Check it! - Heart and the Circulatory system - Year 6

Understanding the function of the heart and its crucial role in the circulatory system is a key learning objective for Year 6 students. The heart is a vital organ that pumps blood throughout the body, delivering oxygen and nutrients to tissues and organs while removing waste products. To ensure that students retain this important information, it's recommended to incorporate regular review sessions into the curriculum. These reviews can take various creative forms, such as a 'brain dump' where students write down everything they remember, or a 'Give me FIVE!' activity where they list five parts of the body associated with the circulatory system or five facts about blood.

Further engaging techniques to help students check their understanding include adding information to a mind map, which visually organises their knowledge, or using 'Retrieval Pyramids' to categorise facts in order of complexity. An 'Expand and Elaborate' exercise encourages students to deepen their comprehension by explaining in their own words why the heart's function is essential for breathing in oxygen and sustaining life. To assess their grasp of the subject, pupils can be asked to name parts of the heart, differentiate between arteries and capillaries, understand the difference between oxygenated and deoxygenated blood, and explain historical discoveries about the circulatory system. These activities are designed to challenge students at various levels, with the expectation that all can answer fundamental questions, while more complex queries are reserved for those ready to delve deeper into the subject matter.