Make some noise!
The lump in your throat that goes up and down when you swallow is called your _________________ or ______________ _____. It is located at the top of the windpipe, and all the air you breathe passes through it. The vocal cords are inside this body part.
larynx or voice box
After the air leaves the windpipe, it enters the _______________________.
bronchi
The two elastic bands inside your larynx are called __________________.
vocal cords
_________________ is an everyday term for taking in oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide and other waste gases.
Breathing
Hiccups begin when the _______________________ tightens suddenly.
diaphragm
What is happening within your voice box when you make sounds?
Your vocal cords are vibrating.
_______________________________ is the process by which cells use oxygen and give off carbon dioxide.
Respiration
The body material that keeps the windpipe stiff is ____________________.
cartilage
Air that is exhaled contains ____________ ________________ and ___________ _____________.
water vapor
carbon dioxide
__ _________ ___ _______ (known as the epiglottis) quickly covering your windpipe makes the “hic” noise.
A flap of skin
How do you make your voice loud or soft?
To make louder sounds, you force more air through your vocal cords. To make your voice soft, you use less air.
Oxygen is carried to all cells in the body by the _________________________.
blood
The _________________ is the basic unit that makes up all living things.
cell
A way to get more _______________________ into the body is to breathe faster and more deeply.
oxygen
Holding your breath increases _____________ in your blood, which can sometimes help stop hiccups.
carbon dioxide
What causes your pitch to be high or low?
To make high-pitched sounds, you tighten your vocal cords. Then they vibrate faster as air goes past. To make low-pitched sounds, you relax your vocal cords.
The job of the ______________________________ is to absorb oxygen through its thin wall and pass it along to the capillaries, which then bring it to the bloodstream.
alveoli
The air sacs have very thin walls, that are surrounded by tiny thin-walled blood vessels called __________________________.
capillaries
You just went for a run. How do you think your breathing rate now compares with your rate when you started the race?
Your rate has increased, since your body is using up oxygen more quickly.
The best way to stop the hiccups is to _______________ your breathing.
relax
Describe how sounds are produced when you talk or sing.
Whenever you talk, laugh, sing, or yell, you use your lungs and other body parts. All the air you inhale passes through your windpipe and your larynx (voice box). The vocal cords are two elastic bands inside the larynx. Air moves through the larynx and makes the vocal cords move back and forth (vibrate), which produces sound. The lips, tongue, cheeks, roof of the mouth, and nasal passage change the quality of the sound and help form words.
Describe the path of air through the body as you inhale. Be sure to include how air gets to all parts of your body. (Hint: think about our breathing machine)
oxygen: nose/mouth --> trachea --> bronchi --> lungs --> alveoli --> capillaries --> bloodstream/cells
What are the alveoli? What are their role in the respiratory system?
Alveoli are many tiny, thin-walled pockets in the lungs through which oxygen moves into the blood and carbon dioxide is removed. Each lung contains millions of air sacs. The job of an air sac is to absorb oxygen through its thin wall and pass it along to the capillaries, which then bring the oxygen into the bloodstream.
Why do you think someone who is not getting enough oxygen might feel weak?
The cells are not getting enough energy, since oxygen helps release energy.
How do you hiccup (tell the 3 steps).
1. The diaphragm muscle has a spasm and pulls downward suddenly.
2. Air is quickly sucked in.
3. Air passes over the vocal cords as a flap of skin (epiglottis) snaps closed over the windpipe.