Fitness: Teaching Components of Health Related Fitness Grades 5-8
Instant Activities: FitnessGram
Each day students walk through the door, read the whiteboard, and get moving. This year at SMS we have implemented fitness based instant activities to get students moving right away. The activities are simple, student lead, and work on either cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength/endurance, or flexibility. We use this 5-minute segment in class as daily practice for FitnessGram.
Cardiovascular Endurance:
Stop-Go-Cardio: Students run the long stretches of the gymnasium and walk the short sides. Pick-ups: Student run/sprint the long stretches of the gymnasium and jog the short sides. Cardio-Pace: Students keep individual jogging/running pace around the perimeter of the gym for the duration of the activity. Muscular Strength/Endurance: Circuit Circuits usually have 4-6 stations working on core, lower body, and upper body strength/endurance activities. - Push-ups - Curl-ups - Lunges - Shoulder Taps - In & Outs - Leg Lifts - Mountain Climbers - Planks - Squat Thrusts - Burpees - Russian Twists -Squat Jumps Flexibility: Dynamic Stretching Yoga Pose Stations Post-Class Static Stretching |
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February Vacation Fitness Challenge Assignment:
Inspired by journal entries after our 7th Grade Fitness Circuit, students expressed that they would like to get stronger in certain areas of their fitness. How can I help them do this? I have experienced programs that make fitness a large percentage of the class, however, I know if I were a student I would dread doing fitness for 85% of my class! So how do I help students build their strength while having fun and continuing with our regular curriculum. What I have begun to do is incorporate bits of fitness throughout the lesson. This helps students build on different fitness components throughout the lesson as well as the semester.
Students will be challenged to complete a full-body exercise routine 4 out of the 9 days they are on vacation. There is room for them to challenge themselves as well as have choice in how they want to be challenged. Students choose a Fitness Level and complete the prescribed number of repetitions. Students are encouraged to do more than 4 exercises and to participate more than 4 days. Looking forward to hearing the feedback from students.
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Below are examples of student responses, students were asked to respond to one of the following:
A. What does STRENGTH and being STRONG mean to you on both an emotional and physical level? B. "Strength doesn't come from what you do, it comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn't do." How do you connect with this quote? C. "Strive for progress, not perfection." We all begin somewhere, how do you connect with this quote and perhaps your current attitude regarding fitness. D. Your worth isn't measured in likes, comments, friends or followers- What do you love about yourself?
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Fitness Circuit:
Every other week students participate in a fitness circuit as shown above. The fitness circuit activities vary with the same underlining theme: Whole Body Workout.
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Muscular Fitness: Muscular Strength and Muscular Endurance
Students learn the basics of Muscular Fitness and comprehending what Muscular Strength and Muscular Endurance feel like.
Students have Fun with Fitness and learn that even when they are having fun, they are developing their Muscular Fitness. In the beginning of the unit, I set up stations that work different muscle groups. Students color in on a worksheet what parts of their bodies felt "tired" at the end of the activity. We later give these body parts their muscular names. The unit takes a creative turn when students create their own game. Students give it a name, write out the rules, and list the specific muscles that are used. Students teach their peers their game and play. The last day of the unit I take the best 5 games from across the grade level for the students unit assessment. Students revisit a familiar sheet from their first day. They must color, label muscles and describe if the activity was either Muscular Strength or a Muscular Endurance activity.
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My goal is to teach students that fitness is very individually based. It's based on your body/genetics, based on how you're fueling your body, what kind of activity you're asking your body to do (how much? how often?), and it's based on your own motivation and personal enjoyment that you get out of it.
District Goal is for students to learn to live a physically active and socially responsible lifestyle. Fitness is a lifelong activity. Through many of the activities above, students demonstrate though discussion, reflection, journaling that fitness takes effort and as long as the effort is persistent, you will progress as an individual from where you started.
Fitness pertains to my Personal Goal in a cognitive, affective, and psychomotor way. Cognitively students learn the terminology associated and begin to understand the components of health-related fitness as well as determining exercises/activities that correspond with the component. Affectively, students develop and demonstrate (self-responsibility, self awareness, self expression, self discipline, self confidence, self challenge, self efficacy, leadership, and enjoyment) through various fitness activities and assessments. Students become aware and articulate values of physical activity for health, enjoyment, challenge, self-expression, and/or social interaction along with it's contributions to social/emotional well-being. In the Psychomotor domain, students learn how to properly participate in exercises and activities as well as learn appropriate modifications and stepping stones which are encouraged to begin to develop necessary strength. For instance, this is done in the FebFitChallenge when students choose Developing Fitness, Moderate Fitness, or Athlete.
District Goal is for students to learn to live a physically active and socially responsible lifestyle. Fitness is a lifelong activity. Through many of the activities above, students demonstrate though discussion, reflection, journaling that fitness takes effort and as long as the effort is persistent, you will progress as an individual from where you started.
Fitness pertains to my Personal Goal in a cognitive, affective, and psychomotor way. Cognitively students learn the terminology associated and begin to understand the components of health-related fitness as well as determining exercises/activities that correspond with the component. Affectively, students develop and demonstrate (self-responsibility, self awareness, self expression, self discipline, self confidence, self challenge, self efficacy, leadership, and enjoyment) through various fitness activities and assessments. Students become aware and articulate values of physical activity for health, enjoyment, challenge, self-expression, and/or social interaction along with it's contributions to social/emotional well-being. In the Psychomotor domain, students learn how to properly participate in exercises and activities as well as learn appropriate modifications and stepping stones which are encouraged to begin to develop necessary strength. For instance, this is done in the FebFitChallenge when students choose Developing Fitness, Moderate Fitness, or Athlete.