pumping up the stress for 5 th grade. activity guide

Pumping Up the Stressfor 5th grade

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Activity Guide

Teacher Tips• It is important to set the heart rate monitor receivers in the brackets

provided. – Each receiver should be placed at the extreme right side of each lab table.– The brackets to hold the receivers should be placed in the extreme right

channel on the wall at the back of each lab table. Slide the receiver in place.

• The Hand Grip Heart Rate Monitors work better when hands are sweaty or moist. Students can help this by rubbing their hands together or using lotion (not an excessive amount of lotion, just enough to keep hands moist). The arrows of the receiver and the hand grip heart rate monitors MUST be aligned to get a reading.

• The students will each test their heart rates with the stethoscope AND Vernier Hand Grip Heart Rate Monitors for comparison – low tech/high tech. This also allow comparison with averages and bar graphs.– A pair of students at each station will conduct all the tests with the

stethoscope while the other pair uses the Vernier Hand Grip Heart Rate Monitors.

– After each pair has finished conducting all their tests, they will exchange heart rate monitoring devices.

Teacher prep• Assemble materials from next page.

– Place each of the following in one of 6 bins. Each bin is for one table/group of 3-4 students:• 1 LabQuest• 1 hand grip heart rate monitor• 1 stop watch• 1 stethoscope• 4 Alcohol wipes• 3-5 copies “Heart Stress Test Chart” (# depends on # of students in the

class)• 3-5 pens/pencils

• If time permits, charge 6 LabQuests on the STEMmobile OR your students can plug them into the outlets on the STEMmobile and use them while plugged into the outlet.

Materials• 6 Vernier LabQuests• 6 Vernier Hand Grip Heart Rate Monitors• 6 stop watches• 6 stethoscopes• 6 brackets to hold the heart rate monitor receiver• 24 copies Heart Stress Test Chart – stored in lower left filing drawer in the mechanical room• 24 pens/pencils• 24 alcohol wipes

Location of Materials• Drawer 2b1 contents:

– 9 stop watches– 6 brackets for heart rate

monitor receivers– 28 mechanical pencils– Alcohol wipes

• Drawer 2b3 contents:– 8 Vernier Hand Grip Heart Rate

Monitors

• Drawer 2b4 contents:– 8 Vernier LabQuests– 8 Stethoscopes

2b3

2b4

2b1

Worksheet

Challenge

• Your school nurse has decided to conduct a health fair. Since you are learning about heart rate, she has asked you to help. She wants you to conduct the heart rate tests.

• You are able to decide the following:– What instrument will you use?– Where will you record these measurements?– What activity or activities will the participants do?

Guiding Question• How does your heart rate change with different

physical activity?– What does heart rate mean?– What does your heart do?– What is a stethoscope? What does it do?

• Skills covered:– Calculate averages– Graph results– Learn to use a handheld computer– Learn to use heart rate monitors

Activity 1 – Heart Rate (10 minutes)• Your pulse is the rate at which your heart beats. Your pulse is usually called

your heart rate, which is the number of times your heart beats each minute (bpm).

• As your heart pumps blood through your body, you can feel a pulsing in some of the blood vessels close to the skin's surface, such as in your wrist, neck, or upper arm. Counting your pulse rate is a simple way to find out how fast your heart is beating.– Resting pulse or heart rate means to check your pulse the first thing in the morning,

just after you wake up but before you get out of bed. – Some people like to check their pulse before and after they exercise.

• You check your pulse rate by counting the beats in a set period of time (at least 15 to 20 seconds) and multiplying that number to get the number of beats per minute.

• Your pulse changes from minute to minute. – It will be faster when you exercise, have a fever, or are under stress. – It will be slower when you are resting.

http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/pulse-measurement

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/fitness-toc-old

http://www.webmd.com/first-aid/fevers-causes-symptoms-treatments

Activity 2 – Testing Heart Rate 30-40 minutes

• Each student should have an opportunity to do the following activities.

• Test your heart rate with the Vernier LabQuest and Hand Grip Heart Rate Monitor– Standing– Pumping your arms as though you were running– Marching in place

• Test your heart rate with a stethoscope– Standing– Pumping your arms as though you were running– Marching in place

Caution• These tests are not meant to be

diagnostic. • If you have been cautioned to avoid

vigorous exercise, do NOT do the arm pumping or the marching in place.

• The ear pieces are cleaned with alcohol wipes to sterilize them. PLEASE clean the ear pieces of the stethoscope after each use.

Divide each table of 4 students into 2 groups of 2.

• Half of the group at each table is testing heart rate with the Vernier LabQuest.

• Half of the group at each table is testing heart rate with the Vernier LabQuest.

• Once each group has completed their tests, they will exchange equipment and materials – LabQuest and Hand Grip Heart Rate Monitor is exchanged for a stethoscope.

Tasks for each of the partners

• One partner uses the stethoscope or the Vernier heart rate monitors. They will be standing, pumping their arms, or marching.

• The other partner uses a stopwatch to time the standing, pumping the arms or marching. Each session is 1 minute.

Note: The person with the stethoscope will need to record their heart rate after listening for 20 seconds. How will they calculate the heart rate per minute?

Learn how to test heart rate

• The following slides show you how to measure your heart rate with a stethoscope and Vernier hand grip heart rate monitors.

