How well proceed:

1.Circulatory system: functions and elements.

The functions of the circulatory system are:
1. to provide body tissues with oxygenated blood and nutrients.
2. to remove waste products and carbon dioxide.
3. to distribute heat.
The endocrine system, which secretes hormones directly into the circulation, and
the immune system, which defends the body against disease, use the blood as their
means of transportation.
The blood circulatory system consists of blood vessels (arteries, veins and capillaries) and the heart. The arteries are tubes with thick, elastic, muscular walls. They
branch along their length, becoming thinner and narrower as they subdivide, and
finally becoming capillaries, which are very small. Capillaries run through the tissues and then join up to form the smallest veins. These combine into larger veins,
which have valves to control the direction of flow. The largest veins empty into the
heart, a muscular bag with four chambers that pumps blood into the arteries with
each beat.
Exercise 1.
1.
Explain in a short sentence the main function of the circulatory system.
2.
What type of substances are transported by the circulatory system?
3.
What other body systems do you think are connected with the circulatory
system?
4.
What organs make up the circulatory system?

2.Heart.
The heart is the only muscular organ that never stops working. It is divided into four
parts called chambers. The two upper chambers are called atria. They are joined to
two lower chambers, called ventricles.
The valves between the chambers keep the blood flowing in the right direction. The
valves have flaps called cusps. As blood flows through the valves, it forces cusps to
open. They then shut, to stop blood from flowing back. Thus, the blood always moves
from the atria to the ventricles. There are valves between the ventricles and the arteries that keep the blood always moving from ventricles to arteries.

Activity: Lets make a heart.

You need for this activity:

Red pencil (it represents oxygenated blood)

Blue pencil (it represents non-oxygenated blood)

Yellow pencil (for the valves)

Glue

Scissors

A photocopy of the next page

A sheet of paper of your notebook

Step 1
Colour the white spaces on the right side of the heart in blue and the white spaces
on the left side of the heart in red. Cut out the heart and add glue all over the back
and stick it in the middle of a page of your notebook.
Step 2
Colour parts 2 and 3 red. Cut out and glue only a small part of the back of the arrowed ends and stick on top of the appropriate numbers. Part 2 brings oxygenated
blood from the lungs to the heart and part 3 is carrying oxygenated blood from the
heart to the body.
Step 3
Colour parts 4, 5 and 6 blue. Cut out and glue only a small part at the back of the
arrowed ends and stick over the appropriate numbers. Parts 4 and 5 are bringing
the used blood to the lungs from the body and part 6 takes the used blood to the
lungs to be re-supplied with oxygen. Notice blood on the left side of the heart does
not mix with blood from the right side.
Step 4
Colour parts 7 and 8 yellow. Cut them out and then cut along the dotted lines.
Paste the arrowed edges and stick on to the cut along the line with the appropriate
number. Try to stick these valves so that they can open and close.
Part 9
Cut around the shape of the heart and sticking tab and fix so that the heart is completely covered.
Finally, label the following in the diagram:
Right atrium
Left atrium
Left ventricle
Pulmonary vein
Right ventricle
Vena cava
Aorta
Tricuspid valve
Pulmonary artery
Mitral valve

Exercise 2.
Complete the following diagram, that shows the structure of the heart, with the
words in the box.

Left atrium
Right ventricle

Aorta

Vena cava

Pulmonary veins

Pulmonary artery

Left ventricle

Right atrium

Identify the three types of valves in the right side of the heart above:
1. Tricuspid valve is between right atrium and right ventricle.
2. Mitral valve is between left atrium and left ventricle.
3. Semilunar valves are between ventricles and arteries.
Exercise 3.
Show with arrows the direction in which blood moves into the heart. Use red
arrows for oxygenated blood and blue ones for non-oxygenated blood.

Exercise 4.
Copy and complete the following paragraphs using the words below- you can use
some words more than once.
_______________ blood from the body travels to the heart in the
_________________. The blood enters the right ________ and then flows into the
right ________ through the open ________ valve. The ____________ valve opens
and blood is forced out of the heart.
Vena cava
Atrium

Semilunar
Deoxygenated

Ventricle
Tricuspid

The blood flows along the pulmonary __________ to the lungs where it gets rid of
____________________ and picks up oxygen. The __________ blood from the
lungs returns to the heart in the pulmonary ____________.
Artery
Carbon dioxide

Oxygenated

Veins

The blood enters the ____________ atrium and then flows down into the
____________ ventricle through the open ____________ valve. The very muscular
____________ ventricle contracts, the ____________ valve closes, the ____________
valve opens and blood is forced out of the heart. The blood leaves at high pressure in
the biggest artery called the ____________ and is pumped all around the body.

Aorta

Left

Mitral

Semilunar

3.Blood vessels.
We have a closed circulatory system, that is, the blood flows around the body to
all cells through blood vessels. These blood vessels are the arteries, the veins and
the capillaries. The following diagrams show the cross sections of these blood vessels. Notice the differences between them. These differences are related to their
jobs.

