Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes – Part A: Is Breathing Mindless?
20 minutes – Part B: How Do We Breathe?
35 minutes – Part C: Struggling For Air
10 minutes – Part C: Living And Breathing With A Lung Transplant
5 minutes – Reflection

Part A: Is Breathing Mindless?

Step 1.

Begin the lesson by watching the Dying to Live clip 'Kelli and Holly's Story' with the class. Explain that Holly has very reduced lung function (less than 30%) due to the irreversible damage caused to her lungs by cystic fibrosis.

Dying to Live: Kelli & Holly's Story – from 3:12 to end (https://youtu.be/wMKrj1C1FOo)

Step 2.

Once complete, ask your class to think about their own breathing by inviting students to sit quietly for a timed minute and ask them to concentrate on and monitor their own breathing. During this time, try and subtly distract the attention of your class by writing something on the board or walking across to a window. Once the minute is up, discuss what this experience was like with the class by asking them to share their thoughts.

You could prompt them with the following questions:

Did you find it hard to keep tabs on your own breathing?
Did you get distracted?
Was your breathing ‘normal’? What was different to how you usually breathe?

Explain to your class that breathing is controlled by your autonomic nervous system, which means that breathing is automatic, involuntary and usually requires no conscious thought. Although we can consciously take control of our breathing, once you lose this focus your body will continue to breathe on its own.

Step 3.

Now ask your class to think about reduced lung function, as seen in Holly’s story. Explain that while breathing is mindless for most people, others who suffer from lung-related illnesses struggle to breathe and find everyday tasks like walking or showering exhausting.

You might like to ask students if they want to share a story about a time when they had breathing difficulties, perhaps related to asthma or another illness.

Part B: How Do We Breathe?

Step 1.

Explain to students that in the next part of the lesson they will explore the anatomy and physiology of the respiratory system using diagrams, an animation and an explanation.

Begin with the diagrams: project the following images of the respiratory system (also available as slides 1 and 2 in the Lesson Presentation: Lungs) and outline the location of the most important features.

Step 2.

Next, distribute a copy of the Student Worksheet to each student and invite them to access the image of the lungs. Students can work independently or in pairs to add the following labels to the image:

Bronchi
Bronchioles
Alveolus (pl. Alveoli)
Nasal passage and mouth
Trachea or windpipe.

Once complete, check student answers using the images above.

Step 3.

Next, explain to students that they will watch a clip that describes the role of the lungs. As students watch, invite them to record anything they think is interesting or important:

Ted-Ed animation: What do lungs do? - Emma Bryce (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NUxvJS-_0k)

Step 4.

Once complete, engage students in a class discussion about how the respiratory system works by using the students’ labelled diagrams and the information from the animation. Through your discussion, ensure students understand the general process of how air passes through the respiratory system from the nasal passage to the alveoli, where gas exchange takes place. Answer any questions or clarify any misconceptions.

Step 5.

Now that students have a solid understanding of how the lungs work, ask students to create a flowchart to show the process of taking a breath using the template on the Student Worksheet. The table below outlines five key steps in the process and could be used to guide and prompt students.

Step	Explanation	Location of the Process
1.	Air rich in oxygen is inhaled and enters the respiratory system through the nasal passages or mouth and travels down the trachea (windpipe).	Nasal passages & mouth → Trachea
2.	From the trachea, the air divides into one of the two bronchi and into the bronchial tubules (bronchioles) within the lungs.	Trachea → Bronchi → Bronchioles
3.	From the bronchioles, oxygen enters the tiny air sacs called alveoli.	Bronchioles → Alveoli
4.	Each alveolus is wrapped with tiny blood vessels called capillaries, which the oxygen diffuses into. Carbon dioxide within the blood also diffuses into the alveolus at the same time.	Oxygen in the Alveolus → blood stream Carbon dioxide in the blood stream → Alveolus
5.	The carbon dioxide in the alveolus then travels back through the respiratory system and is exhaled.	Alveoli → Bronchioles → Bronchi → Trachea → Nasal passages & mouth

Sources:

If time permits, more steps can be added to the flowchart to include the role of the diaphragm, capillaries, and haemoglobin in the functioning of the respiratory system.

Extend: The respiratory system process could also be demonstrated in a whole class role play. Click here for more details.

Part C: Struggling For Air

Step 1.

Now show your class the following image (also available as slide 3 in the Lesson Presentation: Lungs) which highlights the irreversible damage caused to the lungs due to cystic fibrosis.

