KIDS

Heart
DISCOVER

Teacher’s Guide
A
Heart the
Size of a
Pickup
Truck
?

3
BILLION
HISTORICAL BEATS

Heart
AND
BLOOD- NO
SUCKERS BREAK

Dear Educator,
et pumped up to get to know W H AT ’ S I N HEART

G
PAGES
the amazing muscle that con- 2–3 You Gotta Have Heart
stantly defies gravity and keeps A diagram of the heart’s parts, plus in animal hearts
us alive! With KIDS DISCOVER Heart, 4–5 What Makes it Tick?
your young cardiologists (that’s people A “flow chart” of the heart’s function in the circulatory
system
who study the heart!) will learn about
6–7 Making Medical History
the fascinating topics at right. People’s misconceptions and corrections about the heart
This Teacher’s Guide is filled with through history
activity ideas and blackline masters 8–9 Mending a Broken Heart
Heart diseases, heart attacks, and mechanical and
to help your students enjoy and learn medical mends
more from Heart. Select or adapt
10–11 Heart Valve
the activities that suit your students’ A close-up photograph of a heart valve from the aorta
needs best. 12–13 Strong Heart, Strong Body
Thank you for making KIDS DISCOVER
The three best ways to keep your heart alive, plus a
heartbeats-per-minute graph
a part of your classroom.
14–15 Love Potions and Other Emotions
Sincerely, Falling in love on screen and in real life
16–17 Valentine’s Play
KIDS DISCOVER The international holiday devoted to the heart
18–19 Student Activities
P.S. We would love to hear from you! Make an origami heart, plus “hearty” expressions, an
E-mail your comments and ideas to acrostic, heart math, and resources
[email protected]

• IN THIS TEACHER’S GUIDE •

Meeting the Standards 2 Prereading Activities
✔ Life Science
– National Science Education Standards 3 Get Set to Read (Anticipation Guide)
✔ Concepts related to health promotion 4 Discussion and Writing Questions
and disease prevention
– National Health Education Standards 5–6 It’s in the Reading (Reading Comprehension)
✔ Visit www.kidsdiscover.com/standards 7 Everything Visual (Graphic Skills)
to find out more about how KIDS
DISCOVER meets state and national 8 Cross-Curricular Extensions
standards. 9–12 Answer Keys to Blackline Masters

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KIDS DISCOVER • 149 Fifth Avenue, 12th Floor • New York, NY 10010 • T: 212–677–4457 • F: 212–353–8030
© KIDS DISCOVER HEART 1
 KIDS

Heart
DISCOVER

A
Heart the
Size of a
Pickup
Truck

PREREADING ACTIVITIES ?

3
efore distributing KIDS DISCOVER Heart, activate students’
B
BILLION
HISTORICAL BEATS
AND
BLOOD- NO

prior knowledge and set a purpose for reading with these SUCKERS BREAK

activities.
Discussion Get Set to Read
(Anticipation Guide)
T o get students thinking about how this topic
relates to their interests and lives, ask:
C opy and distribute the Get Set to Read black-
line master (page 3 of this Teacher’s Guide).
✔ Have you ever listened to a heartbeat or taken your
pulse? What does it sound like? Explain to students that this Anticipation Guide will
help them find out what they know and what
✔ Why do you think the heart is a symbol of love?
misconceptions they have about the topic. Get Set
to Read is a list of statements—some true, some
KWL Chart false. Ask students to write whether they think

