Unit D

Module 7 Introduction

By Bryan Brandenburg (http://bryanbrandenburg.net/wikpedia-heart-3d//) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Overview


The oxygen breathed into the body through the lungs and the nutrients absorbed through the digestive system need to reach every cell in the body. The transport of nutrients and waste is achieved by the circulatory system, a sophisticated network of blood vessels powered by the heart. In addition to transporting oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients, and waste, the circulatory system protects the body from foreign invaders, prevents blood loss, and regulates body temperature.

Big Ideas

This module will investigate the human circulatory system and its role in the exchange of energy and matter with the environment.

By the end of this module, you should be able to
  • explain how the human circulatory system helps maintain a state of equilibrium in the body.

Key Concepts

Concepts that you should be able to explain by the end of this module are
  • the structure of the heart and blood vessels
  • the action of the heart
  • blood pressure, systemic circulation, and pulmonary circulation
  • the cellular and non-cellular components of blood
  • the role of the circulatory system in temperature regulation

Skills

Skills that you should be able to do by the end of this module are
  • interpret blood composition results
  • identify the type and relative number of blood cells on a blood slide
  • investigate factors affecting heart rate and blood pressure

Assessments

There are three graded assessments in Module 7.


  1. Unit D: Section 3 Assignment
  2. Unit D: Section 4 Assignment
  3. Unit D Summative Part 2

As you work through this unit and its module, you will find Self-Check questions,  labs, and critical thought questions. There will be lesson goals indicated at the beginning of each lesson and then clearly identified throughout the lesson.