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 Gas Exchange
Teacher Notes
Objective
Students will be able to describe how gas exchange takes place in the alveoli.

To the Teacher
Students will learn about
gas exchange in this
chapter. They will learn how
and why carbon dioxide and
oxygen diffuse into and out
of alveoli. They will learn
how breathing is important
to gas exchange as well.

This chapter includes:

• Input Notes
• 2 INB activities
• 1 mini-assessment
• 1 reflection exercise

Human Body 2 © Stephanie Elkowitz

 Gas Exchange
Input Page/Notes
Gas Exchange

Gas Exchange
- Gas exchange takes place inside the lungs.
- The lungs are comprised of tubes that get smaller and smaller. At the end of the tubes are
tiny air sacs called alveoli.
- Alveoli are one-cell thick sacs. They are surrounded by capillaries. Capillaries transport blood
around the alveoli.
- Gas exchange takes place across the walls of the alveoli and capillaries.
- Carbon dioxide moves out of the blood in the capillaries and into the alveoli. It moves
across the membranes/walls of the capillaries and alveoli.
- Oxygen moves out of the alveoli and into the blood of the capillaries. Like carbon
dioxide, it moves across the membranes/walls of the capillaries and alveoli.

Breathing and Gas Exchange

- Breathing is the process of taking in and removing air from the lungs.
- The process of taking in air and “filling up” the lungs is called inhalation.
- The process of removing air and “emptying” the lungs is called exhalation.
- Gas exchange cannot take place without breathing. Here’s how breathing is important to gas
exchange:
- A person inhales oxygen-rich air, which fills the alveoli in the lungs. In this way, the
person takes oxygen into his or her body.
- Gas exchange takes place while the alveoli are filled with oxygen-rich air. Oxygen
moves into the body/blood and carbon dioxide moves out of the body/blood.
- A person exhales oxygen-poor but carbon dioxide rich air. In this way, the person
removes carbon dioxide from his or her body.

Diffusion of Gases
- Gas exchange takes place by the process of diffusion. In diffusion, a substance passively and
spontaneously moves from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration.
- Both carbon dioxide and oxygen move into and out of the alveoli by diffusion. Here’s how:
- Diffusion of oxygen: When a person inhales, alveoli fill up with oxygen rich air. There is a
high concentration of oxygen in the alveoli. There is a low concentration of oxygen in
the blood of the capillaries that surround the alveoli. These capillaries carry
deoxygenated blood that is rich in carbon dioxide to the alveoli. Because the
concentration of oxygen is higher in the alveoli, it diffuses INTO the blood. The
capillaries carry oxygen-rich blood away from the alveoli. The alveoli no longer contain
oxygen-rich air.
- Diffusion of carbon dioxide: When a person inhales, the concentration of carbon
dioxide is lower in the alveoli compared to the concentration of carbon dioxide in the
blood of the capillaries. Carbon dioxide diffuses in the opposite direction of oxygen.
Carbon dioxide diffuses from the blood INTO the alveoli. The capillaries carry blood
that is lower in carbon dioxide away from the alveoli. The alveoli now contain carbon
dioxide-rich air. When a person exhales, he or she removes the carbon dioxide from
the body.

Human Body 3 © Stephanie Elkowitz

 Gas Exchange
INB Activity #1
Directions: Cut out the organizer. Cut along the solid lines. Glue the center part of the
organizer into your notebook. Then fold along the dotted lines. Glue the arrow folds
if you’d like to. Describe the different steps to
gas exchange under the flaps.
INHALATION
GAS EXCHANGE

THIS
PART
GLUE
EXHALATION

Human Body 4 © Stephanie Elkowitz

 Gas Exchange
INB Activity #1 KEY

INHALATION
A person inhales oxygen-rich air,
which fills the alveoli in the lungs.
In this way, the person takes
oxygen into his or her body.

Gas exchange takes places while

GAS EXCHANGE

the alveoli are filled with oxygen-

rich air. Oxygen moves into the
body/blood and carbon dioxide
moves out of the body/blood.

A person exhales oxygen-poor

but carbon dioxide rich air. In this
EXHALATION

way, the person removes carbon

dioxide from his or her body.

Human Body 5 © Stephanie Elkowitz

 Gas Exchange
INB Activity #2
Directions: Cut out the foldable.
Cut along the solid lines. Fold along
the dotted. Explain what is

EXHALATION
happening and the relative
concentration of oxygen and

HIGH O2
HIGH
carbon dioxide in each illustration.

CO2
Gas Exchange in Alveoli

GAS EXCHANGE
O2

CO2
Capillary

INHALATION
HIGH CO2
HIGH O2
Alveoli

Human Body 6 © Stephanie Elkowitz

 Gas Exchange
INB Activity #2
KEY
The capillaries carry oxygen-rich

EXHALATION
blood away from the alveoli. The
alveoli no longer contain oxygen-

HIGH O2
HIGH
CO2
rich air. The alveoli now contain
carbon dioxide-rich air. When a

Gas Exchange in Alveoli

person exhales, he or she removes
the carbon dioxide from the body.

