Elementary Lesson Plan on the Human Heart

* Identify the location of the heart and its approximate size
* Understand that the heart is a powerful muscle that pumps blood around the body
* Understand that the blood carries oxygen and nutrients throughout the body
* Understand that the heart beats faster when we exercise

Direct Instruction

Introduce the lesson by asking students if they have ever felt their hearts beating. Where did they feel the heartbeat? Do they know where the heart is located?

Tell the students to make a fist, and explain that the heart is a powerful muscle about the size of their fist, located on the left side of their chest. The purpose of the heart is to pump blood to all parts of the body. The blood carries oxygen from the air we breathe and nutrients from the food we eat to all of the cells in the body. The blood travels through tubes called blood vessels. There are two kinds of blood vessels, arteries and veins. Sometimes we can see the arteries and veins on our arms or hands.

Tell students that by checking their pulse, they can find out how many times their heart beats each minute. Help students find their pulses by having them place the index and middle fingers of their right hands on their left wrists, on the side nearest the thumb. This is sometimes challenging for younger students, and you will have to circulate and help them find their pulse. If they can't find it on their wrist, see if they can find it on their throat.

Once all of them have found their pulse, have them count the number of times the pulse beats in 15 seconds. Record the numbers in a column on the board. You can incorporate some math into this by multiplying the numbers by 4 to find out how many beats per minute, or by finding the average heart rate for the class.

Ask the students to predict what will happen to their pulse rate when they exercise. Will it get faster, slower, or stay the same?

Tell the students they will be counting their pulse again after they exercise. Ask them to stand up and run in place or do jumping jacks for one minute. Then have them sit down again and count the number of beats in 15 seconds.

Record these numbers in a second column. Compare the two columns of numbers for pulse rate before and after exercise. Which numbers are higher? Why does the heart beat faster when we exercise? Because the muscles need more oxygen when they are working harder. Since the heart is a muscle, just like the muscles in our arms, legs, and other parts of our body, exercise helps to keep the heart strong.

Sources:

http://kidshealth.org/kid/htbw/heart.html