Human A&PBIO 304 · American River College ← Week 1 pre-work

BIO 304 · Week 1 · Interactive Workbook

Anatomical Position, Planes & Directional Terms

Type your answers, draw in the boxes or upload a photo of your hand drawing, then use Save as PDF to submit. Your work saves on this device as you go.

Paste attempts0

Your work autosaves on this device.

Open the full notes →

Part 1 of 4 · Recall

Fill in the blanks

Type the term that completes each statement, using the word bank. Pull it from memory first.

Word bank

SuperiorAnterior · VentralMedialProximalSuperficialCaudalContralateralArms at sidesSupineSagittalFrontal · coronalObliqueAnterior ↔ PosteriorProximal ↔ Distal

  1. above · toward the head
  2. toward the front of the body
  3. toward the midline
  4. closer to the trunk / point of attachment
  5. closer to the body surface
  6. toward the tailbone / inferior
  7. on the opposite side of the body
  8. palms facing forward, thumbs lateral
  9. lying face-up · default in a hospital bed
  10. vertical cut, divides body into right and left
  11. vertical cut, divides into anterior and posterior
  12. any angled cut, not parallel to the other three
  13. "The toes are anterior to the foot."
  14. "The brachium is proximal to the antebrachium."

Define it: high-yield vocabulary

Write a clear definition in your own words for each term.

  1. Anatomical position
  2. Superior
  3. Inferior
  4. Anterior (ventral)
  5. Posterior (dorsal)
  6. Medial
  7. Lateral
  8. Proximal
  9. Distal
  10. Superficial
  11. Deep
  12. Sagittal plane
  13. Frontal (coronal) plane
  14. Transverse plane

Part 2 of 4 · Anatomy lab

Draw and label

Box A. Anatomical position with directional terms

Directions

  1. Draw a stick figure or simple outline of a person facing you, palms forward, feet shoulder-width apart. This is anatomical position.
  2. Draw an arrow from the head pointing up. Label it Superior. Draw a downward arrow from the head and label it Inferior.
  3. Label Anterior (front) and Posterior (back). Use a small note since both faces are not visible.
  4. Pick one arm. Show Proximal (closer to trunk) at the shoulder and Distal (farther from trunk) at the fingers.
  5. Mark Medial (toward midline) and Lateral (away from midline) on the legs.
  6. Label two body regions on your figure: Brachial (arm), Femoral (thigh), Crural (leg), Antecubital (front of elbow), Popli#0B1530 (back of knee). Pick at least four.
Color Size Tool
Your uploaded drawing for Box A. Anatomical position with directional terms

Box B. The three planes of section

Directions

  1. Draw three small body outlines side by side.
  2. On the first, draw a vertical line dividing the body into left and right halves. Label this the Sagittal plane (specifically, midsagittal if exactly down the middle).
  3. On the second, draw a vertical line dividing the body into front and back halves. Label this the Frontal (coronal) plane.
  4. On the third, draw a horizontal line dividing the body into upper and lower halves. Label this the Transverse plane.
  5. Under each outline, list one imaging study that uses that plane (CT, MRI, ultrasound, etc., your choice).
Color Size Tool
Your uploaded drawing for Box B. The three planes of section

Structures to label

Label each on your drawing.

  1. Superior
  2. Inferior
  3. Anterior
  4. Posterior
  5. Medial
  6. Lateral
  7. Proximal
  8. Distal
  9. Sagittal plane
  10. Frontal (coronal) plane
  11. Transverse plane
  12. Brachial
  13. Femoral
  14. Antecubital
  15. Popli#0B1530

Part 3 of 4 · Physiology lab

Reason it through

A. Applied terminology: describe the injury

1. A cut runs across the front of the elbow.
2. A bruise sits on the calf, just behind and below the knee.
3. A surgeon makes an incision dividing the abdomen into left and right halves.
4. A child scrapes the bony surface on the outer side of the lower leg.
5. An IV is placed in the vein closer to the wrist than to the elbow.

B. Synthesis

1. Explain the difference between Proximal and Superior using the elbow as a reference point. Why can't these terms be used interchangeably?
2. A radiologist sees a tumor on the right kidney, posterior to the abdominal cavity. Translate that location for a patient using everyday language without losing precision.
3. If a surgeon says they made a parasagittal cut at the level of the right midclavicular line, draw a quick diagram of where that cut would be and which structures it would pass through.

Submit

Save as PDF, then upload to Canvas.

The exported PDF stamps your name and paste-attempt count. Drawn-here or hand-drawn diagrams only; typed or AI-generated diagrams are not accepted.

Submit on Canvas →