Download Circulatory System Unit Plan

Circulatory System/Respiratory System Unit Plan
Day 1-5 Circulatory System
Day 6-10 Respiratory System
Day 1: Intro. To Circulatory System
*Journal ?: What is blood and why do we need it? Write down your ideas in your
journal./Share/Discuss
*KWL on smartboard about the circulatory system
*Read: Magic School Bus: Inside the Human Body – add new questions/ideas to
KWL on circulatory system
*United Streaming Video #1 (common drive/3rd grade science folder:
Slim Goodbody-Circulatory System
*Partner up students and draw body outlines with their partner and glue on their
printed out face of themselves
Day 2: The Heart – The strongest muscle in your body
Objectives: to identify the heart as the largest muscle in the body
 to describe the heart's role in pumping blood to the lungs and to all parts
of the body
* Ask students to identify the strongest muscle of the body. Allow students to give their ideas and
then explain that the correct answer is the heart. Show students diagram of the heart (on
smartboard) and share the background information with them.
These are on
the last
smartboard
page
of Your Heart




The heart works day and night to pump blood through the circulatory system.
The heart consists of two pumps.
The pump on the right side of the heart sends blood to the lungs where the blood obtains
oxygen.
The blood which has obtained oxygen then travels back to the heart where it is pumped
to all parts of the body.
*Read: Your Heart (level L) on the smartboard together
* Explain that as the blood is pumped through the arteries, you can feel the artery walls stretch
and relax. Ask students what this is called. Entertain their ideas and clarify that this is their pulse.
Ask how they could measure the pumping of their hearts using the pulse. Have students feel for
pulse with their fingers.
*Cut out picture of heart, color and glue on the body outline.
**Write down 3 things you now know about the heart/share together – add ideas to the
classroom “Things We Know About the Heart” chart
Extension for finding pulse:
Objective:
to construct a simple apparatus to visually detect the pulse
Materials:
 toothpicks
 modeling clay
Procedures:
Student
Information:
 Provide each student with a toothpick and a piece of clay.
 Stick the toothpick into a "dime sized" lump of clay.
 Have students rest the "counter" on the inside of their wrist just
below the base of the thumb.
 Have students observe the toothpick as it moves. Let students work
in pairs to time the counts in 15 seconds.
 Use this information to determine how many beats per minute.
Assessment:
 Use the information from each student to construct a class graph.
 Have students compare and contrast information compiled.
 Using this graph, have each student write a journal entry of the
information obtained. They should include at least three major points
in their summary.
Day 3: Arteries
*Read p. 5-15 of The Circulatory System together on smartboard pages together
and discuss & list new things we now know about the heart on “Things We
Know About the Heart” chart
*Read p. 19-23 of The Circulatory System together on smartboard
- pass out body drawings and model drawing in the arteries, then students
draw their arteries on the body using a pencil first, then outline with a red
marker.
Day 4: Veins
*Read/discuss p. 24-27 of The Circulatory System on smartboard and add new
ideas to “Things We Know About the Heart”
*- pass out body drawings and model drawing in the veins, (have chart visible on
smartboard then students draw their arteries on the body using a pencil first, then
outline with a blue marker
*Video (VHS) – Bill Nye the Science Guy Heart and Blood
*Extension: Making your own stethoscope
Make Your Own Stethoscope
Objective:
to use a stethoscope to listen to the heart beat
Materials:
1 cardboard tube from a paper towel roll per every 2 students
Procedures:
Student
Information:
Over 170 years ago, a man named Laennec invented the first
stethoscope. It was a wooden tube about 1 inch in diameter and about
10 inches long. Students will use paper towel roll tubes as
stethoscopes.
1. Have the students pair up and listen for their partner's heartbeat by
placing the tube over the partner's heart.
2. Count the number of beats per 30 seconds. Add this number
together twice to find out how many times each minute the person's
heart beats.
3. Have one partner run in place for one minute, then listen again.
Have the students write down what they hear and calculate the new
beats per minute.
4. Have the partners switch.
Assessment:
(Follow-up discussion) The heart beats faster after the exercise in
order to pump more blood (oxygen) to the working muscles.
Day 5: Heart Health
*Read pages 29-43 of The Circulatory System on Smartboard / discuss
*List Heart Healthy ideas on chart
*Watch United Streaming Video #2 (common drive 3rd grade Science)
Exercising the Heart and Circulatory System
*Add Keeping My Heart Healthy list to the body outline.
*Writing Activity – If you were a drop of blood, what route would you take as
you traveled around inside of your body?
The Respiratory System
Day 6: Intro. To the Respiratory System
*What is the Respiratory system? Discuss ideas
My lungs help my body breathe.
What do the lungs do and why do we need them?
The upper part of my chest is almost filled with my lungs.
My lungs are made up of millions of elastic-like sacs which fill up and let out air.
My lungs can hold about as much air as a basketball!
Air comes into my body through my nose and mouth. It travels down my trachea (windpipe), through my bronchial
tubes, and then into both of my lungs.
My lungs trade air with my blood. My heart pumps used blood to my lungs. My lungs take the carbon dioxide and
other things that my body cannot use out of my blood. After the trading is done, my blood goes back to my heart to work
again.
