Activity 01
Feel the Beat
Pupils find their pulse on their wrist or neck and count their resting heart rate for 30 seconds. Afterwards, they do one minute of star jumps or running on the spot and immediately count their pulse again to compare the results.
Identify the main job of the heart in the circulatory system.
Facilitation TipUse a large classroom timer so everyone can start and stop counting accurately together.
What to look forUse a 'Think-Pair-Share' activity where pupils explain to a partner why their heart beats faster after exercise. Listen to their explanations to gauge understanding.
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Activity 02
Build a Body's Road Map
Using a large outline of a human body on paper, pupils use red wool (for arteries carrying oxygenated blood) and blue wool (for veins carrying deoxygenated blood) to create a simple map of the circulatory system, connecting them to a paper heart.
Explain why your heart beats faster when you run or play.
Facilitation TipEmphasise that this is a simple model and that blood in veins isn't actually blue.
What to look forPupils complete a 'fill in the blanks' worksheet about the circulatory system using key vocabulary learned during the topic.
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Activity 03
Blood in a Bottle
Create a model of blood's components in a clear plastic bottle. Use water with yellow food colouring for plasma, red sweets for red blood cells, white marshmallows for white blood cells, and glitter for platelets.
Compare the function of arteries and veins.
Facilitation TipPass the bottle around so pupils can see how the different 'components' are suspended and move.
What to look forPupils use a traffic light system (red, orange, green) to indicate their confidence in explaining the heart's main job.
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Generate Complete Lesson→A few notes on teaching this unit
Begin by making the learning personal: have pupils find and feel their own pulse. Use simple, clear analogies, such as comparing blood vessels to a network of roads and the heart to a busy roundabout. Visual and kinaesthetic activities, like building models or acting out blood flow, will be most effective for this age group.
By the end of these activities, your pupils will be able to explain the heart's role in the body and demonstrate how physical activity affects their heart rate.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
Blood in your veins is blue.
Blood is always red. The blood in veins is a darker red because it has less oxygen, and our skin makes the vessels look blue from the outside.
The heart is shaped like a Valentine's heart symbol.
The human heart is actually shaped more like a pear or a clenched fist and is a complex muscle.
Blood just sloshes around freely inside the body.
Blood is contained within a closed network of tubes called blood vessels (arteries, veins, and capillaries) and follows a specific path.
Methods used in this brief