Using the stethoscope• Put the ear pieces in each ear.• Hold the flat, round piece over your partner’s

heart (near the left center of the chest).• You should heart your heart beat. If not

readjust the location of the flat metal piece.

• While you are standing still, listen to your heart rate.

• Once you find a good place to listen to your heart, you should be able to count the number of times the heart beats during a 20 second time period.

Using the Vernier LabQuest and Hand Grip Heart Rate Monitor

• It takes patience to get a heart rate to show up on the Vernier LabQuest.– Be sure to wait at least 20 seconds for a reading to show up.– It helps if your hands are slightly moist and/or warm.– If you need to warm or moisten your hands, rub them

together to create friction.• You will also need to press “record” on the LabQuest.

This will take you to a graph of your heart rate and will also show you heart rate at the upper right side of the screen. It is the number before bpm (beats per minute).

Using the Vernier LabQuest• Remove hand-held LabQuest from box.• Remove Hand Grip Heart Rate monitor and

cord with arrow from box.

Plug cord from the heart rate receiver into channel 1. The cord has an arrow on the receiver end.

Plug in power cord.• Insert cord into LabQuest.• Plug the cord into receptacle on left edge of

Lab Quest.

Turn on LabQuest.

Press the button on the top left until the screen lights up.

Place the receiver into the bracket on the wall at the right side in back of the table.

Make sure the cord goes down through the hole at the bottom of the bracket.

Hold the hand grip monitors correctly.

•Hold each of the hand grip monitors so that fingers match up with finger template on monitors.•The arrow should be on top in left hand.

Standing in front of the table, hold hand grips so that the arrow lines up with arrow on receiver

and points in the same direction.

Let LabQuest register heart rate• Click or press

“START/RECORD.”• Stand still for about 20

seconds until the LabQuest registers your heart rate.– Your heart rate will be shown

up in the upper right of the screen before bpm.

– You will see a graph on the lower left and center of your screen.

• Put the hand grips down and the heart rate goes back to 0.

Standing heart rate with Stethoscope or Vernier Hand Grip Monitor

Activity Level Stethoscope Vernier Heart Rate Monitor

Standing • While you are standing still, listen to your heart rate.

• Once you find a good place to listen to your heart, begin counting the number of times the heart beats during a 20 second time period.

• Record this in the Heart Rate Chart.

• Set the stethoscope down for 30 seconds.

• Click or press “START/RECORD.”• Stand still for about 20 seconds

until the LabQuest registers your heart rate.• Your heart rate will be shown


• You will see a graph on the lower left and center of your screen.

• Record heart rate in Heart Stress Test Chart.

• Set the hand grips down monitors down for 30 seconds.

Repeat the test above 2 more times for a total of 3 heart rates recorded.


Pumping arms heart rate with Stethoscope or Vernier Hand Grip Monitor


Pumping Arms • Pump your arms as though you are running in place for 1 minute.

• Place the stethoscope on your chest.




• Pump your arms as though you are running in place for 1 minute.









Marching heart rate with Stethoscope or Vernier Hand Grip Monitor


Marching • Pump your arms and march in place for 1 minute.

• Place the stethoscope on your chest.




• Pump your arms and march in place for 1 minute.









Name one additional way to test your heart rate?

• Hint: You do not need any instruments.• Try to feel your pulse this way.

Activity 3 – Calculations and Discussion10-15 minutes

• Complete Pumping Up the Stress worksheet• Discuss the questions on worksheet• Make predictions.

Calculate the average heart rate for each physical activity.

• Add the three trials across each row in the chart. Record in “total” column of your worksheet.

• You should have totals for standing, pumping arms, and marching in place.

• Divide each of these totals by 3 and record in average heart rate column.

• Make a bar graph that shows the average heart rate for each activity.– The y-axis should be labeled “heart rate”– The x-axis should be labeled “physical activity”

How did your heart rate change?

• Which activity made your heart rate the highest?

• Which activity allowed your heart rate to decrease?

List activities that would result in a slow heart rate.

List activities that would increase your heart rate?

Go Public – Revisit Challenge5-10 minutes

• Your school nurse has decided to conduct a health fair. Since you are learning about heart rate, she has asked you to help. She wants you to conduct the heart rate tests.

• You are able to decide the following:– What instrument will you use?– Where will you record these measurements?– What activity or activities will the participants do?

Vocabulary• Heart rate – how many times your heart beats every minute.• Stethoscope – a device that amplifies sounds produced within the body and

allows you to listen to them. It has 2 ear pieces connected to a central rubber tube that ends in a piece. The piece rests on the place you wish to listen to.

• Heart rate monitor – an electronic device that allows you to determine heart rate. The person whose heart rate is monitored must be connected (with wires or wirelessly) to the monitor

• Receiver – equipment captures a signal created by a testing device and relays it to a recording device

• Vernier LabQuest – a handheld computer that connects to several probes for measuring a variety of scientific phenomena

• Average – the sum of a list of numbers divided by the number of numbers in the list

• Resting heart rate – typically the lowest heart rate. Measured when someone is at complete rest.

• Rate of recovery – the amount of time that it takes for heart rate to return to resting heart rate after physical exercise.