SCIENE 9

Module
Unit: Biology - Circulation

LESSON 1.1 - AN INTRODUCTION TO THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM

Overview:
Students will read about the circulatory system and answer probing questions to test their
understanding.

Suggested Timeline: 1.5 hours

Method:

INDIVIDUAL FORMAT:

1. Have students complete their vocabulary list, reading and questions on ‘An Introduction to
the Circulatory System’ (Student Handout).
2. Set a date for the quiz on the material (‘QUIZ – An Introduction to the Circulatory System’ –
Student Handout).

Assessment and Evaluation:

 Assessment of student’s understanding of material through review of questions
 Student grade on quiz
Unit: Biology - Circulation

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM

VOCABULARY

blood vessel -

arteries –

veins –

capillaries –

blood –

plasma –

white blood cells –

red blood cells –

platelets –

WHAT IS CIRCULATION?

What messenger makes trillions of stops in just thirty seconds? Your blood!

In just under thirty seconds, your blood moves (circulates) through your entire body. It reaches
every one of your trillions of cells.

Blood carries things to each cell that are needed. These things include oxygen and nutrients. In
exchange, the blood picks up waste from the cells, including carbon dioxide, heat and excess
water.

The heart pumps blood throughout the body through a closed system of tubes. These tubes that
carry the blood are called blood vessels. There are three types of blood vessels: arteries, veins,
and capillaries.
Unit: Biology - Circulation

Arteries carry blood away from the heart. This blood is rich in oxygen and nutrients. It is
brought to the cells of the body.

Veins carry blood from the body cells back to the heart. This blood contains waste materials.

Capillaries connect arteries and veins and are very tiny. The majority of the blood vessels in
your body are capillaries.

The circulatory system is made up the heart, blood vessels, and blood. Circulation, or transport,
is a vital function. Life cannot go on without it.

Blood vessels are found in almost every part of the

body.

If laid end to end, your blood vessels would stretch out

to about 161,000 km! (About 4 times the distance
around the equator!)

Look at Figure B. It shows arteries and veins within the

human body. Each artery and vein branches out to tiny
capillaries.

Write the correct term in each blank to answer the

questions or complete the sentence.

1. What pumps blood through your body?

______________

2. Blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart

are called _______________.

3. Vessels that carry blood back to the heart are called

______________.

4. Blood moves from arteries to veins through tiny

blood vessels called ________________.

5. The heart, blood vessels and blood make up the

______________________.
Unit: Biology - Circulation

Examine the parts of Figure C, then answer the questions below.

1. Arteries branching away from the heart become ____________________________________.

(smaller and smaller OR larger and larger)

2. Veins leading back to the heart become ________________________________________.

(smaller and smaller OR larger and larger)

3. Most of our blood vessels are ______________________________.

(arteries, veins or capillaries)

Match each term in Column A with its description in Column B. Write the correct letter in the
space provided.

Column A Column B

________ 1. circulation a) carry blood away from the heart

________ 2. heart b) pumps blood

________ 3. arteries c) connect arteries and veins

________ 4. veins d) transport of materials in living things

________ 5. capillaries e) carry blood back to the heart

Unit: Biology - Circulation

Complete each statement using a term or terms from the list below. Write your answers in
the spaces provided. Some words may be used more than once.

heart circulation oxygen veins food

capillaries arteries blood vessel waste materials blood

1. The transport of materials in living things is called __________________.

2. In humans, circulation is carried out by the liquid called ___________________.

3. Blood is pumped by the ____________________.

4. Blood brings to cells things like ____________________ and __________________.

5. Blood picks up ___________________ from the cells.

6. Any tube that carries blood is called a(n) _______________________.

7. The three kinds of blood vessels are ______________________, ____________________,

and ________________________.

8. Blood is carried away from the heart by ___________________.

9. Blood is carried back to the heart by _____________________.

10. Arteries and veins are connected by tiny blood vessels called ______________________.

TRUE or FALSE – In the space, write a ‘T’ or ‘F’

_______ 1. Circulation is the transport of materials in living things.

_______ 2. Life stops when circulation stops.

_______ 3. Blood is pumped by the brain.

_______ 4. Blood circulates through the body only a few times a day.

_______ 5. Arteries carry blood away from the heart.

_______ 6. Arteries transport carbon dioxide to the cells.

_______ 7. Veins carry blood away from the heart.

_______ 8. Veins pick up waste materials from the cells.

_______ 9. Capillaries connect arteries and veins.

_______ 10. Capillaries are the largest blood vessels.

Unit: Biology - Circulation

A CLOSER LOOK AT BLOOD

Have you ever taken a first aid course? An important rule in first aid is: “Treat Serious Bleeding
First.” If a person loses a lot of blood, they can die quickly.

