Show Student everyday experience Research: Lewis (1999), Loughran, Berry & Mulhall (2004) Students may be confused about how the blood moves around the body. Rather than it being contained in blood vessels, they may think of it somehow just washing around inside the body, which also raises confusion about how blood and the circulatory system relate to the whole body as a system. This confusion is reasonable given their experiences that blood emerges from any part of the body when they cut themselves. Students who do not have a sense of blood travelling in blood vessels may not recognise that blood flows in only one direction along these vessels. Research: Lewis (1999), Loughran, Berry & Mulhall (2004) Although some students have an understanding of blood vessels they often see arteries and veins as similar structures that contain different things. This view is supported by the images they may have seen in books, where blood in veins is usually coloured blue, and that in arteries is coloured red . Research: Lewis (1999) The idea of the body producing ‘waste’ is often only connected with the digestive system so waste in the form of gases and ions carried in the blood are seldom identified. Research: Loughran, Berry & Mulhall (2004) Students are likely to know that blood has some role in the transportation of oxygen, but there is often confusion about the detail of this idea. Research: Lewis (1999) Because of popular lifestyle television shows and the media, students are likely to be aware of some of the effects of lifestyle on the health of a person’s heart but unclear how this is linked to the body as a whole system. For example, students are unaware of the causes of coronary heart disease. Research: Lewis (1999) Scientific view The circulatory system is the transport system of the body and provides the means by which materials are transported around the body. Within the system, the blood is the transport medium and is confined to tubular canals (therefore it is a closed system). The heart is the pump that moves the blood. This system transports many things including oxygen, hormones and nutrients to all cells in the body and carries away waste products. This closed system consists of a network of blood vessels extending to all parts of the body, as well as the heart acting as the pump for the system. There are three types of blood vessels (tubular canals) that carry the blood throughout the body: arteries, veins and capillaries. All are different in structure and function. Blood is complex in nature consisting of cells, cell fragments, liquid plasma and dissolved substances and the major component, water. Exchange occurs between the circulatory system and other systems. For example, the digestive system exchanges the products of digestion; the respiratory system exchanges oxygen and carbon dioxide; the renal system exchanges metabolic waste and the endocrine system exchanges hormones. All these body systems work together to create one big system – the human body. Research: Loughran, Berry & Mulhall (2004) Critical teaching ideas
Explore the relationships between ideas about body systems and organs in the Concept Development Maps – Cell Functions The circulatory system is a complex transport system. A useful starting point is to unpack students’ ideas about how it functions and the elements that are involved through the use of models and simulations. Again, with this system it is useful to discuss the students’ everyday experiences including cuts, bruises, visits to the doctor and the information and diagrams they have previously seen. As with the study of other human systems it is useful to study what the elements of the circulatory system look like, their function and how they contribute to maintaining the successful functioning of the body. Research: Loughran, Berry & Mulhall (2004), Howe, Davies, McMahon, Tower & Scott (2005) Teaching activitiesBring out the students' existing ideas Reflection on and clarification of existing ideas and opening up discussion
via a shared experience Students could design their own model of the human transport system that transports food, oxygen, waste and hormones to and from the cells. In doing this they consider the most efficient methods for transport within the human body and the structural features that will be necessary. This activity encourages students to reflect on the usefulness of a scientific model. Students could take part in a decision making activity to discuss ’how you can maximise the transport system in the human body’. This activity would enable the students to consider the positive and negative impacts various factors have on the circulatory system and other aspects of the human body as a whole. Clarify and consolidate ideas for/by communication to and with others Further resourcesScience related interactive learning objects can be found on the FUSE Teacher Resources page. To access the interactive learning object below, teachers must login to FUSE and search by Learning Resource ID:
What are the 7 parts of the circulatory system?From the small intestine, the blood gathers food nutrients and delivers them to every cell.. Blood. Blood consists of:. The heart. The heart pumps blood around the body. ... . The right side of the heart. ... . The left side of the heart. ... . Blood vessels. ... . Arteries. ... . Capillaries. ... . Veins.. What the circulatory system is and how it is structured?The circulatory system is made up of blood vessels that carry blood away from and towards the heart. Arteries carry blood away from the heart and veins carry blood back to the heart. The circulatory system carries oxygen, nutrients, and hormones to cells, and removes waste products, like carbon dioxide.
What are the 4 main organs of the circulatory system?The cardiovascular system consists of the heart, veins, arteries, and capillaries. These components make up two circulatory systems: the systemic and pulmonary circulatory systems.
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