Introducing the cardiovascular system and heart

A resource designed for A-Level Biology students, this worksheet provides questions and diagrams to develop and consolidate student's understanding of the circulatory system layout and structure of the heart. The first page contains questions relating to the dual circuit found in mammals and clarifies the nature of arteries, veins and oxygenated/deoxygenated blood. The second page contains a detailed and labelled diagram of the heart that would provide a useful reference during a heart dissection. The final questions are ideal follow up questions to answer post-dissection or possibly to act as prompts for a teacher to ask during the dissection.

The resource is differentiated - the first worksheet provides a diagram of the heart with full labels. The second worksheet has number prompts instead and an instruction to use available textbooks, etc to provide the labels.

If you have planned to deliver a heart dissection practical, this is very much a self-contained resource that will serve as a starter and plenary for your session.

Key words: heart, dissection, valves, atria, ventricles, aorta, pulmonary, artery, vein