Students investigate how the cardiovascular and muscular systems work together during 5K training by collecting biometric data, analyzing patterns with graphs and scatter plots, and using evidence to explain aerobic and anaerobic energy use, homeostasis, genetics, and structure-function relationships. They connect science, math, and humanities by studying heart disease risk, muscles, running culture, and the Americans with Disabilities Act while keeping a reflective running journal and producing a training vlog. The work builds toward a community 5K and public exhibition where students share findings, advocate for inclusive participation, and communicate practical ways to reduce cardiovascular disease risk.

Students will explain how the heart, blood vessels, lungs, and muscles work together to maintain homeostasis during exercise, and use evidence from biometric data to compare aerobic and anaerobic responses over time. They will investigate how cell structure, mitosis, DNA, and inherited conditions such as familial hypercholesterolemia connect to cardiovascular health, while analyzing how form relates to function through microscopy, heart dissection, and study of muscle systems. Students will create scatter plots, tables, and other graphs to identify patterns in training data, make evidence-based claims about performance and heart health, and revise explanations using feedback. They will also examine running culture, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and barriers to participation in fitness spaces, then communicate their learning through journals, vlogs, and a community 5K exhibition.

Students will create a cardiovascular data portfolio that includes biometric tables, scatter plots, training logs, and evidence-based claims about heart rate, recovery, oxygen saturation, blood pressure, and running performance over time. They will also produce a humanities journal and training vlog documenting their 5K preparation, reflections, running culture research, ADA/access analysis, and connections between habits, identity, and health. Science products will include annotated models from the sheep heart dissection, muscle structure-function explanations, and short analyses of genetics and cardiovascular risk factors such as familial hypercholesterolemia. The culminating products are a public 5K event and a community-facing presentation or exhibit in which teams share their findings, visual data displays, and recommendations for reducing cardiovascular disease risk and increasing inclusive participation in running.

Kick off with a YMCA-led aerobic session and short interval workout in which students rotate through heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and recovery-time stations using activity trackers, pulse oximeters, and sphygmomanometers. Immediately after, students record first impressions in their humanities journal, noting how their bodies felt, what surprised them in the data, and who is included or excluded from typical fitness spaces. Close with a gallery walk of sample running vlogs, adaptive racing equipment, local 5K materials, and a brief case study on inherited heart conditions so teams can generate initial questions about training, muscles, genetics, access, and cardiovascular health.

Host a community 5K and wellness showcase where students run, walk, volunteer, or serve as data storytellers so every student has a visible role. Along the route and at the finish area, small groups present training vlogs, scatter plots of heart rate and recovery data, running journals, and evidence-based claims about cardiovascular health, muscles, genetics, and aerobic vs. anaerobic exercise. Include a short humanities gallery on the ADA, adaptive athletics, and access in running culture, with family members, younger students, and community partners invited to ask questions and give feedback. End with student-led talks that connect their biometric findings and personal training reflections to practical ways the community can reduce cardiovascular disease risk.