O n chart paper, draw three

columns and label them
K (“What we Know”), W
each statement is true or false in the Before
Reading column. Be sure to tell students that it is
not a test and they will not be graded on their
(“What we Want to know” or answers. The activity can be completed in a vari-
“What we think we Will ety of ways for differentiated instruction:
learn”), and L (“What we
◆ Have students work on their own or in small
Learned”). Ask: What do you
groups to complete the entire page.
already know about the heart?
◆ Assign pairs of students to focus on two state-
List students’ responses in
ments and to become “experts” on these topics.
the K column. In the W column, list students’
questions and comments about what they want to ◆ Ask students to complete the Before Reading col-
learn or what they think they will learn by reading umn on their own, and then tabulate the class’s
Heart. (See box below for key terms students may answers on the chalkboard, on an overhead
bring up.) At the end of the unit, have students transparency, or on your classroom computer.
fill in the L column listing what they learned.
◆ Review the statements orally with the entire class.
Finally, ask students to correct any inaccurate
information written in the K column. If you predict that students will need assistance
finding the answers, complete the Page Number
KEY TERMS column before copying Get Set to Read.
✔ circulatory system ✔ valve
✔ pulmonary artery ✔ ventricle Preview
✔
✔
coronary artery
pulmonary vein
✔
✔
capillaries
pump
D istribute Heart and model how to preview it.
Examine titles, headings, words in boldface type,
pictures, charts, and captions. Then have students
✔ aorta ✔ blood add new information to the KWL chart. If students
✔ atrium ✔ vein will only be reading a few pages at one sitting,
preview only the selected pages.

BE WORD WISE WITH POWER VOCABULARY!

◆

Y
ou have exclusive access to additional resources including Power Vocabulary cards
Vocabulary blackline masters for every available KIDS DISCOVER ◆ Crossword puzzle
title! These activities introduce students to 15 specialized and
◆ Word find
general-use vocabulary words from each KiDS DISCOVER title. Working
with both types of words helps students develop vocabulary, improve ◆ Matching
comprehension, and read fluently. Follow the links from your Teacher’s ◆ Cloze sentences
Toolbox CD-ROM and find your title to access these valuable resources: ◆ Dictionary list

........................... www.kidsdiscover.com ...........................

KIDS DISCOVER • 149 Fifth Avenue, 12th Floor • New York, NY 10010 • T: 212–677–4457 • F: 212–353–8030
© KIDS DISCOVER HEART 2
 KIDS

Heart
DISCOVER

A
Heart the
Size of a
Pickup
Truck
?

3
BILLION

Name ____________________________________________ Date _________________ HISTORICAL BEATS

AND
BLOOD- NO
SUCKERS BREAK

Get Set to Read

What do you know about the heart? In Before Reading, write true if you think the statement is
true. Write false if you think the statement is not true. Then read KIDS DISCOVER Heart. Check
back to find out if you were correct. Write the correct answer and the page number where you
found it.

CHALLENGE: Rewrite each false sentence in a way that makes it true.

Before Reading After Reading Page Number

_____________ 1. Each half of the human heart _____________ _____________

has two chambers, one called the
pericardium and one called the aorta.
_____________ 2. The stomach receives one-fourth of _____________ _____________
the oxygen-rich blood pumped from
the heart.
_____________ _____________ _____________
3. Platelets are pieces of blood cells
that help with clotting.
_____________ 4. Imhotep discovered that the body _____________ _____________
has two types of blood vessels—
veins and arteries.
_____________ 5. Leonardo da Vinci drew the first _____________ _____________
accurate diagrams of the heart.
_____________ 6. Heart disease is the number one _____________ _____________
killer in the United States.
_____________ 7. Dr. Christiaan Barnard completed _____________ _____________
the first heart transplant in 1967.
_____________ 8. A higher resting heart rate usually _____________ _____________
indicates a healthier heart.
_____________ 9. Polygraph machines detect a _____________ _____________
quickened pulse and other physical
signs that a person may be lying.
_____________ 10. When a person is frightened or _____________ _____________
angry, increased oxygen causes
the heart to speed up.

© KIDS DISCOVER HEART 3

 KIDS

Heart
DISCOVER

A
Heart the
Size of a
Pickup
Truck

DISCUSSION & WRITING QUESTIONS ?

