Healthy Hearts in the Zone for Elementary School

Healthy Hearts in the Zone for Elementary School

Holding the attention of middle school students, who are on the brink of adolescence, can be a real challenge. But savvy teachers know that today’s children are fascinated by technology. Middle School Healthy Hearts in the Zone: A Heart Rate Monitoring Program for Lifelong Fitness shows you how to use heart monitors to get students excited about heart health and improving their health, fitness, and athletic performance.

This practical book provides all of the information you need to introduce this technology in the classroom easily and successfully—the instructions, lessons, data, and support. Even if you’ve never used a heart monitor yourself, you’ll quickly learn how to facilitate self-directed, experiential learning that helps students see and feel how physical activity influences heart health. In no time, your students will be using heart monitors to individualize their fitness goals, monitor their own progress, and take charge of their health.

Special features include the following:

• Rationales for using heart rate monitors and heart zone training in health and physical education curricula
• 17 lesson plans emphasizing self-directed learning, goal setting, and self-motivation
• 30 pull-out, reproducible student worksheets
• Pull-out log page and journal page

As heart monitors continue to grow in popularity, it’s essential that teachers know how to incorporate them successfully into their curricula—even in health education classroom settings. These ready-to-use resources will help teachers unfamiliar with heart monitors to get up to speed, and the resources will enable those already using them to fine-tune their methods. Most important, the book will help every teacher build interest and motivation in students and set them firmly on the path to lifelong heart health awareness and fitness.


Contents

How to Use This Book
Seven Foundational Principles of Heart Rate Monitoring
Goals and Standards of Heart Zone Training Curricula
Rationale for Using Heart Rate Monitors
Curriculum Format
Glossary of Relevant Terms

Unit I. An Introduction to Heart Zone Training
Notes to the Teacher
Biomechanics of the Heart
Facts About the Five Heart Zones

Unit II. Using Heart Rate Monitors
What Is a Heart Rate Monitor?
All About the Five Heart Zones
Lesson Plans and Student Worksheets

Unit III. Managing Heart Rate
The Influences
Biofeedback Monitor
Lesson Plans and Student Worksheets

Unit IV. Designing a Heart Zone Training Plan
Goal Setting: Lifelong Fitness
Heart Zone Training
Determining Maximum Heart Rate
Submaximum Heart Rate
Lesson Plans and Student Worksheets

Unit V. Heart Zone Training Workouts
Training in the Heart Zones
Applying Heart Zone Training Principles
Lesson Plans and Workouts

Appendix A: Heart Facts
Appendix B: Troubleshooting
Appendix C: Benefits of Aerobic Exercise
Appendix D: Choosing the Right Heart Rate Monitor
Appendix E: How to Complete a Log Page
Appendix F: Student Heart Zone Training Log Page
Appendix G: Student Journal Page
Bibliography
Other Books About Heart Zone Training
About the Authors