Blood is the transport tissue in your body. It carries needed materials to the cells and carries
waste materials away from the cells.

The liquid part of blood is called plasma. The solid part of blood is made up of different kinds
of blood cells.

Plasma is 90% water and is beige in color. Plasma contains digested food, chemicals, and waste
products. These substances are carried to and from the cells by the plasma.

The three kinds of blood cells that make up the solid part of blood are: red blood cells, white
blood cells, and platelets.

Red blood cells contain hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is red and gives blood its color. It links up
with oxygen and carries this oxygen to all parts of the body. The same hemoglobin in the red
blood cells also picks up most of the carbon dioxide waste that is made by the cells.

White blood cells are larger than red blood cells fight infection and disease. They destroy
harmful bacteria, viruses and other small invaders.

Platelets are pieces of cells that are small and colorless. They help to stop bleeding by giving
off a chemical that helps blood to clot.

Figure A shows the what blood is made up of. Study Figure A, then answer the questions.

1. What percent of blood is liquid? _________

2. What is the name of the liquid part of blood?

__________________

3. a) The liquid part of blood is made up mostly of

_________________. (Hint – look back to the
reading.)

b) What percent? _______

4. All of the blood cells together make up _______% of

blood.

5. Red blood cells make up _______% of blood; white

blood cells make up ______ %.
Unit: Biology - Circulation

Study Figure B, then answer the questions.

1. Which blood cells are the largest? __________________________

2. Which type of blood cell is most numerous? _________________________

3. Which cells are shaped like ‘pinched’ disks? ______________________________

Study Figures C and D, then answer the questions.

1. What kind of blood cells is shown?

_____________

2. Describe briefly what is happening in Figure C.

_________________________________________

_________________________________________
 Unit: Biology - Circulation

3. When you cut yourself, which part of the blood helps you to stop bleeding?
_______________________

4. White blood cells also come to the area of a cut. Why?

_________________________________

5. Take an educated guess at this one – What happens to the number of white blood cells when
germs are in the body? _________________________________________________

Answer the following questions about red blood cells.

1. Oxygen is _______________________________.
(needed by cells OR a cell waste)

2. Which blood cells pick up and carry oxygen? ______________________________________

(red blood cells OR white blood cells OR platelets)

3. What substance in red blood cells joins with oxygen? ______________________

4. Where does the blood pick up this oxygen?

a) in the heart b) in the arteries and veins c) in the lungs

5. What gives blood its color? ________________________

Unit: Biology - Circulation

Ten substances carried by the blood are listed in the chart below. Indicate whether each
substance is carried to the cells or away from the cells. Place a checkmark in the proper
boxes.
Unit: Biology - Circulation

Some Interesting Facts About Blood

 Blood makes up approximately 9% of a person’s weight. For example, if you weigh 100
pounds, 9 pounds is blood. (Can you figure out how many pounds of blood your body has?)

 An adult has about 5.7 liters of blood.

 There are about 600 times as many red blood cells as there are white blood cells. One drop
of blood contains about 5 million red blood cells. That means that there are about 25 trillion
red blood cells in the body of an average adult!

 Blood cells are produced in the marrow of bones – especially in the backbone, breast bone
and ribs.

 Every second, from 1 to 2 million red blood cells die! New cells are made to take their place.

 Plasma carries red and white blood cells. White blood cells, however, can also move by
themselves!

Adapted from What is the Circulatory System? What is Blood Made Of? , pp.70-80 Biology
Science Workshop Series
SCIENE 9

Laboratory
Activities
Unit: Biology - Circulation

Name: ____________________ Date: __________________ Period: _____

Assessing the Circulatory System

VOCABULARY (7 marks)

pulse –

radial pulse –

carotid pulse –

blood pressure –

sphygmomanometer –

systolic pressure –

diastolic pressure –

PURPOSE:
In this activity, you will learn how to take measurements of your pulse and blood pressure.
You will then compare your pulse rate before and after physical activity.