3
se the following questions as oral discussion starters or for
U
BILLION
HISTORICAL BEATS
AND
BLOOD- NO

journaling. For additional in-class discussion and writing SUCKERS BREAK

questions, adapt the questions on the reading comprehension

blackline masters on pages 5 and 6.
Pages 2–3 Pages 12–13
Doctors who specialize in cardiac medicine help ✔Have you ever felt your pulse? Try to find your pulse
people who are suffering from heart disease. Ask: in the three places shown on page 13. At which
location can you feel it strongest? At which places
✔Would you like to be a cardiac doctor? Explain.
do you have trouble finding your pulse?
✔ How do you think you would react in life-or-death
Pages 14–15
situations in which your thinking could make the
✔Why do you think people associate the emotion of
crucial difference?
love with the heart?
✔What qualities do you think people need in order to
Pages 14–15
succeed in such situations?
Have students read the Think Piece on page 15.
Pages 6–7 Ask:
✔Why do you think some early cultures considered
✔Which saying holds more true for you, “absence
dissecting human bodies taboo? How do you think
makes the heart grow fonder,” or “out of sight, out
this held back people from learning how the circula-
of mind”? Explain.
tory system, heart, and other organs worked?
Pages 16–17
Pages 8–9
Valentine’s Day is a special day when people
People receive heart transplants from donors who
express their affection for others. Have students
have stated that when they die, they want their
think of something that they would like to celebrate
organs to go to those in need. Donor organs are in
on a special day each year. Ask:
great demand. Ask:
✔What would you celebrate on your day? Explain.
✔Why do you think
some people would Add KIDS Pages 16–17
want to donate their DISCOVER ✔What do you think about the idea of sending cards
organs? issues and on Valentine’s Day? Is it just a way of getting peo-
a class set of ple to buy cards?
✔Why do you think blackline masters
some people do not to your substitute ✔What is the purpose of exchanging cards in school?
want to donate their teacher folder for ✔Do you like getting homemade cards better than
organs? when you are store-bought ones? Would you rather give a home-
✔How do you feel about absent. made card or a store-bought card?
it? Explain.
Pages 10–11
Read the Chinese proverb on page 11. Ask:
✔What do you think it means? Put the saying in your
own words. Do you agree with the idea expressed?
Explain.
Pages 12–13
Even though most people know that smoking,
lack of exercise, and eating too many fats is not
healthy for the heart, some people still smoke, fail
to exercise, and eat too many fats. Ask:
✔What can you say to people to help them change
habits that might not be healthy ones?

........................... www.kidsdiscover.com ...........................

KIDS DISCOVER • 149 Fifth Avenue, 12th Floor • New York, NY 10010 • T: 212–677–4457 • F: 212–353–8030
© KIDS DISCOVER HEART 4
 KIDS

Heart
DISCOVER

A
Heart the
Size of a
Pickup
Truck
?

3
BILLION
BEATS

Name ____________________________________________ Date _________________

HISTORICAL
AND
BLOOD- NO
SUCKERS BREAK

It’s in the Reading

After reading KIDS DISCOVER Heart, choose the best answer for each question.
Fill in the circle.

Find your answers on the pages shown in the book icon next to each question.

1. The aorta is _____.

❍ A. a chamber of the heart
❍ B. a slimy skin that keeps the heart lubricated
❍ C. the main artery of the heart 2 3
❍ D. a vein that carries blood from the lungs to the heart

2. Blood is made up of all of the following except _____.

❍ A. oxygen
❍ B. plasma 4 5
❍ C. platelets
❍ D. red blood cells

3. Blood changes color as it moves through the body because _____.

❍ A. it gains new red blood cells as it passes through the kidneys
❍ B. the number of white blood cells increase in the capillaries 4 5
❍ C. the color of the blood plasma changes with the body’s temperature
❍ D. it loses oxygen and picks up carbon dioxide and other wastes

4. Alcmaeon of Croton made some important discoveries about the heart

and Leonardo da Vinci drew the first accurate diagrams of the heart.
They were able to do these things because _____. 6 7
❍ A. they read carefully researched textbooks
❍ B. they made good guesses
❍ C. they dissected bodies to see how the human body works
❍ D. they carefully examined the circulatory systems of other animals

5. Which of the following statements is a fact about the circulatory system?

❍ A. The liver makes blood.
❍ B. Arteries carry blood from the heart to other parts of the body, and 6 7
veins bring the blood back to the heart.
❍ C. Draining out bad blood makes a sick person better.
❍ D. Blood flows from one half of the heart to the other through tiny holes.

