Portfolio Activity 1
Finding Things Out
Demonstrate that using ICT was the most effective way to achieve your teaching
and learning objectives
Target Group:
Year 6 pupils: Mixed ability. All profoundly deaf, sign language users. Levels of
attainment in Science range from w to level 2-3.
Context/Teaching Activity:
Three double lessons were allocated to this science topic.
 The pupils began by measuring pulse rates during different levels of exercise
using a heart rate monitor.
 They then visited a gym where they collected data about their heart rates before,
during and after exercise using the treadmills. A blank table was prepared for pupils
to record the data.
 The children then used Counter Plus to present their data in graphs. They
compared block graphs and line graphs.
 They then copied their graph into Word and added text to interpret their findings.
ICT Resources Required:

Portable Heart Rate Monitor

Treadmill with heart rate monitor
 PC with Art Package (Paint), Word Processor/DTP (Word) and Graphing Package
(Counter Plus)
ICT skills required by the teacher:
As for pupils plus

Programming the tread mill
 Use a word processor to produce a data collection table for the pupils to use at the
gym
ICT skills required by the pupil:
 Enter data onto a graphing package, select from different graph types, save and
print.

Produce a labelled diagram using an art package (Paint)
 Enter text on a Word Processor. Copy/paste graphs/pictures from other
packages.
Curriculum Learning Objectives:

Label the heart and lungs and describe their function

Describe things that are good/bad for health
 Describe how the pulse changes with exercise and know that the average resting
pulse rate is approximately 80 beats per minute

Interpret tables and line graphs recording pulse rate against activities/time
Portfolio Activity 1
Finding Things Out
Outcomes:
The ‘Heart beats and exercise’ worksheet was used to informally assess learning. This
showed that at the end of the topic, pupils were able to answer questions
about/explain the relationship between pulse and exercise. They could explain in
simple terms what a simple line chart showed about their heart rates. They knew that
a resting heart rate was approximately 80 beats per minutes.
Less able pupils demonstrated a basic awareness of internal organs through using a
drawing package to produce a labelled diagram.
Pupil work compared with other ways of achieving the learning objectives:
The availability of the portable heart monitor was an invaluable resource. For the last
few year pupils have tried different activities and staff have taken their pulse rates
manually. The heart rate monitor gave an instant measure of the children’s pulse rates
quickly and easily and meant that there was time for all the children to try out each of
the exercise activities for themselves. This improved the pace of the lesson and
enabled us to concentrate on analysing and thinking about the data collected and
what it meant rather than spending most of the lesson collecting the data.
The gym equipment again enabled the children to collect data about their heart rates
easily over time and they compared their results with other children’s without
prompting.
The graphing package enabled the children to present their data easily and quickly,
once again leaving the bulk of the lesson for them to review and reflect on it. Many
deaf pupils access information visually and presenting data in a graph through the use
of graph package facilitates their ability to draw conclusions from the data collected.
The computer also enables pupils to look at different types of graphs from the same
set of data. Once they have selected the most appropriate graph, it can then be
copied into Word for pupils to add explanatory text.
Without the availability of ICT pupils would have spent the majority of their time
collecting data. The data itself would not have been so meaningful as it would not all
be drawn from first-hand experience and the volume of data would have been less,
therefore making it more difficult for pupils to see patterns for themselves.
Evidence Included:

Data collection sheet using portable monitor

Bar chart of heart rates

Data collection table for heart rates on treadmill

Bar chart of heart rate over time

Heart beats and exercise assessment worksheet (line graphs)

Heart rates graphs and explanatory text (2 samples)

Labelled diagram of internal organs (special needs pupil)