Sheep Heart Dissection Lab ~ Anatomy and Physiology

Students identify the major structures of a four-chambered heart (atria, ventricles, septum, valves, major vessels) by direct observation during dissection.

Students trace the full pathway of blood flow through the heart and body, naming structures in sequence from the vena cava back to the vena cava.

Students explain how structural differences (wall thickness, valve type) relate to each heart chamber's function.

Students use pre-taught vocabulary (e.g., incision, apex, coronary, elasticity) accurately while completing the lab.

Run the CCD vocabulary activity just before the lab, as the instructions recommend, so students already know terms like incision and apex when they encounter them in the procedure.

Use the blank Heart Dissection Checklist as a partner quiz format during the lab — the teacher or a student calls out a structure and lab partners take turns pointing it out — rather than as a written worksheet.

Allow some flexibility when grading open-ended lab answers, per the answer key's own note, since students dissecting real tissue may reasonably describe structures somewhat differently.

Offer the extra-credit option (researching a new heart disease treatment and writing a half-page essay) for students who finish the dissection early.

Heart anatomy identification — students locate and name 15+ structures of a sheep heart during hands-on dissection.

Blood flow sequencing — students trace and describe the complete pathway of blood through the heart's chambers, valves, and major vessels.

Structure-function reasoning — students explain why the left ventricle's walls are thicker than the right, and why atrial walls are thinner than ventricular walls.

Pre-lab vocabulary acquisition — students predict, confirm, and sketch the meaning of dissection-specific terms using a Cognitive Content Dictionary routine.