Learning About Spreadsheets and Our Heart

The project I chose was “A Healthy Heart” by Sherri Johns. This was designed for the 6^th grade, physical education and health class. The students were introduced to the basics of Excel by using M&M’s. Then a BSU professor came and taught the class about the heart. The students learned how to count their heart rate after both aerobic and anaerobic activities. This information was then put into a spreadsheet.

To adapt this for a 12^th grade honors class, I would bring in a few cow hearts and allow the students to dissect them to see the structures for themselves. We could monitor heart rates and perhaps expand the aerobic activities or extend the time for the observation. We could also have the students obtain heart rates on family members and make spreadsheets of that information. It would also be appropriate to include training of obtaining blood pressure readings for this group. I would also like to include the use of ECG recordings and show how a heart rate is recorded.