My Very Own Stethoscope?

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

As you learned in a previous Related Lesson, found in the right-hand sidebar, the heart is a vital part of your body.

You need it in order to live!

Speaking of living, if you missed or would like to review the previous Heart and Lungs lessons, you can find them in the Related Lessons in the right-hand sidebar.

• Have you ever listened to your heartbeat?

It is safe to say that you have been to a doctor’s office at some time. Nurses and doctors will sometimes pull out tools that we are not familiar with and start measuring our blood pressure, our reflexes, and even try to take a closer look inside our ears!

There is one tool that most people are familiar with, and it is known as the stethoscope. If you have been to the doctor before, you have had either a doctor or a nurse use a stethoscope to listen to your heart.

• How do stethoscopes work?
• Do you think you could make your own?

Let’s check in with Dr. Jo to see if she can help us answer these questions!

Thanks for your help, Dr. Jo!

As you have learned, stethoscopes are very usefully when doctors and nurses want to listen to your heart.

• Do you remember the pictures from the beginning of the lesson?

The correct picture of the stethoscope is the image on the left. If you guessed it correctly, great job!

• Did you know that the stethoscope was invented in 1816?

That's more than 200 years ago! It has helped save many lives ever since its invention, and is still widely used all over the world today. Without stethoscopes, we would have a much harder time hearing your heart beat.

Move along to the Got It? section to think about what you have learned so far.