PEER Teacher Requested Resource
Lesson Plan Circulatory System
Summary:
The heart, an essential part of the circulatory system, is composed of cardiac muscle
which never tires and continuously forces blood throughout the body. In this lesson,
students will learn about the structure and function of the circulatory system. They will
also diagram the direction of blood flow through the human body.
Keywords: circulatory system, cardiovascular, circulation, heart, blood, blood vessels,
arteries, veins, capillaries, valves, atria, ventricle, red blood cell, white blood cell,
platelet, oxygenated, deoxygenated, heartbeat, pulse, systole, diastole
Subject TEKS:
Science: TEKS: 7.12 (B) identify the main functions of the systems of the human
organism, including the circulatory, respiratory, skeletal, muscular, digestive,
excretory, reproductive, integumentary, nervous, and endocrine systems.
Grade Level: 6th/7th/8th
Learning Objectives:
Students will be able to trace the flow of blood throughout the body
Students will be able to identify where blood enters and leaves the heart and
where it becomes oxygenated
Students will also be able to label the chambers of the heart and trace the flow of
blood through it
Students will understand the function of valves
Students will know the main functions of the circulatory system
Time Required: 1 class period
A product of the Partnership for Environmental Education and Rural Health at
College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University
Funding support from the National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health
Materials:
Valve Activity
o Two 8 inch sections of clear vinyl tubing (found at Lowe’s for $0.40/ft, or
at hardware/marine supply/car care stores)
o Rubber gloves
o Duct tape
o Small rubber bands, about the width of the tubing
o Funnel/beaker
o Scissors
o Cup of water
Computer lab for online quiz
Draw Your Circulatory System
o Student sized sheets of butcher paper (one for each student)
o Red and Blue Markers (one set for each student)
Background and Concepts for Teachers:
Teacher should be able to describe the flow of blood in the circulatory system.
They should be able to identify chambers of the heart. Teachers should have a
basic understanding of the circulatory system, its parts and function.
Vocabulary / Definitions:
Circulation – the continuous movement of blood through all parts of the body
under the action of the heart.
Heart – hollow, muscular organ that contracts in a rhythmic pattern to pump
blood throughout the body
Blood – liquid bringing oxygen and nutrients to the cells of the body made up of
red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets
Diastole – relaxing of the heart, where atria refill with blood
Systole – contracting of the heart, where ventricles pump blood out
Atrium – upper chamber of the heart that receives blood from the veins and
forces it into the ventricles
Ventricle – bottom chambers of the heart the left side of the heart that receives
arterial blood from the left atrium and contracts to force it into the aorta; the
chamber on the right side of the heart that receives venous blood from the right
atrium and force sit into the pulmonary artery
Arteries – blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood away from the heart
Veins – blood vessels that carry deoxygenated blood to the heart
Capillaries – the smallest blood vessels were gas (oxygen and carbon dioxide)
and waste exchange takes place with cells
Lesson Introduction / Motivation:
Slide 2 of the Circulatory System PowerPoint has several fun links to videos to capture
the students’ interest.
A product of the Partnership for Environmental Education and Rural Health at
College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University
Funding support from the National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health
Presentation/Explanation:
Many slides have animation to make pictures and paragraphs appear and
disappear, go through the presentation on ‘presentation mode’ to get a feel for
when and where the animations are. The text and photos will overlay each other
in the normal view – this is fine, it will not appear so during the presentation.
Stop presentation at slide 6 to conduct the “Why Valves?” activity or do as a
teacher demonstration for the whole class (students can fill out the “Why
Valves?” activity questions for a grade).
In the note section of slides 6 and 7, is a quick question for students, with answer
provided.
Slide 12 has a quick activity in the notes section to illustrate heart contraction and
relaxation.
Slide 15 has a pulse checking activity with directions on the slide.
Slide 18 has a link to a YouTube video of an open heart surgery called
endarterectomy in which plaque is removed from an artery, start at 2:31.
Activity/Application:
Why Valves: see attached document
Draw Your Circulatory System: Students should use the notes taken during the
PowerPoint presentation to successfully complete this activity. Provide each
student a piece of butcher paper that is roughly their size. Have them break up
into pairs and trace each other on the piece of paper (Note: the pairs are only for
drawing not for working together on the project). The project part should be done
individually. Students will need to draw a heart and lung, labeling the four
chambers, and then tracing the flow of blood into and out of the heart and
throughout the body. Students will use the red marker for oxygenated blood and
the blue for non-oxygenated blood and will need to include arrows to show the
direction in which the blood is flowing (this includes inside the heart as well).
Finished drawings can be displayed around the room. Check that the students
correctly labeled the heart and the direction of blood flow.
Lesson Closure:
http://www.neok12.com/quiz/CIRSYS01 – brief online definition matching quiz
Lesson Extensions:
Many animals have different circulatory systems than humans. Have the students
research an animal whose circulatory system differs from that of humans. They must
include pictures of both the human and animal heart, the flow of blood, and a description
of how the animal’s circulatory system is different from humans.
References:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbttJ-5do9M&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiYOuI7iyp8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlCX2NCEgcM&feature=related
A product of the Partnership for Environmental Education and Rural Health at
College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University
Funding support from the National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA0Wb3gc4mE&feature=related
http://www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/BIOBK/BioBookcircSYS.html
http://thingscardiologistsnevertellyou.blogspot.com/2010/05/know-your-heart-
structure-of-heart-and.html
http://kidshealth.org/parent/interactive/heart_it.html
http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/body_basics/heart.html
Authors:
Undergraduate Fellow Name: Katie Clark
Graduate Fellow Name: Jennifer Graham
Please email us your comments on this lesson:
E-mail to
[email protected]Please include the title of the lesson, whether you are a teacher or college faculty and
what grade you used it for.
A product of the Partnership for Environmental Education and Rural Health at
College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University
Funding support from the National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health
