1. The Respiratory System
In this lesson, you will Learn About…
The parts of the respiratory system.
How the breathing process works.
Illnesses that can damage the respiratory system.

2. The Respiratory System
The Vocabulary terms in this lesson are:
Respiratory system.
Trachea.
Bronchi.
Diaphragm.
Click each term to display its definition.

3. Oxygen for Life
Your body cannot survive without the oxygen you take in every time you take a breath.
The respiratory system is a set of organs that supplies the body with oxygen and rids the body of carbon dioxide.

4. Parts of the Respiratory System
Nose/Mouth
Passages for
air; nose lined
with cilia (tiny hairlike projections)
Epiglottis
Flap of tissue in back of mouth that covers the trachea to prevent food from entering it
Bronchi
Two tubes that branch from the trachea; one tube leads to each lung
Trachea
Tube in throat that takes air to and from lungs. Also called the windpipe
The cilia in the nose are tiny hairlike projections that trap dirt and particles from the air. The trachea is also called the windpipe.
Lungs
Two large organs that exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide
Diaphragm
Large dome-shaped muscle below the lungs that expands and relaxes to produce breathing

5. How Breathing Works Breathing consists of three main stages:
When you inhale, you take air into your lungs.
Inside the lungs, oxygen from the air enters the bloodstream and replaces the carbon dioxide that must leave your body.
When you exhale, you breathe out the carbon dioxide.
Visit the following link to provide students with more information on respiration.

6. The Breathing Process 3 Exhaling 1 Inhaling 2 Inside the Lungs
The bronchi divide into smaller passages called bronchioles. Air passes through the bronchioles into the alveoli, which are surrounded by capillaries. Here the oxygen in the air moves into your bloodstream, and carbon dioxide from the blood enters the alveoli.
Your diaphragm moves down and your rib cage expands, creating more room in your chest. This causes air to rush into your body. The air enters through the nose or mouth, then moves past the epiglottis and into
the trachea and bronchi.
2 Inside the Lungs
Bronchiole
Alveoli
Pulmonary artery
Pulmonary vein
Capillaries
Your diaphragm pushes up, and your ribs move in and down, forcing air out of your lungs. The air, now containing carbon dioxide, moves back through the bronchioles and bronchi, up the trachea, and out through the nose or mouth.

7. Problems of the Respiratory System
The following factors can easily damage the many complex parts of the respiratory system:
Germs
Tobacco smoke
Inhaled chemicals
Environmental pollution

8. Problems of the Respiratory System (cont’d.)
Disease
or Disorder
Description
Treatment
Diseases caused by viruses; symptoms include runny nose, cough, fever, aches
Bed rest and fluids; vaccines can prevent some types of flu
Cold/Flu
Bacterial or viral disease that affects the lungs; symptoms include fever, chest pain, breathing difficulty
Pneumonia
Antibiotics for
bacterial type; bed
rest for viral type
Asthma
Disease in which airways narrow; symptoms include wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing
Medication to relieve symptoms; avoiding activities or substances that trigger attacks

9. Problems of the Respiratory System (cont’d.)
Disease or
Disorder
Description
Treatment
Bacterial disease that affects the lungs; symptoms include cough, fatigue; can be fatal
Antibiotics
Tuberculosis
Emphysema
Disease in which alveoli harden and disintegrate; symptoms include extreme difficulty breathing; almost entirely caused by smoking
No known cure;
pure oxygen can
make breathing
easier
Uncontrolled growth
of cells that produce
abnormally in lungs;
often caused by smoking
Surgery, radiation,
and medication;
Survival rates are
very low
Lung Cancer

10. Caring for Your Respiratory System
Here are some simple tips to care for your respiratory system:
Do not smoke.
Avoid people and situations that would expose you to tobacco smoke in the air.
Take care of your body when you have cold, flu, or any other respiratory illness.
When a person who has a cold sneezes, the discharge is full of live viruses which can live for as long as 3 hours on surfaces & skin. You can inhale the viruses without realizing it. So, if you touch the skin of a person who has a cold or another surface that they have touched, then the viruses can be transmitted to your own nose if you touch your face.

11. Reviewing Terms and Facts
The _______________ is a set of organs that supplies your body with oxygen and rids your body of carbon dioxide.
respiratory system
Click to show the correct answer.

12. Reviewing Terms and Facts
List the parts of the respiratory system through which air passes when you inhale.
Nose/Mouth
Trachea
Bronchi
Lungs
Click to show the correct answer.

13. Thinking Critically
How do cilia and the epiglottis protect the respiratory system?
Cilia trap dirt and particles from the air and
prevent them from entering the respiratory
system. The epiglottis covers the trachea to
prevent food from entering it.
Click to show the correct answer.

14. Vocabulary Review
The respiratory system is a set of organs that supplies the body with oxygen and rids the body of carbon dioxide.
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15. Vocabulary Review
The trachea is a tube in the throat that takes air to and from lungs.
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16. Vocabulary Review
The bronchi are two tubes that branch from the trachea; one tube leads to each lung.
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17. Vocabulary Review
The diaphragm is a large dome-shaped muscle below the lungs that expands and relaxes to produce breathing.
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