Overview
Imagine tripping and scraping your knee or hearing about someone needing stitches after an accident. How do healthcare professionals help wounds heal so the skin can once again protect the body?
In this two-lesson experiential learning activity, students investigate the integumentary system, the body’s first line of defense. Students explore how the skin protects against injury and infection while helping maintain homeostasis by regulating body temperature, preventing water loss, and supporting the body’s internal balance.
Through discussion, observation, and a hands-on wound-closing simulation, students discover why healthy skin is essential and how sutures restore the skin’s protective barrier to promote healing. Students compare simple interrupted and continuous suturing techniques, considering why one method may be chosen over another depending on the wound.
The learning concludes with an exploration of healthcare careers involved in wound care and an optional introduction to emerging technologies such as smart bandages, tissue adhesives, and 3D bioprinting that are advancing wound treatment.
Throughout both lessons, safety, respectful discussion of medical procedures, and proper handling of classroom materials are emphasized.
NB Curricular Connections
Human Physiology 110
Strand: Movement Big Idea: Body Movement Skill Descriptor: Analyze the relationship between the integumentary system and movement.
Strand: Intergraded Skills Big Idea: Application and Patrice Skill Descriptor: Explore careers in human physiology.
Core learning goals (two‑lesson block)
By the end of this learning experience, students will be able to:
Explain the protective role of the integumentary system.
- Describe the skin as the body’s first line of defense.
- Explain how the integumentary system helps maintain homeostasis by protecting against pathogens, injury, dehydration, and temperature changes.
- Describe why cuts and wounds disrupt normal body function, increase the risk of infection, and affect the body’s ability to maintain homeostasis.
Experience how sutures support healing
- Use a classroom-safe wound model to simulate closing a wound using simple interrupted sutures.
- Explain how sutures bring wound edges together to promote healing.
- Demonstrate careful technique while following step-by-step instructions.
Compare wound closure techniques
- Compare interrupted sutures with continuous sutures.
- Discuss the advantages and limitations of each technique using the classroom model.
- Explain why different wounds may require different closure methods.
Connect physiology to healthcare practice
- Explain how wound closure supports the body’s natural healing process.
- Relate the activity to concepts of tissue repair and homeostasis.
Explore healthcare careers
Recognize that wound care is provided by an interdisciplinary healthcare team, including:
- Nurses
- Physicians
- Surgeons
- Dentists
- Nurse practitioners
- Paramedics
- Surgical technologists
- Wound care specialists
Students also explore how biomedical engineers and medical researchers are developing new technologies to improve wound healing.
What You’ll Need
Each student or group will need:
Before hands on learning:
- Full activity attached to be printed if desired
- PowerPoint presentation about the skin and wound healing
- 4 stages of wound healing document
- Teacher Appendix
Hands on learning:
- Heavy cardstock wound model with a painted “wound” and pre-scored suture holes
- Hemp cord, thick thread, yarn, or string
- Blunt classroom-safe needle
- Needle holder, tweezers, or similar gripping tool
- Clipboard, masking tape, or foam board to stabilize the model (optional)
- Scissors
- Disposable gloves (optional)
These materials create a safe, arts-based simulation that models how sutures bring wound edges together without using biological specimens or sharp medical equipment.
Lesson structure (recommended)
Lesson 1 (Approximately 45 minutes): *PowerPoint and 4 stages of wound healing document attached*
Explore: Why Does Skin Matter?
Students investigate:
- The structure and functions of the skin
- Skin as the body’s protective barrier
- What happens when skin is damaged
- Why some wounds require stitches while others heal naturally
Connect to Healthcare
Students are introduced to healthcare professionals who assess, clean, close, and monitor wounds. Short career profiles encourage students to see how physiology connects to real-world professions.
Lesson 2 (Approximately 45 minutes)
Experience: Closing a Wound
Students apply their understanding by completing a simulated suturing activity using their DIY wound model.
They will:
- Practice placing simple interrupted sutures
- Tie individual knots
- Observe how each stitch helps bring wound edges together
- Reflect on the importance of precision, patience, and technique
Compare Techniques
Using teacher demonstration materials or presentation slides, students compare:
- Simple interrupted sutures
- Continuous sutures
Students discuss:
- Which pattern provides greater control?
- Which might be faster?
- What happens if one stitch breaks?
- Why might healthcare professionals choose one method over another?
Extension ideas;
Students explore emerging wound care innovations, including:
- Smart bandages that monitor healing
- Nanoparticle-based antimicrobial treatments
- Tissue adhesives
- 3D bioprinting for skin replacement
Students reflect on how advances in biomedical science continue to improve patient outcomes.
Reflection Activity
*Attached as Word document*
Global Competencies
Acknowledgments
Content developed in collaboration with Janice D. Williams, B.A. Hon., B.Ed., M.P.Ed., OCT. Pinnacle Educational Services.
Skin Lacerations (2025, May).
By Adam J. Singer, MD, Stony Brook University, Renaissance School of Medicine.
Reviewed by Diane M. Birnbaumer, MD, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
