UNIT: THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM

LEVEL: 3rd ESO

1. OBJECTIVES
The students must achieve the following objetives:
The importance of the Circulatory System to transport nutrients,
gases and wastes to and from the cells in our body;
The importance of the Circulatory System to help fight diseases
and to control the body temperatura
Be aware of the importance of having healthy habits to prevent
cardiovascular diseases
Overcome some firmed misconceptions students and many
people have relating to heart, blood circulation, etc.
2. CONTENTS:
Anatomy and functions of the circulatory system
Differences between the three kind of vessels: arteries, veins
and capillaries
Heart anatomy (chambers and vessels that empty into and take
the blood from it)
Double circulatory system in humans.
3. LANGUAGE CONTENTS
3.1. VOCABULARY
Specific vocabulary: heart, vessel, artery, vein, capillary,
blood, chamber, ventricule, atrium (pl. atria), valve, plasma,
red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, bone marrow, cava
vein, aorta arterie, oxygenated, deoxygenated,

Comparative and superlative forms of each: thin, thick,

narrow, large

Common verbs: flow, carry, pump, carry out, release, beat,

bleed, provide
3.2. STRUCTURES
Comparing: i.e. what is the difference between...?; the most
abundant...; ...larger than...; the largest artery...;
Describing processes: i.e. ...consists of...; ...branch along...;
...run through...; ...pump into...
Expressin amounts: i.e. about; only; etc.
Expressing purpose: i.e. blood is necessary to transport...
Expressing directions: i.e. into, along...
Expressing cause and results: due to; because of; as a result; etc.
4. METHODOLOGY
In the first session we need to find the different levels in the class.
We can use instruments like videos, matches games, crosswords, fill
in the gaps, quizzes, flashcards, etc. The following sessions we use a
range of resources, doing activities and encouraging the collaborating
work in small groups of 3 or 4 members in class.

5. LANGUAGE SKILLS

Activity 1: Brainstorm

What is the main difference between arteries and veins? It s very

frecuent to hear: arteries carry oxygenated blood and veins carry
de-oxigenated blood
What happens when the blood flows through the lungs? They try to
explain that lungs clean away all carbon dioxide waste

Make the students draw the pathway a drop of blood takes as it

leaves the heart and travels through the body and lungs.
These are very frecuent

Activity 2: Listenings activity like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruM4Xxhx32U

Activity 3: Songs with lyrics like

http://www.sciencemusicvideos.com/pump- it-up-circulatorysystem-rap/

Activity 4: quiz about the song after we watch the video

http://braingenie.ck12.org/skills/107610

TASK 1: The importance of being healthy

Activity 5: Read the following text about living a healthy

life.

Is there anything that we can do to keep our cardiovasuclar system

healthy? If we forget certain rules about keeping healthy we are
much more likely to become ill.
Here you are some of these rules:
A healthy diet. If we eat a balanced diet our bodies receive the
correct supply of nutrients and energy in order to ensure that our

bodies can function correctly.

Physical exercise. It is extremely important to keep our motor
systems in good working order.
Avoid Dangerous Substances. Tobacco, alcohol and drugs are bad
for us.
PROCEDURE:
The class will be divided into groups of 3 students; each one will
research one of the following issues.
1. A healthy diet.
2. Dangerous Substances.
3. Physical excesises.

TASK 2: Let s make a heart

Activity 6: A paper heart building

You need for this activity:

Red pencil (it represents oxygenated blood)
Blue pencil (it represents non-oxygenated blood)
(for the valves)
Glue
Scissors
A photocopy of the next page
A sheet of paper of your notebook

Yellow pencil

 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 ar-rowed 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.
Step 5:
Part 9,Cut around the shape of the heart and sticking tab and fix so
that the heart is com-pletely 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

Task 3: QUIZZES AND FLASHCARDS GAMES.

Activity 7: Pump it up. Interactive lyrics music video
Activity 8: Circulation: interactive diagrams
Activity 9: Heart anatomy interactive diagrams
Activity 10: A quiz about the entire heart
Activity 11:Heart anatomy Flashcards
Activity 12:Extra activities
Supplementary Quiz: the chambers.
Supplementary Quiz: valves and the septum.
Supplementary Quiz: the blood vessels.
Task 4: EVALUATION
Activity 13:Circulatory System structure and function.
6.EVALUATION
We can evaluate regarding the levels of the students we found at the
first session and the objectives achieved by the pupils. We can
consider the development of the English skills in each instrument we
used in this teaching unit. We can use a rubric with competences and
cross the 4 English skills developed: writing, listening, speaking and
reading.