A practical exploration of the pathway of blood | Physical education

Starter quiz

Which of the following blood vessels carries blood away from the heart?

veins

capillaries

arteries ✓

alveoli
What key feature do veins have?

pocket valves ✓

haemoglobin

a large lumen

a thin wall to allow gaseous exchange
Blood is pumped out of the heart into ______ that carry the blood at high pressure.

'arteries' ✓
Which of the following is not true?

red blood cells contain haemoglobin

white blood cells fight infection

platelets clot the blood

red blood cells help clot the blood ✓
Match up the following blood vessels.

arteries

⇔

pumps blood out into the pulmonary circuit ✓

capillaries

⇔

carries blood back into the right side of the heart ✓

veins

⇔

requires more oxygen from the bloodstream during exercise ✓
Place the following sequence of events in the correct order starting with deoxygenated blood at the muscles.

1

⇔

Blood returns to the right side of the heart via the vena cava.

2

⇔

Blood enters the right atria and is pumped down into the

3

⇔

right ventricle before being ejected through the

4

⇔

pulmonary valve and into the

5

⇔

pulmonary artery which carries the blood to the

6

⇔

lungs where carbon dioxide is exchanged for

7

⇔

fresh supplies of oxygen.

Exit quiz

Which of the following blood vessels carries blood at high pressure?

veins

capillaries

arteries ✓

alveoli
Why does blood travel in the pulmonary circuit?

to go to the lungs to exchange carbon dioxide for oxygen and return to the heart ✓

to go to the lungs to expel oxygen and take in carbon dioxide

to take oxygen to the working muscles

to remove carbon dioxide from the working muscles

to help clot the blood when we get a cut or graze
Blood is pumped out of the left ventricle into the ______ before heading off around the body.

'aorta' ✓
Which of the following is not true?

veins have valves in them

the heart's chambers have valves between them

valves prevent the backflow of blood

arteries have valves in them ✓
Match up the following key components of the circulatory system.

the right ventricle

⇔

pumps blood out into the pulmonary circuit ✓

the vena cava

⇔

carries blood back into the right side of the heart ✓

the muscle site

⇔

requires more oxygen from the bloodstream during exercise ✓

the lungs

⇔

enable gaseous exchange between the alveoli and the bloodstream ✓

the pulmonary circuit

⇔

carries blood from the heart to the lungs and back to the heart ✓
Place the following sequence of events in the correct order starting with deoxygenated blood at the muscles.

1

⇔

Blood returns to the right side of the heart via the vena cava.

2

⇔

Blood enters the right atria and is pumped down into the

3

⇔

right ventricle before being ejected through the

4

⇔

pulmonary valve and into the

5

⇔

pulmonary artery which carries the blood to the

6

⇔

lungs where carbon dioxide is exchanged for

7

⇔

fresh supplies of oxygen.

Worksheet

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Lesson Details

Key learning points

Deoxygenated blood travels from the body through the vena cava into the right atrium then down to the right ventricle.
From the right ventricle blood is pumped through the pulmonary artery to the lungs for oxygenation.
The pulmonary vein carries oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left atrium, then to the left ventricle.
From the left ventricle blood is pumped out through the aorta to be distributed throughout the body.
Valves in the heart prevent the backflow of blood.

Common misconception

Pupils think deoxygenated blood at the muscle tissue goes straight to the lungs rather than via the heart first (i.e. they forget they need to go through the heart twice).

Remind pupils the heart is a double circulatory pump consisting of a pulmonary and a systemic loop. Without this, blood pressure would be too low on return from the legs to efficiently get blood to the lungs for oxygenation.

Keywords

Atria - the upper chambers of the heart. The right atrium receives deoxygenated blood and the left receives oxygenated blood
Ventricle - the lower chambers of the heart that receive blood from the atria before pumping it out to the body/lungs
Valve - structural feature that prevents backflow of blood
Oxygenation - the process of adding oxygen to a system, such as the bloodstream or muscle tissue