Maintaining a Healthy Heart: An Owner's Guide

Gr 7 Up—Teens learn how the heart works, what can go wrong with it, the causes of heart disease, and how to look after it. A young host introduces each chapter, and expert testimony from two cardiologists and a dietician explains how the heart keeps the body functioning and how diet and exercise affect health. The function of the circulatory system and the heart muscle are presented in 3-D animation. The host and experts discuss causes of heart disease, including obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, physical inactivity, and diabetes. Students are encouraged to balance what they eat with the calories they burn. Foods containing high levels of sodium, sugar, and saturated fat are discouraged. Teens talk about how diet and activities have helped them maintain good health. The teacher's guide contains a program summary and objectives, pre- and post-tests, National Health Education standards for grades 6–8 and 9–12, student activities and fact sheets, and more. The curriculum is complete, with little need for additional resources for middle school health classes. High school students who have studied biology or anatomy will find that this program is too basic.—Ann Weber, Bellarmine College Prep., San Jose, CA