Listen To Your Heart Beat

Lula Carey                 Overton School
                           221 E 49th St.
                           Chicago IL 60615
                           (312) 535-1430

Objectives:

  To determine normal pulse rate
  To determine factors that cause the pulse rate to change
  To construct a graph to show variation in pulse rates
  To construct a simple stethoscope   

Materials Needed:

  pumping heart          paper towel tubes          10 funnels
  tape recorder          chart paper                4 jump ropes
  exercise tape          markers                    plastic tubing 
  stethoscope            clay                          (different sizes)
  scissors               watch with second hand      

Strategies:

    -  Have students place their right hand over heart.  Describe what you feel?
       Using an exercise tape or record that involves body movements, allow
       students to exercise for 2-3 minutes.  Describe and compare differences
       in heart beats (orally). 
 
    -  What is the strongest muscle in your body?  Why do you think this is so?
       The teacher will use a pumping heart to explain and demonstrate the 
       function of the heart.
   
    -  You can listen to a heartbeat, but you have to feel a pulse.  Your pulse 
       can be converted into a visual display.  Give each student some clay and
       a matchstick.  Roll a ball of clay about the size of a dime.  Stick a
       match vertically into the ball.  Place it on your wrist.  Shift it around
       until you find the spot with the strongest beat.  Describe and explain 
       what you see.  

    -  Show the class a stethoscope.  What is this?  What is its function?  Let 
       each child listen to his/her heartbeat.  Describe what you hear.  The 
       first stethoscope was invented in 1819.  It was nothing more than a 
       hollow tube.  Place the following items on a table: paper tubes, rubber 
       or plastic tubing of various sizes and shapes, different size funnels, 
       cut away plastic bottles, paper cups and plastic cups, clay, scissors, 
       tape.  Give several students the opportunity to make a stethoscope  
       (Stethoscopes must be functional).  Were some items more appropriate than 
       others?  Why?  Can you think of other items we can use?

    -  Divide class into groups of five.
      
       Give each group a working stethoscope; five activity cards with the 
       following words: napper, jumper, walker, twister, jogger, and a watch. 

    -  Each student will select an activity card and take turns exercising for 2 
       or 3 minutes.  Count the heart beats for 15 seconds immediately after 
       exercising.  Then multiply by 4 to find the beats per minute. (Be sure to 
       listen for the 2 part sound "lub dub" that is counted as one beat. Record 
       results. 


                  Gr. 1       2         3        4        5
        Napper  _______________________________________________

        Jumper  _______________________________________________
      
        Jogger  _______________________________________________

        Walker  _______________________________________________

        Twister _______________________________________________


Performance Assessment:

       -  What is the hardest working muscle in your body?  Why ?

       -  Explain how the heart functions.

       -  Outline the circulation of blood through the heart.

       -  Describe the sound of a heartbeat and explain the functions of each.
       
       -  What causes the pulse?       
       
       -  Did exercise cause the pulse to increase in rate or decrease?  
          Explain.

       _  What did you learn from the data on the bar graph?  How did the data
          differ among the groups?  Explain?    

Conclusion:       

            The heart is about the size of your fist.  It is made of muscle. 
        Your heart works like a pump.  You hear two sounds during every 
        heartbeat.  Doctors call them lub-dub noises.  Your pulse tells you how 
        fast your heart is beating.  The throb you feel is the blood rushing 
        through the vessel with each heartbeat.  During exercise your heart 
        beats faster.  When you stop, your heart rate slows down.