The cardiovascular system
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the functions of the cardiovascular system and how aerobic exercise affects our bodies.
Key learning points
- Move: when moving, we work hard to maintain an effort that increases our heart rate.
- Think: when we move with increased effort, our heart beats faster to pump blood around the body.
- Feel: making sure we are working hard to increase our heart rate, when performing activities, shows integrity.
- Connect: when our body is working hard, we should be aware of others and encourage them to keep going.
Keywords
Heart - a strong, muscular organ inside your chest that pumps blood around your body
Exercise - physical activity that improves or maintains health and fitness by strengthening muscles, heart and lungs
Cardiovascular system - the body’s system that delivers blood, oxygen and nutrients through the blood vessels
Common misconception
Some pupils might think that only oxygenated blood is transported around the body.
The body's cardiovascular system includes a group of organs and muscles that manage oxgenated blood and deoxygenated blood.
Teacher tip
Useing red or blue objects in the lesson will help to visually represent blood leaving the heart (e.g. red and oxygen-rich) and blood going back towards the heart (e.g blue and oxygen-poor). However, highlight to pupils that blood is not blue in our body or veins.
Equipment
red and blue bean bags, 15 floor markers, three tall cones
Content guidance
Risk assessment required - physical activity
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Prior knowledge starter quiz
4 Questions
Q1.What area of fitness means you have power to push/pull/lift/carry?
Q2.How do we measure heart rate?
Q3.Which of these activities would increase your heart rate?
Q4.Which area of fitness is used when reaching down to touch your toes?
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.What is your heart?
Q2.What does blood collect from the lungs that will help the muscles to keep working?
Q3.Which of these systems help oxygenated and deoxygenated blood move around the body?
Q4.What happens to our heart rate when we exercise?
To help you plan your 5 physical education lesson on: The cardiovascular system, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 5 physical education lesson on: The cardiovascular system, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom.
Explore more key stage 2 physical education lessons from the Health and wellbeing: stamina, strength and flexibility unit, dive into the full primary physical education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.