This document provides instructions for dissecting a cow or pig heart to observe its internal structures. It describes placing the heart on a dissecting tray, making an initial cut to open the heart, then making further cuts and observations of chambers, muscles and other internal features. Students are asked to document their observations by listing structures, taking photos or making sketches, and answering questions about the dissection in their results, discussion and conclusion sections.

1. HEART DISSECTION
YEAR 8 – BODY SYSTEMS

2. AIM
• To dissect a heart and
observe all the features
of a heart.

3. EQUIPMENT
• Heart
• Dissecting Tray
• Newspapers
• Scalpel
• Forceps
• Rubbish Bag

4. RISK ASSESSMENT
Risk
Injury
Prevention
Fill out a risk assessment for your experiment

5. METHOD
1. Place the heart on the tray.
2. Find the thinner side of the
heart. You do this by gently
squeezing the heart to feel
which is thinner and thicker.
3. Make sure the thinner side is
to your left.
4. Cut along the right hand side
of the heart using the scalpel.
5. Open up the layer and
observe the inside of the
heart.

6. METHOD
6. Make a list of all the things
you see. Even if you don't
know the name of what you
are seeing, describe it.
7. Cut the heart in half and
compare the other side to
the one you saw before.
8. Take a photo of your heart
dissection or draw a sketch
of the heart as you saw it.
9. Place your gloves and your
heart pieces in the plastic
bag the teacher has put out
for you.

7. RESULTS
Write your observations here and display any photos
here.

8. DISCUSSION
1. Describe any differences in the thickness of the
outer wall on either side of the heart. If so, identify
which was thicker.
2. State how many chambers you counted.
3. You may have observed white ‘strings’ in the heart.
Propose what they might be for.

9. CONCLUSION
Write a conclusion for your experiment here.