Corpus Christi

In Science this half term we have focused on the circulatory system.

To begin with we learnt all about the structure and function of the heart. Learning many pieces of key vocabulary such as atrium, ventricle, vessel and valve! We spent lots of time trying to understand how the heart works and what the circulatory system involves. We learnt that deoxygenated blood comes through the Vena Cava into the right atrium and then down into the right ventricle. It then travels to collect oxygen from the lungs. It re- enters the heart through the pulmonary vein into the left atrium, then the left ventricle and out through the aorta to deliver oxygenated blood to the rest of the body! This happens over and over again!

Once we had perfected the processes of the circulatory system, we thought about the different blood vessels: arteries, veins and capillaries and their important role in the system. We carried out an experiment to show what happens to blood flow when arteries become restricted.

Next up was the blood! We looked in detail at the composition of blood and explained the function of each of the components within blood. Once we had looked at how blood is transported around the body and what is actually in our blood. We began to think about and explain how water and nutrients are transported. This is where we learnt about two tricky concepts: diffusion and osmosis. To understand osmosis further we conducted an experiment investigating how different liquids affect the size of gummy sweets!