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The Amazing Heartbeat Journey

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Tatiana Menezes

Tier 1
For Schools

Lesson Plan

Heart Health Heroes

Students will be able to identify that their heart rate increases during physical activity and understand why their heart is important for their body.

Understanding how our heart works and why exercise is good for it helps us make healthy choices. It teaches kids about their amazing bodies!

Audience

2nd Grade

Time

45 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion, engaging slides, and a fun activity to explore heart rates.

Materials

Your Pumping Heart Presentation (slide-deck), What Makes Your Heart Beat Faster? (discussion), Heart Rate Hike Challenge (activity), and My Heartbeat Worksheet (worksheet)

Prep

Prepare Materials

15 minutes

  • Review Your Pumping Heart Presentation.
    - Print copies of the My Heartbeat Worksheet.
    - Prepare a clear space for the Heart Rate Hike Challenge.

Step 1

Warm-Up: My Amazing Heart

5 minutes

  • Begin by asking students: "What does your heart do?" Allow for a few student responses.
    - Explain that today they will learn about their amazing hearts and how exercise helps them.

Step 2

Introduce the Heart

10 minutes

  • Use Your Pumping Heart Presentation to introduce the heart as a pump.
    - Discuss how it moves blood throughout the body.
    - Ask students if they can feel their heart beating. Guide them to gently place a hand on their chest.

Step 3

Why Does Your Heart Beat Faster?

10 minutes

  • Lead a What Makes Your Heart Beat Faster? (discussion) focusing on how physical activity affects heart rate.
    - Connect the idea of the heart working harder to get more oxygen to muscles.

Step 4

Heart Rate Hike Challenge

15 minutes

  • Conduct the Heart Rate Hike Challenge (activity).
    - Guide students through different activities and have them check their heart rates afterward.
    - Emphasize how different activities change their heartbeat.

Step 5

Cool-Down & Reflection

5 minutes

  • Distribute the My Heartbeat Worksheet.
    - Have students complete the worksheet individually or in pairs, reflecting on what they learned about their heart and exercise.
    - Conclude by reiterating the importance of physical activity for a strong, healthy heart.
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Slide Deck

Your Amazing Pumping Heart!

What does your heart do?
It's like a special pump inside you!

Greet students and introduce the topic of the heart. Ask them what they already know about their heart.

Where Is Your Heart?

Your heart is a strong muscle in your chest.
It works all day and all night long!
Put your hand on your chest. Can you feel it?

Explain that the heart is a muscle that works all the time, even when we are sleeping. Show them where their heart is and have them gently feel their chest.

Blood Delivery System

Your heart pumps blood all around your body.
Blood carries oxygen and food to your muscles and brain.
It's like a super-fast delivery truck!

Discuss how the heart pumps blood, which carries important things like oxygen to all parts of the body. Use a simple analogy like a delivery truck.

What's a Heartbeat?

A heartbeat is your heart muscle squeezing and relaxing.
When you run or play, your heart beats faster.
Why do you think it does that?

Introduce the idea of a heartbeat and how we can feel it. Explain that when we exercise, our heart works harder to pump more blood.

Exercise Makes Your Heart Strong!

Running, jumping, and playing make your heart work harder.
This makes your heart muscle strong and healthy!
A strong heart helps you play and learn even better!

Connect physical activity to a healthy heart. Emphasize that making our heart work harder makes it stronger, just like other muscles.

Keep Your Heart Happy!

Move your body every day!
Play outside, dance, or ride your bike.
A happy heart means a happy you!

Summarize the key takeaway: a strong heart is important for being active and healthy. Encourage them to keep moving!

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Discussion

What Makes Your Heart Beat Faster?

Teacher: "We just learned that our heart is a pump. What happens to a pump when it has to work really hard? Does it go slow or fast?"

Teacher: "When we run or play, our muscles need more oxygen. Who remembers what carries oxygen around our body?" (Hint: Think about what the heart pumps!)

Teacher: "That's right, blood! So, if our muscles need more oxygen when we're active, what do you think our heart has to do to get that blood to them faster?"

Teacher: "Has anyone ever felt their heart beating really fast after running or playing tag? Describe how it felt."

Teacher: "Why do you think it's a good thing for our heart to beat faster when we're exercising? What is it helping our body do?"

Teacher: "What are some of your favorite activities that make your heart beat faster?"

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Activity

Heart Rate Hike Challenge

Objective: To observe how different levels of physical activity affect our heart rate.

Materials: None needed, just your amazing bodies!

Instructions:
1. Find Your Heartbeat: Gently place two fingers on your neck, just under your chin, or on your wrist, below your thumb. Can you feel a little tap-tap-tap? That's your pulse! That's your heart beating.

2. Activity Round 1: Resting Heartbeat (2 minutes)
- Everyone sit quietly at their desks.
- For one minute, just relax and breathe normally.
- Now, gently try to find your pulse. How does it feel? Is it fast or slow?

3. Activity Round 2: Slow Walk (2 minutes)
- Everyone stand up and gently walk around the classroom for one minute, like you're strolling in a park.
- After one minute, stop and find your pulse again. How does it feel now compared to when you were resting? Is it a little faster?

4. Activity Round 3: Jumping Jacks/Running in Place (2 minutes)
- Now, let's get our bodies really moving! Do jumping jacks or run in place for one minute. Go, go, go!
- Stop! Quickly find your pulse again. Wow! How does it feel now? Is it much faster and stronger?

Discussion Questions after each round (or at the end):
- What did you notice about your heartbeat after [activity]?
- Which activity made your heart beat the fastest?
- Why do you think your heart beats faster when you exercise?
- What does this tell us about our heart and moving our bodies?

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lenny

Worksheet

My Heartbeat Worksheet

Name: ____________________________

Part 1: My Amazing Heart

  1. What does your heart do? (Circle the best answer)
    a) It helps you see.
    b) It pumps blood around your body.
    c) It helps you hear.

  2. Your heart is a ______________________ (muscle / bone).

Part 2: Heartbeat Challenge!

Think about the activities we did. How did your heartbeat feel?

  1. When I was sitting quietly, my heart felt:
    (slow / medium / fast)



  2. When I was walking, my heart felt:
    (slow / medium / fast)



  3. When I was doing jumping jacks/running in place, my heart felt:
    (slow / medium / fast)



  4. What did you learn about your heart and exercise today?











  5. Draw a picture of yourself doing an activity that makes your heart beat fast! (Use the space below)


















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