The Muscles That Make a Lip and Palate Work
Anatomical domain · Lesson 2 of 20 · Human Body Systems (HBS)
Today's goal: Describe the orbicularis oris as a ring that seals the lips and the levator veli palatini as a sling that lifts the soft palate, and explain why fiber direction and continuity matter.
What a finished product looks like
This is a model of the work you should turn in. Use it to check your own: match the structure and the level of detail, do not copy it. Your wording should be your own.
Orbicularis oris (lips, top-down): arrows form an unbroken ring that crosses the upper-lip midline. Job: seal and purse the lips. If interrupted at the midline, the lips cannot seal, so suction and p/b/m sounds fail.
Levator veli palatini (soft palate, from below): paired arrows sweep toward the midline and join, running side to side across the velum (a transverse sling). Job: lift the soft palate up and back to seal the velopharynx. If the fibers ran front to back, the muscle could not lift the palate to the throat wall, so the nose would not seal.
How this was built, step by step
The finished product above did not appear all at once. Here is the path from the question to the turned-in work, so you can follow the same steps.
- 1Start from today's question: Which muscles let the lips seal and the soft lift, and why does the direction their fibers run matter?
- 2Work the Model and the Explore questions to reason it out before writing anything.
- 3Pull the specific evidence the product needs from the reading and any database you used.
- 4Write it up in the required format: On a top-down view of the lips and a from-below view of the soft , draw with colored arrows the normal fiber direction of the and the . For each muscle, write one sentence: what job it does and what would break if it were interrupted.
- 5Check it against the rubric, then submit.
| Criterion | Proficient | Developing | Beginning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complete | Every required part of the artifact is present and filled in. | Most parts are present, but one is missing or left blank. | Several parts are missing. |
| Accurate | The science and data are correct and match the evidence. | Mostly correct, with a small factual slip. | Key science or data is wrong. |
| Scientific reasoning (CER) | States a claim, backs it with specific evidence, and explains the reasoning. | Has a claim and evidence, but the reasoning is thin or missing. | Gives an answer with no evidence or reasoning. |
| Professional communication | Clear, organized, and labeled the way a clinician or scientist would write it. | Readable but disorganized or missing labels. | Hard to follow. |
| Submitted | Turned in the right way (Schoology for routine work) and confirmed. | Turned in, but in the wrong place or unconfirmed. | Not turned in. |
- CompleteProficient: Nothing is left blank: the model fills every part of "On a top-down view of the lips and a from-below view of the soft palate, draw with colored arrows the normal fiber direction of the orbicularis oris and the levator veli palatini. For each muscle, write one sentence: what job it does and what would break if it were interrupted.".
- AccurateProficient: Every number and claim matches the case evidence.
- Scientific reasoning (CER)Proficient: It names a claim, cites the specific evidence, and explains the reasoning, not just the answer.
- Professional communicationProficient: It is organized and labeled like a real chart note.
- SubmittedProficient: It would be turned in on Schoology and confirmed.
WebXam problem for today's skill
One exam-style question that uses exactly what you practiced today. Try it before you reveal the answer, then read why each choice is right or wrong.
Tap an answer to see the full explanation. Nothing is recorded or graded.