How the Body Systems Work Together

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

Just like different pieces of rope tied together, the human body systems are connected inside your body!

They have to work together to make sure that you are able to breathe, eat, and grow.

Before joining in, if you skipped or need to review any of The Human Body lessons, you can find them under Related Lessons in the right-hand sidebar.

Each system has a specific job, but at the same time, systems interact with one another to keep the body functioning as a whole. The lungs take air from the environment and pull out oxygen for your cells. As the lungs pull out oxygen, they release carbon dioxide as a waste product.

• Can you remember which system is responsible for waste removal?

The excretory system! That carbon dioxide is released as a toxin.

On a sheet of paper, describe in writing or with an illustration how the lungs and circulatory system might be related. Then, check your answer as you read on.

The lungs pull the oxygen from the air, and the blood moves it throughout the body so it reaches tissues and cells. The heart and the lungs have a very close relationship because they are located close to one another. The heart takes blood in from the lungs and sends blood to the lungs. These two systems rely on one another to keep your blood healthy and full of oxygen!

Another important relationship is the one between the digestive and muscular systems. This system team helps you digest food.

• What are some parts of the digestive system?

They include the stomach, esophagus, and intestines. All of these are muscular organs, meaning they are made of muscle tissue. As materials pass through these organs, the muscles contract.

Watch the muscles in your intestines contract in this brief, silent video from Animated Biomedical, 3D Medical Animation - Peristalsis in Large Intestine/Bowel || ABP ©:

• Do you think the digestive system would work without the muscular system?

Probably not.

The muscular system relies on the skeletal system for support and movement. Muscles attach to bones throughout your entire body, helping you walk and sit down.

The nervous system helps control every bodily system by sending directions from the brain. The nervous system relies on nerve cells in limbs and body parts to gather information about the environment to keep the body safe. It is able to control the muscles in our arms and legs, keep digestion balanced, and help us maintain enough water in our body.

• How might other body systems be related?

Brainstorm two more relationships that exist among body systems in the human body before moving on!

In the Got It? section, you will practice identifying major organ systems and learning how they interact.