Blood: The Stuff of Life

The purpose of this lesson is to teach students about blood and its components while instilling an appreciation of its importance for survival. The lesson takes a step-by-step approach to determining the "recipe" for blood while introducing students to important laboratory techniques like centrifugation and microscopy, as well as some diseases of cell types found in blood. It also highlights the importance of donating blood by explaining basic physiological concepts and the blood donation procedure. There are no formal prerequisites, but students should be comfortable with converting weight units. The only materials needed are a calculator and paper, and it would be helpful to print the downloadable color PDF files of blood smear images. During the breaks, students are asked to estimate and then calculate the amount of blood in their body, identify cell types in a blood smear, and discuss the composition of blood with their neighbor. The lesson can be completed within a 50-minute class session.
Resource ID#: 37778 Type: Lesson Plan
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Direct Link: https://web.mit.edu/blossoms/videos/lessons/blood_stuff_life

General Information

Subject(s): Science
Grade Level(s): 9, 10, 11, 12
Intended Audience: Educators educators
Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter, Internet Connection, LCD Projector, Overhead Projector
Instructional Time: 50 Minute(s)
Keywords: Blood, red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, hematocrit
Instructional Component Type(s): Lesson Plan,  Worksheet,  Video/Audio/Animation,  Tutorial,  Student Center Activity
Instructional Design Framework(s): Direct Instruction, Confirmation Inquiry (Level 1), Cooperative Learning
Resource Collection: MIT BLOSSOMS

Aligned Standards

This vetted resource aligns to concepts or skills in these benchmarks.

Related Resources

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Lesson Plan

An Activity on Factors Affecting Blood Flow:

This lesson is designed to explore the relationship between pressure and vessel diameter and to create a model that represents how high blood pressure may affect weakened vessels.
A collaborative work of Melvin Flores, Larie Laudato and Glenn Soltes

Type: Lesson Plan