Anatomical directional terms
This page has four parts, in the order you use them. Part 1 is what you need to know. Part 2 says what to do, in plain English. Part 3 shows the work done once on a case that is not yours. Part 4 is your own work and where to turn it in.
Open your materials, follow the steps, then turn in your work.
Apply anatomical directional terms to describe the location of body structures precisely.
Part 1 of 4 · Background and definitions▸
💡 Big idea: Directional terms anchored to anatomical position and a named reference structure let two readers agree on a relative location.
- • Anatomical position is the standard reference: body upright, palms forward. All directional terms assume this position.
- • Paired directional terms: /, /, medial/lateral, /, superficial/deep.
- • A term needs the structure it is measured from: and lateral locate nothing until you say proximal to what and lateral to what. Left and right are the person's own.
Date the record, separate data from analysis and identify the next check to perform.
Directional terms anchored to anatomical position and a named reference structure let two readers agree on a relative location.
Driving question: A report says a structure is and lateral. Proximal to what, and lateral to what? What has to be stated before those words mean the same thing to both readers?
What you already know: Use a seated explanation or diagram to identify front, back and the person’s own left and right. Standing is optional. E4 supplies structure locations; F1 and E2 supply terms and comparisons.
New idea: Directional terms anchored to anatomical position and a named reference structure let two readers agree on a relative location.
Visual or model: F1. Original text reference, not a body diagram. E1 gives orientation; E2 gives structure examples. What to notice: Anchor to anatomical position, name the reference structure, then choose the pair.
F1: five-pair reference card
- Superior / inferior Toward head / toward feet
- Anterior / posterior Toward front / toward back
- Medial / lateral Toward midline / away from midline
- Proximal / distal On a limb: nearer / farther from trunk
- Superficial / deep Nearer / farther from body surface
- Write 'anatomical position' on the outline. Use a seated explanation, diagram or optional standing demonstration; left and right are the person's.
- Mark five structures on the outline and, beside each, write one term and the structure it is measured from, using E2’s pairs and E4’s supplied locations.
- Write three sentences, each locating one structure relative to another with at least two terms.
- Type the sentences in your section's assignment and attach or insert the outline image, or submit one combined file.
Real biomedical example: ' to the elbow' describes a relative relationship on a limb. The report must name the side and add more detail to locate an exact spot. Source: Anatomical Terminology: anatomical position and directional terms.
What the evidence supports: F1, E2 and E4 support the one product: five labeled structures and three two-term sentences in one submission. If official inputs are missing, keep that work pending and continue this same product. Confirm the assignment and receipt separately; save locally if blocked.
What it cannot prove: A labeled outline cannot show a real patient's injury, a mass, or which side hurts.
- • Anatomical position: The reference pose every term assumes: standing upright, facing forward, arms at the sides, palms forward. Left and right always mean the person's own left and right.
- • / : is toward the head; is toward the feet. The nose is superior to the mouth.
- • / : is toward the front of the body; is toward the back. The sternum is anterior to the spine.
- • Medial / lateral: Medial is toward the ; lateral is away from it. The heart is medial to the lungs; the thumb is lateral to the little finger in anatomical position.
- • / : On a limb, is nearer the point where the limb joins the trunk; is farther from it. The wrist is distal to the elbow.
- • Superficial / deep: Superficial is nearer the body surface; deep is farther inside. The skin is superficial to the muscle.
- • Reference structure: The structure a directional term is measured from. '' means nothing until you say proximal to what.
Use it now: In anatomical position, is the thumb medial or lateral to the little finger? Say it with the reference structure named, then check E2. This is thinking practice for the one turn-in named under Turn in, not a second submission.
Go further, optional: The OpenStax terminology page adds regional terms and planes. F1, E2 and your notes supply everything the outline needs.
Anatomical position: upright, facing forward, arms at the sides, palms forward. Every term assumes it, so a description means the same thing however the person is actually lying. Left and right are the person's own.
Limit: Orientation fixes the frame. It does not place any structure by itself.
The five pairs with a reference example each: / (nose, mouth); / (sternum, spine); medial/lateral (heart, lungs); / (wrist, elbow); superficial/deep (skin, muscle). A term needs the structure it is measured from.
Limit: The examples are reference facts for the outline, not a required list; you may choose other structures you can place from your notes.
F1 is an original text reference card for all five pairs, not a body diagram. E1 supplies orientation; E2 supplies structure comparisons. and describe relative position on any view. The card does not show organ shapes or exact positions.
Limit: Describe where a structure sits relative to a named structure in anatomical position. A labeled outline cannot show a real patient's injury, a mass, or which side hurts.
E4 structure reference: the nose and mouth are facial structures; the nose is above the mouth. The sternum is the breastbone at the front center of the chest. The spine is the column of back bones. The heart lies between the lungs in the chest, in front of the spine. The lungs lie to either side of the heart. Skin covers the body; the skeletal muscle beneath that skin is deeper. On one upper limb, the order away from the trunk is shoulder, upper arm, elbow, forearm, wrist, hand and fingers. The elbow joins upper arm to forearm; the wrist joins forearm to hand. In the standing reference pose, wrist is below elbow. Use the same side for limb comparisons. These broad positions support schematic labels, not exact organ outlines or a patient finding. For a two-term sentence, select a structure and state two supported relationships with their references. You may use the same reference for both terms. Read this card before the opening limb comparison.
