Count the heart beats for 10 seconds immediately after exercising. The teacher can then multiply by 6 to find the beats per minute. Introduce the largest artery and the largest vein by inserting surgical tubing in proper positions. Explain that arteries and veins like tubes that carry blood away from and toward the heart. Have students look at simple heart poster.
Deoxygenated blood means that the blood has very little oxygen.
Oxygen from the air is needed by the body in order to live. This means that the blood needs to travel to the lungs, parts of the body that take in the air that we breathe, and make it oxygenated. Once the blood is oxygenated, it has enough oxygen to go through the body again. Students will understand the functions and structure of the heart. They will understand that as the heart pumps, blood is forced through tubes that carry blood called blood vessels.