A big, strong muscle helps make my lungs work. It is called my diaphragm. My diaphragm is under my lungs. It helps
push out my lungs when they are filling up with air. My diaphragm also help let my lungs back in to squeeze out the air.
So, every time I inhale (breathe air in) and every time I exhale (breathe air out), I know my lungs are working.
My lungs help my body breathe. They are like balloons filling up with air and letting air out!
*KWL of the Respiratory System
*Read p. 5-13 of The Respiratory System and discuss / add new questions or
ideas to the KWL
*Watch United Streaming video #3 (common drive under 3rd grade Science)
“Our Respiratory System”
Day 7: Lungs/Trachea
*Review what we know about the respiratory system and add any new ideas to
chart.
*Read pages 13-25 in The Respiratory System
*Color, label and cut out the lungs and trachea from construction paper cutouts
and glue on body outlines.
Day 8: The Air We Breath / How Our Heart and Lungs Work
Together
*Discuss – How do you think the heart and the lungs work together?
(Journal/Share Ideas/Record on the Board)
*Read pages 26-34 and discuss
*Respiratory System video clip #4: (common drive/3rd grade science #3)
*Lung capacity experiment
Measuring Your Lung Capacity
Objectives:
(Math Activity)
 to create a physical representation of the amount of air that their
lungs can hold at once
 to define the terms "capacity" and "circumference"
 to describe the relation between our study of the lungs and their
own bodies
 to compare the lung capacity of different people
Materials:
Student
Information:
For each pair of students:
Procedures:
1. Divide students into pairs and ask them to think of a way that we
could measure the amount of air our lungs can hold. (If they are
having trouble, hold up a balloon and let them make the connection.)
 string (cut to 24 inches long-- long enough to fit around an inflated
balloon)
 balloons
 rulers
 recording sheet with space for several attempts in both "Estimate of
Circumference" and "Actual Circumference"
2. Explain that they will be measuring their lung capacity (amount
something can hold) using balloons. To show the size of one person's
lung capacity in comparison with another's you will be measuring how
big around the balloon gets.
3. Demonstrate how to measure the circumference of a balloon that
you've blown up with the string and then how you measure the
amount of string used with a ruler. (It's best to pick a partner to
demonstrate this so that the children understand the role of both
people on a team.)
4. Go over the recording sheet with them explaining that in each of the
5 tries they will make a guess or estimate first and then actually blow
up the balloon with one breath and measure it. Partners will take turns
helping the other.
5. Take a poll of how many students think that their guesses will get
better with every try.
6. Discussion: Give each student an opportunity to tell his/her lung
capacity. Follow up pre-measuring poll by asking students how close
their guesses were in the beginning and how close they were on try
#5.
Assessment:
Students write letters to another class giving directions on how to find
your lung capacity. They should include problems they may have had
and the solutions they came up with to help!
Bulletin Board: Tie off each balloon and tack it to the bulletin board
with a label stating the child's name and lung capacity.
Day 9: Keeping our Lungs Healthy
*Give students 5 min. to come up with a list on their own of ways to keep their
lungs healthy.
*Together – list ideas and discuss why we need to keep our lungs healthy.
*Read p. 35-43 together on smartboard / discuss
*Poster Project – Ways to keep our bodies healthy
Day 10: Review and Quiz
*See next page for quiz
Name:_____________________________________________
Circulatory and Respiratory Quiz
Fill in the blanks with the correct word
1. The ______________________is the strongest muscle in your body.
2. The heart has ________________ pumps.
3. Blood leaves your heart through the ________________
and returns to your heart through the ____________.
4. A __________________________is the tool used by doctors and
nurses to listen to your heart.
5. Air enters my body through my ________________and
__________________.
6. My body takes in ____________________ and gives off
_______________ __________________.
7. The amount of air my lungs hold is called my ____________
________________.
8. Arteries are ___________in color.
9. Veins are _____________ in color.
10. I can keep my lungs healthy by ________ ____________.
Word Bank
not smoking
lung capacity
carbon dioxide
mouth
stethoscope
veins
heart
red
two
oxygen
nose
arteries
blue
Unit Materials List:
Writing journal
Circulatory System KWL
Respiratory System KWL
Butcher paper for body outline
Outline of heart, trachea, lungs to
Cut out and glue on body outline
About the Heart chart for recording facts
Balloon for each student
At least 24” of string for each student
Plain white construction paper for posters
Copies of final quiz
Books: The Circulatory System (level M)
The Respiratory System (level M)
Your Heart (level L)
Magic Schoolbus: Inside the Human Body
Videos: (VHS) Bill Nye…Heart and Blood
Common Drive Videos #1-4
Slim Goodbody
Excersising..Heart and Circ. System
Respiratory System #3
Respiratory System #4 - 5 min. clip
Recording Sheet for pulse
Heart/Lungs/Trachea/Arteries/Veins labels for body outline
Glue journal entry title to the top of writing page and have students answer – add to their writings as you
discuss topics
Journal Entry #1
What is blood and why do we need it?
Journal Entry #2
Tell me at least three things you know about your
heart.
Journal Entry #3
If you were a drop of blood, what route would you take as
you traveled around inside of your body?
Journal Entry #4
List at least five things that you can do to keep your lungs
healthy
Journal Entry #5
How do you think the heart and the lungs work together?