© KIDS DISCOVER HEART 5

 It’s in the Reading (continued)

6. The main idea of “Mending a Broken Heart” is _____.

❍ A. organ transplants do not help people
❍ B. doctors have developed many ways to help people with sick hearts 8 9
❍ C. angioplasty is a procedure to help people with clogged arteries
❍ D. the Jarvik-7 is a better option than a heart transplant

7. “Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come”
means _____.
❍ A. listening to nature sounds is a good way to relax 10 11
❍ B. it is better to live in the woods
❍ C. eating certain tree barks can keep your heart healthy
❍ D. if you keep a positive view, you are more likely to find happiness

8. For someone in good physical condition but not for couch potatoes, it is
true that ____.
❍ A. their resting pulse is slower than average 12 13
❍ B. their muscles need oxygen to do work
❍ C. they should eat “heart healthy” foods
❍ D. they can find their pulse on the underside of their wrist

9. We connect emotions to the heart because _____.

❍ A. Edgar Allan Poe wrote an article making the link
❍ B. emotions are related to how much oxygen is in the blood 14 15
❍ C. nerve endings in our heart are the source of our emotions
❍ D. many emotions cause physical reactions and changes in body
chemistry that affect our hearts

10. All of the following gifts have been given as traditional signs of love
except _____.
❍ A. fans 16 17
❍ B. shells
❍ C. compasses
❍ D. spoons

11. Which medical development for treating a disease of the heart has
been the most important? Why?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

© KIDS DISCOVER HEART 6

 KIDS

Heart
DISCOVER

A
Heart the
Size of a
Pickup
Truck
?

3
BILLION
BEATS

Name ____________________________________________ Date _________________

HISTORICAL
AND
BLOOD- NO
SUCKERS BREAK

Everything Visual
Photographs and diagrams serve different purposes in informational text. Photographs can
better show specific details, while diagrams can illustrate structure and function. Study the
diagram on pages 4–5 and the photograph on pages 10–11. Then answer the questions.

1. How are the diagram and photograph similar? How are they different?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
2. Blood leaves the heart traveling at about 16 inches per second but slows to 0.02 inches per
second in the capillaries. Why does this happen?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. How does blood get from the left side of the heart to the right side of the heart?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
4. In the diagram, which color shows arteries? Which shows veins? Why do you think these
colors are used?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
5. What is one detail you can see in the photograph that you cannot see in the diagram?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
6. Which visual—the diagram or the photograph—would you use to point out the location of the
valve in the heart? Which would you be more likely to use if you were a doctor who was going
to repair the valve surgically?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

© KIDS DISCOVER HEART 7

 KIDS

Heart
DISCOVER

A
Heart the
Size of a
Pickup
Truck

CROSS-CURRICULAR EXTENSIONS ?

3
ave students try these activities to expand their knowledge
H
BILLION
HISTORICAL BEATS
AND
BLOOD- NO
SUCKERS
and interest in the heart.
BREAK

Math, Science
The first paragraph of the issue states, “As you Physical Education, Math
read this, your heart is pumping about five quarts Work together with the physical education
of blood throughout your body.” Use this informa- teacher to teach students where to find and how to
tion to introduce the liquid measurements of gal- take their heart rates. Have students take their heart
lon, quart, pint, and cup. Bring in a variety of rate before and after gym class, in addition to a few
cleaned containers that hold these amounts, such times during the class, such as just after they have
as milk and orange juice jugs and cartons, and a liq- run some sprints. Each student can put the informa-
uid measuring cup. Measure out five quarts of water tion into a line graph with the time of day he or she
and pour it in a bucket took the heart rate along the bottom (X-axis) and
to show students the number of beats per minute along the side (Y-
approximately how axis). Then students can explain at which points
much blood is in their Give they had just run sprints (probably the peak heart
bodies. Next, ask stu- students rate), when they were resting, and so on.
dents to look at the opportuni-
containers and estimate ties to earn extra
how many cups are in a credit by reading Language Arts
pint, how many pints and summarizing a Have each student write a short essay telling
are in a quart, and so KIDS DISCOVER which patient should be first in line to get a heart
on. Then students can issue. transplant—the sickest, the youngest, the most
pour water in the con- famous, the one most likely to survive the opera-
tainers to find out the tion, the first to sign up? Students should state their
exact measurements. (2 opinion and then support it with several reasons.
cups = 1 pint; 2 pints = 1 quart; 4 quarts = 1 gallon) Have students read their papers aloud. A discussion
Finally, have students create math problems using might follow in which students discuss whether or
these numbers: How many pints are in one gallon? not any idea presented in any paper helped them
How many pints are in five quarts? How many cups see the situation in a new light.
are in one quart?

