Heart Rate Activity
Biology
Unit 5 Human Systems
Goal: Students will learn how to monitor their heart rate and will experiment with ways to alter their heart rate. They will be able to understand and describe the physiological reasons for the changes they observe.
State Standards:
CE: B1.1A, B1.1B, B1.1C, B1.1D, B1.1E, B1.1f, B1.1g, B1.1h, B2.3d
Background:
Here's the scoop on why different activities speed up or slow down your pulse rate: When your heart beats, it pumps blood to all the different parts of your body. The blood brings fresh oxygen to your muscles, which your muscles need for energy. Blood also takes away waste. When your muscles are working hard, they need more oxygen for energy, so your heart speeds up so it can pump more blood. When your body is relaxing, your muscles need less oxygen for energy so your heart doesn't need to pump as quickly.
Timeframe: One full class period.
Vocabulary:
Heart/pulse rate
Respiration rate
Blood Pressure
Homeostasis
Oxygen
Carbon Dioxide
Materials:
-straws
-clay
-paper and pens for charting
-watch or timer that measures seconds
Procedure:
1. Draw a chart to record you pulse rates. Write your name (and your friends' names) across the top in separate columns. Write "standing" in the top row on the left side.
2. To make a drinking straw pulse measurer, you first need to find your pulse with your fingers. Put two fingers on the side of your neck, near the front, and move them around until you can feel something thumping under your skin. That's your pulse. What you're feeling is your blood being pumped around your body by your heart.
3. Put a piece of clay over your neck where your pulse feels the strongest.
4. Stick a straw into the clay so that it's sticking straight out from your neck. You might need a friend's help for this part.
5. To get your pulse rate, count how many times the straw moves in one minute. To save time, you can also count the number of times the straw moves in 15 seconds and then multiply that by four. You can also find a pulse on your arm, temples, and even your ankle. Try it!
6. Write your pulse rate under your name on the chart. Is your rate faster or slower than your friends' rates?
7. Do you think your pulse rate is always the same? Could you do something to change it? Come up with different activities that you think might change your pulse rate. Write them in separate columns along the left side of your chart.
8. First try the activities you think will slow your pulse rate down. Then try the ones you think will speed it up. Calculate your pulse rate for each activity and write it under your name in the row for that activity.
9. Is there a difference between your pulse rates for each activity? Were you right about which activities speed up and slow down your pulse? Why do you think there is or isn't a difference between pulse rates?
Conclusions:
Students will describe the physiological reasons for changes that are documented.
Source: http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/drinkingstrawpulseme.html