Structures of the Body

Explain This:

Los Angeles, like most large cities, has a combination of freeways/interstates and local roads. Why?

Structure of the Circulatory System Our circulatory system is

responsible to transport materials throughout our body. Just as with any highway system, larger blood vessels allow blood to travel faster and longer distances than smaller vessels.

Circulatory Organs

Heart Arteries Veins Capillaries

Circulatory OrgansOrgan Function

Heart Pumps blood through blood vessels

Arteries Carries blood away from the heart (most with oxygen)

Veins Carries blood to the heart (most without oxygen)

Fun Fact:

Do you remember the last time you were frightened? How did your heart respond to the scare?

Fun Fact:

When you are frightened your body releases chemicals that speed up your heart rate. This is known as the fight-or-flight reaction. As your heart beats faster, your muscles receive more blood. As a result, your body has extra strength to react quickly.

Explain This:

Structure of the Respiratory System Unlike fish, our bodies are not designed

for underwater breathing! For this reason, scuba divers have to wear special equipment to breath under water.

Respiratory Organs

Nose Mouth Pharynx Trachea Bronchi Lung Alveoli

Respiratory Organs

When we breathe in, oxygen travels through a series of tubes till it reaches the alveoli sacs in the lungs. There oxygen is exchanged with carbon dioxide from the blood. The carbon dioxide travels in reverse till it exits the body through the nose or mouth.

Fun Fact:

The air we breathe in is filled with pollution, microorganisms, and other things that can make us sick. How does the body protect itself?

Fun Fact:

Our body is designed to filter the air we breathe. The hair in our nostrils collect dust and other large particles that we breathe in. Smaller particles and microorganisms are trapped by the sticky mucus that follows.

Picture This:

Write a paragraph describing what comes to mind when you see this picture.

Structure of the Skeletal System Just as a building has a frame and an

inner structure to keep it standing, the human body is composed of more than 200 bones of the skeletal system.

Bones

Cranium Sternum Ribs Vertebrae Pelvis Femur

BonesBone(s) AKA Location Function

Cranium Skull Head and face Protects brain

Vertebrae Spinal Columnor Backbone

Top of neck to pelvis

Provides vertical support and protects spinal cord

Ribs Attached to vertebrae

Protects heart and lungs

Sternum Breastbone Attached to ribs Protects heart and lungs

Pelvis Hip Attachment point for leg bones

Femur Thighbone Legs Manufactures red blood cells and allows for movement

Fun Fact:

A criminal investigator can determine by observing the skeletal remains if a victim was male or female!

Fun Fact:

What is the difference between these two skeletons?

Fun Fact:

Females have a wider pelvis with a larger opening than males.

Which of these is a female? Which is a male?

Fun Fact:

Male

Female

Fun Fact:

Do you know what the largest bone is in the body? It has the largest influence on your height.

Fun Fact:

The femur is the largest bone in the body! Whereas the stapes bone is the smallest.

FemurFemur

StapesStapes

Joints

Joints are located everywhere a bone meets another bone.

Ligaments and Cartilage

Ligaments- tough tissue that stretches across joints holding the bones together.

Cartilage- tissue found on the end of bones to provide cushion and limit friction.

Explain This:

What is the difference between these two cars?

Structure of the Muscular System The engine of a car is what allows the

car to move. Similarly, muscles allow us to move, usually by pushing or pulling against bones. It also provides protection to internal organs and allows for the movement of substances within the body. There are over 600 muscles in the human body.

Muscles

Voluntary- muscles you are able to control

Involuntary- muscles automatically controlled by the brain

MusclesCardiac Muscles Smooth Muscles Skeletal Muscles

The heart

Involuntary

Muscles found inside digestive organsInvoluntary

Muscles attached to bonesVoluntary

Skeletal Muscles

Biceps Triceps Deltoid Pectoralis Abdominal Gluteus maximus

Fun Fact:

Can you override the brain’s control of a muscle?

Fun Fact:

Some muscles are both voluntary and involuntary. The brain usually controls these muscles, but you can override the brain's control.

Picture This:

Write a short story based on this series of pictures.

Structure of the Digestive System The human body, as with a car, needs

fuel to function. When you eat food travels through a series of organs to break food down into usable energy.

Digestive Tract

Mouth Esophagus Stomach Small Intestine Large Intestine

Digestive TractOrgan Function

Mouth -Teeth grind food into smaller pieces-Saliva turns starches into sugars

Esophagus -Connects mouth to stomach-Peristalsis (muscle contractions) moves food down the tube

Stomach Muscle contractions churn food with gastric juices (acid and enzymes) into smaller pieces, forming a souplike mixture.

Digestive TractOrgan Function

Small Intestine -Intestinal juice, pancreatic juice, and bile break food down into molecules-Villi (small fingerlike projections) cover the intestinal wall and absorbs nutrients

Large Intestine -Absorbs water and minerals-Stores feces (solid waste from undigested food) until expelled

Fun Fact:

How long does the digestion process take from beginning to end?

Fun Fact:

After eating a balanced meal, which contains plenty of fiber, it takes 24 hours for digestion to occur.

After eating a meal lacking fiber, it can take up to 96 hours for digestion to occur.

Discuss This:

Class Discussion:

Imagine a world that did not have a waste management system. What would that world look like?

Excretory Organs

Skin Lungs Kidneys Large Intestine Bladder

Excretory OrgansOrgan Function

Skin Expels salt, water, and other wastes when you sweat

Lungs Expels carbon dioxide and water when you breathe out

Kidney Filters excess salt, water, and urea (liquid wastes) from the blood and stores in bladder

Large Intestine Removes solid wastes (feces) from the body

Bladder Stores urine (filtered wastes from kidneys) until expelled through urination

Fun Fact:

The kidneys are essential for our bodies to maintain clean blood. What would happen if one of our kidneys failed?

Fun Fact:

The human body can survive with one functioning kidney! The surviving kidney would enlarge as it would need to work twice as hard to filter all the body’s blood.

Discuss This:

How is the human body similar to a machine?

Other Systems of the Body Integumentary System:

Skin and Nails

HairSweat GlandsOil Glands

Other Systems of the Body Immune System:

Skin

White Blood Cells

Other Systems of the Body Nervous System:

Nerve

BrainSpinal CordNerves

Other Systems of the Body Endocrine System:

Fun Fact:

Can organs belong to more than one system?

Fun Fact:

Each organ may have several different functions. For this reason, it is common to see an organ listed as a part of several different organ systems!