Understanding My

Respiratory System
 By: Falisa Hall

Form 3-3

Kiana is ten years old. From the time she was six she

knew she wanted to be a doctor and needed to know

everything she could about the body. She was very

excited when her health education teacher Mrs. Rivers

said they would be dealing with the respiratory system.

She paid close attention and made all the notes she could.

Then Kiana thought she should make her notes in to a

story book.
The Respiratory System
All living things need to breath. Humans use their respiratory system
which is a series of organs responsible for taking in oxygen and
carrying out carbon dioxide from the body. The primary organs of the
respiratory system are lungs, which carry out this exchange of gases
as we breathe. For air to get to the lungs we can breathe in through
our mouth or nose. The air then goes down the throat, a tube that
reaches from the mouth to the lungs. The air then branches off into
separate tubes called the bronchi. These are directly connected to our
lungs and separate into branches, like a tree.

A Tour of the Lungs!

Where are they located?
Your lungs are in your
chest. They are so large
that they take up most of
the space in there. You
have two lungs but they are
not the same size the right
lung is a bit bigger than the
left just like one of your
nostrils are bigger than the
other. The extra space leaves room for the heart.
 Your lungs are protected by the rib cage. The
ribs are connected to the spine in your back and
go around your lungs to protect and keep them
safe. Beneath your lungs is the diaphragm, a
muscle that works with your lungs to help inhale
and exhale.
Feel the Power:
Step 1: Put your hand on your chest and breathe in very deeply - you
will feel your chest getting bigger
Step 2: Now breathe out and feel your chest return to its normal size.
You have just felt the power of your lungs.
Let’s look into the lungs

“Welcome to my lungs” - Buster

The outside the lungs are a bit squishy, like
sponge, but the inside contains the real
lowdown! At the bottom of the trachea, or
windpipe, are two large tubes. These tubes are
called the main stem bronchi one heads for the
left and the other for the right.

Watch out the Lungs are taking over

When we take a big breath of air is all thanks to her respiratory
system. The lungs absorb the oxygen when we breathe in, giving it to
her blood to carry to the heart.
Think about it, when you are walking, playing or cleaning your room
you don’t think about inhaling, you just do it because you have other
things on your mind.
As you breathe in your diaphragm contracts and flattens out. This
allows it to move down, so your lungs have room to grow larger as
they fill up with air. “Move over diaphragm, I’m filling up” is what your
lungs would say. And the diaphragm isn’t the only part that gives the
lungs the room the need, the rib muscles also lift the ribs up and
outward to give the lungs more space.

Waiting to Exhale
When it is time exhale everything happens in reverse: Now it’s the
diaphragm’s turn to say “Move it!”
Your diaphragm relaxes and pushes the air out of lungs. Your rib
muscles become more relaxed and your ribs move in again, creating a
smaller space in your chest.
By now your cells have used the oxygen they need and your blood is
carrying carbon dioxide and other wastes that need to leave your
body. The blood comes back through the capillaries and wastes enter
the alveoli. Then you breathe out the air in reverse order of how they
came in. The air goes through the bronchioles, out the bronchi, out the
throat, and finally your mouth or nose.

Talking Time
The lungs are important for breathing ….and talking! Above the
windpipe is the larynx, which is sometimes called the voice box.
Across from the voice box are two tiny ridges called vocal chords,
which opens and close to make sounds. When you exhale air from the
lungs, it comes through the throat and larynx and reaches the vocal
chords. If the vocal chords are closed and the air flows between them,
they vibrate and the sound is made.

Learn to Love Your Lungs!

Your lungs are important. They help you to breathe, talk to friends,
shout, cry, laugh and more! They are very amazing! How do you keep
your lungs feeling and looking healthy? The best way to do this is
NOT to smoke this affects your lungs tremendously, your lungs hate
smoking. When you smoke the chemicals in the cigarette smoke can
cause the walls of the delicate alveoli to break down, making it much
harder to breathe.
Your lungs do a big task in helping to keep you alive and healthy,
always remember to take good care of them and BREATHE in good
air!