SECTION 3 - COMPARING HUMAN AND ANIMAL RESPIRATORY SYSTEMS

The object of this lesson is to have Grade 5 students learn about the differences between the human respiratory and circulatory systems and those of animals.

Grade 5 Science IRP:

This lesson no longer covers an IRP but it is interesting and may be good for students who are interested in animals or who finish the other lessons quickly.

LESSON 1:

Comparing Human and Animal Respiratory Systems:

  1. In class you should have completed a study of the circulatory and respiratory systems of humans-the structure and function.
  2. Distribute the sheets on "Comparing the Respiratory Systems of Animals and Humans".
  3. In the computer lab, have students enter the Internet and under Location, type in:

    4. http://www.sk.lung.ca/content.cfm/compare

    or go to the links page with this lesson and open it from there.

  4. Students should click on the categories of animals at the bottom and use the information to answer the questions on the sheets.
  5. Students who finish early can play the games offered at this site.

ASSESSMENT:

ANSWERS TO "COMPARING THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEMS OF ANIMALS AND HUMANS":

AMPHIBIANS:

  1. Lungs, skin and sometimes gills.
  2. Amphibians don’t need as much energy as humans because they are cold blooded and don’t need to keep their bodies at a constant temperature.
  3. Our lungs have spongy alveoli to increase the amount of surface area to absorb oxygen while amphibians only have two hollow air sacs.
  4. They have skin that allows water in and the water carries oxygen into their bodies.

FISH:

  1. Gills.
  2. Oxygen comes from water.
  3. Fish and humans both have a heart and circulatory system.
  4. Humans can’t breathe in water because the oxygen must go from the water to the blood and it is slower than the transfer of oxygen from air is. Humans can’t get the oxygen out of water fast enough.

INSECTS:

  1. Tracheal tubes.
  2. Air gets into insects through Spiracles (holes) in the abdomen.
  3. To get to the cells, air goes through spiracles, then through tracheal tubes and then into the cells.
  4. Insect’s blood is a different colour because they don’t need to carry oxygen in their blood as it goes directly to the cells and it is the oxygen in our blood that makes it red.

BIRDS:

  1. Bird lungs are different because they have an opening at each end and special air sacs before the lungs to store air in.
  2. Birds have fresh air in their lungs when they breathe in and out.
  3. Birds need more oxygen because they use up lots of energy when they are flying and they need more oxygen to get the energy out of the food they eat and they fly high in the air where there is little oxygen.

PLANTS:

  1. Oxygen goes into plants through Stomata (holes) under their leaves.
  2. Plants need oxygen to get the energy out of the food they make.
  3. Air gets out through the stomata.
  4. Guard cells surround the stomata and close up to protect them from insects as well as holding water in.

REPTILES:

  1. Lungs.
  2. They don’t need as much oxygen because they are cold-blooded and their body temperature changes with the temperature outside which requires less energy.
  3. A. They are less spongy and more hollow and are therefore less efficient.
  4. They have no diaphragm so they breathe by moving their throat or ribs.
  5. They don’t need as much oxygen so they don’t breathe all the time and most of the time their lungs aren’t moving.

MAMMALS:

  1. Alveoli are small air sacs in the lungs where the blood picks up oxygen and carries it to the cells in our bodies.
  2. Warm-blooded means that we need to keep our bodies at a constant temperature.
  3. We breathe fast when we exercise because we use up energy and our cells need to use the energy from food. This takes up lots of oxygen so we breathe faster to get more oxygen out of the air.

 

 

LESSON PART 2:

Comparing Human and Animal Circulatory Systems:

  1. After completing the above section on the respiratory system, students may have learned some of the ways that animal circulatory systems are different from human. Have them tell you what they know already and write it down on chart paper.

  2. In the computer lab students can enter World Book Encyclopedia and click to search by topic. Then have students type in Heart and click on Go. This will bring to a page of information about the heart, if students scroll down they will find a section on the differences between human and different type of animal hearts. Have students read this information and the information that they find using books in the library to complete Venn diagrams of the differences in the circulatory systems of humans and the two animals of their choice.

  3. In class use an overhead projector to draw Venn diagrams using the information collected by the whole class.