Lesson Plan : Heart Smart

Teacher Name:
 Kelly Fish
Grade:
 Grade 3
Subject:
 Science

Topic:
 What are the functions of the heart?
Content:
 skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, smooth muscle, heart, contracts, relaxes
Goals:
 
Objectives:
 4.05 Observe and describe how muscles cause the body to move.
Materials:
 Per Student Group: timer or watch with a second hand Per Class: diagram of the heart stethoscope (ask your school nurse)
Introduction:
 Begin class by wearing the stethoscope. Ask students where they have seen the instrument before, what is its purpose and how is it used. Student�s response may be that it is used to listen to our heart by a doctor. Ask students if any other organs can be heard by the doctor using a stethoscope. Students should have some background about the heart. Pose the question to students �Is the heart a muscle?�
Development:
 Show a diagram of the heart. Students will notice it is much different than what they usually draw to represent a heart. Point out the heart has two sides, right and left, separated by a thick muscular wall. The heart contracts and relaxes, so therefore, students should conclude it is a muscle.There are three types of muscles-skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and smooth muscle. We have already discussed skeletal muscles in previous lesson. The next muscles, cardiac muscles, are found in only one place in the body - the heart. The heart is a hollow organ made up of four parts, or chambers. The walls of the heart are made of strong cardiac muscle. When your cardiac muscle contracts, it squeezes blood out of your heart. When your cardiac muscle relaxes, your heart fills with more blood.
Practice:
 I will demonstrate the activity that the students are going to complete. 1.Hold your left hand in front of you with your palm up. 2.Place the first three fingertips of your right hand on the inside of your left wrist in the groove below the base of the thumb. You may need to move your hand around slightly before you can feel the pulse. 3.Use the timer to count the number of times your heart beats in one minute. Record the results. 4.Run in place for about one minute. 5.Repeat steps to take pulse again. 6.Record the results.
Accommodations:
 I will walk around and help students find their pulse if they are having trouble.
Checking For Understanding:
 We will regroup as a class and discuss the differences between the first heart rate and the second heart rate.
Closure:
 Have students sequence the steps of the blood flow through the heart. They can write or sketch to show the process. Students can imagine they are a drop of blood and describe their trip through the heart, out an artery, and back again through a vein.
Evaluation:
 Ask students why the heart is a muscle and what type of muscle it is. Students should know it is a muscle because it contracts and relaxes. It is classified as a cardiac muscle. Have students share their responses to how blood circulates through the body.
Teacher Reflections:
 

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