Circulatory System Lesson Plan: Heart Adventure Challenge Course

Submitted by: Betty Ann Fish

Grade Levels: 3-5, K-3

In this multi-day circulatory system lesson plan, which is adaptable for grades K-5, students use BrainPOP Jr. and/or BrainPOP resources to explore basic heart facts. Students will also explore the function of each component of the heart by pretending to be the blood traveling through the heart, and increase their heart rate and endurance by physically moving through the heart course.

Lesson Plan Common Core State Standards Alignments

Students will:

  1. Identify the function of each component of the heart by pretending to be the blood traveling through the heart.
  2. Increase their heart rate and endurance by physically moving through the heart course.
  3. Reinforce basic heart facts through the use of iPads and the heart video on the BrainPOP app.

Materials:

  • Heart adventure challenge course
  • Scooters
  • Red and blue rubber playground balls
  • Mats
  • Tunnels
  • Small hurdles
  • Jump ropes
  • Hula hoops
  • Buckets
  • Paper bags for students to make heart fact bags
  • Paper for students to make heart fact slips
  • iPads
  • Parts of heart signs
  • Poly directional arrows
  • Markers and crayons

Vocabulary:

heart, heart rate, endurance, chambers, valves, blood, circulatory system, aorta, challenge, lungs, oxygen

Preparation:

Set up the heart adventure challenge course. The blue side of the gym is the side of the heart without oxygen. The mats, hoops and buckets are set up to include the right atrium, tricuspid valve, right ventricle and pulmonary valve. Blue playground balls and blue scooters are at the start of the right atrium. The side with oxygen has red balls at the lungs, the left atrium, mitral valve, left ventricle, aortic valve, the aorta, all body parts and the brain.

For Day 3, you will also need to prepare paper bags for students to decorate as heart fact bags, and cut up slips of paper for them to write their heart facts on.

Divide the class into 2 groups, one group on the blue side of the course (blood without oxygen) and one group on the red side of the course (blood with oxygen). Have iPads available at the exit of the aorta and the brain tunnel.

You can see a video of how this activity worked on the BrainPOP Educator's blog.

Lesson Procedure:

  1. Day 1 - Familiarize the students with the heart adventure challenge course. Walk through the course and discuss the various parts of the heart. Students then physically go through the course on their own.
  2. Day 2 - Review the course and when students exit the aorta and the brain side, have them use the iPads to watch the BrainPOP movie on the heart and take the quiz.
  3. Day 3 - Do a quick review of the heart parts and then have students move through the course. When exiting the brain side, have students watch the heart video again and also decorate their heart fact bag.
  4. Day 4 - When students exit the brain, they can create heart fact slips to place in their heart fact bags. At the end of class, students will read the facts aloud.

Extension Activities:

Try using the Dear Tim and Moby graphic organizer to get students thinking of their own questions about the heart!


BrainPOP Movies:

Heart (Activity Page Answer Key)


BrainPOP Jr. Movies:

Heart

Related:

    Filed as:  3-5, Anatomy, Blended Learning, Blood, Body Systems, Bruises, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.1.6, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.2.6, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.6, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.6