The Skin Deep Project

May is Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month, with May 2nd set aside as Melanoma Monday. As days grow longer and teens seek the sun, it is important to raise awareness about healthy skin and skin cancer prevention.

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 skin cancer cases increasing and more young people being affected, it is imperative that students understand what tools they have to protect themselves.

With support from Neutrogena, AAAS has developed the Skin Deep Project. Join us as we take a closer look at our largest organ and learn how we can keep it healthy.

Science NetLinks Resources

Interactive Book Lessons Tools

Interactive

SCI: Skin Cancer Investigation

Grade: 6-12
Description: Skin Care Investigations offers students the chance to learn more about skin and skin cancer before entering the virtual world of Glowell Clinic, where they will spend time at the helpdesk answering callers' questions about skin protection and in the laboratory assessing whether skin abnormalities are cancerous or not. Two lessons on skin cancer complement the interactive for classroom use.

Book

The Science Inside Skin
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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Skin Cancer 1: Exposing Healthy Skin to the Sun

Grade Band: 9-12
Description: In this lesson, students develop an understanding of the science behind keeping skin healthy, including how it functions to protect the body and what can be done to protect skin cells from mutations caused by excessive sun exposure.

Skin Cancer 2: Types, Prevention, and Detection

Grade Band: 9-12
Description: In this lesson, students develop an understanding of skin cancer and its different types, how it can be detected, and how it can be prevented.

Sun & Skin

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

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

SCI: Skin Cancer Investigation

Grade Band: 6-12
Description: This tool serves as a resource for the Science NetLinks-developed Skin Cancer Investigation, which gives students the opportunity to learn about skin cancer diagnosis and prevention. The tool offers educators related materials from which to draw and ways to use the interactive in the classroom.

You and Your Skin

Grade Band: 6-12
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