Teaching sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes

Tune In: Would you rather?

20 minutes

Find Out: How skipping helps our heart.

25 minutes

Take Action: The big school skip-off.

5 minutes

Reflection

Learning intentions

Students will:

Learn how skipping strengthens their heart and improves their health
Encourage other to try skipping

Success criteria

Students can:

Describe how skipping makes my heart stronger and healthier
Practice different skipping techniques
Design a way to promote skipping for heart health

Tune In: Would you rather?

Step 1

Begin the lesson with a fun and energetic game of ‘Would you rather?’ Move your students to a clear space in the classroom or head outside if possible. Make sure there’s enough room for students to spread out. Let students know they’ll hear three ‘Would you rather…’ questions. For each one, they’ll silently choose their answer by moving to one side of the space (e.g. left side for option A, right side for option B).

Once students have picked a side, ask them to act out their answer using only their bodies. No words or sounds are allowed.

Encourage students to be expressive and have fun with their actions. There’s no right or wrong way to act. This is about warming up and engaging with the topic in a playful way.

Use these ‘would you rather’ statements or choose your own:

Would you rather: watch TV or go skipping?

Students sit still when choosing TV or skip on the spot in place if skipping.

Quick question: How did your body feel sitting watching TV vs skipping? Which one would make your heart work harder?

Would you rather: Eat a snack or skip with friends?

Students mime eating a snack or skip in pairs or groups

Quick question: Which is more fun for the heart and the body?

Would you rather: Sleep in or complete an early morning skipping challenge?

Students pretend to sleep or skip quickly

Quick question: Which makes you feel more awake and energetic?

Step 2

Lead a class discussion about how they felt while completing the ‘would you rather’ scenarios. Ask students to consider which activity was active (moving around) and which was passive (sitting or sleeping). Invite students to show a thumbs up for active scenarios or a thumbs down for more still and passive scenarios. Go through the Would You Rather scenarios again, one by one, pausing to provide time for students to respond.

Conduct a class brainstorm asking ‘How different activities impact your heart’. Use guiding prompting statements: Why do you think your heart reacts like when you skip? Choose students to share their ideas and record their responses on the board.

Find Out: How skipping helps our heart

Step 1

Provide the class with a student worksheet. Prepare the students to consider possible ‘I see, I think and I wonder’ statements or questions before they watch a clip. The Heart (0- 3.01mins)

Ask students to note down ideas as they watch, focusing on pulse, heartbeat and blood pumping.

Choose students to share their ideas from the clip. Prompt the discussion by asking: What did you see? What did you think? and what did you wonder? Clarify that the heart is a muscle, it pumps blood around the body, carrying oxygen to muscles so we can keep moving. The heart muscles create a pulse in the body.

Encourage critical thinking about the cause and effect in our bodies: The heart as a muscle, it beats (by electrical impulses), creating a pulse and pumping blood around our body. For example: Skipping increases a faster heart rate, creating a stronger and healthier heart.

Step 2

Show students how to gently place two fingers on the inside of their wrist to feel for their pulse (just under the thumb). Once they find the beat, explain that they’ll count the number of beats for 15 seconds, then multiply that number by 4 to calculate their heart rate in beats per minute.

Resting heart rate is measured when a person is at rest.
Active heart rate is measured after a person has participated in physical activity like skipping.

Organise students to work in pairs. Ask students to make a prediction of ‘How fast their heart rate is when resting?’ and ‘How fast their heart rate will be after a minute of skipping’ and record this on their student worksheet.

Hand out stopwatches (or digital timing devices) for each student pair to time the count and a skipping rope. Each student takes their resting heart rate measurement first. Then, they skip for one full minute and immediately afterwards take their active heart rate to fill in their results on the student worksheet.

Bring the class back together. Ask pairs to buddy up with another group and compare results. What did they notice?

Take Action: The big school skip-off

Step 1

Ask students to think about what they already know about skipping and why it’s great for their hearts and overall health. Invite a few students to share their main ideas with the class.

Organise students into small groups and ask them to come up with 3 creative ideas for a School Skip-Off. Give some suggestions like: team skipping challenges (e.g. longest continuous skip), skipping relays, skipping trick demos, lunchtime skip sessions.

As a class, share ideas and decide how to make the event fun and inclusive for everyone. Discuss how to promote the Skip-Off across the school using posters, announcements or assembly presentations.

Encourage students to plan and run parts of the event, helping others learn new skipping skills and inspiring the whole school community to ‘school skip off’ and connect this to encourage participation in the Jump Rope for Heart challenge!

Step 2

Once the class has decided on the Skip-Off ideas, it’s time to turn these ideas into action. Ask students to think about what needs to be done to make the event run smoothly. Invite discussion about how everyone can help.

Organise students to volunteer to work in small groups to complete tasks:

Design posters and signs to promote the Skip-Off around the school. Include key details such as the date, time and how everyone can join in.
Highlight the health benefits of skipping by including relevant facts on posters or incorporating them into speeches for assemblies.
Plan the skipping events. Decide where each activity will take place, what equipment is needed and how to make sure it’s safe and fun for everyone.
Volunteer/assign roles for students to take responsibility during the sessions, such as setting up ropes, welcoming participants, helping teach skipping skills, timing challenges, or cheering others on.

Finish by regrouping and reviewing the plan as a class. Make sure everyone knows their role and feels ready to help lead an exciting, active, and inclusive School Skip-Off

An example week of lunchtime skipping activities:

Monday - independent speed skipping- how many in 30 seconds.
Tuesday- team skipping with one rope
Wednesday - team skipping with two ropes
Thursday- skipping tricks - single skip, double skip, cross arms, backwards skipping
Friday - skip-a-thon - goal to achieve a number of skips across the whole school. Prize for the highest number of continuous skips.

Reflection

Think about your role to help set up and run the Skip-Off.

What is your job or role?
What are you doing to help set up the event? Who are you working with and how can you be a great organiser?
What is the key message of heart health that we want to share?

Jump for Joy, Skip for Health

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Summary

Learning intentions

Success criteria

Lesson Guides and Printables

Lesson Details

Skills Required

Curriculum Mapping

Resources Required

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Additional Information

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