Spinal column

High school (ages 12+)
Human Body

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/spinal-column

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Vertebral column
2. What is the number of vertebrae (adult)?Typically 26 distinct bones (including fused sacrum and coccyx)
3. What is the spinal column and why is it important?The spinal column, or spine, is a long chain of bones that holds up your body and keeps you standing tall. It also protects the brain by shielding the spinal cord inside it.
4. How many parts does the spine have and what are they?Your spine is split into five regions: cervical (neck), thoracic (mid-back), lumbar (lower back), sacral (pelvis), and coccygeal (tailbone). Each part has a special shape to help it do its job.

Vertebrae: The individual bony segments forming the vertebral column, each with unique structural characteristics based on its region.
Intervertebral Discs: Fibrocartilaginous structures between vertebral bodies that absorb shock, facilitate movement, and contribute to spinal height.
Spinal Canal: The central channel within the vertebral column that houses and protects the spinal cord.
Lordosis and Kyphosis: The natural inward (lordotic) and outward (kyphotic) curves of the spine that enhance its structural integrity and shock absorption.