The Skin Deep Project

From blemishes to suntans, young people are naturally fascinated by skin. The Skin Deep Project takes advantage of this curiosity, introducing students in grades 6 through 12 to the science of skin, including its role in protecting the body from invading microbes, maintaining temperature, and sensing the environment. As they learn how their skin protects them, they also learn how they can protect their skin—from the sun’s ultraviolet rays and from germs that can cause acne and other blemishes.

With support from Neutrogena, AAAS has developed the Skin Deep Project. Join us as we take a closer look at our natural body armor and what we can do to keep it in top shape.

Check out the standards-based classroom resources below to introduce your students to the science of skin.

Science NetLinks Resources

Book Lessons Tools

Book

The Science Inside Skin NEW!
Resource Type: Book (PDF)
Age: 14-Adult
Description: The Science Inside Skin, created as part of the Skin Deep Project, offers readers a closer peek at the body's surface. Inside they'll find information about the three layers of skin, how skin changes during a lifetime, various skin ailments (ranging from acne to the three types of skin cancer), and sun safety.

Lessons

Skin: The Behavior and Health Connection

Resource Type: Lesson
Grade Band: 6-8
Description: In this lesson, students explore how personal behavior can affect health, especially the health of their skin.

Skin and Sports

Resource Type: Lesson
Grade Band: 6-8
Description: In this lesson, students learn about the importance of proper protection from common skin conditions when they engage in sports-related activities. The two resources below provide a more in-depth description of the kinds of skin conditions that athletes face. Keep in mind that the photos and difficulty level of these two resources may be inappropriate for middle-school students.

Skin as an Organ

Resource Type: Lesson
Grade Band: 6-8
Description: In this lesson, students will examine the skin and how it functions as an organ and as part of a larger body system. In order to do this lesson, students should be aware of other organ systems and have knowledge about the anatomy of the human skin.

Skin Care: Acne

Resource Type: Lesson
Grade Band: 6-8
Description: In this lesson, students are asked to think about what they already know about how the body changes as people age. More specifically, they are asked to talk about acne and what they consider to be the most effective ways of treating it and preventing its spread. Using online resources, they will discover that there are many misconceptions about the exact causes and best treatments for acne. When they complete the lesson, they will have a good understanding of how to prevent and treat acne, and take care of their skin in general.

The Ecology of Your Skin 1: Bacteria that Live on the Skin

Resource Type: Lesson
Grade Band: 9-12
Description: In this lesson, students explore the diversity of normal bacterial activities on the human body.

The Ecology of Your Skin 2: The Microbial World Is an Olfactory World

Resource Type: Lesson
Grade Band: 9-12
Description: This lesson introduces students to the olfactory world of our bacterial symbionts.

The Ecology of Your Skin 3: The Body Food Connection

Resource Type: Lesson
Grade Band: 9-12
Description: In this lesson, students come to understand that many bacteria found in and on humans also are participating in making some of our most flavorful foods and drinks; it isn’t just a coincidence but rather an unavoidable consequence of our relationships with bacteria.

Sunburn, Sunscreen, and Cancer

Resource Type: Lesson
Grade Band: 9-12
Description: In this lesson, students explore the link between exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet radiation and the chance of getting a sunburn.

Sun & Skin

Resource Type: Lesson
Grade Band: 9-12
Description: In this lesson, students will discuss what they already know about the impact sun exposure has on their skin and what they typically do to protect themselves, if anything. Using a number of online resources, they will then learn how to care for their skin, the damaging effects of sunburns and tanning, and how sunscreens provide protection from the sun’s harmful UV rays.

Variation in Human Skin Color

Resource Type: Lesson
Grade Band: 9-12
Description: In this lesson, students explore the factors that control variation in human skin color and the implications of this information for human society.

Tool

You and Your Skin

Resource Type: Interactive Tool
Grade Band: 6-8, 9-12
Description: This resource provides an introduction to the basic structure of the skin, information about how the skin protects us, and some information on how to care for the skin. This interactive would be a good tool to use in any lesson about the skin and the role it plays in the human body. It also would be a good resource to use in a lesson about systems of the human body.

This content was created with support from