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this helped me plan the flow of the lesson - how to introduce the topic and use student friendly words
It helped me to keep it simple in the beginning for example asking the students to locate their lungs and then slowly build up to the more difficult information
Good factual information and fun diagrams

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What Are the Lungs and Respiratory System?

The lungs and respiratory system allow us to breathe. They:

This exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide is called respiration.

How Do the Lungs and Respiratory System Work?

The cells in our bodies need oxygen to stay alive. Carbon dioxide is made in our bodies as cells do their jobs.

The lungs and respiratory system allow oxygen in the air to be taken into the body, while also letting the body get rid of carbon dioxide in the air breathed out.

When you breathe in, the diaphragm moves downward toward the abdomen, and the rib muscles pull the ribs upward and outward. This makes the chest cavity bigger and pulls air through the nose or mouth into the lungs.

In exhalation, the diaphragm moves upward and the chest wall muscles relax, causing the chest cavity to get smaller and push air out of respiratory system through the nose or mouth.

Every few seconds, with each inhalation, air fills a large portion of the millions of alveoli. In a process called diffusion, oxygen moves from the alveoli to the blood through the capillaries (tiny blood vessels) lining the alveolar walls. Once in the bloodstream, oxygen gets picked up by the hemoglobin in red blood cells. This oxygen-rich blood then flows back to the heart, which pumps it through the arteries to oxygen-hungry tissues throughout the body.

In the tiny capillaries of the body tissues, oxygen is freed from the hemoglobin and moves into the cells. Carbon dioxide, made by the cells as they do their work, moves out of the cells into the capillaries, where most of it dissolves in the plasma of the blood. Blood rich in carbon dioxide then returns to the heart via the veins. From the heart, this blood is pumped to the lungs, where carbon dioxide passes into the alveoli to be exhaled.

What Are the Parts of the Respiratory System?

The respiratory system includes:

How Does the Respiratory System Work?

Air enters the respiratory system through the nose or the mouth. If it goes in the nostrils (also called nares), the air is warmed and humidified. Tiny hairs called cilia (say: SIL-ee-uh) protect the nasal passageways and other parts of the respiratory tract, filtering out dust and other particles that enter the nose through the breathed air.

What's the Pharynx?

The two openings of the airway (the nasal cavity and the mouth) meet at the pharynx ( throat) at the back of the nose and mouth. The pharynx (say: FAR-inks) is part of the digestive system as well as the respiratory system because it carries both food and air.

What's the Esophagus? What's the Epiglottis?

At the bottom of the pharynx, this pathway divides in two:

one for food - the esophagus (say: ih-SAH-fuh-gus), which leads to the stomach

one for air - the epiglottis. The epiglottis (say: eh-pih-GLAH-tus), is a small flap of tissue that covers the air-only passage when we swallow, keeping food and liquid from going into the lungs.

What's the Larynx? What Are the Vocal Cords?

The larynx (voice box) is the top part of epiglottis (the air-only pipe). This short tube contains a pair of vocal cords, which vibrate to make sounds.

What's the Trachea?

The trachea (windpipe) is the continuation of the airway below the larynx. The walls of the trachea (say: TRAY-kee-uh) are strengthened by stiff rings of The trachea, or windpipe, is the continuation of the airway below the larynx.

The walls of the trachea are strengthened by stiff rings of cartilage to keep it open. The trachea is also lined with cilia, which sweep fluids and foreign particles out of the airway so that they stay out of the lungs.

What Are Bronchi? And What Are Bronchioles?

At its bottom end, the trachea divides into left and right air tubes called bronchi (pronounced: BRAHN-kye), which connect to the lungs. Within the lungs, the bronchi branch into smaller bronchi and even smaller tubes called bronchioles (say: BRAHN-kee-olz).

What Are Alveoli?

Bronchioles end in tiny air sacs called alveoli (say: al-VEE-uh-lie), where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide actually takes place. Each person has hundreds of millions of alveoli in their lungs. This network of alveoli, bronchioles, and bronchi is known as the bronchial tree.

What's the Pleura?

The lungs also contain elastic tissues that let them inflate and deflate without losing shape. They're covered by a thin lining called the pleura (say: PLUR-uh).

What's the Thorax?

The chest cavity, or thorax (say: THOR-aks), is the airtight box that houses the bronchial tree, lungs, heart, and other structures.

What's the Diaphragm?

