Hypertensive Statistics
Activity Summary:
This activity is primarily dedicated towards having students calculate the mean, median, mode, and range of given systolic blood pressure data and then graphing the results. However, prior to this activity, a short presentation is given in order to introduce to the students the basic function of the heart, vasculature, and the meaning, measurement, and consequences of high blood pressure; therefore illustrating to students the application of mathematics in science and showing that these two disciplines often work in collaboration.
Subject:
Math: Statistics (with science topics included)
Grade Level:
Target Grade: 8
Upper Bound: 9
Lower Bound: 7
Time Required: This activitywill consume an entire 50-60 minute class period.
Authors:
Graduate Fellow Name: Ryan Pedrigi*
Teacher Mentor Name: Rachel Albin
Date Submitted: 2/28/06
Date Last Edited: 2/28/06
*The powerpoint presentation and worksheet were created by Ryan Pedrigi
Parent Lesson Plan(s): None.
Activity Introduction / Motivation:
This activity was created in order to review statistics in a creative way, so as to be able to introduce simultaneously concepts in a completely different academic discipline in order to try and convey to students the collaboration (seen in the real-world) of mathematics with other faculties.
Activity Setup:
Hand out the attached worksheet along with one double-sided sheet of graph paper to each student.
Activity Plan:
Present the powerpoint presentation (~10 minutes) and then hand-out the worksheet and give students the period remainder to work out the problems.
Activity Closure:
Hand-in assignment.
Assessment:
Grade the assignment (answer key provided).
Learning Objectives:
The students will review mean, median, mode, range.
The students will review bar and line graphing.
The students will learn (briefly) about the heart, vasculature, and blood pressure.
Prerequisites for this Activity:
Basic statistics (i.e. mean, median, mode, and range), and bar and line graphing.
Background & Concepts for Teachers:
The following are definitions of the statistics functions used within:
Mean: The average of a set of numbers.
Median: For an odd numbered set, this is the number that appears in the middle of the number set, arranged in numerical order. For an even numbered set (again, arranged in numerical order), this is the average of the middle two numbers.
Mode: The number that appears most frequently in a set. If no number appears more than once than the answer is ‘not applicable (NA)’ or something to this effect. Be careful not to allow your students to give the answer as 0 because this is a real number that could represent the mode of a number set.
Range: Can either be represented as the actual range given by the smallest number to the largest number (i.e. 2-57) of a data set, or as the difference between the smallest and largest numbers. The latter can also be referred to as the interval size.
Optional Prerequisites:
Below is a paragraph describing the heart, vasculature, and blood pressure. Since this activity is intended for a math class, this information is not critical (or even necessary) to the completion of the attached statistics worksheet, but is given as possible supplementary learning that can be accomplished and tied into this activity.
The heart is a pump that circulates blood from the right ventricle into the pulmonary vasculature in order to exchange gases (eliminates CO2 and obtains O2) and then it enters into the left ventricle where it is pumped throughout the systemic vasculature nourishing the different tissues of the body. Blood vessels are composed of three different layers (intima – inner layer, media – middle layer, and adventitia – outer layer) that prevent intravascular blood clotting (intima), and allow for the vessel to dilate and contract in response to the demands of the tissue (media, composed of smooth muscle). Blood pressure is just the pressure exerted on the walls of the vessels as it passes through, and it is measured in both the contractile phase of the heart (systole) and the passive phase (diastole). The means of measurement is often to use a sphygmomanometer, which places a cuff around the bicep of the patient. As the cuff is inflated with pressure this cuts off the blood passing through the brachial artery (artery can be felt be placing two fingers on the inside of the middle bicep and sliding them down underneath this muscle and applying a little pressure). The pressure is then slowly released as the doctor listens (via stethoscope) for the noise of the blood pushing through the slowly opening vessel. The cuff pressure for the first noises that the doctor hears is the patients’ systolic blood pressure (120 mmHg is considered normal) and the point of no noise (the point at which the blood is passing through the vessel unobstructed, signaling that the vessel is no longer compressed) is the diastolic pressure. Hypertension (defined as systolic BP>140 mmHg and diastolic>90 mmHg) is prevalent in 33% of the US adult population and is the number one risk factor for a variety of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), the most important of which (based on annual mortalities) is coronary artery disease (heart disease). Coronary artery disease is the development of a fatty plaque (atherosclerosis) on the inner wall of these heart nourishing vessels that causes obstruction of blood flow, whichultimately leads to myocardial infarction (heart attack).
Activity Extensions:
Additional data sets could be given for statistical analysis if time permits.
Materials List:
Computer and connected projector with Microsoft Powerpoint.
Attachments:
GK12_7_Hypertension.ppt
GK12_Analyzing Blood Pressure.doc
GK12_Answers.doc