Investigating Heart Rate with Elementary Students

 

How does exercise affect your heart rate? 

When we exercise probably the first thing we notice is our respiration rate increases.  Then we may notice our heart is beating faster.  All of this happens without us having to do anything.  This is because our autonomic nervous system controls our internal organs.  It knows just what to tell our lungs and heart to do.  The respiration and circulatory system work together to get oxygen to cells.  Oxygen is an important ingredient in energy creation.  

We measure our heart rate by taking our pulse.  This is a fun thing for students to learn.  Students enjoy learning how their body works.  Students can take their pulse to compare their heart rate while doing different activities.  

The best part, all you need is a second hand, chair, and yourself.  You could even sit on the floor.

This lab is great for

-Introducing the scientific method.
-Distance Learning (Students should have all of the supplies.)
-Health and Wellness Unit
-Human Body Unit
-Physical Education Teachers
-Homeschool Science (Great for multiple age levels to do together.)
-Valentine Themed Activity

How does this fit with STEM?

This is a great introduction to writing a lab report.  STEM is about educating students about science-related careers.  In science you will read, write, and evaluate lots of lab reports.  It is a big part of the job if you are a chemist, biologist, or any field related to product testing.

Why should I perform investigations with elementary students?

Introducing elementary students to investigation journals will help them be more comfortable in higher-level science classes later on.  

Each grade level version expands on the other.  This investigation is a great introduction to the scientific method.  Students will also learn about the independent and dependent variables.  Older students will create a graph and write a conclusion.  Students will be able to think and problem-solve more effectively.  A hands-on lesson makes it more memorable and students will better understand the concept.  After a hands-on lab, they should be able to explain the science in their own words because they experienced the concept. 

If you are new to investigating with students this is a perfect one to start with.  

It also is great for distance learning.  Just put the journal in your Google Classroom or other secured learning management system.  The download contains a pre-made overlay in Easel by TPT or use in a program like Kami.

Have fun exploring your heart rate to learn more about respiration and circulation!

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Here's what teachers are saying about

Investigating Heart Rate.

Thank you so much for making this. It saved me so much time and the students loved doing this experiment.

Loved this Lab!

Kids love this! Fun lab activity!

Nice addition to our Human Body packet! It was fun for the kids to do!

I used this when teaching health to my 3rd graders! I only have 30 minutes per class with health, so I did have to break it up into two lessons, but I love that it is all bundled into one packet! Definitely will reuse this each year!

This will be a great resource to use with my K & One students. Thank you!