Breathing and respiration

3. Inhalation

Required Resources

• Slides 2-6
• Student Worksheet 2

Delivery

• Distribute Student Worksheet 2 to each student. This contains diagrams to demonstrate the 4 stages of inhalation. Ask students to add a description to each diagram, explaining the processes which lead to inhalation.
• Discuss as a class and reveal the correct answers on Slides 2-5.
  • 1. The intercostal muscles contract moving the ribcage upwards and outwards.
  • 2. The diaphragm flattens.
  • 3. Consequently the volume of the thoracic cavity increases
  • 4. Air is drawn into the lungs
• Slide 6 features The Royal Navy's Lieutenant Peter Reed, who has won two world championships with Britain's lead coxless four-boat and won gold in the Coxless Four at the Beijing Olympics 2008. He has also recorded the largest lung capacity in the world. Students should also complete the questions on Student Worksheet 2 relating to lung capacity and why athletes need to be able to control their breathing.

Differentiation

Lower Ability:

Discuss students' own experiences of exercise and the importance / role of breathing effectively during sport. Emphasise the separate stages of breathing, with inhalation just one stage.

Higher Ability:

Students should consider which of the four stages of inhalation can be affected by training, and why training has a positive impact on lung volume.