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Teacher:Nancy Davidson who teaches at West Plains Elementary
School in West Plains, MO. Nancy Davidson can be contacted at ndavidson@townsqr.com.
Name of Best Practice: Healthy Heart School Wide Interdisciplinary
Unit
Rationale/Purpose of Event: To study the benefits of living
a heart-healthy life style. The secondary purpose was to involve
the entire school in studying this subject.
Suggested Grade Level:K-5
Materials Needed: Each discipline provided it's own materials
(i.e., Art teacher-art supplies; Classrooms-books, craft supplies;
PE-jump ropes, charts, prizes; Music-"heart" music; etc.)
Healthy Heart School Wide Interdisciplinary Unit
We participated in this interdisciplinary unit during February-National
Heart Month. We (physical education teachers) wanted to add to our
Jump Rope for Heart program and decided to go all out with a school-wide
unit that focused on the entire school learning about the heart
and how to keep it healthy.
From the beginning to the end of the month each classroom took
a turn each morning giving a "heart fact" over the school
intercom. They would begin with "Did you Know that..."
Some classes even made up songs and raps! To keep the theme for
the month alive, each fact would end with "...and remember-Get
into the Action with a Healthy Heart!"
Each week we had a special event. Some of them are described next:
To kick off the unit we had a door decorating contest (hearts in
action). Instead of "cutsie" valentine hearts, classroom
doors displayed hearts jumping rope, running, lifting weights, etc.
We gave a jump rope to the winning classroom at each grade level.
We had an all-staff (teachers, aides, janitors, principals, secretaries,
cooks) team jump rope contest (two teams: red and white blood cells).
The staff came into the gym all week, during their spare time, counted
their jumps and recorded them on a chart on the wall. Those who
could not jump, because of health reasons, were allowed to turn
the rope for others and count their turns. We kept a running total
on the front hall bulletin board each day and awarded plastic medals
to the winning team.
One week we had a contest to guess the number of candy hearts in
a large jar. The winning class won the jar of candy.
Our culminating activity was an assembly. The third grade performed
the song "Heart Power" (from the Heart Association Heart
Power kit). We gave out JRFH awards, prizes for the contests, and
had students give a jump rope demonstration. We announced how much
money our students raised for the Heart Association.
All through the month the Art classes made heart projects and displayed
them in the front hall. Music classes sang heart songs. Physical
education classes did jump rope activities and elaborated on the
heart fact for the day. Many of the classroom teachers were able
to have their classes study the heart and healthy life styles from
the discipline perspectives of math, science, health, reading, and
spelling.
This unit was a real effort on everyone's part, but well worth
it. The students had a great time and really learned important information
about the heart and living a healthy lifestyle.
This Lesson Plan Came from PE
Central
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