Matters of the Heart

A WebQuest for High School Biology Students

Designed by

Introduction

Think about what you already know about the human heart and circulatory system. Did you know that all vertebrate hearts are not the same? A mammal heart is quite different from a fish heart, for example, even though both mammals and fish are vertebrates. Similarly, a mammal heart and a bird heart are different, even though both of these vertebrate groups have the same number of chambers in their hearts.

In this webquest, you will be looking at the hearts of several different vertebrate groups: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Your first goal is twofold: 1) to find information about the function of the circulatory system, and 2) to find information about the structure and function of the mammal heart. Your second goal is to find information about the structure and function of the hearts of other vertebrate groups, specifically birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Your third goal is to describe the similarities and differences between the mammalian heart and the heart of birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. In this part of the webquest, you will describe some possible reasons for those similarities and differences.

Before you begin, read the task, process, and evaluation sections so that you know what is expected of you and your group.

The Task

Your group is to prepare a report that includes the following information:

An explanation of the function of the circulatory system,
A description of the structure and function of the human (mammal) heart,
A description of the structure and function of the heart in birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish,
Similarities and differences between the mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, and fish heart,
Some possible explanations for the similarities and differences in hearts found in different groups.

Your group is also to prepare a powerpoint presentation on what you have found. You should include in your report images of hearts that you have collected from internet sites. When you find an image that you want to use in your powerpoint presentation, save the image to your disk.

To do that, follow these steps:
    1. Position the cursor on any part of the image
    2. If you are using a PC, click the right mouse button; if you are using a Mac, click the mouse button and hold down for 1 second
    3. Move the cursor to Save this Image and let go.
    4. Give the image an appropriate name, such that you will know what it is without opening it.

Resources

You may use any book or magazine in your classroom or in the library. However, your primary resource should be the Internet. You may use any of the Internet web sites listed below, and you may also do a web search if you feel you need further information.

Background information:
check here first if you're not sure what animals are included in the vertebrate groups you need to research.
Animal Index - vertebrates
Animal Classifications

Circulatory System function:
The Circulatory System
Anatomy and Physiology of the Cardiovascular System

Human (mammal) heart:
If you come across a term you don't know, look in the Glossary of Terms
     The Heart: An Online Exploration
            Click on Development and Structure for information about the structure of the heart
            Click on Blood and Vessels for information about the function of the heart
    Map of the Human Heart
            See how blood flows through the human heart
    Listen To The Heart Beat
    How the Heart Works: The Heart House
                Uses a house to show the structure and function of the heart
    Heart facts
     Diagram of mammalian heart
     Picture of mammalian heart

Hearts of other vertebrates:
Vertebrate Hearts (general)
Vertebrate Vascular Systems
A Brief Guide to the Hearts of Vertebrates
Vertebrate Hearts
Models of fish, amphibian, reptile, bird, and human hearts

Fish
Description of the fish heart
Fish heart diagram
Picture of fish heart
Cross-section of a fish heart

Amphibians and Reptiles
Description of the frog (amphibian) and lizard (reptile) heart
Amphibian heart diagram
Frog heart model (click next image to see different views of the heart)

Birds
Anatomy and Physiology of birds (go down to D. circulatory system)
Avian (bird) circulatory system
A bird's heart and blood
Bird heart diagram
Cross-section of a bird's heart

The Process

You will work together in groups of three to complete this webquest following the procedural steps below.

1. As a group, you will find information about the function of the circulatory system and the structure and function of the human (mammal) heart.

2 Your group will then break up and do independent research. One person will research bird hearts, one person will research reptile and amphibian hearts, and one person will research fish hearts. Be sure to save heart images to a disk for your powerpoint presentation.

3. Once each person has collected all of their information, you will come back together as a group and share the information that you gathered. In this step, you will discuss with your group the similarities and differences between the hearts and come up with some reasons for those similarities and differences.

4. You will write a report including all of the information in the task and put together a powerpoint presentation.

5. You will give your powerpoint presentation in front of the class.

Evaluation

This is a group report and you will share a group grade. You will have the opportunity to evaluate the members of your group.

Your report and presentation will be evaluated using the folowing rubric:

	Excellent (5 points)	Good (3 to 4 points)	Poor (1 to 2 points)
Thoroughness of Information in Report	Report is very thorough; includes all topics listed in task	Report is fairly thorough; one topic listed in task is missing	Report is not thorough; two or more topics listed in task are missing
Depth of Coverage in Report	Covers task topics in great detail; many similarities and differences between hearts are discussed	Covers task topics in adequate detail; several similarities and differences between hearts are discussed	Covers task topics in minimal detail; few or no similarities and differences between hearts are discussed
Accuracy of Information in Report	Information in report is highly accurate	Information in report is mostly accurate, but may contain a few flaws	Information in report contains many inaccuracies
Report Conclusions	Explanations given for similarities and differences between hearts, supported by logical rationale	Explanations given for similarities and differences between hearts, but logic may be flawed	No or poor explanations given for differences between hearts
Clarity of Presentation	Presentation is clear and easy to understand	Presentation is mostly clear and easy to understand	Presentation is not clear and may be hard to understand
Content of presentation	Presentation contains all elements listed in task; includes heart images for each vertebrate group	Presentation contains most elements listed in task; includes heart images for each vertebrate group	Presentation is missing more than one element listed in task; missing heart images for one or more vertebrate groups

Conclusion

You have learned about the structure and function of the vertebrate circulatory system and heart. You have also learned the similarities and differences between the hearts of different vertebrate groups. Now that you have completed this webquest, think about other body systems (for example, the respiratory or digestive system). How might other body systems differ in mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish?

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