Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: Heartbeats

20 minutes

Find Out: Counting heartbeats

25 minutes

Take Action: Heartbeat maths

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions

Students will:

conduct a heart healthy maths investigation by skipping
learn to measure and count heartbeats after physical activity
practise addition and subtraction within 20 using their recorded data.

Success criteria

Students can:

understand the concept of ‘Beats Per Minute’ (BPM)
compare and understand high and lower numbers using their heart rate data.

Tune In: Heartbeats

Step 1

Invite students to sit together to begin the lesson. If you used the Measuring Skipping Skills lesson beforehand, ask students about their experiences. Discuss what they remember about counting their jumps and recording them. You can use these inquiring questions to guide your discussion:

What did you notice about your body?
Did you notice your heart rate changed as you completed various skipping routines and techniques?

Elicit from students what they think happens to their hearts when they exercise. Encourage students to predict how skipping might affect their heart rate. Ask the class, “Do you think skipping will make your heart beat faster or slower?”. Encourage the students to show their prediction with a thumbs up (faster heartbeat) or thumbs down (slower heartbeat).

Step 2

Explain that we will measure our heart rates after skipping and use these numbers to practise adding and subtracting. Clarify that a heart rate is the number of times the heart beats within a certain time period, usually in one minute. Facilitate a group discussion about how we measure our heart rates. Begin by asking, “Have you ever had your heart rate measured before? Where is your heart?” Ask, “How do you think we can measure how fast our hearts beat? What can we use to measure our heartbeat?”

Find Out: Counting heartbeats

Step 1

We can feel our heartbeat by gently touching the side of our throat. When we do this, we can feel a pulse – this is the blood being pumped from our heart to the rest of our body. Show students this Picture of a Heart to help them visualise it. Encourage students to find their pulse by gently pressing their fingers on the side of their throat and feeling the rhythm of their heartbeat.

Explain that doctors and nurses measure your heart rate and call this ‘Beats Per Minute (BPM)’. BPM counts the patterns of the beats over one minute (i.e. children's heartbeats should be between 65 and 100 BPM).

Step 2

Encourage students to count the beat of their heart for 15 seconds. Use a device with a timer to help keep track as they count. Ask students to find their heartbeat by gently feeling their pulse and counting the beats until the timer runs out.

Invite students to tap their legs gently with their hands to the rhythm of their heartbeat. Watch the group to see which students have found their pulse. Practise this a few times to help improve accuracy and the skill of counting with a beat.

Ask the students to share their maths processes with the group by inquiring, “What number did you count to”?

Point out that this is your heart rate at rest. It is an important number that we will use in our maths today. Give each student a Counting Beats Activity Sheet and show them where to write their heartbeat measurement. ‘My heart beat _______ times in 15 seconds at rest’.

Step 3

Explain that when you feel your pulse and count the number of beats in 15 seconds, you must multiply this number by four to calculate your beats per minute (BPM). Now, demonstrate this calculation using the example below and with physical counting objects to show the grouping and counting process clearly.

Example: 20 beats in 15 seconds equals a heart rate of 80 Beats Per Minute (BPM) i.e. 20 x 4.

Visually show this equation: Make four groups of 20 objects to show the heart rate of 80 BPM. Actively count the objects to reach a total of 80 BPM.

Ask a volunteer for the heartbeat amount they recorded on their Activity Sheet. Use this to demonstrate the calculation process again.

Step 4

Once students grasp how to do the equation, hand out objects or counters. You may prefer pairing or grouping students for additional peer teaching and collaboration. Give students time to practise their equations by physically making the groups from the objects to show their heartbeat total. Once they have grouped the objects, invite students to draw the number of objects in the space provided in the Activity Sheet. Then, encourage students to write multiplication equations to work out their BPM.

For example, 20 beats in 15 seconds equals a heart rate of 80 beats per minute (BPM). 20 x 4 = 80

_____ X 4 = _______

Step 5

Introduce subtraction to encourage students to explore how numbers change when we take away from a total. Use the counting objects to show how this maths concept works visually.

Demonstrate the removal of 10 heartbeats. Show this by removing the objects and counting what is remaining.

For example: Start with the 20 items in each of the 4 four groups, remove 10 (or one group) = 70 remaining.

80 - 10 = 70 80 - ________ = _______

Provide time for independent practice for students to explore how they can take away numbers such as subtracting groups of 5, 10, 15 or 20 to suit their learning level. Support students in subtracting by using number lines to show how the number is taken from the total (see the attached Number Line visual, which can be drawn or projected on the whiteboard).

For example, 80 - 15 = 65.

Next, show the students how to add to the beats per minute. Explain, “I started with a heart rate of 65, and now it is at 80. How has my heartbeat changed?” Place a finger on the number 65 and count forward, adding on groups of 5 until you reach 80.

65 + _____ = 80 (i.e. 15 is the number we added on to reach 80).

Take Action: Heartbeat maths

Step 1

It is time to get active and demonstrate how heart rates change after a one-minute skipping activity. You can ask for a student volunteer or get active and show your skipping skills.

Model this for the class: Take your pulse at rest for 15 seconds and write the number of beats per minute on the whiteboard (remember to multiply by four!). Then skip for one minute, take your pulse again for 15 seconds and record your BPM on the whiteboard.

For example, my heart rate before skipping was _______ BPM, and after skipping, it was ________ BPM.

Step 2

Use your example to discuss and compare how heart rates change before and after skipping exercise. Tell students we will investigate what they see in the results as a pattern in the numbers.

Ask these questions to guide the discussion:

What happened to my heart rate?
Did the beats per minute numbers change? Did they go higher (increase) or lower (decrease)?
How do you know this? What math evidence do we use to support our thinking? (i.e. numbers changing)
What was happening in our hearts to make the beats per minute go faster or slower? How does our physical activity change this?

Step 3

Follow up with additional questions to encourage students to think about the changes in their heart rate. Ask, “If your heart rate was 70 BPM before skipping and 80 BPM after skipping, How many more beats is that?”. Discuss this further by confirming, “Your beats per minute has increased by 10”.

Can we show this on the number line and count the difference? Demonstrate using the number line to show the visual change that has occurred. Count out loud as you share this, and then with the whole group.

Step 4

Explain that it's the class’s turn to measure their BPMs before and after skipping. Head outside with skipping ropes, students’ Activity Sheets and pencils. Give one skipping rope to share per pair or amongst small groups (depending on how many ropes you have available).

In pairs or small groups, invite students to count their heartbeats for 15 seconds before skipping. Ask students to fill the first gap in the number sentence using the BPM equation in their Activity Sheet. Next, students should take turns skipping for one minute, counting their heartbeats and calculating their BPM.

Worded equation: My heart rate before skipping was ____BPM, and after skipping, it was ______ BPM.

Subtraction equation: ____ - ____ = _____ beats more.

For example, my heart rate before skipping was 72 BP,M and after skipping, it was 92 BPM.

92 - 72 = 20 beats more.

Support students in completing their Activity Sheets and comparing their resting heart rate to their heart rate after physical activity.

Reflection

Invite the students to the floor for a reflection. Explain that this activity helps develop our counting skills and shows why accuracy in counting is important. Math is used every day in roles like doctors, nurses, and sports training. Having a healthy heart is important, and keeping active helps our heart muscles stay strong. Skipping is a fun way to explore math and keep us healthy!

Jump Rope for Heart – Counting Beats

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