Pay particular attention to the artery and vein. Both possess the same three layers,
but the relative thickness of the layers is different. In addition, the veins have
valves along their length that arteries dont.
Exercise 5.
1. Define the three types of blood vessels including their functions.
a. Arteries are blood vessels that transport __________ from the ________
to the ________ .
b. Veins are blood vessels that ____________________________________
c. Capillaries __________________________________________________
2. Whats the reason for the veins possessing valves?
3. Why is the wall of the capillaries very thin and permeable?
4. Explain what happens if you cut an artery, a vein or a capillary.

5. Look at the photograph of a transverse section through an artery and a vein and
identify which is the vein and which is the artery. Explain your choice.

6. Label the diagram.

Give two differences in the composition of blood at A and C.

4.Blood circulation.
We have a double circulatory apparatus. It means that blood passes through the
heart twice during one complete circulation of the body.
First, blood is pumped from the right side of the heart through the pulmonary artery to the lungs, where it picks up fresh oxygen and releases carbon dioxide. Then
it returns to the left side of the heart through the pulmonary veins. This part is
known as pulmonary circulation.
Then, blood is pumped from the left side of the heart through the aorta to the rest
of the body to carry the oxygen. In the way to the organs blood releases oxygen
and nutritional substances and collects the carbon dioxide and other waste products. Finally, the blood returns to the right side of the heart through the two vena
cava to begin the cycle again. This part is known as systemic circulation.

Exercise 6.
1.
Why do you think the wall of the left ventricle is thicker than the wall of
the right ventricle?
2.
Why do scientists say the heart is a double pump?
3.
Is it correct to define the arteries as blood vessels that transport oxygenrich blood? Explain your answer.

5.Blood.
As well as carrying substances around the body, blood helps to kill germs, heal
wounds and control body temperature. Blood is made of three types of cells floating
in a liquid called plasma. The average adult has about 5-6 litres of blood.

Plasma: This is a pale yellow liquid in which the cells float. It dissolves and
transports carbon dioxide, waste products, digested food and hormones. It is
55% of blood composition.

Red blood cells: They are disc-shaped cells which contain a red pigment called
haemoglobin. They combine with oxygen to form oxyhaemoglobin which carries oxygen from the lungs to the cells. Red blood cells are very numerous and
they represent 45.55% of blood composition. They are produced in the bone
marrow at a rate of two million per second.

White blood cells: They are larger than red ones. They fight against germs
that enter the blood. There are different types of white blood cells. As red
ones they are produced in the bone marrow.

Platelets: They are tiny fragments of giant cells located in the bone marrow.
They help to stop the bleeding if a blood vessel is cut.

Exercise 7.
Complete the table.
Blood component

Function

Plasma
Red blood cells
White blood cells
Platelets
Exercise 8.
Identify the three types of blood cells in the following photomicrograph.

Final task.
Work in groups and make a PowerPoint presentation about the most important circulatory diseases. Include the cause, organs that are affected, main symptoms and
healthy habits to prevent them.
Here is a list of the most important circulatory diseases:

Anaemia

Arteriosclerosis / Hypercholesterolemia

Haemophilia

Coronary heart disease (angina) / Heart attack

Aneurysm

Arrhythmia

Hypertension

Thrombosis

Phlebitis

Glossary

Aorta: the main artery of the body.

Artery: blood vessel that carries the blood from the heart to the organs.
Beat: every contraction and relaxation of the heart.
Bleed: to lose blood.
Blood: the red liquid that is sent around the body by the heart.
Blood vessel: any of the tubes through which blood flows in the body.
Bone marrow: soft tissue containing a lot of fat in the centre of a bone.
Capillary: a very thin blood vessel that connects arteries and veins.
Cross section: something that has been cut in half so that you can see inside.
Cusp: a sharp point or apex.
Deoxygenated: without oxygen.
Disease: an illness caused by infection or a failure of health.
Flap: a piece of tissue partly separated from the surrounding tissue.
Flow: to move in one direction (gases, liquids or electricity).
Germ: a very small organism that causes disease.
Haemoglobin: a substance in red blood cells which combines with and carries oxygen around the body, and gives blood its red colour.
Heart: the organ that sends the blood around the body.
Heat: the quality of being hot or warm.
Means of transportation: a vehicle, such as buses or trains, for getting from
one place to another.
Notice: to see something or someone.

Oxygenated: with oxygen.

Pigment: a substance that gives something a particular colour.
Plasma: the liquid part of the blood.
Platelet: a very small cell in the blood that stops bleeding caused by an injury.
Pressure: the force applied to a unit area of surface.
Provide: to give someone something that they need.
Pump: to cause liquids or gases to move from one place to another.
Red blood cell: any of the cells that carry oxygen around the body.
Remove: to take someone or something away from somewhere.
Secrete: to produce and release a liquid.
Thin / narrow: much longer than wider.
Tissue: a group of connected cells in an animal or plant that are similar and
have the same function.
Valve: a structure which opens and closes to control the flow of liquids or gases.
Vein: blood vessel that carries the blood from the body to the heart.
Vena cava: one of the two very large veins through which blood returns to the
heart.
White blood cell: a cell in the blood that fights against infection.

Manuel Jess Rosa Rasco

IES RAFAEL REYES

CARTAYA (HUELVA)