Making a Working Model of the Heart

As we continue to learn about systems, we have recently ventured into learning how the circulatory system transports nutrients to the cells in our bodiy. Thursday our class teamed up with Mrs. Espinosa's class to create a working model of the heart. Students had cups, containers, one-way valves, tubes, rubber stoppers and more. Their challenge was to use what was recently learned about the heart to assemble a model of it. Groups did amazing. In the end, all groups had a heart that could be "pumped" by squeezing one container. This pressurized the container and pushed "blood" (water) out of that ventricle into the lungs. Then the other side of the heart would "pump" by being squeezed, sending water from that ventricle to the body. Additionally, each time the squeezing stopped, water would be suctioned into that part of the heart from the "body" or the "lungs" cup. The complete cycle ensured water never ran out.