Science, Language Arts

Invite the school nurse or a local nurse or doctor
to visit your class. Before the visit, ask students to
come up with several appropriate questions about
the nurse’s or doctor’s profession of medicine (not
his or her personal life). You or other students can
review the questions ahead of time to make sure
they are worded well and have potentially interest-
ing answers. Questions may include: “How long
have you been practicing medicine?” “Why did you
decide to become a doctor or nurse?” “What is the
most successful service you have ever performed?”
or “Do you think our health care system needs to
be reformed? If so, what three things would you
suggest need to be done?”

........................... www.kidsdiscover.com ...........................

KIDS DISCOVER • 149 Fifth Avenue, 12th Floor • New York, NY 10010 • T: 212–677–4457 • F: 212–353–8030
© KIDS DISCOVER HEART 8
 KIDS

Heart
DISCOVER

A
Heart the
Size of a
Pickup
Truck
?

3
ANSWER KEY
Name ____________________________________________ Date _________________ HISTORICAL
BLOOD-
SUCKERS
BILLION
BEATS
AND
NO
BREAK

Get Set to Read

What do you know about the heart? In Before Reading, write true if you think the statement is
true. Write false if you think the statement is not true. Then read KIDS DISCOVER Heart. Check
back to find out if you were correct. Write the correct answer and the page number where you
found it.

CHALLENGE: Rewrite each false sentence in a way that makes it true.

Before Reading After Reading Page Number

1. Each half of the human heart has False pp. 2–3

two chambers, one called the peri-
cardium atrium and one called the
aorta ventricle.
2. The stomach brain receives False p. 5
one-fourth of the oxygen-rich
blood pumped from the heart.
3. Platelets are pieces of blood cells True p. 5
that help with clotting.
4. Imhotep Alcmaeon of Croton False p. 6
discovered that the body has two
types of blood vessels—veins
and arteries.
5. Leonardo da Vinci drew the first True p. 7
accurate diagrams of the heart.
6. Heart disease is the number one True p. 9+13
killer in the United States.
7. Dr. Christiaan Barnard completed True p. 9
the first heart transplant in 1967.
8. A higher lower resting heart rate False p. 12
usually indicates a healthier heart.
9. Polygraph machines detect a True p. 15
quickened pulse and other physical
signs that a person may be lying.
10. When a person is frightened False p. 15
or angry, increased oxygen
adrenaline causes the heart to
speed up.

© KIDS DISCOVER HEART 9

 KIDS

Heart
DISCOVER

A
Heart the
Size of a
Pickup
Truck
?

3
ANSWER KEY
Name ____________________________________________ Date _________________
HISTORICAL
BLOOD-
SUCKERS
BILLION
BEATS
AND
NO
BREAK

It’s in the Reading

After reading KIDS DISCOVER Heart, choose the best answer for each question.
Fill in the circle.

Find your answers on the pages shown in the book icon next to each question.

1. The aorta is _____.

❍ A. a chamber of the heart
❍ B. a slimy skin that keeps the heart lubricated
● C. the main artery of the heart (content vocabulary) 2 3
❍ D. a vein that carries blood from the lungs to the heart

2. Blood is made up of all of the following except _____.

● A. oxygen (details)
❍ B. plasma 4 5
❍ C. platelets
❍ D. red blood cells

3. Blood changes color as it moves through the body because _____.

❍ A. it gains new red blood cells as it passes through the kidneys
❍ B. the number of white blood cells increase in the capillaries 4 5
❍ C. the color of the blood plasma changes with the body’s temperature
● D. it loses oxygen and picks up carbon dioxide and other wastes
(cause and effect)

4. Alcmaeon of Croton made some important discoveries about the heart

and Leonardo da Vinci drew the first accurate diagrams of the heart. They
were able to do these things because _____. 6 7
❍ A. they read carefully researched textbooks
❍ B. they made good guesses
● C. they dissected bodies to see how the human body works (draw conclu-
sions)

5. Which of the following statements is a fact about the circulatory system?

❍ A. The liver makes blood.
● B. Arteries carry blood from the heart to other parts of the body, and 6 7
veins bring the blood back to the heart. (fact and opinion)
❍ C. Draining out bad blood makes a sick person better.
❍ D. Blood flows from one half of the heart to the other through tiny holes.

