A practical exploration of the pathway of blood
I can demonstrate my knowledge of the pathway of blood through the heart and around the body.
A practical exploration of the pathway of blood
I can demonstrate my knowledge of the pathway of blood through the heart and around the body.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
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.
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
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.
Equipment
skipping ropes to represent blood vessels; hula hoops or mats to represent heart chambers; red/blue cones/bibs/balloons to represent oxygenated/deoxygenated blood; trampette/springboard (optional)
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
pumps blood out into the pulmonary circuit
carries blood back into the right side of the heart
requires more oxygen from the bloodstream during exercise
Exit quiz
6 Questions
pumps blood out into the pulmonary circuit
carries blood back into the right side of the heart
requires more oxygen from the bloodstream during exercise
enable gaseous exchange between the alveoli and the bloodstream
carries blood from the heart to the lungs and back to the heart