High School PE Lesson Ideas

(This is a good lead up to heart rate monitors.)

First, demonstrate to the students how to take their own heart rates at resting and then during the activity.

You can easily check your pulse on the inside of your wrist, below your thumb, or on the side of your neck where your carotid artery is. Gently place 2 fingers, usually your index and middle fingers of your other hand on this artery. Do not use your thumb, because it has its own pulse that you may feel. Count the beats for 30 seconds, and then double the result to get the number of beats per minute. Ex: I counted 36 in 30 seconds so my resting heart rate is 72 beats per minute. Write it down on your sheet of paper.

Pass out a card which can be collected at the end of class and used for assessment.

Students will begin walking and the teacher will call out a new way of walking which could be either:

Walking lunges
Carioca
High knees
Gluteus maximus kicks

Students will do this for 30 seconds and the teacher calls out the time for the students.

When the teacher says STOP, the students will take their heart rate and notice how much it increased and record the number of beats per minute.

Then, when we get to the bleachers the students will perform 10 triceps dips and 10 push-ups.

The students record their heart rate after each of the activities have been completed to notice how using different muscle groups will affect their heart rates.