Directions: You and your partner will have approximately 10 minutes to brainstorm and come up with a "blueprint" for constructing a four-chambered heart. You have the following materials to work with:

Paper cups, paper circles, straws, glue, scissors and tape

Your model must include the following structures:

1. Label all structures using a key.

2. Which structure(s) are oxygenated? Which ones are deoxygenated?

3. What is the function of the septum?

4. What are the advantages of a four chambered heart as compared to a three chambered one? A two chambered one?

5. What do you hear when you listen to your heart with a stethoscope? (No, it's not a fax tone!)

6. What does a blood pressure of 120/80 indicate?

Cardiac Factoids

Blood vessels are found in almost every part of the body. If laid end to end, your blood vessels would stretch out to about 161,000 kilometers (100,000 miles)! That's about 4 times the distance around the world.

Blood makes up about 9% of a person's body weight. For example, if you weigh 100 pounds, 9 pounds is blood.

On average, about 2.5 million red blood cells die every second! New cells are made to take their place in the bone marrow. (stem cells)

The heart of newborn beats about 140 beats per minute compared to an adult with 70 beats per minute.

Heart tissue uses about 80% of the oxygen supplied to it, as compared with about 25% used by most other tissues.