The top and sides of the thorax are formed by the ribs and attached muscles, and the bottom is formed by a large muscle called the diaphragm (say: DYE-uh-fram). The chest walls form a protective cage around the lungs and other contents of the chest cavity.

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Your Lungs & Respiratory System (for Kids) - Nemours KidsHealth

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What’s something kids are doing all day, every day? Breathing! Your lungs are large and in charge of breathing, so read all about them in this article.

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Used the top video as an introductory video to the topic and parts and functions - simple words, description and good diagrams

Good revision notes

exam paper questions - handy to have a quick look at them to make sure your staying on topic

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Leaving cert & Junior cert Exam Revision | Studyclix makes exams easier

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Leaving Cert and Junior Cert exam paper questions and marking schemes listed by topic. Studyclix makes exam revision and study easier

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Good link to a video comparing a real life smokers lungs vs healthy lungs - perfect for starting off the lesson with what's the difference? and then talking about smoking and illnesses  (vine.co)

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6. science article: respiratory system - facts functions and diseases 

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6. science article: respiratory system - facts functions and diseases 

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Interesting and detailed paper from live science.
I used article for extra information on diseases like COPD and asthma
good diagrams
cool timeline at the end - interesting for students

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(Image credit: Getty Images)

The human respiratory system is a network of organs responsible for taking in oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide. Its primary organs are the , which carry out this exchange of gases as we breathe.

The lungs work with the circulatory system to pump oxygen-rich blood to all cells in the body. The blood then collects carbon dioxide and other waste products and transports them back to the lungs, where the waste products are pumped out of the body when we exhale, according to the American Lung Association.

The human body needs oxygen to sustain itself. After only about five minutes without oxygen, brain cells begin dying, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, which can lead to brain damage and ultimately death.
Related: Gasp! 11 surprising facts about the respiratory system
In humans, the average breathing, or respiratory rate, mostly depends on age. A newborn's normal breathing rate is about 40 to 60 times each minute and may slow to 30 to 40 times per minute when the baby is sleeping, according to Stanford Children's Health. The average resting respiratory rate for adults is 12 to 16 breaths per minute, and up to 40 to 60 breaths per minute during exercise, according to the European Respiratory Society.

Parts of the respiratory system

Nose

Mouth

Throat (pharynx)

Voice box (larynx)

Windpipe (trachea)

Large airways (bronchi)

Small airways (bronchioles)

Lungs

Diaphragm

There are many components to the respiratory system. They include:

As we breathe, oxygen enters the or mouth and passes the sinuses, which are hollow spaces in the skull that help regulate the temperature and humidity of the air we breathe.

From the sinuses, air passes through the trachea, also called the windpipe, and into the bronchial tubes, which are the two tubes that carry air into each lung (each one is called a bronchus). The bronchial tubes are lined with tiny hairs called cilia that move back and forth, carrying mucus up and out. Mucus is a sticky fluid that collects dust, germs and other matter that has invaded the lungs and is what we expel when we sneeze and cough.

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

(Image credit: Ross Toro, Livescience contributor)

The bronchial tubes split up again to carry air into the lobes of each lung. The right lung has three lobes while the left lung has only two, to accommodate room for the heart, according to the American Lung Association. The lobes are filled with small, spongy sacs called alveoli, which is where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide occurs.

The alveolar walls are extremely thin (about 0.2 micrometers) and are composed of a single layer of tissues called epithelial cells and tiny blood vessels called pulmonary capillaries. Blood in the capillaries picks up oxygen and drops off carbon dioxide. The oxygenated blood then makes its way to the pulmonary veins. These four veins, two from each lung, carry oxygen-rich blood to the left side of the heart, where it is pumped to all parts of the body. The carbon dioxide the blood left behind moves into the alveoli and gets expelled in our exhaled breath.

The diaphragm, a dome-shaped muscle at the bottom of the lungs, controls breathing and separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity. When air gets taken in, the diaphragm tightens and moves downward, making more space for the lungs to fill with air and expand, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. During exhalation, the diaphragm expands and compresses the lungs, forcing air out.
Viral infections
Respiratory system diseases

Diseases and conditions of the respiratory system fall into two categories: Infections, such as , bacterial pneumonia and enterovirus respiratory virus, and chronic diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Related: The gross science of a cough and a sneeze

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Asthma
Not much can be done for viral infections but to let them run their course, according to Dr. Neal Chaisson, who practices pulmonary medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. "Antibiotics are not effective in treating viruses and the best thing to do is just rest," he said.