© KIDS DISCOVER HEART 10

 It’s in the Reading (continued)

6. The main idea of “Mending a Broken Heart” is _____.

❍ A. organ transplants do not help people
● B. doctors have developed many ways to help people with sick hearts 8 9
(main idea)
❍ C. angioplasty is a procedure to help people with clogged arteries
❍ D. the Jarvik-7 is a better option than a heart transplant

7. “Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come”
means _____.
❍ A. listening to nature sounds is a good way to relax 10 11
❍ B. it is better to live in the woods
❍ C. eating certain tree barks can keep your heart healthy
● D. if you keep a positive view, you are more likely to find happiness
(figurative language)

8. For someone in good physical condition but not for couch potatoes, it is
true that ____.
● A. their resting pulse is slower than average (comparison and contrast) 12 13
❍ B. their muscles need oxygen to do work
❍ C. they should eat “heart healthy” foods
❍ D. they can find their pulse on the underside of their wrist

9. We connect emotions to the heart because _____.

❍ A. Edgar Allan Poe wrote an article making the link
❍ B. emotions are related to how much oxygen is in the blood 14 15
❍ C. nerve endings in our heart are the source of our emotions
● D. many emotions cause physical reactions and changes in body
chemistry that affect our hearts (inference)

10. All of the following gifts have been given as traditional signs of love
except _____.
❍ A. fans 16 17
❍ B. shells
● C. compasses (details)
❍ D. spoons

11. Which medical development for treating a disease of the heart has
been the most important? Why?

Answers will vary, but students should provide reasons for their
opinion.

© KIDS DISCOVER HEART 11

 KIDS

Heart
DISCOVER

A
Heart the
Size of a
Pickup
Truck
?

ANSWER KEY
Name ____________________________________________ Date _________________ HISTORICAL
BLOOD-
SUCKERS
3
BILLION
BEATS
AND
NO
BREAK

Everything Visual
Photographs and diagrams serve different purposes in informational text. Photographs can
better show specific details, while diagrams can illustrate structure and function. Study the
diagram on pages 4–5 and the photograph on pages 10–11. Then answer the questions.

1. How are the diagram and photograph similar? How are they different?
Both the diagram and the photograph are illustrations of a heart. The diagram is not real; it
uses arrows, labels, and descriptions to explain heart functions. The photograph shows a
close-up view of a particular part of a real heart.

2. Blood leaves the heart traveling at about 16 inches per second but slows to 0.02 inches per
second in the capillaries. Why does this happen?
The blood slows down significantly because it is flowing from large arteries to
very tiny capillaries.

3. How does blood get from the left side of the heart to the right side of the heart?
Blood does not go directly from one half of the heart to the other. It first flows out of the left
side through the arteries and veins throughout the body and finally back into the right side of
the heart.
4. In the diagram, which color shows arteries? Which shows veins? Why do you think these
colors are used?

Arteries are shown in red and veins are shown in blue. This was done because blood with a
high oxygen content is bright red when it first enters the arteries. As it passes through the
body, blood changes from bright red to a darker color in the veins as it loses oxygen. Blue is
used to show the lower oxygen content of the blood carried in veins.

5. What is one detail you can see in the photograph that you cannot see in the diagram?
Answers may vary. Students may note that they can see what the cardiac tissue looks like in
the photograph.

6. Which visual—the diagram or the photograph—would you use to point out the location of the
valve in the heart? Which would you be more likely to use if you were a doctor who was going
to repair the valve surgically?

Because the photograph only shows a small portion of the heart, it would not
be useful for showing where the valve is in relation to other parts of the heart. The
diagram would be more useful. However, a doctor might use an enlarged photograph to
identify and repair a damaged heart valve.

© KIDS DISCOVER HEART 12