MATERIALS:
 stop watch

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Each beat of the heart sends blood through arteries, veins and capillaries. Day and night, the
heart’s rhythmic contractions send blood to all parts of the body. The blood brings nutrients and
oxygen to body tissues, and picks up wastes and carbon dioxide. Cells will die if circulation
stops for even a short period of time.

Every time that your heart contracts, blood is forced out of your heart and into your arteries.
This force pushes blood through your arteries in spurts. With each spurt, a beat can be felt. This
beat is called a pulse. When the heartbeat is felt in the radial artery of the wrist, it is called the
radial pulse. When the heartbeat is found in the carotid artery in your neck, it is called the
carotid pulse.
Unit: Biology - Circulation

How fast does your heart beat? It depends on several things such as age, activity level or how
calm or excited you are. When body movement increases, the cells need more nutrients and
oxygen. As a result, the heart will beat faster to keep up with the demand. When body
movement decreases, the heart rate will decrease.

Regular intense exercise will increase the size of the heart muscle. A larger heart works more
efficiently than a smaller one because it holds more blood and each pump delivers more blood to
the body. It therefore takes fewer heartbeats to circulate the blood through the body.

There are two parts to a heartbeat. The part where the heart is contracting is called systole. The
part where the heart is relaxing is called diastole. Blood pressure is a measure of the force of
the blood on the arteries. When the heart is contracting (during systole) the blood pressure is
higher than when the heart is relaxing (during diastole). A sphygmomanometer, also known as
a blood pressure monitor, is an instrument used to measure blood pressure.

PROCEDURE: Each blank is worth 1 mark. (16 marks)

1. Sit quietly and relax for a couple of minutes before you begin. Using a stopwatch, take your
radial pulse for 10 seconds. To count your pulse, turn one hand palm up. Place the second
and third fingers of your other hand on the inside of your wrist. You should be able to detect
your pulse here. Use the diagram below as a guide.

a) What is your resting radial pulse for 10 seconds? ___________

b) Find your resting heart rate in beats per minute by multiplying your answer in a) by 6.
_______

c) The average adult resting heart rate is about 70 beats per minute for males and 75 beats
per minute for females. Younger people usually have faster heart rates. If you are
nervous, your heart rate may be higher. A person who is physically active will usually
have a lower heart rate.
Unit: Biology - Circulation

What is your age? _____

How does your heart rate compare with the average adult heart rate for your gender?

________________________________________

If there is a difference, why do you think that this is so? __________________________

2. One’s heart rate can also be taken in the carotid artery in the neck. As you did in taking your
radial pulse, use your first two fingers to feel the heartbeat. Place your fingers on one side of
your neck and count the number of beats in 10 seconds. Use this information to find the
number of beats per minute.

a) What is your heart rate, in beats per minute, when found using the carotid artery?
____________

b) How does your answer compare to your answer for 1 b)? _________________________

3. Engage in some form of mild exercise for three minutes (e.g., walking, body twists, side
bends). At the three minute mark find your pulse in beats per minute (remember: take your
pulse for 10 seconds and multiply by 6).
Heart rate in beats per minute after mild exercise: _________

4. Engage in some form of vigorous exercise for three minutes (e.g., jumping jacks, push-ups,
sit-ups, running on the spot). At the end of the three minute mark, find your pulse in beats
per minute.
Heart rate in beats per minute after vigorous exercise: ________
 Unit: Biology - Circulation

ANALYSIS QUESTIONS:

1. The average heart pumps about 80 mL of blood in each contraction.

a) If your heart rate was 70 beats per minute, calculate the volume of blood your heart pumps in one
minute when you are resting. Show your calculation. (1 mark)

b) At this rate, how much blood would your heart pump in one hour? Show your
calculation. (1 mark)
Unit: Biology - Circulation

2. You may have a relative who has been diagnosed with high blood pressure.
a) Why do you think that high blood pressure is not a good thing? (1 mark)

b) List three things that a person diagnosed with high blood pressure can do to try to lower
his/her blood pressure. (3 marks)

CONCLUSION:

Sum up the results of your lab in the space below. In order to write an effective conclusion,
re-read the purpose of the lab. (4 marks)
Unit: Biology - Circulation

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE HEART

Overview:
Students will learn about the structure and function of the heart through reading, questions and
the dissection of a mammalian heart. If mammalian hearts are not available, students will
investigate the parts of the heart through a virtual online heart activity.