For most healthy individuals, the most common respiratory ailment they may face is an infection, said Dr. Matthew Exline, a pulmonologist and critical care expert at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. A cough is the first symptom, possibly accompanied by a fever.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
"However, a cough can be a sign of chronic respiratory conditions such as asthma, chronic bronchitis or emphysema," he said. "In chronic lung disease, most respiratory diseases present with shortness of breath, initially with exertion, such as walking a significant distance or climbing several flights of stairs."

Asthma is a chronic inflammation of the lung airways that causes coughing, wheezing, chest tightness or shortness of breath, according to Tonya Winders, president of the Allergy & Asthma Network. These signs and symptoms may be worse when a person is exposed to their triggers, which can include air pollution, tobacco smoke, factory fumes, cleaning solvents, infections, pollens, foods, cold air, exercise, chemicals and medications. Exercise can also induce asthma. More than 25 million people (or 1 in 13 adults and 1 in 12 children) in the United States have asthma, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

For some people, asthma is a mild irritation, but for others it can be a life-threatening condition, according to the Mayo Clinic. Asthma cannot be cured, but its symptoms can be managed. Early identification and treatment can prevent long-term damage and stop asthma from getting worse over time.

COPD is a chronic and progressive disease in which the air flow in and out of the lungs decreases, making it harder to breathe. COPD is a combination of chronic bronchitis (inflammation of the bronchial tubes) and emphysema (damaged alveoli), according to the Mayo Clinic. Smoking is the leading cause of COPD.

Over time, the airways of people with COPD become inflamed and thicken, making it harder to get rid of waste carbon dioxide, according to the American Lung Association. As the disease progresses, patients experience a shortness of breath, and it can limit activity. More than 16 million Americans are affected by COPD, according to the . COPD has no cure, but it can be treated.

(Image credit: Getty Images/Justin Paget)

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Lung cancer

Lung cancer is often associated with smoking, but the disease can affect nonsmokers as well. It is the second most common cancer for both men and women, outranked by prostate and breast cancers, respectively.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that in 2021, there will be about 235,760 new cases of lung cancer (119,100 in men and 116,660 in women) and around 131,880 deaths from lung cancer (69,410 in men and 62,470 in women) in the United States. However, the number of lung cancer deaths has been on a downward slope in recent years due to advances in treatment and early detection.Most people diagnosed with lung cancer are older than 65, and the average age of people diagnosed with lung cancer is 70, according to ACS.

There are two different types of lung cancer, which is cancer that originates in the lungs as opposed to cancer that spreads to the lungs -- small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer, according to the Mayo Clinic. Small cell lung cancer is most commonly found in heavy smokers, and is less common than non-small cell lung cancer.
This article was updated on July 16, 2021 by Live Science Contributor Sarah Wild.
The main symptoms for lung cancer are shortness of breath, pain, coughing up blood, and fluid in the lungs. A doctor diagnoses lung cancer by performing imaging tests, such as a CT scan; testing coughed-up sputum; and a lung biopsy.

Treatment is based on the extent of the lung cancer, and whether it has spread to other parts of the body. Treatments range from surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, through to palliative care.

Additional resources

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Respiratory system: Facts, function and diseases

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(Image credit: Getty Images) The human respiratory system is a network of organs responsible for taking in oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide. Its primary organs are the , which carry out this exchange of gases as we breathe. The lungs work with the circulatory system to pump oxygen-rich blood to all cells in the body.

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Learning to learn

creativity and innovation

engagement and participation

inclusive education

work with others

communication

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padlet 5 -Links to JCF key skills and principles - Copy

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Chosen principles for this unit:

1. Learning to learn

2. Creativity and innovation

3. Engagement and participation

4. Inclusive education

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Chosen skills for this Unit:
- working well with others
- communicating

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7. resources - How to make balloon lungs 

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7. resources - How to make balloon lungs 

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Perfect for showing the breathing mechanism (inhalation and exhalation) in a fun interactive way
super easy and simple to do
(see examples used in class - pictures... balloon lungs and alveoli)

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How To Make Simple Lungs With Balloons - Simple Science

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padlet 1 - links to other learning outcomes (final version)

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4. Students should be able to describe the structure, function, and interactions of the organs of the human digestive, circulatory and respiratory systems

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Bw4 - NoS 3

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BW 4, 6
NoS 3

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UofL 1 L.Hartes 1st years (B.S and states of matter) 