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Exercise & the Heart/Lungs

Ninth graders learn how exercise affects the cardiovascular and respiratory systems — a faster heart rate and breathing during activity, and stronger, more efficient heart and lungs over time.

Grade 9Fitness50 minutes1 class periodSHAPE / Skills-BasedExplicit teaching4 StandardsSHAPE
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Explain the heart’s response.
  • ✓Explain breathing changes.
  • ✓Know exercise strengthens them.
  • ✓Value aerobic fitness.
Essential Question

When you push yourself in a workout, your heart pounds and you breathe hard — for a reason! How does exercise affect your heart and lungs?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive

Exercise & the Heart/Lungs Check

Project each item and have students answer about how exercise affects the heart and lungs.

❤️ Understand exercise & the heart/lungsTry it
Answer each question about exercise and the heart/lungs.
The Lesson · Health & PE Flow (Warm-Up · Learn · Practice · Apply · Cool-Down)

50 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — Why the Pounding?

5 min

Your heart pounds and you breathe hard for a reason — what is it?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Feel your pulse.
  • Ask why it speeds up.
  • Get ready.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Feel it.
  • Wonder.
  • Get ready.
2

Learn — Heart & Lungs

11 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Exercise & the Heart/Lungs Check.
  • Note the heart response.
  • Note strengthening.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Answer.
  • Note it.
  • Explain.
3

Practice — Practice

13 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Do a short active burst.
  • Feel heart and breathing change.
  • Explain why.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Move.
  • Feel it.
  • Explain.
4

Apply — Apply

11 min

Students apply.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Pick an aerobic activity.
  • Explain its benefit.
  • Plan to include it.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Pick it.
  • Explain.
  • Plan it.
5

Cool-Down — Cool-Down

5 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say what happens to your heart.
  • Say why you breathe faster.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say it.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to SHAPE America National Health Education & Physical Education Standards.

SHAPE
HE.1

Comprehend concepts of body systems.

SHAPE
PE.2

Understand the body’s response to activity.

SHAPE
PE.3

Value cardiovascular fitness.

SHAPE
HE.7

Practice aerobic activity.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Heart/lung fact cards.
  • Sentence frame: “Exercise makes my heart ___.”
  • Feel the pulse.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with “heart beats faster.”
  • Feel the pulse.
  • Name one benefit.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Explain resting vs. active heart rate.
  • Design a cardio plan.
  • Track recovery.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • ❤️A pulse activity
  • 💻Exercise & the Heart/Lungs Check
  • 🏃Open space
  • ✏️Pens
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

cardiovascularheart and blood vesselsrespiratorylungs and breathingheart ratebeats per minuteaerobicexercise using oxygenoxygenwhat muscles needefficientworking well with less effortendurancelasting a long timepulsethe beat you feel
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What happens to your heart rate when you exercise?
It increases to pump more oxygen-rich blood.
QUESTION 2
What does regular aerobic exercise do to your heart and lungs?
Makes them stronger and more efficient over time.
QUESTION 3
Why do you breathe faster during hard exercise?
Your muscles need more oxygen.

Cool-Down: heart-smart.

Have students pick one aerobic activity they enjoy and plan to do it this week. A printable heart-lungs sheet is in the PE & Health library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Exercise & the Heart/LungsFlip
Card 1
Term
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Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Exercise & the Heart/LungsQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Exercise & the Heart/LungsPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: aerobic, cardiovascular, efficient, endurance, heart rate, oxygen, pulse, respiratory
  1. beats per minute
  2. exercise using oxygen
  3. the beat you feel
  4. working well with less effort
  5. lasting a long time
  6. lungs and breathing
  7. heart and blood vessels
  8. what muscles need

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What happens to your heart rate when you exercise?
  2. What does regular aerobic exercise do to your heart and lungs?
  3. Why do you breathe faster during hard exercise?
Answer key — Part A: 1) heart rate · 2) aerobic · 3) pulse · 4) efficient · 5) endurance · 6) respiratory · 7) cardiovascular · 8) oxygen
Part B: 1) It increases to pump more oxygen-rich blood. 2) Makes them stronger and more efficient over time. 3) Your muscles need more oxygen.