Body works

Lesson 5 – 20 minutes

Learning outcomes

• Identify the role of the body’s circular system, skeletal system, respiratory system and nervous system.
• Understand how the body’s major organ systems relate to first aid scenarios.
  

Preparation

• SLSA Training Manual.
• Whiteboard and markers (optional).
  

Award Delivery Options

From the age of 11 a junior member in surf life saving can work towards obtaining a Basic Emergency Care Certificate. One of the three units that make up this award is Anatomy and Physiology (the others are Resuscitation and Basic First Aid). As an age manager you have two options for the delivery of Anatomy and Physiology to your 11 year old participants:
Option 1 – Deliver a basic single lesson on Anatomy and Physiology (lesson plan provided on this page).
Option 2 – Deliver this lesson as part of guiding your participants through a Basic Emergency Care Certificate through the season.

• Have a qualified trainer deliver an initial lesson on Anatomy and Physiology.
• During the season conduct further lessons with your participants to work on the knowledge learnt in the initial session.
• When the participants are ready for assessment for the Basic Emergency Care Certificate (towards the end of the season) get a qualified assessor to conduct an assessment session.

Note 1: Some participants may have already obtained their Basic Emergency Care Certificate in a previous season. These participants can be used to help out with the training and will need to complete a proficiency to keep their award current.

Discuss

• Discuss the following human body organ systems:
  

CIRCULATORY SYSTEM

• The heart is the central organ that pumps blood to the lungs and the rest of the body.
• Example first aid cases: resuscitation/CPR (compressions try to restart the heart so it can pump blood), Heart Attacks (heart stops pumping blood), cuts and abrasions (heart pumps the blood through the body and out through cuts etc).
  

RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

• This includes airways (larynx) and the lungs. This system is important for taking in oxygen to fuel muscle potential through breathing.
• Example first aid cases: resuscitation/CPR (trying to get air into the lungs to keep system working), Choking (lungs are staved of air by blocking of airway), anaphylactic (throat can swell and restrict air to the lungs).
  

SKELETAL SYSTEM

• Your skeleton (bones) protect your major organs from being damaged.
• Your spine provides flexible support to the body and protects the spinal cord. The spinal cord is essential for allowing messages to travel from the body to the brain.
• Example first aid cases: broken bones (the bones break, fracture etc), spinal (vertebrae pops/slips, back breaks/fractures and effects the spinal cord).
  

NERVOUS SYSTEM

• The brain, through the spinal cord and nerves, controls every part of the body.
• Example first aid cases: concussion (head takes a hard knock and shakes up the brain/the brain swells and puts pressure on the skull).
  

Activity 1

• Ask participants to draw a body on butcher’s paper and explain where the main systems are located.
  

Discuss

• Finish the lesson by asking the participants two questions that relate this lesson to surf life saving:
  • What are you doing when you breathe into a patient? (providing are into the lungs).
  • What color blood will be present if you cut an artery (bright red blood due to the high oxygen content).