NCD: Cardiovascular System Activity - Explanation Game

Created Feb. 7, 2024 by Daniel Mennen

Standard(s):

Health Education Standard 1 – “Students will comprehend concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention to enhance health.”

1.12.5. Propose ways to reduce or prevent injuries and health problems. 

Learning Goal: Students will analyze compare and contrast a healthy/unhealthy cardiovascular / respiratory system followed by proposing ways to reduce or prevent cardiovascular illness in the future.  

Explanation Game: 

To start this activity, students will begin by viewing a video that covers a healthy functioning cardiovascular system that repeats pumping and filling of the heart.  There is no text along with the video and should allow students to ponder questions about the system. 

Students will begin by viewing the video.  Each group (3-4 students / group) will then be provided an image at their table (in a face-to-face environment).  The activity will include the following:

1) Parts / Components of the cardiovascular system

2) Functioning of the system / how it works

3) What happens when the system fails

4) How does the system fail. 


Activity / Set Up:

If in a classroom setting, group students in 3-4 per group and have one person record at their table. You may choose to have one group responsible for each prompt (thus, likely increasing number of students per group in this activity).  

In small groups:

Please begin by viewing all parts of the video.  Students will start by naming various parts of the cardiovascular system that come to mind.  Possible answers include heart, blood vessels (arteries, capillaries, veins), red blood cells, oxygen, lungs, bronchioles, alveoli, etc.  

Students: keep the following in mind:

  • How do different parts of the cardiovascular system relate to each other?


Name It:

  • After 2-3 minutes, students will share their thoughts with their group members.  Ask each other what they notice including the different components. Students will list the different parts by writing on their tables along side of the image that is provided to them.  
  • After students have posted / discussed at their own table, students will go to Padlet and insert comments on the cardiovascular system.  


Explain It:

Students will return to their table partners and list how the system functions in relation to the entire system of the body.  Students will be asked to list functions with their table partners.

1) Write thoughts on the image 

2) Listing group thoughts on Padlet once again. 

At this time, Padlet should include 

  • components of the system
  • A basic overview of how the system functions.

Next, students will be asked the following *(In order to transition to poor functioning of the system)

3) How might the cardiovascular system possibly fail at being an effective system? 


Give Reasons:

  • Students will then list their comments of how the cardiovascular system might fail on the next Padlet (2). 
  • At this point, students should be providing reasons of what is or could be going wrong in the image on Padlet (2).

Generate Alternatives:

Last, the instructor will ask for explanations of why the process on Padlet (2) might be happening including: 

  1. What might cause this process to happen? 
  2. What type of a person would develop this process?
  3. What lifestyle choices might attribute to the blood vessel in the image? 


Assessment

  1. Short answer - What lifestyle choices typically result in cardiovascular disease?
  2. Short answer - What lifestyle choices typically protect against cardiovascular disease / illness? 
  3. Short answer / (Extended) - What would be an effective way to protect the community from developing (a) cardiovascular illness/disease? 
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