Purpose of lesson
Comparing Respiratory systems
Students will compare and contrast the human respiratory system with the
respiratory system of bottlenose dolphins
Performance Objectives
This lesson fits the grade seven topic, “Human Body Systems and Disease.”
1. Students will review the major organs of the respiratory system (meets
South Carolina Standard 7-3.2)
2. Students will recognize the similarities and differences between the human
and dolphin respiratory systems
Materials
To perform this activity, the following materials are necessary:
 Two different types of elastic, one with more elasticity than the other
 Two tennis balls
 Rubber bands
Description of Activity
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Station 1:
Station 2:
Station 3:
Station 4:
Station 5:
Station 6:
Comparing elasticity of the lungs
Comparing the rib structures
Oxygen storage
Comparing respiratory structures and path of air molecules
Gas exchange between alveoli and capillaries
Comparison of vocal chords
Station 1
1. The elastic labeled “human” represents human lung tissue, and
the elastic labeled “dolphin” represents dolphin lung tissue.
2. Measure the length of each elastic in cm without stretching the
elastics out.
3. Stretch out each elastic as far as you can, and measure these
lengths in cm.
4. Subtract the length in step 2 from the length in step 3 to find how
much each elastic stretched.
5. Which elastic stretched the most?
6. If the elastics represent dolphin and human lungs, do dolphin
lungs or human lungs stretch more?
Station 2
1. Look at the human and dolphin ribs
2. What differences can you find between the human and dolphin
ribs?
3. Which ribs (human or dolphin) allow the lungs to expand more?
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Station 3
1.
Look at the pie charts, which show oxygen storage in humans and
in dolphins.
2.
Where is most of the oxygen stored in humans?
3.
Where is most of the oxygen stored in dolphins?
4.
Why do you think oxygen is stored in different places in the
human and dolphin bodies?
muscles
lungs
muscles
blood
lungs
blood
Human
Dolphin
Station 4
1. Look at the human and dolphin respiratory systems.
2. Do dolphins have the same respiratory organs as humans?
3. Using the pictures below, trace the pathway of a dolphin breath.
4. Is this similar to the pathway for a human breath?
Dolphin
Human
shutterbug.ucsc.edu
blowhole
trachea
Station 5
1. The tennis balls represent alveoli, and the rubber bands represent
capillaries.
2. Ball A is a human alveolus, and ball B is a dolphin alveolus.
3. How does the number of capillaries (rubber bands) compare
between the two alveoli?
4. Does more or less gas exchange occur at the dolphin alveolus?
5. Explain your answer to number 4.
Station 6
1. Where are the vocal cords located in the human body?
2. Look at where the sound is produced in dolphins.
3. Do you think dolphins make sounds the same ways that humans
do?
4. Based on these diagrams, can dolphins make more sounds than
humans?
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