Abdo Sebaaly-Be a Heart Explorer! Exploring the Cardiovascular System - Grade 4 (Biology/Physiology)

Introduction

Welcome, Heart Explorers! 🫀

Your body has a busy delivery system that moves oxygen and nutrients everywhere you need them. This system includes your heart, blood, and blood vessels. In this WebQuest, you’ll feel your pulse, read friendly diagrams, and answer short questions to see how the system works-especially when you exercise.

Big Questions

  1. What jobs do the heart, arteries, veins, and capillaries do?

  2. What is a pulse, and how can we measure it safely?

  3. How does exercise change our heartbeat and help keep us healthy?

Task

As you go through each step, look at the pictures, read the short notes, and answer the questions in your notebook or the boxes your teacher gives you. At the end, you’ll write a 4–5 sentence mini-summary explaining how the cardiovascular system delivers oxygen.

Process

Step 1 – Meet the Heart (3–4 min)

Image 1: Heart Diagram

File:Heart diagram-en.svg

  • The heart is a strong muscle that pumps blood.

  • It has 4 rooms called chambers.

    Questions:

  1. Name the four chambers (two atria, two ventricles).

  2. Which side pumps blood to the lungs?

Step 2 – The Blood Highway (4–5 min)

Image 2: Arteries vs. Veins 

File:202104 Arteries and veins.svg

  • Arteries carry blood away from the heart.

  • Veins carry blood back to the heart.

  • Capillaries are tiny roads where oxygen moves into the body’s cells.

    Questions:

  1. Circle which vessels are thick and stretchy (arteries or veins?).

  2. Where does oxygen leave the blood and go into the body?

Step 3 – Around We Go (4–5 min)

Image 3: Pulmonary Circulation 

File:Pulmonary Blood Circulation.png

  • Pulmonary means lungs. Blood goes heart → lungs (to pick up oxygen) → heart again.

    Questions:

  1. Why does blood visit the lungs?

  2. After picking up oxygen, where does the blood go next?

Step 4 – Feel Your Pulse (safe & simple) (5–6 min)

Image 4: Wrist Pulse 

File:Measurement of radial pulse.jpg

Start here! Watch this short video to meet your heart, learn what it does, and practice finding your pulse safely. As you watch, think about these questions:

  1. Why does your heart beat faster when you move?

  2. Where can you gently feel your pulse?

Press this link to check the video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF9-jLZNM10

  • Sit still. Use two fingers (not your thumb) on the inside of your wrist.

  • Count beats for 15 seconds, then multiply by 4 to get beats per minute (BPM).

    Questions:

  1. What is your resting pulse? _____ BPM

  2. How does your pulse change after 10 slow jumping jacks? (ask teacher first) _____ BPM

  3. Why did it change?

Step 5 – Exercise & a Healthy Heart (3–4 min)

Image 5: Exercise Icon 

File:Pictograms-nps-land-exercise-fitness.svg

  • Moving your body helps your heart become stronger and more efficient.

    Questions:

  1. Write two activities that raise your heart rate in a healthy way.

  2. Why is it good to be active most days of the week?

Step 6 – Mini-Summary (2–3 min)

Write 4–5 sentences that explain how the heart, blood, and vessels deliver oxygen to your body and what happens to your pulse when you exercise.

Evaluation
Criterion 3 – Great 2 – Getting There 1 – Keep Working
Understanding Answers are correct and clear A few mistakes Many mistakes
Vocabulary Uses terms (heart, artery, vein, capillary, pulse) correctly Some correct Few correct
Observation/Math Pulse measured & calculated correctly Minor math slip Missing or incorrect
Neatness Work is organized and easy to read Somewhat neat Hard to read
Conclusion

Nice work, Heart Explorers! You learned that the heart pumps, arteries carry blood away, veins carry it back, and capillaries trade oxygen with the body’s cells. When you move, your pulse rises because your muscles need more oxygen. Staying active helps your heart stay strong and healthy.

Credits

Text 

Images and Video

WebQuest Website:

Create webquest: Create a WebQuest: Simple. quick. free. Create WebQuest | Create a WebQuest: Simple. Quick. Free. (n.d.)

https://www.createwebquest.com/