The Cord and the Scar: teacher key

Belly Buttons, grade 5 edition, written for 5th grade. The cord that fed you before birth left a scar for life. Learn what it was made of, how a stump heals, and what lives in your belly button.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. What carried oxygen and nutrients to the baby?
   • The stump
   • The umbilical cord (answer)
   • The navel
2. What do the two arteries in the cord carry?
   • Food from the mouth
   • Air from the lungs
   • Oxygen-poor blood back to the placenta (answer)
3. Why is the cord no longer needed after birth?
   • The baby breathes with its lungs (answer)
   • The baby grows hair
   • The cord is too long
4. What does ACOG advise for healthy babies?
   • Cut the cord at once
   • Wait at least 30 to 60 seconds before cutting (answer)
   • Never cut the cord
5. Which color can a drying stump turn?
   • Bright green
   • Pink
   • Brown or black (answer)
6. What forms an umbilical hernia?
   • Part of the intestine pushing through a weak spot (answer)
   • A cut cord
   • A rinse with plain water

Words

• umbilical: of the cord
• arteries: blood tubes
• hernia: a bulge
• placenta: cord's start
• stump: bit of cord