Suggested Timeline: 2 hours

Materials:

 How Does Your Heart Work? (Student Handout)

 Virtual Heart Investigation (Student Handout)
 student access to computers with Internet access
 red and blue pencil crayons or crayons
 scissors

Method:

1. Show students an online healthy heart animation at

http://www.columbiasurgery.org/pat/lvad/heart_anatomy.html to introduce the heart, its parts
and its function or have students access this as a preview to the lesson.
2. Have students complete the vocabulary, reading and questions on ‘How Does Your Heart
Work?’ (Student Handout).
3. Show students a ready-made cut-out heart as an example. Have students complete their cut-
out heart activity for review of the heart (as found on their student handout).
4. If mammalian hearts are available for dissection, provide students with lab safety instructions
before they begin the lab. In groups of two where possible, students should then complete
‘Heart Dissection’ (Student Handout) and submit their lab for grading.
5. If mammalian hearts are not available for dissection, allow students to work on computers
with Internet access to complete ‘Virtual Heart Investigation’ (Student Handout). Students
should submit their answers to questions when finished.

Assessment and Evaluation:

 Affective assessment of student’s individual work habits and work in a group setting
 Student grade on lab or on online heart activity
Unit: Biology C - Circulation

How Does Your Heart Work?

VOCABULARY

atria –

ventricles –

valve –

septum –

Place your hand on your chest and feel your beating heart. Your heart is keeping you alive! It is
made mostly of muscle tissue and pumps blood to all parts of your body.

The human heart is divided into four separate parts called chambers. There are two upper
chambers and two lower chambers.

The upper chambers of the heart are called the right and left atria. The singular of atria is
atrium.
 The right atrium receives blood from all parts of the body. Blood in the right atrium is high
in carbon dioxide and low in oxygen. Find the right atrium in Figure A.
 The left atrium receives blood from the lungs. Blood in the left atrium is high in oxygen and
low in carbon dioxide. Find the left atrium in Figure A.
 Both atria fill with blood at the same time.
Unit: Biology- Circulation

The lower chambers of the heart are the ventricles. The ventricles pump blood out of the heart.
 The right ventricle pumps blood to the lungs. This blood is high in carbon dioxide and low
in oxygen.
 The left ventricle pumps blood to all parts of the body. Blood in the left ventricle is high in
oxygen. It is low in carbon dioxide.
 Both ventricles pump blood out of the heart at the same time. Every time your heart beats,
blood is being forced out of the ventricles.

The heart and veins have valves that keep the blood from flowing backward. A valve is a thin
flap of tissue. Find the valves in Figure A.

A muscular wall divides the right side of the heart from the left side. This wall is called the
septum. This is necessary to separate oxygen rich blood from oxygen poor blood. Find the
septum in Figure A.

TRACING THE PATH OF BLOOD THROUGH THE HEART

Note: All heart diagrams are shown as if you were looking at the front of a person. The right
side of the heart appears on the left side of the drawing. The left side of the heart appears on the
right.

Remember: In a normal heart, both upper chambers (atria) fill with blood at the same time.
Both lower chambers (ventricles) pump blood out at the same time.

Start with blood entering the right side of the heart.

Veins carry blood from all parts of the body to the heart. Using the information at the start of
this handout and Figure A, answer the following questions.

1. Which chamber receives blood from all the body veins? ____________________________

2. a) The blood passes from this chamber into the _______________________________.

b) While this is happening, the valve between the right atrium and right ventricle is
_________________________.
(open OR closed)

3. The blood in the right ventricle is high in ___________________________ and low in

(oxygen OR carbon dioxide)
__________________________.
(oxygen OR carbon dioxide)

4. The body __________________ use this blood.

(can OR cannot)

5. Where must this blood go to get a fresh supply of oxygen? _______________________

Unit: Biology - Circulation

The right ventricle contracts and squeezes blood out of it and to the lungs.

6. a) When the right ventricle contracts, the valve between the upper and lower chambers is
_____________________.
(open OR closed)

b) What does this prevent?

__________________________________________________________

7. Blood pumped out of the right ventricle goes ________________________________.

(to the body OR to the lungs)

8. In the lungs, the blood gives up its _____________________ and picks up

(oxygen OR carbon dioxide)
______________________.
(oxygen OR carbon dioxide)

9. The blood _____________ be used by the cells.

(can OR cannot)

10. Where must the blood go before it can be sent to the entire body?
_______________________
Unit: Biology - Circulation

Veins carry blood back to the heart from the lungs.

