Respiration

Topic: Respiration

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will be able to explain respiration as the exchange of carbon dioxide for oxygen.
• Students will collect data to show that respiration is impacted by movement. What happens to our breathing when we move?

Materials

• Breath monitors or sensors
• Watch or timer
• Chart paper or whiteboard and markers
• Pencils and erasers
• Calculator (optional)

Warm-up

• Have students sit in a straight line.
• Have students place one hand on their chest and the other hand on their belly.
• Ask students to take a deep breath in and out, focusing on where their hand is moving.
• After a few breaths, ask students to raise their hand if their hand moved down while they were breathing in and up while they were breathing out.
• Ask a few volunteers to share their responses with the class.
• Discuss that this movement is called respiration and it is how our bodies get oxygen into our blood and release carbon dioxide.

Direct Instruction

• Review the definition of respiration as the exchange of carbon dioxide for oxygen.
• Discuss the role of the lungs in respiration and how they contain small air sacs called alveoli where gas exchange takes place.
• Explain that movement can impact our respiration by causing us to breathe more quickly and deeply.

Guided Practice

• Have students complete the "Respiration Monitor" activity worksheet.
• This activity will have students track their respiration while they are sitting still and while they are moving - first slowly, then more quickly and deeply.
• As a class, discuss the data collected and how movement impacts respiration.

Independent Practice

• Have students complete the "Respiration in Action" activity worksheet.
• In this activity, students will observe the respiration of different animals and explore how respiration is impacted by the environment.
• As a class, discuss the data collected and how respiration is impacted by the environment.

Closure

• Review the key concepts of respiration and how it is impacted by the environment.
• Ask students to share their observations from the "Respiration in Action" activity worksheet.

Assessment

• Observe student participation in the group discussions and independent practice.
• Evaluate the completed "Respiration in Action" worksheets for understanding of key concepts and observations.