
Prompt students to use the headline, subhead, and central image to identify the topic of the infographic.
Ask: Is the purpose of the infographic to
- explain something to you?
- convince you of something?
- tell you how to do something?
Have students look over the labels and images surrounding the central image. Ask:
- How are they related to the central image? (They provide details about the main idea.)
Break students into groups to read each section of the infographic and discuss what they find interesting, surprising, or convincing.
Come back together as a class and ask volunteers to summarize the main idea and supporting details from the infographic.
2. Writing
Preview the writing prompt in the “Write to Win” box.
Download and distribute the guided-writing activity that goes along with the infographic.
Have students respond to the writing prompt. If you wish, send their responses to our infographic contest.
Ideas to Engage and Inspire
Have students create their own infographics! Download our “Make Your Own Infographic” activity from Storyworks Digital.
Text-to-Speech