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Heart Rate Heroes

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Lesson Plan

Personal Fitness Guide

Students will learn to measure and record their heart rate before, during, and after activity, reflect on patterns, and set one personalized fitness goal in a 20-minute individualized session.

Helping students track their own heart data empowers them to understand how physical activity affects their body, promotes self-awareness, and builds motivation with one-on-one support.

Audience

6th Grade Students (Tier 3 Individual)

Time

20 minutes

Approach

Guided, scaffolded worksheet activities

Materials

Know Your Numbers, My Heart Rate Log, Reflection & Next Steps, Timer or Watch, and Pencil

Prep

Teacher Prep

5 minutes

Step 1

Introduction & Pulse Method

4 minutes

  • Greet the student and explain the lesson objective: monitoring heart rate and setting a goal
  • Show Know Your Numbers slide: explain resting vs. active heart rate
  • Model finding the pulse on the wrist and neck; have the student practice and count for 15 seconds (×4 to get BPM)

Step 2

Activity & Data Collection

7 minutes

  • Guide the student through 2 minutes of light exercise (jog in place, jumping jacks)
  • Immediately have them measure and record heart rate on My Heart Rate Log for:
    • Resting rate (pre-activity)
    • Peak rate (mid-activity)
    • Recovery rate (1 minute post-activity)
  • Use timer/watch to ensure accurate intervals
  • Provide one-on-one support: prompt counting, help fill blanks

Step 3

Reflection & Goal Setting

5 minutes

  • Hand the student the Reflection & Next Steps worksheet
  • Ask guided questions:
    • How did your heart rate change?
    • Which part was easiest/hardest?
  • Support the student in writing a SMART goal—for example, “In 2 weeks, I will lower my recovery rate by 5 BPM by exercising 3×/week.”
  • Encourage the student to illustrate or color-code progress bars

Step 4

Wrap-Up & Encouragement

4 minutes

  • Review their recorded data and goal aloud together
  • Praise effort and set a check-in date
  • Offer a positive note: “You’re a Heart Rate Hero—keep tracking!”
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Slide Deck

Know Your Numbers

Understanding Your Heart Rate

Welcome the student and introduce the slide deck. “Today we’re going to learn how to find and understand your heart rate so you can track it like a pro!”

What Is Heart Rate?

• Heart Rate = number of heart beats per minute (BPM)
• Tells us how hard our heart is working
• Can change based on activity, rest, or emotions

Explain that heart rate is simply how many times your heart beats each minute. Use a real or drawn heart icon to illustrate.

Resting vs. Active

• Resting Heart Rate: Your BPM when you’re calm and still (usually 60–100 BPM)
• Active (or Peak) Heart Rate: Your BPM during exercise or movement (can rise to 150–180 BPM)
• Recovery Rate: How quickly your heart slows down after activity

Describe resting vs active rates. Ask student what they think their resting rate might be.

How to Find Your Pulse

  1. Wrist Method:
    • Place 2 fingers on the inside of your wrist, below the thumb
    • Press gently until you feel the beat
  2. Neck Method:
    • Place 2 fingers on one side of your neck, next to your windpipe
    • Press lightly to feel the beat

Demonstrate on your own wrist and neck. Encourage student to follow along on themselves.

Practice & Count

• Use a timer or watch to count pulses for 15 seconds
• Multiply your count by 4 to get BPM
• Try both wrist and neck methods

Guide the student: “I’ll time 15 seconds—count your beats, then we’ll multiply by 4.”

Ready to Record?

Head to your My Heart Rate Log to note:
• Resting Rate
• Peak Rate
• Recovery Rate

Transition to the worksheet. “Now that you know how to measure, let’s record your numbers!”

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Journal

My Heart Rate Log

Date: ____________ Time: ____________

MeasureBPMNotes (e.g., how YOU felt)
Resting_________________________________
Peak_________________________________
Recovery_________________________________

How did I feel before the activity?





How did I feel during the activity?





How did I feel after the activity?





What do I notice about my heart rate patterns?










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Cool Down

Reflection & Next Steps

  1. How did my heart rate change from start to finish?
    Write one or two sentences about what you noticed.





  2. Which part was easiest or hardest for me?
    Describe how you felt at each stage.





Set Your SMART Goal

Use the prompts below to plan your next fitness step:

• Specific – My goal is to ___________________________________________


• Measurable – I will measure progress by ____________________________


• Achievable – I can reach this goal by _______________________________


• Relevant – This matters to me because ______________________________


• Time-bound – I will accomplish this by ______________________________

My complete SMART goal:







You’re a Heart Rate Hero—keep tracking and celebrate every step!

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Heart Rate Heroes • Lenny Learning