Mrs. Wrynn's Class
Link Elementary School

ANATOMY
By Anthony

THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

Cow's Lung

The students in 5th grade science are studying the Respiratory System. We were very fortunate to have one of the parents bring in a real cow lung to show the class.  On one day, we saw the full lung with the trachea and the next day the parent cut the lungs for us so we could see how the lungs look inside.  We also got to touch the lungs and trachea (with rubber gloves).  We couldn't believe how soft and spongy the lungs were.  The trachea looked like a vacuum cleaner hose!

In this picture you can also see the bronchial tubes. A bronchial tube connects your trachea (windpipe) to your lungs.  When you breathe, air goes through your nose/mouth down your windpipe into your bronchial tubes and then finally into your lungs.  We are looking forward to examining more organs in the 5th grade!!
                                                                                                               

THE CIRCULATION SYSTEM

Cow's Heart

Shown above is a cow’s heart. The job of the heart is to pump blood through out the body. In our science class, we learned about the parts of the circulatory system. The circulation system is made up of ventricles, atria, arteries, veins, capillaries, and the heart. 

First let’s learn some facts about the heart. There are four chambers in the heart. Their names are the right atrium, right ventricle, left atrium, and finally the left ventricle. There are two sides to the heart, the left and the right. The left side pumps blood to the whole body. On the top is the left atrium on the bottom is the left ventricle. Same on the right only it pumps to the lungs (shone in the first picture). 

There are 3 kinds of blood vessels called arteries, veins, and capillaries. Veins bring blood to the heart. Arteries bring blood away from the heart, and capillaries connect veins and arteries. 

Now I think you are ready to follow a drop of blood. First, let’s start in the right atrium. The blood then goes to the right ventricle and gets pumped to the lungs to get oxygen. Then the blood goes into the capillaries and it gets the oxygen. It goes into a vein and into the left atrium of the heart. Then it goes to the left ventricle and gets pumped into the body and goes into the capillaries. Finally the blood goes into the veins and back into the right atrium of the heart. That is the blood’s path.

THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

Cow's Stomach

The stomach is like a big blender. It mixes food with acids to help break it down. The stomach is a little bit bigger then a human stomach. Inside the stomach it is very rough and looks like a honeycomb. The outside is like velvet and is smooth yet it is still a little bumpy. The stomach is very muscular and if you were to sew the opening back together it would look like an oversized bean. Did you know that people eat cows stomach? It’s called tripe!

Most people think if you eat too much your stomach will get bigger and bigger. But they are wrong. Your stomach stays the same size except for when it grows because you are getting bigger. The food really gets stored, as fat and that is why your stomach does not get any bigger.

Calf's Liver

Did you know that the liver is the biggest internal organ in the body? The picture above is only a quarter of a calf's liver. But the liver is about twice the size of the picture above. Maybe you can see the hole the bile flows through. As you may or may not know, the liver produces bile that helps break down fats in  the food we eat. Then it is stored in your gall bladder and gets pumped to the small intestine.

Your liver is important in other ways too. It stores extra sugar that your body didn’t use. The liver has two lobes. Did you know that you can transplant the smaller lobe into a baby and it will still work the right way?

Pig's Small Intestine

Above is a picture of a small intestine of a pig. It is about 27 feet long. Right now it is inflated. Does it remind you of something? If you guessed a sausage, you would be right. This is what people use for a sausage casing. Most people won't eat sausage now that they know that.

The job of the small intestine is to fully digest the food that left the stomach. In the small intestine the food is mixed with an acid called bile, which is produced by the liver and stored in the gall bladder. It helps break down food. Also the pancreas makes acids that also helps break down food. When it is all done, finger like objects called villi absorb the nutrients in the digested food and send it to the rest of the body. Then the unused part goes to the large intestine. There water is absorbed. Then the rest goes to the rectum.

Web Sites about the Anatomy

Science Fact File: Inside the Human Body

Human Body ThinkQuest

The Heart : An online exploration

Brain Pop - learn more about the human body by exploring this site.

Human Anatomy Online - explore the workings of the human body at this interactive web site.

Human Body - learn about the digestive system through work done by Link's fifth grade.