05/30/2020 Blood & Blood Vessels Organisation

LO: What are the structures and functions of the different types of
blood vessels in the body?
• Be able to apply knowledge to
Some successfully answer and exam
question.
• Be able to relate the structure of blood and
Most blood vessels to their function.

• Be able to state the structure of the main types of blood

All vessels and describe the components of blood.

Keywords
Artery Vein Capillary Valve Lumen
 STARTER
• Ask students if they have ever
been to a water park. Recollect
the experience and answer the
following questions:
• Describe the rides in a water
park? How do they work?
• All are rides the same? For
example are they all covered
(i.e. in the dark)? Do some
require you to use tubes? How
about speed? 
• What fluid is circulated
throughout the park?
BLOOD VESSELS

Why do our
veins and
arteries look
blue?
 To Do: Blood Vessels
• Look at the different cross-sections of blood
vessels under the microscope.
• Make sketches of the different vessels.
• Draw a table like the one below, and list any
major structural differences you notice.
Arteries Veins Capillaries
Modeling blood vessels

A B

D
C
 Which tube would you use to model an
artery, vein and capillary?
Model Lumen  (wide Valves Thickness of Elasticity of wall Allows small
or narrow) present (yes wall  (rigid or elastic)  substances to move in
or no?) (thick or thin)  and out
(yes or no)

A wide no Thick wall Elastic wall no

artery

B narrow Yes  Thin wall Rigid wall no

veins

C narrow no Extremely Thin Elastic wall yes

capillaries wall

D
 Thinking about the models
• Use your table to help explain which tube (A-
D) is best to model (i) an artery (ii) a vein and
(iii) a capillary. You must explain how the
features of each tube are similar to the blood
vessel it is representing.

• Are there better models that you could use?

• What are the limitations of each model?
 You present!
Chose one tube and use this model to teach
the class about either arteries, veins or
capillaries.
Blood vessels
Which type of blood vessels?
The three main blood vessels – arteries
• Your arteries carry blood away from your heart towards
the organs
• This oxygenated blood is usually bright red.
• Arteries have thick walls containing muscle and elastic
fibres
• They stretch as blood is forced through – pulse
• Very dangerous if these are cut!
 The three main blood vessels – veins
• Your veins carry blood away
from the organs towards
your heart
• This deoxygenated blood is
usually purple-red.
• Veins have thinner walls and
have valves to prevent
backflow
• Veins have no pulse
• Skeletal muscles help squeeze
blood back to the heart
 The three main blood vessels –
capillaries
• Capillaries form a huge network that links arteries
and veins
• These are narrow and have very thin walls
• Allows fast diffusion of glucose and oxygen etc.
• CO2 and waste products diffuse from cells into the capillaries
 AOL
• Answer the questions –
 Choose a picture and explain how it
relates to what you have learnt today