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Science lesson plan · 2nd grade (Year 3 in England) · 45 minutes

Exercise and your body: heartbeat and breathing

Human body and health

CCSS NGSS.SEP 4England: KS1 Y2 Animals, including humansEngland: KS2 Y6 Animals, including humans

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Exercise and your body: heartbeat and breathing.

  • I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
  • I can explain each step and say why it works.
  • I can check my answer and spot a mistake.

Before and after

Needs first: Healthy habits: washing, sleep, exercise and water

Leads to: How diet, exercise and harmful substances affect the body

Materials: Stopwatches, Body diagrams, Mini whiteboards, A diagram or short video clip of the idea, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 5 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Healthy habits: washing, sleep, exercise and water). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. Is this a healthy or an unhealthy habit: staying up very late every night? (healthy habit / unhealthy habit) → unhealthy habitPrompt: Would this help your body grow, stay clean and feel rested?
  2. After running around you feel thirsty and hot. What is the best drink? (a fizzy sugary drink / nothing at all / water / a cup of syrup) → waterPrompt: Which drink has no sugar and replaces what you sweated out?
  3. Is this a healthy or an unhealthy habit: sitting still all day? (healthy habit / unhealthy habit) → unhealthy habitPrompt: Would this help your body grow, stay clean and feel rested?

Hook · 5 min

  • Ask everyone to find their pulse, then jump for 30 seconds and find it again.
  • Share the objective: Exercise and your body: heartbeat and breathing. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 10 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: Why do you sweat when you exercise?
  • Step 1: Sweat evaporating from your skin carries heat away.
  • Step 2: So the answer is: Sweat cools your skin as it dries.
  • Answer: Sweat cools your skin as it dries.
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 10 min

  • Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
  • Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
  1. Why does your heart beat faster when you run? (Your heart is scared. / Your muscles need more oxygen and food from your blood. / Your heart is getting smaller. / To make you cooler.) → Your muscles need more oxygen and food from your blood.Prompt: Working muscles need more of what blood carries.
  2. True or false? Children should be active for about an hour every day. (True / False) → TruePrompt: Think about heartbeat, breathing, sweat and water.

You do: independent practice · 10 min

  • Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
  • Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 5 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. Why does your heart beat faster when you run? (To make you cooler. / Your heart is getting smaller. / Your muscles need more oxygen and food from your blood. / Your heart is scared.) → Your muscles need more oxygen and food from your blood.Prompt: Working muscles need more of what blood carries.
  2. True or false? Your heart beats slower when you run. (True / False) → FalsePrompt: Think about heartbeat, breathing, sweat and water.

Watch out for

  • Everyday meanings of words getting in the way of the science meaning: define key words explicitly.
  • Remembering facts without the reason: ask "why?" and "what is the evidence?"

Support and stretch

Support

  • Review first: Healthy habits: washing, sleep, exercise and water.
  • Use concrete materials: stopwatches.
  • Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
  • Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.

Stretch

  • Move on to: How diet, exercise and harmful substances affect the body.
  • Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
  • Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.

Homework and more practice

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-2.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

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Exercise and your body: heartbeat and breathing

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Score/ 8

  1. Question 1

    After exercise, what happens to your heart rate when you rest?

    • A. It slowly goes back down.
    • B. It stops.
    • C. It keeps rising for ever.
    • D. It doubles.

  2. Question 2

    Resting heart rate: 70 beats per minute. After running: 107 beats per minute. What do these results show?

    Heartbeats in one minute02040608010012070resting107after running
    • A. The heart slows down during exercise.
    • B. Exercise stops the heart.
    • C. The heart beats faster during exercise.
    • D. Running has no effect on the heart.

  3. Question 3

    True or false? You can feel your pulse on your wrist or neck.

    • A. True
    • B. False

  4. Question 4

    Resting heart rate: 83 beats per minute. After running: 148 beats per minute. What do these results show?

    Heartbeats in one minute02040608010012014016083resting148after running
    • A. The heart slows down during exercise.
    • B. Running has no effect on the heart.
    • C. The heart beats faster during exercise.
    • D. Exercise stops the heart.

  5. Question 5

    True or false? You do not need to drink water when you exercise.

    • A. True
    • B. False

  6. Question 6

    Why do you breathe faster and deeper during exercise?

    • A. To cool down your lungs.
    • B. To take in more oxygen for your muscles.
    • C. To make more noise.
    • D. Because air is heavier when you run.

  7. Question 7

    Resting heart rate: 95 beats per minute. After running: 154 beats per minute. What do these results show?

    Heartbeats in one minute02040608010012014016095resting154after running
    • A. Exercise stops the heart.
    • B. The heart beats faster during exercise.
    • C. Running has no effect on the heart.
    • D. The heart slows down during exercise.

  8. Question 8

    True or false? Regular exercise makes your heart stronger.

    • A. True
    • B. False

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Answer key: Exercise and your body: heartbeat and breathing

  1. 1. A. It slowly goes back down.

  2. 2. C. The heart beats faster during exercise.

  3. 3. A. True

  4. 4. C. The heart beats faster during exercise.

  5. 5. B. False

  6. 6. B. To take in more oxygen for your muscles.

  7. 7. B. The heart beats faster during exercise.

  8. 8. A. True