GAS EXCHANGE
Because the concentration of
oxygen is higher in the alveoli, it

O2
diffuses INTO the blood. Carbon
dioxide diffuses in the opposite

CO2
direction of oxygen. Carbon dioxide
diffuses from the blood INTO the
alveoli.

Capillary

When a person inhales, alveoli fill

up with oxygen rich air. There is a
INHALATION

high concentration of oxygen in the

HIGH CO2

alveoli. There is a low concentration

HIGH O2

of oxygen in the blood of the

Alveoli

capillaries that surround the alveoli.

These capillaries carry
deoxygenated blood that is rich in
carbon dioxide to the alveoli.

Human Body 7 © Stephanie Elkowitz

 Gas Exchange
Mini-Assessment
Name: ____________________________
Gas Exchange Mini-Assessment

Directions: Answer the following questions.

1. By what process do carbon dioxide and oxygen move into and out of the
alveoli and blood?
a. By pumps that connect alveoli to capillaries
b. By the passive process of diffusion
c. By an active, energy-consuming process
d. Through tiny pores that connect alveoli to capillaries

2. Which statement best describes how and why oxygen moves into or out of
alveoli?
a. Oxygen moves from inside alveoli into the blood because the
concentration of oxygen is higher inside the alveoli
b. Oxygen moves from inside alveoli into the blood because the
concentration of oxygen is lower inside the alveoli
c. Oxygen moves from the blood to inside the alveoli because the
concentration of oxygen is higher in the blood
d. Oxygen moves from the blood to inside the alveoli because the
concentration of oxygen is lower in the blood

3. How would you describe the blood carried by capillaries to alveoli?

a. It is oxygen-poor (deoxygenated) and carbon dioxide-rich
b. It is oxygen-rich (oxygenated) and carbon dioxide-rich
c. It is oxygen-poor (deoxygenated) and carbon dioxide-poor
d. It is oxygen-rich (oxygenated) and carbon dioxide-poor

4. What is the difference between inhalation and exhalation?

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

Human Body 8 © Stephanie Elkowitz

 Gas Exchange
Mini-Assessment KEY
Name: ____________________________
Gas Exchange Mini-Assessment

Directions: Answer the following questions.

1. By what process do carbon dioxide and oxygen move into and out of the
alveoli and blood?
a. By pumps that connect alveoli to capillaries
b. By the passive process of diffusion
c. By an active, energy-consuming process
d. Through tiny pores that connect alveoli to capillaries

2. Which statement best describes how and why oxygen moves into or out of
alveoli?
a. Oxygen moves from inside alveoli into the blood because the
concentration of oxygen is higher inside the alveoli
b. Oxygen moves from inside alveoli into the blood because the
concentration of oxygen is lower inside the alveoli
c. Oxygen moves from the blood to inside the alveoli because the
concentration of oxygen is higher in the blood
d. Oxygen moves from the blood to inside the alveoli because the
concentration of oxygen is lower in the blood

3. How would you describe the blood carried by capillaries to alveoli?

a. It is oxygen-poor (deoxygenated) and carbon dioxide-rich
b. It is oxygen-rich (oxygenated) and carbon dioxide-rich
c. It is oxygen-poor (deoxygenated) and carbon dioxide-poor
d. It is oxygen-rich (oxygenated) and carbon dioxide-poor

4. What is the difference between inhalation and exhalation?

Inhalation involves taking in or “filling up” the lungs with oxygen-rich air.
____________________________________________________________
Exhalation involves removing or “emptying” the lungs of carbon-dioxide
____________________________________________________________
rich air.
____________________________________________________________

Human Body 9 © Stephanie Elkowitz

 Gas Exchange
Reflection
Name: ____________________________
Gas Exchange Reflection

Question 1: What would happen if someone stopped breathing? What if the

heart stopped beating?

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

Choose a self-assessment question or answer the self-assessment question your

teacher provides you. Write the question below.
Question 2: _____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

Human Body 10 © Stephanie Elkowitz

 SELF-ASSESSMENT
REFLECTION PROMPTS
How well did you participate today?

What questions did you NOT ask that you should have asked?

What do you now know that you didn’t know before?

What are some questions you have about this or things you still
don’t understand?

What do you need to do to better understand this topic?

What did you do well today? What can you do better?

On a scale from 1 to 5 (5 being the best), how would you rate your
performance today?

On a scale from 1 to 5 (5 being the best), how would you rate your
understanding of what you learned?

Do you notice any patterns when you learn better? Do you notice
any patterns when you struggle with a topic?

Could you use what you learned today to help you with something
else?
11 © Stephanie Elkowitz