Become the circulatory system
In your circulatory system the blood picks up oxygen and delivers it to where it is needed (all body tissues - from your nose to your toes). The left side of your heart is a powerful pump that pushes blood throughout your body. You've already felt each beat as a pulse. Remember?
Gather a number of students to help you with your demonstration/competition. The more the merrier. You will need to have a few things representing oxygen (things that are red) and you will need to have a few things representing carbon dioxide (things that are blue). You will need one of each for each team.
To start, break into groups of four and create some skill-testing questions based on the heart, seal them in an envelope and exchange them with other teams. (shhhh.... keep them secret and don't make them too hard; other teams are writing questions for you too). Ask your teacher to help you set up a maze in the gymnasium that resembles the picture above. The maze can be set up with chairs, tables, tape on the floor or whatever you have on hand. Be creative; make it an obstacle course if you want.
In your team of four, one team member carrying a red oxygen molecule will leave the lung area and enter the left side of the heart to meet up with a waiting teammate and get asked a skill-testing question about the heart. Once the question is answered correctly, the runner will enter the red arteries to race toward the area marked 'Tissues'. This area represents all of the cells of the body hungry for oxygen. Once there, the runner will meet up with another teammate and get asked another question. Once that question is answered correctly, the runner will be able to exchange the red piece for a blue piece and then race up the blue veins toward the right side of the heart where the final teammate will ask one last question. From there, it's a quick run to the lungs and then off to the finish line.
You can keep score any way you like!
In your circulatory system the blood picks up oxygen and delivers it to where it is needed (all body tissues - from your nose to your toes). The left side of your heart is a powerful pump that pushes blood throughout your body. You've already felt each beat as a pulse. Remember?
- Where does the blood find the oxygen?
- Where does the oxygen come from?
- Start at the starting gate and follow the red arrows (arteries) to deliver your oxygen.
- Start at the starting gate and follow the red arrows (arteries) to deliver your oxygen.
- What happens to the carbon dioxide next?
- Why is this important?
- Follow the blue arrows (veins) as they take out the trash.
- Follow the blue arrows (veins) as they take out the trash.
Gather a number of students to help you with your demonstration/competition. The more the merrier. You will need to have a few things representing oxygen (things that are red) and you will need to have a few things representing carbon dioxide (things that are blue). You will need one of each for each team.
To start, break into groups of four and create some skill-testing questions based on the heart, seal them in an envelope and exchange them with other teams. (shhhh.... keep them secret and don't make them too hard; other teams are writing questions for you too). Ask your teacher to help you set up a maze in the gymnasium that resembles the picture above. The maze can be set up with chairs, tables, tape on the floor or whatever you have on hand. Be creative; make it an obstacle course if you want.
In your team of four, one team member carrying a red oxygen molecule will leave the lung area and enter the left side of the heart to meet up with a waiting teammate and get asked a skill-testing question about the heart. Once the question is answered correctly, the runner will enter the red arteries to race toward the area marked 'Tissues'. This area represents all of the cells of the body hungry for oxygen. Once there, the runner will meet up with another teammate and get asked another question. Once that question is answered correctly, the runner will be able to exchange the red piece for a blue piece and then race up the blue veins toward the right side of the heart where the final teammate will ask one last question. From there, it's a quick run to the lungs and then off to the finish line.
You can keep score any way you like!
Here's an example of a skill testing question:
Why do we breathe faster when we're exercising harder?
Hint: Remember, our muscles are hungry for oxygen.