New
New
Year 6

Healthy heart rate

I can describe the impact of exercise on the human body.

New
New
Year 6

Healthy heart rate

I can describe the impact of exercise on the human body.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Your heart rate is how many times your heart beats each minute.
  2. Stethoscopes, smartwatches and pulse oximeters can measure heart rate.
  3. Your pulse can be felt at the wrist and other places where an artery is close to the skin.
  4. During exercise, your heart beats faster so that more blood circulates around your body delivering oxygen.
  5. Exercise strengthens your heart and improves your circulation.

Keywords

  • Heart rate - Heart rate is the number of times a heart beats each minute.

  • Oxygen - Oxygen is a gas in the air that is vital for living things.

  • Artery - Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart.

  • Exercise - Exercise means using a lot of effort to move our bodies so that they stay fit and healthy.

  • Circulation - Circulation is the continuous movement of blood around the body, driven by a pumping heart.

Common misconception

Pupils may think that the heart pumps air through the body, rather than blood, as part of a pneumatic-style system that powers the muscles.

Explain that the heart pumps blood around the body, beating faster when we exercise because it is transporting more oxygen within blood to keep the muscles working.

Encourage pupils to think about the different forms of exercise they carry out in their day to help them understand the range of possibilities for exercising to maintain health. This could include playground games, cycling to school, bouncing on trampolines, playing dancing games on games consoles.
Teacher tip

Equipment

See additional materials

Content guidance

  • Risk assessment required - physical activity

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
There are seconds in a minute.
Correct Answer: 60, sixty
Q2.
Which piece of equipment could we use to measure 30 seconds?
calculator
Correct answer: stopwatch
ruler
protractor
Q3.
A function of blood is to transport to all the parts of the body so they can keep working.
nitrogen
helium
Correct answer: oxygen
Q4.
Your can be found inside your rib cage in the centre of your chest.
Correct Answer: heart
Q5.
What is the function of your heart?
To digest food.
To help you fight illness.
To allow us to feel emotions.
Correct answer: To pump blood around the body.
Q6.
Which of these are functions of blood?
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: Transporting carbon dioxide back to the lungs so it can leave the body.
Digesting food so the body can use the nutrients.
Correct answer: Transporting oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the body.
Carrying pain signals to the brain from the rest of the body.
Q2 image 4 octopusaga, Shutterstock.com

6 Questions

Q1.
What is your heart rate?
An image in a quiz
The amount of blood being pumped around your body.
The length of all the blood vessels attached to your heart.
Correct answer: The number of times your heart beats in a minute.
The number of minutes it takes to pump blood all the way around your body.
Q2.
Which of these pieces of equipment could not be used for measuring heart rate?
pulse oximeter
stethoscope
smart watch
Correct answer: thermometer
Q3.
Where are the best places to feel your pulse?
Where the skin is very thin, such as on your lips.
Correct answer: Where there is an artery close to the skin, such as your wrist or neck.
Where you can see blue veins through your skin, such as inside your elbow.
Q4.
Alex has been measuring his heart rate when carrying out different activities. Match the heart rate to the activity.
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer:60 bpm,Lying down reading a book.

Lying down reading a book.

Correct Answer:79 bpm,Going for a slow walk.

Going for a slow walk.

Correct Answer:125 bpm,Sprinting across the school field.

Sprinting across the school field.

Q5.
During exercise, your heart beats faster so that more blood circulates around your body delivering where it is needed.
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: oxygen
Q6.
Which of these are benefits of regular exercise?
An image in a quiz
increased height
Correct answer: improved circulation
improved vision
Correct answer: stronger heart
more balanced diet
Q1 Spreadthesign/Shutterstock

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