Lesson 36 : Cardiac cycle

Lesson plan

Lesson: Cardiac cycle

Aim: To investigate the mechanisms of the cardiac cycle driving the circulatory system

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. Define systole and diastole
2. Give a detailed description of the sequence of events in a cardiac cycle
3. Explain the changes in pressure and volume in aorta, left atrium, and left ventricle

Assumed prior knowledge

Students should already:

• Recognise the basic structure and function of the human heart

• Understand the network of vessels responsible for transporting blood through the body

Underlying Principles:

1. Making the invisible visible.

2. Enabling students to know what they should look for.
3. Managing data and interpreting graphs and charts.
4. To develop important scientific skills and abilities such as curiosity, observation, consideration and
evaluation of evidence

Time to complete activity: 80 minutes

© 2003 Ministry Of Education Malaysia. All Rights Reserved. 1

 Lesson 36 : Cardiac cycle

Development of Lesson

No Steps Strategy Resources

1 Set induction Teacher poses questions to ascertain students’ • Introduction slide
prior knowledge about the structure and the
pumping systems within the heart.
• Teacher runs the introduction slide.

2 Activity • Teacher runs through each slide manually. • Courseware:

• Teacher discusses questions and answers on Cardiac cycle
the slide notes with students.
• Teacher auto runs the slides to reinforce
students’ understandings.

3 Evaluation • Students answer questions using the • Worksheet

worksheet.
• Teacher projects the activity on the LCD so that
issues arising can be easily shared with the
whole class.

4 Lesson summary • Teacher directs students to read through the • Summary slide
summary after completing the work sheet.

5 Extension • Teacher asks students to complete a diagram of Extension sheet

the cardiac cycle.

Worksheet answers:

1.
(a)
A: Atrial and ventricular diastole

B: Atrial systole, ventricular diastole

C: Ventricular systole, atrial diastole

© 2003 Ministry Of Education Malaysia. All Rights Reserved. 2

 Lesson 36 : Cardiac cycle

(b)

Phase Heart action

Atrial and ventricular diastole • Atria and ventricles are relaxed
• Semilunar valves are closed
• Atrioventricular valves are open
• Atria and ventricles fill with blood.

Atrial systole, ventricular • Atria contract, ventricles relax

diastole • Semilunar valves are shut
• Atrioventricular valves are open
• Atrial pressure is higher than ventricular pressure
• Blood is pumped out of the atria into the
ventricles

Ventricular systole, atrial • Atria relax, Ventricles contract

diastole • Semilunar valves are open
• Atrioventricular valves shut
• Ventricular pressure is higher than aortic
pressure
• Blood is pumped out of ventricles into the aorta
and pulmonary artery.

2.
(a) The blood at high pressure pushes them open

(b) Pressure generated by the contraction of the ventricles shuts the AV valves

(c) The aortic valves remain shut because the aortic pressure is higher than the ventricular
pressure.

(d) The first heart sound ‘lub’ is created by the recoil of blood against the closed AV valves, and the
second sound ‘dub’ is the recoil of blood against the closed semilunar valves.

(e) When the atrial pressure is higher than the ventricular pressure, the AV valves are open, and
vice versa.

(f) When the ventricular pressure is higher than the aortic pressure, the semilunar valves are open,
and vice versa.

© 2003 Ministry Of Education Malaysia. All Rights Reserved. 3