Limit: Describe where a structure sits relative to a named structure in anatomical position. A labeled outline cannot show a real patient's injury, a mass, or which side hurts.
Today's decision · Simulated classroom evidence scenario
Your role: student labeling five structures from F1 and E2
Decision: A partner labels the elbow '' with no other word, and writes 'left' meaning the reader's left because that is how the outline faces them. Decide how your outline states each location.
- • Write each label from anatomical position and name the reference structure, so '' reads 'distal to the elbow' and left means the person's left.
- • Label the outline as it faces you on the desk, because the terms describe the body however it is positioned right now.
- • Leave the labels blank until the official Maniken flags confirm each position, since an outline cannot be labeled from notes alone.
Response: One submission in your section's Wk3 Vocabulary: Anatomical directional terms assignment: the three sentences typed in Schoology with the labeled outline attached or inserted as a readable image, or one combined file. The choice discussion is preparation, not another submission. Use it inside the one turn-in named under Turn in; it is not a separate submission.
Claim ceiling: Describe where a structure sits relative to a named structure in anatomical position. A labeled outline cannot show a real patient's injury, a mass, or which side hurts.
Reason for review: A report says a structure is ' and lateral' and nothing else. A second reader with only the report and a labeled outline must say what is fixed and what is missing.
Context: A composite teaching case, not a real patient. Its whole content is the reference language the outline teaches.
- • A report describes a location as and lateral.
- • The reader asks: to what, lateral to what, and in which pose?
- • Once the reference structure and anatomical position are stated, both readers point to the same region of the outline.
- • A term without a reference structure locates nothing.
- • Anatomical position settles whose left is meant.
- • The outline shows relative position only; it shows no finding.
Measurements: None are supplied. The report gives relative words, not a size or a diagnosis, and this case supplies no image.
Figure finding: Relative location can be fixed once the reference structure and the pose are named; nothing about a finding is settled.
Uncertainty: The report does not say what the structure is, how large, or whether anything is wrong with it; the outline cannot supply any of that.
Students often think directional terms describe the body however it is currently positioned. The trap: all directional terms assume the anatomical position (upright, palms forward), so they stay consistent no matter how the patient is actually lying
- CER:
- Claim, Evidence, Reasoning: make a claim, back it with evidence, explain your reasoning.
- SOP:
- Standard Operating Procedure, the exact steps to follow (especially in a lab).
- Tracker:
- Your PLTW progress log where you record completed evidence.
- myPLTW:
- The PLTW course site where you do the online activities. Find it in Clever with your Microsoft sign-in, right next to Schoology.
Part 2 of 4 · Directions in plain English▸
2.1 Open your materials
Use the materials named in the first step below. Open lesson resources.
2.2 Start the work
Read the notes on anatomical position and the five paired terms (superior/inferior, anterior/posterior, medial/lateral, proximal/distal, superficial/deep).
Show all 5 required steps
- Read the notes on anatomical position and the five paired terms (superior/inferior, anterior/posterior, medial/lateral, proximal/distal, superficial/deep).
- Mark five structures on a body outline, each with the correct directional term and the structure it is measured from.
- Do the official Activity 1.1.2 Directional Terms work in myPLTW to the stopping point named in class.
- Write three sentences locating structures using at least two terms each.
- Submit once: type the sentences in the assignment and attach or insert your labeled outline, or one combined file.
Lost your place? If you lost your place, check your term pairs (superior/inferior, anterior/posterior, medial/lateral, proximal/distal, superficial/deep) and use the next one to locate a structure.
- 0-8Intro: why directional language matters in clinical settings
- 8-25Notes: anatomical position and five paired directional terms
- 25-45Official Activity 1.1.2 Directional Terms work in myPLTW, to the stopping point named in class
- 45-60Label five structures on body outline with correct terms
- 60-75Write three two-term sentences describing organ locations
- 75-80Submit outline and sentences; preview next class: imaging and privacy
- • If I say a patient has pain in their upper left side, that description is almost useless to a clinician. Which left? Left from whose perspective?
- • Anatomical directional terms solve this: one pose, a named reference structure, and a shared set of pairs used in clinical descriptions and imaging reports.
- • Today you learn five paired terms and use them to locate structures on a body outline.
- • You use the same terms next class to describe images, and on Friday the planes and cavities add the regions.
PLTW connection and today's work
Continue in Activity 1.1.2 Language of Anatomy (Lesson 1.1 Beginning With Bones) in myPLTW and work the Directional Terms section to the stopping point Mr. Mendoza names in class.
Today's stopping point: Keep earlier safety work pending if unfinished. Work the official Directional Terms section only with the assigned inputs and confirmed stopping point; otherwise continue the same supplied outline and sentences.
