Student Projects

Through our research, we’ve found that a student-led curriculum — in which students are involved in the teaching process — is more successful in getting students engaged and helping them retain the information they’ve learned.

The Youth Heart Watch Program conducted a study, the Student Program for Olympic Resuscitation Training in Schools (SPORTS),  beginning in January 2011 and culminating in spring 2012. The study was conducted within the Philadelphia School District and encouraged the development of novel CPR/AED education methods. In conjunction with the study, students participated in a CPR/AED Olympic event at the end of the school year.

The SPORTS Study showed that students who participated in their own CPR/AED educational programs had better retention of CPR and AED skills after a year than those reported after use of currently available educational materials.

Check out these student-created projects for some of the fun, innovative ideas that engaged students in their own CPR and AED education. These examples showcase creative ways students have chosen to explain CPR and AED use to their peers.

CPR, AED and Basic Heart Life Saving: Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush

Students and faculty from the Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush provide educational resources on how to detect sudden cardiac arrest and how to save a life using CPR and AEDs in this Health Physical Education Online Supplement. This website was developed as part of the school’s SPORTS study participation.

The CPR/AED education curriculum covers the basics of how to react to different possible cardiac situations. Its purpose is to educate students about the occurrence of incidents that may require CPR. The lesson encourages students to really learn/grasp the steps of performing CPR so they will be ready to apply it in real-life experiences.

A worksheet containing a list of scenarios is provided for the students to complete. The highlight of this section of the curriculum is a song or lyrics that include a few example situations that can occur and a brief overview of the actual CPR process. For bonus points, students are asked to create their own song/rap.

Check out some of the creative student projects:

  • CPR Rap: listen to a student perform a rap and read the lyrics to learn about how to perform CPR.
  • CPR Scenarios Song: read the lyrics or listen to a song that includes examples of CPR scenarios and how to react.
  • "You Will Survive" CPR Song: read the lyrics of a song about how to perform CPR written to the tune of “You Will Survive”
  • "Check, Call, Care" Song: watch a student-created song and video demonstrating the “check, call, care” sequence to prevent SCA.

Academy at Palumbo Video

Academy at Palumbo students created an educational song and video to showcase the critical links in the Chain of Survival.