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How we did it
First stages

Targeting key stage 3 pupils from the Petchey Academy in Hackney, Actiondog’s objective was to bridge the gap between arts and science by engaging pupils in an original music and digital media presentation on heart disease. The project culminated in a final, vocal live performance set against the backdrop of an animated film. Visiting professionals

The participants had a visit from the touring health van from the Red Cross and were taught about blood pressure, how to take each others blood pressure and causes and risks associated with high blood pressure.

A visiting cardiologist, dietician and an expert on respiration from University of East London, delivered talks during the health fair. The students were encouraged to ask questions and discuss how they could incorporate their learning into the project activities.

The students watched power-point presentations prepared by heart specialists covering key factors contributing to heart disease. The learning focussed on the following questions. How does the heart work? What does it look like? What happens to the heart, lungs and arteries as a result of a) smoking b) a diet high in saturated fat or c) lack of exercise?

Inspiration

During the first few sessions the students were introduced to the project idea. We set out the learning objectives, discussed what we were going to do and explained how we were going to achieve it. The students watched the Honda advert, “The Power Of Screams” - Honda's 'Civic Choir' TV Campaign. In this advert a sixty piece choir vocalises the experience of driving the Honda Civic. This was the inspiration for the project, the students were encouraged to think about the human body like a car engine, what noises might the internal organs make, and how would they look?

These sessions included an ‘inspiration’ visit to the Hunterian Museum in London, where the children viewed a mix of human anatomy and pathology specimens as well as paintings and drawings

Creating the story

In order to contrast healthy heart function with heart disease and the causes of heart disease, the children decided to tell a story using the characters of a footballer on the field, and an unhealthy spectator in the crowd. The spectator becomes the focus of the story as it unfolds.

The students ‘storyboarded’ their idea into four distinct movements.
1) Healthy heart
2) Smoking
3) Poor diet
4) Heart attack

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