Get children's blood pumping with this primary grade instructional activity on the human heart. After learning about the important role this muscle plays in the human body, students monitor their heart rates and discover the importance of staying active.

Concepts

healthy habits, exercise, the heart, heart rate, muscles, resting heart rate, cardiovascular health, aerobic activity, aerobic exercise

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Include this lesson in a primary grade science unit on the human body
• For one week have students keep a log of their daily physical activities, monitoring to see if they are getting in their 60 minutes a day
• With older kids, have them actually calculate their resting and active heart rates
• Have children monitor their heart rates after performing a range of different activities, discussing any patterns they observe

Classroom Considerations

• Though designed for first graders, this science lesson can be adapted for use in any elementary grade level

Pros

• Included worksheet offers fun illustrations that demonstrate ways children can stay active
• Offers additional activities that extend learning about the heart

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.K.1.a SL.K.2 SL.1.1.a SL.1.2 SL.2.1.a SL.2.2 SL.3.1.a SL.3.2 SL.4.1.a SL.4.2 SL.5.1.a SL.5.2