Lesson Plan: The Regulation of a Heartbeat Biology
This lesson plan includes the objectives, prerequisites, and exclusions of the lesson teaching students how to describe the electrical regulation of a heartbeat and recall what is meant by systole and diastole.
Objectives
Students will be able to
- recall that the heart is myogenic and that control of the cardiac cycle is carried out by the cardiac muscle,
- identify the location of the sinoatrial node (SAN), the atrioventricular node (AVN), the Purkinje/Purkyně fibers, and the bundle of His,
- state that the SAN is the pacemaker of the heart,
- describe how the sounds of a heartbeat originate from the closure of atrioventricular valves and the closure of aortic and pulmonary valves,
- explain how electrical transmissions across the heart regulate the human heartbeat,
- understand how blood pressure can be measured and interpret systolic and diastolic readings,
- recall that in veins and blood vessels further from the heart, blood pressure will be lower.
Prerequisites
Students should already be familiar with
- the heart as a major organ of the body,
- the heart pumping blood around the body.
Exclusions
Students will not cover
- communication between the brain and SAN.