PLTW activity titles identify the course connection. If your account will not open, use the posted materials for today and tell Mr. Mendoza. Do not mark an online activity complete unless you completed it.
Course connection
- Activity 1.1.2 Language of Anatomy
Use the turn-in directions in Part 4 of this page. Do not create a second submission unless your teacher asks for one.
Show another explanation or a smaller first step
Need help? Choose a starting point
Finish the assigned lab safely before starting extra practice.
Part 3 of 4 · Worked example▸
This is a parallel case, not your own. Read it for the order of the work, then do your own in Part 4.
Five labeled structures (anatomical position assumed: body upright, palms forward):
- The nose is superior to the mouth.
- The wrist is distal to the elbow.
- The heart is medial to the lungs.
- The breastbone (sternum) is anterior to the spine.
- The skin is superficial to the muscle.
Three locating sentences (two terms each):
1. The heart is medial to the lungs and anterior to the spine.
2. The sternum is anterior to the spine and medial to the lungs.
3. On the same limb in anatomical position, the wrist is distal and inferior to the elbow.
This model shows the level of evidence and organization needed to complete: A body outline with structures marked using the correct paired directional terms, plus original sentences that locate organs relative to one another using anatomical language.
- Define the term in plain scientific language.
- Connect it to the current investigation.
- Use it accurately in a new example or contrast.
Keep the structure. Replace the question, facts, measurements, and evidence. Then recheck units, vocabulary, and whether the conclusion goes beyond the evidence.
Also due today: One submission in your section's Wk3 Vocabulary: Anatomical directional terms assignment: type the three sentences and attach or insert your labeled outline, or one combined file.
Part 4 of 4 · Your work▸
Check your work before submitting
- You can place a structure using the correct paired directional term.
- You can describe one structure relative to another in a full sentence.
Before lab work: read the safety rules
- Sharps hazard: cut away from your hand on a stable tray, keep fingers behind the blade, and put blades and pins in the sharps container, never the trash.
- Human samples and data stay private: label with a code, never a name, and dispose of materials in the correct waste container, then wash your hands.
4.1 Turn in your work
DueCheck the Schoology assignment for this day- Hand in
- Body outline with five structures labeled using correct paired directional terms, plus three sentences each using at least two terms.
How to submit and name your file
One submission in your section's assignment: type your three sentences in Schoology and attach or insert a readable image of your labeled outline, or submit one combined file.
In Schoology, open your course and the assignment for this lesson. Attach your file, select Submit, and check that it appears in the submission.
PDF upload helpYou get two school days for every day you were absent, so this deadline moves with you.
Choose your Schoology section. Open only one assignment.
Check the section number beside Human Anatomy and Physiology in Schoology.
Assignment: Wk3 Vocabulary: Anatomical directional terms
Link will not open? Open Schoology, choose your section, and find the assignment title above.
How I will check this work
- You can place a structure using the correct paired directional term.
- You can describe one structure relative to another in a full sentence.
Describe where a structure sits relative to a named structure in anatomical position. A labeled outline cannot show a real patient's injury, a mass, or which side hurts. Use the Schoology assignment linked above to submit it.
How this lesson connects
Anatomical position → five paired terms with a named reference → next class, the same terms on images → Friday, planes and cavities. Fix the frame, name the reference, then choose the pair.
Unit 1 guide: what to keep and use nextPractice: try a question, then check your answer▸
Claim ceiling for this check: Describe where a structure sits relative to a named structure in anatomical position. A labeled outline cannot show a real patient's injury, a mass, or which side hurts.
Why do all directional terms assume the anatomical position, and what is that position?
Write an answer and pick a confidence to unlock the key.
Missed class or ready for more?▸
Finish the checklist before you handle any material.
- • Sharps hazard: cut away from your hand on a stable tray, keep fingers behind the blade, and put blades and pins in the sharps container, never the trash.
- • Human samples and data stay private: label with a code, never a name, and dispose of materials in the correct waste container, then wash your hands.
- 1Read the notes on anatomical position and the five paired terms (superior/inferior, anterior/posterior, medial/lateral, proximal/distal, superficial/deep).
- 2Mark five structures on a body outline, each with the correct directional term and the structure it is measured from.
- 3Do the official Activity 1.1.2 Directional Terms work in myPLTW to the stopping point named in class.
- 4Write three sentences locating structures using at least two terms each.
- 5Submit once: type the sentences in the assignment and attach or insert your labeled outline, or one combined file.
What today's skills lead to. These are real health-science careers this course builds toward. Tap one to see, on the US Department of Labor's O*NET site, what the job actually involves, what it pays, and how fast it is growing.
Today is individual work you can do from home: complete the same target above, then submit your Vocabulary task.
One submission in your section's assignment: type your three sentences in Schoology and attach or insert a readable image of your labeled outline, or submit one combined file.
Class still runs. Complete today's work as this page describes (it is self-guided). Need the concept taught without a teacher? Use this authoritative explainer:
F1 reference card: five paired directional termsSources: slides, readings, and resources▸
Use the deck and optional guided notes for the same five-label outline and three two-term sentences. Submit that one product; no extra exit ticket is due.
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