11. Which chamber received fresh blood from the lungs? _________________________
(left atrium OR left ventricle)

12. a) The blood then passes into the _____________________________.

(left atrium OR left ventricle)

b) While this is happening, the valve between the left chambers is __________________.
(open OR closed)

The left ventricle contracts. This forces blood out of the heart to all parts of the body.
Unit: Biology - Circulation

13. a) As the left ventricle contracts, the valve between the left chambers is ______________.
(open OR closed)

b) Why? _________________________________________________________________

14. Where does blood leaving the left ventricle go? ____________________________________

15. THEN, what do you think happens to the blood? ___________________________________

TRUE OR FALSE – Write a ‘T’ or an ‘F’ beside each statement.

________ 1. The heart is a muscle

________ 2. The heart has many jobs.

________ 3. A human heart has four chambers.

________ 4. Heart chambers are called arteries and veins.

________ 5. Blood moves from the atria to the ventricles.

________ 6. Ventricles receive blood from veins.

________ 7. Arteries carry blood away from the heart.

________ 8. The right and left ventricles pump at the same time.

________ 9. Your heart stops beating when you are asleep.

________ 10. Your heart beats millions of times a year.

SHORT ANSWER – Use Figure H to help you to answer the questions.

1 1. Arteries carry ‘fresh’ blood. There is one exception. Which

artery is the exception? __________________________

2. Veins carry ‘stale’ blood. There is one exception. Which

vein
is the exception? _____________________________
Adapted from
How Does Your Heart Work?, pp. 82-88 Biology Science Workshop Series

Science 21 Bio C - Circulation B74

Unit: Biology C - Circulation

Coloring for Review

The following shows the heart and the major arteries and veins going into and coming out of it.
You will need a blue and red crayon/pencil crayon to do this part.
Blue = oxygen-poor blood Red = oxygen-rich blood

Start with oxygen-poor blood (blue) entering the right hand side of the heart (on YOUR left).
Follow the arrows and color blue until you reach an ‘x’. At this time, switch colors to red.
Continue on with red until you reach another ‘x’ then switch to blue.
Unit: Biology - Circulation

Heart Cutouts for Review

Materials: scissors, hole punch, 5 brass fasteners, transparent tape

Instructions
1. Cut out the following three sheets of heart parts.

2. Hole punch the black dots found on some pieces. Be sure to leave the numbers behind!

3. Fold the tab on the outside view of the heart along the dotted line. Tape this under the view
of the inside of the heart. If you have done this properly, you should be able to turn back the
view of the outside of the heart to reveal the inside of the heart.

4. Using a pencil, label the following: right atrium, right ventricle, left atrium, left ventricle,
septum, valve.

5. As you read the following passage to trace the blood flow through the heart, assemble your
heart as instructed.

Oxygen-poor blood enters the heart from the body through two large veins. The upper vena
cava brings in blood from the upper body while the lower vena cava brings in blood from
the lower body. Both bring the oxygen-poor blood to the right atrium. Use your brass
fasteners to attach the upper vena cava and lower vena cava to the inside of the heart. Note
how they connect to theright atrium.

When the atrium contracts, the oxygen-poor blood travels through a valve to the right
ventricle. The right ventricle then contracts and forces the blood through another valve and
through the right lung artery and left lung artery. The right lung artery carries the oxygen-
poor blood to the lungs to pick up oxygen and drop off carbon dioxide. The left lung artery
does the same, except it travels to the left lung. Use your brass fasteners to attach the right
lung artery and left lung artery to the inside of the heart. Note how they connect to the left
ventricle.

Now the blood returning to the heart from the lungs is oxygen rich. It enters the left atrium
through the left lung vein and the right lung vein. Use your brass fasteners to attach the
right lung vein and left lung vein to the inside of the heart. Note how they connect to the left
atrium.

The oxygen-rich blood passes through a valve to the left ventricle. The left ventricle
contracts and the blood is forced through another valve to the large artery called the aorta.
The aorta will bring the oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body. Use your brass fastener to
attach the aorta to the inside of the heart. Note how it connects to the left ventricle.

Once the blood reaches the tissue, it will drop off oxygen and pick up carbon dioxide. The
blood is now oxygen-poor and returns to the heart through the vena cava and the cycle
continues.
Unit: Biology - Circulation

Science 21 Bio C - Circulation B77

Unit: Biology - Circulation
Unit: Biology - Circulation