The Respiratory System

The Respiratory System

Unit: Life Science

Focus Question: What is the function of the respiratory system?

Prediction/Hypothesis:

-       If you’re moving a lot, then you will take more breaths.

-       If you don’t move a lot, then you will take fewer breaths.

-       If you take more breaths, then you are getting more oxygen.

Materials:

-       Stopwatch

-       Smartboard

-       Students

Planning:

            First count resting breaths and record what’s happening on inhale and exhale (with diaphragm and chest). Then count breaths after walking and record what’s happening on inhale and exhale (diaphragm and chest). Last count breaths after running and record what’s happening (diaphragm and chest).

Data:

	At Rest	Walking	Running
Number of Breaths

	Diaphragm (up and down)	Chest (in or out)
Inhale
Exhale

Claims/Evidence:

            You take more breaths when increase activity, because when we ran we took more breaths. We had claimed that when you breathe more then your body gets more oxygen because you inhale more oxygen. We know this to be true because we observed after we had ran in place we took more breaths and our diaphragms went up and we took more breaths. We found that when you move less, you breath less more. We found this to be true because the number of resting breaths was less than the number of walking or running breaths.

Conclusion/Reflection:

            The function of the respiratory system is to deliver oxygen to your body. In this investigation we discovered that the more you move the more breaths you take and the more oxygen your body receives. This reminds me of the investigation we did about the circulatory system, because when we increased our level of activity our heart rate increased. What happens if you hold your breath while you run? Why can’t you breathe under water, if there is oxygen in the water? Can you breathe without your lungs?