The Respiratory System
Students follow the path air takes through our body, build a working lung model, learn about gas exchange, and understand why dirty air can hurt our breathing.
4
Lessons
4
Class Periods
Low
Materials Cost
3
NGSS Standards
Essential Question
How does air get into our bodies, and why do we need to breathe clean air?
Lessons
Key Concepts
Path of Air
- Nose/Mouth - air enters
- Trachea (windpipe)
- Bronchi - tubes into lungs
- Alveoli - tiny air sacs
Breathing Mechanics
- Diaphragm pulls down
- Lungs expand (get bigger)
- Air rushes in
- Diaphragm relaxes, air goes out
Gas Exchange
- Oxygen goes into blood
- Blood carries O2 to body
- CO2 waste comes back
- We breathe out CO2
Pollution Effects
- Particles get stuck in lungs
- Airways can get irritated
- Harder to breathe
- Asthma attacks possible
Standards Alignment
| Standard | Description |
|---|---|
| 4-LS1-1 | Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction |
| 4-LS1-2 | Use a model to describe that animals receive different types of information through their senses |
| 4.MD.A.2 | Use the four operations to solve word problems involving measurement |