Indiana Science HS-AP8-7
The Standard
Design an experiment to illustrate how the cardiovascular system maintains homeostasis.
Indiana Academic Standards for Science (2023) · Transport, Blood and the Cardiovascular System
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students design a safe test of how pulse changes with activity and during recovery. They decide when to measure, what to keep the same, and how the results could show the body's response to changing demand.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student measures pulse at rest, right after activity, and at set times during recovery. They graph the readings and explain why a rising pulse during activity and a return toward resting pulse can both be part of homeostasis.
Common Misconceptions
- Some students think homeostasis means heart rate never changes. Others assume a pulse reading proves that blood pressure or oxygen levels stayed constant. They may compare classmates' results without accounting for different resting pulses or activity times.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Design a safe pulse test comparing rest with 60 seconds of seated marching. Name two things you would keep the same, when you would measure, and the recovery pattern you expect.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
In pairs, design a seated marching test, then count pulse at rest, right after movement, and after two minutes of recovery.
Ask, 'If pulse rises during exercise, has homeostasis failed?' Have students use their pulse data to defend an answer.
Give teams shuffled pulse cards from rest, activity, and recovery; have them order the cards and spot an uncontrolled test.
Compare a sports watch pulse graph after a walk with resting pulse, then discuss what pulse alone cannot tell you about blood pressure.
Free download
Printable HS-AP8-7 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to HS-AP8-7, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.
Download the worksheetKeep exploring
Related Standards
- HS-AP8-3
Investigate the primary structures of the cardiovascular system and explore their functional importance to maintaining homeostasis.
- HS-AP1-1
Plan and conduct and investigation to provide evidence that feedback mechanisms maintain homeostasis in humans.
- HS-AP8-6
Construct a model of hypertension to model the regulation of the cardiac cycle.
Turn this exact standard into a lesson
Grade, subject, topic, and the complete standard are prefilled. Create one free, no account needed.
Also for this standard:Make a WorksheetMake a QuizMake a Sub Lesson