Organ Systems Vocabulary
Use technical vocabulary for the major organ systems — organ, organ system, circulatory system, digestive system, respiratory system, skeletal system, muscular system, nutrient, oxygen, carbon dioxide, blood vessel, artery, vein, capillary, enzyme — and describe the function of each system using these terms
What a learner can do afterwards
- Name the main organs in at least two body systems and state their functions using the correct vocabulary
- Use 'circulatory', 'digestive', and 'respiratory' correctly in written descriptions of the body
- Explain the difference between an artery and a vein using the correct anatomical terms
The lesson
Your body is built from organs, like your heart, stomach, and lungs. An organ is a body part that does a specific job. When several organs work together as a team, they form an organ system.
The circulatory system moves blood all through your body. Your heart pumps blood through blood vessels, carrying oxygen and nutrients to every cell, and carrying carbon dioxide and waste away.
The digestive system breaks down the food you eat into nutrients your body can use. Enzymes in your stomach and intestines speed up this breakdown, so nutrients can pass into your blood.
Your respiratory system brings in oxygen and removes carbon dioxide when you breathe. Your skeletal system (bones) and muscular system (muscles) work together to support and move your body. Remember: arteries carry blood away from the heart, veins carry it back.
Organs team up into organ systems, circulatory, digestive, respiratory, skeletal, and muscular, each with its own job and its own vocabulary.
Watch it
Where it sits
Learn first
Nothing; this is a starting point.
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.