JOHN HAY BIOMEDICAL · HBS · ORIGINAL COURSE SUPPORT
Describe a location.
Show what you know.
I want another reader to find the same place you describe. Use the record. Leave unknown details unknown.
Make one product: a location map and a short claim, evidence, and reasoning paragraph. A labeled text map is just as valid as a sketch. Use paper or a document. This page does not save answers.
Turn-in links for both sections · February 10 daily directions
1. Learn the location rules
Reference R · The words you need
Use anatomical position: standing upright, arms at the sides, palms forward. Right and left belong to the person being described, not the viewer.
A region is an area of the body. The forearm, or antebrachial region, lies between the elbow and wrist. The upper arm lies between the shoulder and elbow.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Anterior / posterior | Toward the front / toward the back. |
| Proximal / distal | Nearer / farther from where a limb joins the trunk. |
A plane is an imaginary flat slice. It describes a view, not an injury.
| Plane | Portions |
|---|---|
| Frontal, also called coronal | Front and back. |
| Sagittal | Right and left. A midsagittal plane passes through the midline, making equal halves. |
| Transverse | Upper and lower, in anatomical position. |
A body cavity is an internal space. The cranial cavity holds the brain; the vertebral canal holds the spinal cord. The thoracic cavity is in the chest. The abdominopelvic cavity is below it, in the abdomen and pelvis. Arms and legs are outside these major cavities.
A tissue is an organized group of cells working together. A location word cannot tell you which tissue is damaged.
Model M · Try the rule on a separate example
A fictional note places a sticker on the back of the left upper arm, between the shoulder and elbow. It gives no tissue findings.
Model text map: left side → upper arm → posterior surface → distal to the shoulder and proximal to the elbow.
Model reasoning: The sticker is on the posterior left upper arm. Model M says it is on the back, between the shoulder and elbow. Those landmarks match the region and direction words in Reference R. A sticker's location does not prove tissue damage.
Check yourself: A separate model slice divides a body into front and back portions. Name its plane before opening the answer.
Check the model plane
Frontal, also called coronal. It separates front and back portions. Naming the plane does not tell you which scan a patient needs.
2. Read your three records
E1 · Location note
In this fictional record, a person points to a sore patch on the front of the right forearm. The patch lies between the elbow and wrist. Describe it in anatomical position.
E2 · View description
A teaching model shows an imaginary flat slice across that forearm at the patch. The arm hangs at the side in anatomical position. The slice separates an upper portion toward the elbow from a lower portion toward the wrist.
This is a text description of a model, not a medical scan. No image is needed to classify the plane.
E3 · Limits of the record
No examination, scan, or tissue test is supplied. The record does not identify damaged tissue, depth of injury, or a cause.
3. Map, then explain
Copy the outline below into your document or notebook. Or draw a simple arm and put the same labels beside it. Artistic skill is not part of the task.
| Label | Your response |
|---|---|
| Side, region, and surface | ___ side; ___ region; ___ surface. Evidence: ___. |
| Two location comparisons | The patch is ___ to the elbow and ___ to the wrist. |
| Major cavity | Is this forearm location inside one of the major cavities in R? Explain. |
| Plane in E2 | ___ plane. It separates ___ from ___. |
| Unknown tissue | What can you say about damaged tissue using E3? |
Now write about four sentences. Claim: describe the location. Evidence: cite E1's landmarks. Reasoning: explain how Reference R supports your words. Limit: use E3 to state what you cannot conclude.
Keep the claim within the evidence: Describe the reported location and classify E2's plane. This is not a diagnosis or a choice of the best scan.
Need a smaller first step?
Start with E1. Underline the side, the surface, and the two landmarks. Use Reference R to replace “front” with its anatomy word. Then fill the first map row.
For the two comparisons, ask which landmark is closer to where the limb joins the trunk. Name the reference landmark in each comparison.
4. Check and turn in
Check all five map rows and your paragraph. Make sure your side belongs to the person in E1. Each claim must come from a record or Reference R.
Save the map and paragraph together as one PDF. If you used paper, scan it clearly. Open only your section's assignment below. Upload, submit, and check the preview. Follow the due date shown there.
Your section number is in the Schoology course title. If you cannot find it or upload your file, keep your work and tell me. Do not skip the work or create a second submission.
Carry forward: Accurate location comes before an explanation of damage. Next time you discuss tissue or bone, ask what new evidence supports that claim.
How this supports PLTW
This original practice supports HBS 1.1.1, Meet the Patients, and 1.1.2, Language of Anatomy. Open your section's handout page below and choose either activity by name. Use those official activities for the cohort patient work and anatomy organizer. Those records stay in Schoology.
This practice does not complete an official PLTW activity. If a patient video or record will not open, tell me which resource is missing. Do not fill the gap with a guessed patient history.