Mississippi Science HAP.12.4
The Standard
- HAP.12
- Students will investigate the structures and functions of the respiratory system, including the cause and effect of diseases and disorders.
Enrichment: Use an engineering design process to develop a model of the mechanisms that support breathing and illustrate the inverse relationship between volume and pressure in the thoracic cavity. *
2026 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science · Respiratory System
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students design a bottle-and-balloon model that shows air moving in and out of the lungs. They test it, revise one part, and explain how changing chest volume changes pressure.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Their model inflates the balloons when the membrane moves down and deflates them when it moves up. They label larger chest volume as lower pressure and inward airflow. They can explain a fix they made after testing.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think the diaphragm pushes air into the lungs when it moves down. Some think a larger chest cavity has higher pressure, or confuse the lung balloons with the chest cavity around them.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Sketch the model with the membrane down and then up. For each position, label chest volume, pressure, and airflow, then name one change you made after testing.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Attach two balloons to a Y-straw inside a pre-cut bottle, stretch a glove over the base, seal leaks, and test the model.
Ask: Why does air enter the balloons when you pull the glove down, even though nothing pushes air through the straw?
Give pairs cards for diaphragm position, chest volume, pressure, and airflow; have them sort the cards into inhale and exhale sets.
Have students feel their ribs move during slow breaths, then explain how expanding the chest draws air into their lungs.
Free download
Printable HAP.12.4 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to HAP.12.4, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.
Download the worksheetKeep exploring
Related Standards
- CHE.7.8
Enrichment: Using gas stoichiometry, calculate the volume of carbon dioxide needed to inflate a balloon to occupy a specific volume. Use an engineering design p...
- PHS.6.4
Enrichment: Use an engineering design process to design and build a musical instrument to demonstrate the influence of resonance on music. *
- HAP.12.1
Design and use models to illustrate the functions of the organs of the respiratory system.
- ZOO.3.8
Enrichment: Use an engineering design process to model the jet propulsion utilized by cephalopods in mechanical design of fluid systems (e.g., improving hydraul...
Turn this exact standard into a lesson
Grade, subject, topic, and the complete standard are prefilled. Create one free, no account needed.
Also for this standard:Make a WorksheetMake a QuizMake a Sub Lesson