Lesson Plan 
Respiratory System  
 

Summary 
1. Subject(s): Biology 
2. Topic or Unit of Study: Physiology 
3. Grade/Level: High School 
4. Objective:  

Students will learn about the different parts of the respiratory system through a lecture 
and by creating and developing models based on what they know and revising based on 
what they have learned. 

5. Time Allotment: 50 minutes 

6. Standards:  

HS.LS1-2: Develop and use a model to illustrate the hierarchical organization of 
interacting systems that provide specific functions within multicellular organisms. 

SEP: Students will create and revise models of the respiratory system 

CCC: Students will learn how the structure of the components of the respiratory system 
allow it to function properly.  

Students will learn how air moves in and out of the respiratory system. 

Implementation 
Learning Context 
Students have learned about homeostasis, the digestive system, and the nervous system earlier 
in the unit. In prior units, some relevant knowledge that the students have learned include 
diffusion and cellular respiration.  

1 
 

Procedure 
a. Engage 

Students will be asked to take deep breaths and told to feel the air moving in and out of 
their bodies. Afterward, the teacher will tell the students to talk to their partners about 
what happens when they breathe, based on what they know and what they experienced 
earlier. 

b. Lesson Body 
- The teacher will tell the students what they are going to learn today (Respiratory 
system) 
- The teacher will demonstrate how to create a model using the digestive system 
that they have learned earlier as an example and asking the students for 
components that she should include in her model. 
- Students will create an initial model that illustrates what they already know about 
the respiratory system 
- The students will discuss with their partners and then the class the difference 
between through your nose and breathing through your mouth. They will consider 
if one is better than the other and why. 
- Students will take notes during the lecture and participate during class discussions 
and mini-activities such as making a deep sound versus a high pitched sound.  
c. Closing 

Using what they learned in class today, the students will be given the time to revise their 
models and write the justification for their revisions. The students will share their models 
with their classmates and compare the similarities and differences that they have with 
each other. 

Materials & Resources 

Instructional Materials: 

Slides: ​Lam: Ch 33.3 Respiratory System  

Assessment 
Respiratory System worksheet (below) and ​link​. 

2 
  

N​ame: __________________ Period _______

Respiratory System Model

​ raw a model that illustrates what happens when we breathe.

Construct: D

Revise: ​Go back to your model and make changes or additions in another color.

​ ist the changes that you have made and explain why you needed to make that change.
Justify: L

3 
  

Changes: Explanations:

1. 1.

2. 2.

3. 3.

4. 4.

5. 5.

6. 6.

4