Breathing & Gas Exchange
Grade Learning outcome Learning objective
1-3 To be able to label To label the main organs in the gas exchange system
4-6
and describe the To describe the events that take place during inhalation and
function of the organs exhalation
in the human gas
7-9 To explain the major adaptations of an efficient gas exchange
exchange system system
Starter:
1. Identify some of the organs involved in the
gas exchange system in the human body.
2. Discuss with your partner what function of
some of these organs might be within this
system
3. Explain why organisms need an efficient gas-
exchange system
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NUxvJS-_0k
Task: Answer the following questions:
1. When your breathe in, where does oxygen eventually
get transported to?
2. When you breathe in air, what happens to the:
a) diaphragm:
b) Intercostal muscles:
3. What structure is held at the end of the bronchioles?
4. What is wrapped around the alveolus?
5. What gas passes out of the blood and into the alveolus
for us to breathe out?
Self-assessment:
1. The oxygen firstly gets transported to your heart and then it is
delivered to respiring cells in the rest of your body.
2. a) The diaphragm contracts, lying flat
b) The intercostal muscles contract, this pulls the rib cage up
and out. (Both of these actions increase the volume of the
thorax which lowers the thoracic pressure, meaning air rushes
in from outside, down a pressure gradient).
3. Alveoli are found at the end of bronchioles.
4. Around the alveolus are capillaries, carrying deoxygenated blood
to the lungs and oxygenated blood away from the lungs.
5. Carbon dioxide gas is brought back to the lungs by the blood,
away from respiring body tissues. This waste gas diffuses into
the alveoli and we breathe it out into the environment.
Task: You will be given some information on the
respiratory system and gas exchange. You will
need to use this information to complete the
answers on sheet
Self-assessment:
The lungs are part of the respiratory system which is adapted for two functions:
ventilation – the movement of air into and out of the lungs
gas exchange – the 'swapping’ of gases between the alveolar air and the blood
Tiny air sacs with a high surface area which have thin wall and a
specialised surface for gas exchange.
From the body
To the heart
Red blood cells
Task: Copy and complete the following sentences:
Word Bank: You can use these more than once:
Oxygen, blood, alveoli, carbon dioxide, nitrogen
There are three main gases that are taken in and removed
oxygen _______
from the body, these are _______, nitrogen and _______
carbon
dioxide
________.
oxygen
During inhalation (breathing in) our body takes in _______,
which is absorbed into our blood stream. This process
alveoli
occurs in the _______.
carbon
During exhalation (breathing out) our body removes ______
dioxide from the ______.
_______ blood
Extra challenge: Explain what is meant by the
term ‘gaseous exchange’
Adaptations of the alveoli
Task: We are going to watch a quick animation of gas
exchange occurring in the alveoli, think about the alveolar
adaptations which make this an efficient gas exchange
surface
From the body
To the heart
Red blood cells
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/triple_aqa/movement_of_molecules/
gaseous_exchange_lungs/revision/3/ or https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/clips/zr3mpv4
Task: You will need to draw this table below and fill it in
using the information cards I will distribute around the room:
Feature of the How does this feature help the alveoli to carry
alveoli our gas exchange more efficiently?
Large surface
area
Surrounded by
capillaries
(blood vessels)
Thin wall
Well ventilated
1. Copy this table into your books to show
the percentage of air we breathe in and
breathe out
Gas % of air breathed in % of air breathed out
Nitrogen ~80 ~80
Oxygen ~20 ~16
Carbon dioxide ~0.04 ~4
2. Draw a bar chart of the data above to
compare the percentage of different gases
found in breathed in vs. breathed out air
Task: Exam-style question:
1. Oxygen is absorbed into the blood through specialised structures called
alveoli.
a) What is the name of the gas that moves from the blood back out into the
alveoli, in order to be breathed out? (1 mark)
b) What is the name of the process by which oxygen moves into the alveoli?
(1 mark)
b) Give two adaptations of the alveoli that helps the rapid absorption of
oxygen into the blood (2 marks)
4 marks = 4 minutes
Challenge yourself by closing your
book and completing it from
memory!
Self-assessment:
a) Carbon dioxide
b) Diffusion
c) Any two from:
- Alveoli have a very good blood supply, this maintains a
concentration gradient between the alveoli and the capillaries
so that diffusion of oxygen occurs quickly
- Alveoli have very thin walls so the diffusion pathway is very
short, this means oxygen can diffuse through the wall quickly
and easily
- Alveoli have a very high surface area meaning there is more
space for oxygen to move across from the alveoli to the blood.
Plenary: Write a tweet about what we
have learnt today!
Remember: No more than 140 characters
#keywords
1. When your breathe in, where does oxygen eventually
get transported to?
2. When you breathe in air, what happens to the:
a) diaphragm:
b) Intercostal muscles:
3. What structure is held at the end of the bronchioles?
4. What is wrapped around the alveolus?
5. What gas passes out of the blood and into the alveolus
for us to breathe out?
1. When your breathe in, where does oxygen eventually
get transported to?
2. When you breathe in air, what happens to the:
a) diaphragm:
b) Intercostal muscles:
3. What structure is held at the end of the bronchioles?
4. What is wrapped around the alveolus?
5. What gas passes out of the blood and into the alveolus
for us to breathe out?
