The Heart, Blood Vessels and Cardiac Cycle
How the heart moves blood around the body: the four chambers, the three types of blood vessel and their jobs, and the cardiac cycle of filling and pumping.
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The heart 🫀
The heart is a muscular pump that moves blood around the body. It has four chambers: two atria at the top that receive blood, and two ventricles at the bottom that pump it out. Blood travels in three types of vessel, and the cardiac cycle describes how the heart fills and pumps.
Words for the heart 🔑
Learn these four terms before you follow the blood around the body.
Three blood vessels 🆚
Each type of blood vessel has a structure that suits its job.
Grade 9 thinking 💡
To reach the top grades, link each structure to its function, such as thick artery walls to withstand high pressure and one-cell-thick capillary walls for a short diffusion distance. You do not need to name the heart valves.
Match the part to its job 🔗
- an artery
- a vein
- a capillary
- an atrium
- carries blood away from the heart at high pressure
- carries blood back to the heart and has valves
- allows the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide
- a top chamber that receives blood into the heart
Match the term to its meaning 🧩
- ventricle
- vasoconstriction
- vasodilation
- cardiac cycle
- a bottom chamber that pumps blood out
- when blood vessels narrow
- when blood vessels widen
- one full sequence of the heart filling and pumping
Which carries blood away? ❓
Which blood vessel carries blood away from the heart?
- The artery.
- The vein.
- The capillary.
Features of an artery ✅
Select the TWO features of an artery.
- Thick muscular walls.
- It carries blood at high pressure.
- It has valves to stop backflow.
- Its walls are one cell thick.
Follow the blood 🪜
An interactive activity.
Summarise the heart 📝
The heart has four chambers. The top chambers are the _____ and the bottom chambers are the _____. An _____ carries blood away from the heart at high pressure, while a _____ carries it back and has valves. The heart filling with blood is called _____.
Count the chambers 🔢
An interactive activity.
Spot the two artery features 🖍️
An interactive activity.
Which blood vessel? 🧭
An interactive activity.
Explain the artery ✍️
An interactive activity.