Starter quiz
- What substance is stored in the bladder?
- 'urine' ✓
- Match the constituent of blood to its description.
- red blood cells⇔transports oxygen to cells ✓
- white blood cells⇔play a huge role in immunity ✓
- platelets⇔are involved in blood clotting ✓
- plasma⇔contains dissolved substances such as glucose and ions ✓
Label these parts of the excretory system.- a⇔ureter ✓
- b⇔bladder ✓
- c⇔urethra ✓
- d⇔kidney ✓
- What are proteins made of?
- 'amino acids' ✓
- Which of these are ions?
- Water
- Na+ ✓
- K+ ✓
- HCO- ✓
- CO
-
- The process that uses glucose as a fuel to transfer energy for life processes is called cellular ______.
- 'respiration' ✓
Exit quiz
Which body system are the kidneys part of?- digestive
- waste
- excretory ✓
- glandular
- circulatory
-
- Which of the following are too large to leave the blood during the filtering process?
- glucose
- proteins ✓
- urea
- ions
- cells
-
- Which substances are filtered from the blood and removed from the body in urine?
- water ✓
- ions ✓
- carbon dioxide
- urea ✓
- glucose
-
- Which substances are reabsorbed by the kidney tubules?
- water ✓
- glucose ✓
- urine
- urea
- carbon dioxide
-
Match each part of the kidney tubule (nephron) to its correct name.- a⇔glomerulus and Bowman’s capsule ✓
- b⇔proximal convoluted tubule ✓
- c⇔loop of Henlé ✓
- d⇔collecting duct ✓
- If you drink too much water, which of these will happen?
- small quantity of urine
- dilute urine ✓
- concentrated urine
- large quantity of urine ✓
- strong smell
-
Worksheet
Presentation
Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- The kidneys are organs of the human excretory system; blood passes through the kidneys and is filtered.
- Water and urea diffuse out of the blood plasma into kidney tubules to be excreted as urine, including nephron structure.
- The kidneys reabsorb as much water as needed from the urine into the blood plasma to maintain water balance in the body.
- Having too much water in the body leads to dilute urine, and vice versa.
Common misconception
Misconceptions about the roles of the kidneys, bladder and how the blood is 'cleaned' exist. Students often conflate/confuse these roles, muddle key terms or offer weak descriptions or explanations.
The roles of the kidney and bladder are clearly described, and diagrams and flowcharts are used to support the detailed explanations. Tasks that reinforce understanding and check for clarity and correct use of key words are included too.
Keywords
Urea - a waste product created in the process of breaking down excess proteins and amino acids
Blood plasma - the liquid part of the blood which contains dissolved nutrients and waste products
Kidney - the organ in the excretory system which filters waste products from blood plasma and controls water balance
Excretory system - the organ system responsible for removing waste from blood plasma
Urine - a combination of waste urea, water and other substances which is stored in the bladder until urinated