KS3 Science · Biology

Breathing and gas exchange

Eight short lessons. Look at the picture, learn three things, then play.

Test yourself

Puzzles

These two are for the whole topic. Each lesson has a word search and a crossword of its own as well, at the top of its page.

Knowledge organiser

The whole topic on one page. Tap it to make it bigger.

Take it with you

Save these to print or read later.

Key words

Breathing Moving air into and out of the lungs

Gas exchange Taking in one gas and giving out another

Trachea The windpipe: carries air from the nose and mouth towards the lungs

Bronchi Two tubes that carry air from the trachea into the lungs

Bronchioles Small tubes inside the lungs

Alveoli Tiny air sacs at the ends of the bronchioles

Diaphragm A sheet of muscle underneath the lungs

Ribs Bones that make a cage around the lungs

Intercostal muscles The muscles between the ribs

Diffusion Particles spreading from a high concentration to a low concentration

Lung volume A measure of the amount of air breathed in or out

Breathing rate The number of breaths taken in one minute

Respiration A chemical reaction in cells that releases energy

Asthma A condition in which the airways sometimes get narrower

Tar The sticky substance in tobacco smoke that causes cancer

Nicotine The addictive drug in tobacco smoke

Carbon monoxide A poisonous gas that takes the place of oxygen in the blood

Stomata Tiny pores in a leaf that let gases in and out

The pictures are illustrations made for this page, not real photographs.