This lesson describes the mechanism of breathing, including the roles of the ribcage, intercostal muscles and the diaphragm. The content of the engaging PowerPoint has been designed to cover the details of the fifth part of specification point 3.2 of the AQA A-level Biology specification and introduces the antagonistic interaction of the external and internal intercostal muscles.
The lesson begins with a focus on the diaphragm and students will discover that this sheet of muscle is found on the floor of the thoracic cavity. Whilst planning the lesson, it was deemed important to introduce this region of the body at an early stage because the best descriptions will regularly reference the changes seen in this cavity. As the mechanism of inhalation is a cascade of events, the details of this process are covered in a step by step format using bullet points. At each step, time is taken to discuss the key details which includes an introduction to Boyle’s law that reveals the inverse relationship between volume and pressure. It is crucial that students are able to describe how the actions of the diaphragm, external intercostal muscles and ribcage result in an increased volume of the thoracic cavity and a subsequent decrease in the pressure, which is below the pressure outside of the body. At this point, their recall of the structures of the mammalian gas exchange system is tested, to ensure that they can describe the pathway the air takes on moving into the lungs.
The remainder of the lesson involves a task which challenges the students to describe exhalation and then the accessory muscles involved in forced ventilation are also considered.
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Topic 3: Organisms exchange substances with their environment (AQA A-level Biology)
This lesson bundle contains 17 detailed and fully-resourced lessons which cover the following specification points in topic 3 of the AQA A-level Biology specification: Topic 3.1 * The relationship between the size of an organism or structure and its surface area to volume ratio * The development of systems in larger organisms as adaptations that facilitate exchange as this ratio reduces Topic 3.2 * Adaptations of gas exchange surfaces as shown by gas exchange in single-celled organisms, insects, bony fish and the leaves of dicotyledonous plants * The gross structure of the human gas exchange system * The essential features of the alveolar epithelium as a surface over which gas exchange takes place * The mechanism of breathing to include the role of the diaphragm and the intercostal muscles Topic 3.3 * During digestion, large molecules are hydrolysed to smaller molecules * Digestion in mammals by amylases, disaccharidases, lipase, endopeptidases, exopeptidases and dipeptidases * Mechanisms for the absorption of the products of digestion by cells lining the ileum of mammals Topic 3.4.1 * The structure and role of haemoglobin in the loading, transport and unloading of oxygen * The effects of carbon dioxide concentration on the dissociation of oxyhaemoglobin * The general pattern of blood circulation in a mammal * The gross structure of the human heart * Pressure and volume changes and valve movements during the cardiac cycle * The structure of the arteries, arterioles and veins * The formation of tissue fluid and its return to the circulatory system Topic 3.4.2 * Xylem as the tissue that transports water * The cohesion-tension theory of water transport * Phloem as the tissue that transports organic substances in plants * The mass flow hypothesis for the mechanism of translocation in plants If you would like to sample the quality of the lessons included in this bundle, then download the following lessons which have been uploaded for free Alveolar epithelium Absorption in the ileum Arteries, arterioles and veins Formation of tissue fluid Translocation
Topics 3.1, 3.2 & 3.3 (AQA A-level Biology)
This bundle contains 7 lessons which are highly detailed and cover the following points in the surface area to volume ratio, gas exchange and digestion and absorption topics of the AQA A-level Biology specification: * The relationship between the size of an organism or structure and its surface area to volume ratio * The development of systems in larger organisms as adaptations that facilitate exchange as this ratio reduces * Adaptations of gas exchange surfaces in single-celled organisms, insects, bony fish and in the leaf of a dicotyledonous plant * The gross structure of the human gas exchange system * The essential features of the alveolar epithelium over which gas exchange takes place * Ventilation and the exchange of gases in the lungs * Digestion in mammals of carbohydrates, proteins and lipids * Mechanisms for the absorption of the products of digestion by cells lining the ileum If you would like to sample the quality of lessons in this bundle, then download the alveolar epithelium and absorption in the ileum lessons as these have been uploaded for free
Topic 3.2: Gas exchange (AQA A-level Biology)
This bundle contains 4 lessons which cover the following content that's set out in topic 3.2 (Gas exchange) of the AQA A-level Biology specification: * Adaptations of gas exchange surfaces as shown by the gas exchange in single-celled organisms, insects, bony fish and the leaves of dicotyledonous plants * The gross structure of the human gas exchange system * The essential features of the alveolar epithelium as a surface over which gas exchange takes place * The mechanism of breathing All of the lessons are detailed and have been intricately planned to contain a wide range of tasks that will challenge the students on their understanding of the current topic as well as their recall of knowledge from previously-covered topics. In this way, the students are encouraged to make links between biological processes in different topics so they are prepared for assessment questions which do just that. Lessons covering topics 3.1, 3.3 and 3.4 are also uploaded
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