Allen Elementary
Plymouth-Canton Community Schools
Example of a Student's Letter
Dear Mrs. Moore,
Ms. Guibord informed our class that you were interested in learning more about the heart and how it works. In science I have been learning about the circulatory system and the heart.
The heart is one of the most important organs in your body. Your heart is about the size of your clenched fist. It is actually a very strong muscle. It is located in the middle of your chest. The heart sends blood through your whole body. The blood provides your body with the oxygen and nutrients it needs. Blood also takes the waste your body gets rid of. The brain is the control center of the body and it tells the heart what to do.
The heart is made of four different areas called chambers. The top two chambers of the heart are called atria. The two chambers on the bottom are called ventricles. In the middle of the heart is a muscle called the septum, which separate the left and the right side of the heart.
There are four valves inside the heart. A valve lets blood in and closes so the blood can not escape. The four valves in your heart are the Mitral, Tricuspid, Aortic, and Pulmonary.
The heart pumps blood to every cell in your body in about 20 seconds. The "lub" sound of your heart is when the body starts filling up with blood and the "dub" sound is when the blood inside hits the aortic and pulmonary valves. Then your heart relaxes and it fills with blood again until the next beat.
The left side of your heart sends fresh and clean blood to your whole body. The blood gives our cells and organs oxygen. The cells also give away carbon dioxide and other waste. 20% of the blood goes to your kidneys to filter out some of the waste. The blood then goes to the heart. The right side of the heart pumps the used blood to the lungs to receive oxygen and get rid of waste. It then goes into the left side of the heart and the heart pumps the blood to your whole body.
In an average lifetime your heart beats more than 2 ½ billion times. In 1900, very few people died of heart disease. The rate of heart disease increased very sharply between 1940 and 1967. The top of the heart connects to a few large blood vessels; the largest being the aorta, which is the main artery. The two largest veins that carry blood into the heart are the Superior Vena Cava and the Inferior Vena Cava.
In conclusion, I hope that your questions about the heart and the circulatory system have been answered. The most important thing I want you to remember is the circulatory system is composed of the heart, blood vessels, and blood. All of these things work together to take oxygen and blood to every cell in your body.
Sincerely,
Anonymous 5th Grade Student
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