Live from the Lab: The Mighty Heart Dissection

Seventh-grade students turned into surgeons in Room 121 of the Schiavone Science Center as they observed, identified, and dissected a sheep heart during a hands-on lab activity in connection with their unit of study.

 

In class with Middle School science teacher Aidan Clark-Long, the students have been studying and learning about the cardiovascular system, which provided information of how this body system functions and why it’s so essential to overall health. Throughout the unit, the students explored both the structure and function of the heart and blood vessels, examining how oxygen and nutrients are transported throughout the body and how waste is removed. Additionally,  the students studied the anatomy of the heart, identifying key structures such as  the atria, ventricles, valves, aorta, and pulmonary vessels. 

“We discussed how blood circulates through the body, emphasizing the role of oxygen exchange and how the heart works as a powerful pump,” explained Mr. Clark-Long.

As the heart is the central organ of the circulatory system, Mr. Clark-Long introduced students to the sheep heart as it is very similar to a human heart. Both organs contain four chambers and are similar in size. With innate curiosity and the dissection on the horizon, the students first began by observing the outside structure of the sheep heart. The groups quickly made work of identifying the left and right atria, left and right ventricles, the aorta, the apex, and veins. Using a scalpel, one student in each group gently cut their way through the wall of the right ventricle. Once the cut was deep enough to go through the wall of the chamber, the student carefully pushed open the heart and examined the internal structure. 

 

For a more hands-on approach, the students used their fingers to pull apart the incision on the right side, which revealed a small chamber with a hole in its lower end covered by three flaps. This was the tricuspid valve, the covering between the hole connecting the right ventricle and right atrium. The open examination of the heart continued with feeling the thickness and texture of the ventricle lining along with seeing the internal structures to better understand the path of blood through the heart.

“The heart dissection lab was the culminating activity of the unit, giving students the opportunity to see and touch the actual structures they had been learning about,” said Mr. Clark-Long. “This hands-on experience helped solidify their understanding of the heart’s anatomy and offered a memorable and engaging way to reinforce key concepts.”

 

As the dissection was coming to an end, Mr. Clark-Long advised the students to clean up and properly discard the sheep heart. While there was no homework, students were instructed to finish their lab packet of follow-up questions by identifying and describing the function of the structures.