It’s Valentine’s day, so what better day to link to resources all about the heart.
An excellent animation which shows what happens as the heart beats. HyperHeart shows bloodflow, aortic/ventricular volumes and pressures present in a normal cardiac cycle. Also included are an electrocardiogram and heart sounds graph. Tutorials are provided for each phase of the cycle.
Habits of the Heart was developed as a resource for students and teachers interested in learning about the cardiovascular and circulatory systems. The site includes lesson plans, on-line interactive activities and videos about the heart along with other links and ideas for the classroom. Some great images of heart surgery!
The Hybrid Interactive Heart is an exploration into the various and novel ways a beating heart may be visually represented using the latest technology. In this case you have the the ability to blend and even replace the “normal” opaque tissue with refractory “glass,” allowing for a view of the valves and chambers. There is a link to a nice animation of a beating heart too.
This site has some good information about the heart, with diagrams and images. Also lots about the other body systems and organs too.
This animation focuses on the gross anatomy of the human heart. The model of the heart is semitransparent, allowing you to see through the thick cardiac muscle into the four heart chambers.
The British Heart Foundation produces resources for schools covering hearts and heart disease. Visit their site to find out how to get hold of copies. In addition find out about their Mending Broken Hearts appeal which aims to look at how the zebra fish can repair its own heart, and see if we can recreate those processes in our own hearts.
A great clip from O2 Learn for GCSE/A Level. The Heart Song is a fun and fantastic way to remember the structure of the heart and its associated blood vessels, as well as the direction of blood flow through it. The song plays after a brief introduction. You’ll find yourself singing this song all day!
And finally…. Don’t forget to look at a real heart – if you have a visualiser, they’re great for heart dissections 🙂 Save images and annotate over the top on your interactive whiteboard!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
