Use an anatomy book to identify and label the important parts. These should include the aorta, pulmonary artery, left and right atria, left and right ventricles, left and right coronary arteries, and the four heart valves. Explain what happens during a heart attack. Invite your school nurse to come in and speak about the dangers of high blood pressure. Ask that person to take the blood pressure of some students and explain how blood pressure is measured.
Stress can cause heart disease.
In a class discussion, define stress, identify some stressful situations, and come up with some possible ways to avoid them. Measure your heart rate per minute. Using figures from your classmates, calculate the class average. At home, find the heart rates of young siblings, parents, and grandparents. Share these with your classmates to find an average in each category.