Ask your class to think about why this damage impairs the function of the lungs. Prompt them with the following questions (suggested answers included):

How will losing lung tissue reduce lung function?
Suggested answer: Students should mention loss of bronchioles and alveoli which reduces the number of air passages and limits the amount of gas exchange that can occur.
If you had lungs like these, what might it feel like?
Suggested answer: You might feel breathless, have less energy, find simple tasks exhausting, and be unable to catch your breath.
If you had damaged lungs, how do you think you could improve your lung function?
Suggested answer: Medications, physiotherapy, staying healthy, avoiding more infections, lung transplant.

Through your discussion explain to your class that Holly from the video has cystic fibrosis, meaning that cells within her lungs secrete excess mucus which can block airways and also act as a breeding ground for infection. This cycle can repeat itself and then lead to damaged and non-functioning lung tissue. Holly’s lung function was reduced to 15% before her transplant, which meant that her lungs were functioning at about a sixth of that of a healthy woman (source).

Step 2.

To demonstrate how lung damage impacts the effectiveness of the respiratory system, lead your class through a simple practical activity to model lung function. You could organise this activity as a demonstration, or as a task for students to complete in groups.

MATERIALS – For each demonstration you will need the following:

8 x 100 mL beakers
4 x small kitchen strainers (e.g. tea leaf strainers) or filter paper and a funnel
4 different concentrations of pulp orange juice in water
- 0% (just water)
- 25% orange juice in water
- 50% orange juice in water
- 100% orange juice

INSTRUCTIONS – The following instructions, table and reflection questions are also included in the Student Worksheet.

Direct students to:

Collect safety glasses and ensure adequate personal protection gear (e.g. closed shoes) is used.
Measure out equal quantities (about 50 mL) of each solution into separate beakers.
Use the strainer or filter paper and a funnel to strain the solution into a second beaker. Pour the concentrated solutions slowly in case the strainer fills up and overflows. Ensure that students do not stir the solution in the strainer, or move the build up of pulp.
Measure the amount of liquid that was able to be strained into the second beaker, and record the result in the results table.
Repeat process for remaining solutions, rinsing and clearing the strainer between solutions.
Work out the percentage of lung function for each solution (see table for rule).

Solution	Total amount of liquid (before straining)	Strained amount of liquid (after)	Percentage of function (strained liquid ÷ total liquid) x 100
0%
25%
50%
75&

Step 3.

Once the demonstration is complete, invite students to use the data from the orange juice activity to record what they discovered and what they think the results show about cystic fibrosis and lung function.

Ensure students understand that that the strainer will model the lungs, and the liquid that is able to pass through the strainer will model oxygen. The pulp in the orange juice that builds up in the strainer models the excess mucus due to cystic fibrosis, and any blockages caused simulate damaged lung tissue.

Part D: Living And Breathing With A Lung Transplant

Step 1.

Now that students have an understanding of how the respiratory system operates and how lung function can be impaired by illness, focus your class onto the topic of organ transplant by continuing Holly’s story.

Play the Dying to Live clip 'Holly’s Story'.

Dying to Live: Holly's Story - 2:08 til end (https://youtu.be/9T7PytohLYU)

Step 2.

Once complete, allow the class to discuss their thoughts on Holly’s story and how receiving an organ transplant transformed her life. You could prompt them with the following:

What did you find interesting or important about this clip?
What things can Holly now do?
How does Holly see her future?
What impact has the transplant had on Holly’s family?
How different would Holly’s life and the lives of her family be without the transplant?
How do you think the donor family would have felt when they received Holly’s letter?

Reflection

Step 1.

Project the following quote from the end of ‘Holly’s story’:

Invite your class to work independently to think about this quote and how it makes them feel. Depending on the group, you could ask students to write down their thoughts and feelings about organ and tissue donation, or you could use the following questions as prompts for a class discussion:

Have you thought about whether you would donate your organs or tissues before?
Have you told your family what your wishes are?
Do you know if your family wish to donate or not?
Whether you support donation or not, why do you think it is important to discuss the topic at home?

Differentiated Learning

Extension – You may choose to go into more detail during the anatomy of the respiratory system to include: the larynx and pharynx, the structure of the trachea, and the specific functioning of the diaphragm. The structure of a red blood cell and the function of haemoglobin may also help to extend particular students and/or offer further explanation of the topic.

Provisions for Learning Support – Depending on the support requirements of individual students in your class, it may be beneficial to use the Respiratory System Role Play as an alternative to asking students to create a flowchart.

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

Dying To Live - The Respiratory System

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