Background Information
Structure:
- About the size of clenched fist
- The organ sits in the middle of the chest, behind the breastbone and between the lungs
- Made up of a special kind of muscle (cardiac muscle) that works involuntarily, so we don't have to think about it
- The cavities form two separate pumps on each side of the heart, which are divided by a wall of muscle called the septum
- The upper chamber on each side is called the atrium
- This is connected via a sealing valve to the larger, more powerful lower chamber, or ventricle
- The organ works ceaselessly, beating 100,000 times a day, 40 million times a year
- The heart is the body's engine room, responsible for pumping life-sustaining blood via a 60,000-mile-long (97,000-kilometer-long) network of vessels
- It keeps the body freshly supplied with oxygen and nutrients, while clearing away harmful waste matter
- Heart speeds up or slow downs automatically in response to nerve signals from the brain that tell it how much the body is being exerted
Lesson Outline:
Hook: Use KWL chart to track down what a student knows (K), wants to know (W) about the structure and function of a human heart. It will be a diagnostic assessment that will enable a teacher to connect student's prior knowledge to the future concepts. This activity will be a formative assessment FOR learning.
Action: Through this animation and article, students learn about different parts and functions of a heart. It visually explains the various parts of the heart, what happens during a heartbeat, as well as what makes the heart pump. Utilizing text, images, voice narration, and 3D animation, the students increases their understanding of how the heart works in their body. Visual presentation can follow class discussion. Student responses will enable the teacher to report on student's level of understanding.
Following article can be used to create a jigsaw group activity.
Debrief: By looking at the "What I Learned" section, teachers can assess students' level of understanding. It will also provide an opportunity to deal with any misconceptions.
- KWL (Fill in first two sections of the chart)
Action: Through this animation and article, students learn about different parts and functions of a heart. It visually explains the various parts of the heart, what happens during a heartbeat, as well as what makes the heart pump. Utilizing text, images, voice narration, and 3D animation, the students increases their understanding of how the heart works in their body. Visual presentation can follow class discussion. Student responses will enable the teacher to report on student's level of understanding.
Following article can be used to create a jigsaw group activity.
Debrief: By looking at the "What I Learned" section, teachers can assess students' level of understanding. It will also provide an opportunity to deal with any misconceptions.
- KWL (Fill in the last section of the chart)