Experiential Goal: Students will devise a personal fitness plan that could be incorporated into their daily lives.
The students will:
The topic of this unit falls into the area of Personal and Social Values and Skills (PSVS) to the extent that it encourages students to examine their lifestyles, their values, their physical and emotional needs.
Take into consideration the level of fitness of individual students when grouping them and when discussing typical activities. Walking for 15 minutes a day might be as much of a challenge for some students as a vigorous game of hockey or tennis for others. Students with medical or physical disabilities should not be excluded, but should have activities adapted for their needs.
Guide students to understand that gender should not be a factor when choosing an activity for personal fitness. Although some activities have traditionally been associated with one or the other sex, students should be encouraged to choose activities which interest them, which arewithin their financial means, etc. Teachers may also take this opportunity to make students aware of gender stereotypes (being thin for girls, being muscular for boys) and how these influence our behaviour.
The following vocabulary and linguistic content is included throughout the unit. The teacher and the students should decide which elements will be included in the experiential goal.
1. Become familiar with different types of physical activity.
Activities
| 1.1 | Have the students predict the total number of hours in a week that the class participates in some type of physical activity. Verify the predictions by tallying the responses, "Je fais deux heures d'exercice par semaine." |
| 1.2 | 8.3 Annex 1 Survey the class to determine who participates in different types of physical activity. Have the students check off the activities that they themselves participate in. Then, as the different activities are called out, have the students raise their hands if they have been involved in these activities during the past year. Make note of the total number of students involved. If the students are not familiar with certain words, try to mime the activity. To assist the students with some of the vocabulary mention some familiar names that are synonymous with different activities (e.g. Elvis Stoiko et le patinage artistique). Add additional activities to the list if possible. |
| 1.3 | 8.3 Annex 2 Working in pairs, have the students note the different seasons of the year when the activities are most often performed. Determine which activities can be done year round. |
| 1.4 | 8.3 Annex 3 In pairs, have the students interview each other to determine the types of physical activity that they have done in the past week. Share the results with the rest of the class. |
2. Discuss the experiential goal and the possible steps to achieve the goal.
Activities
| 2.1 | Determine what information could be included in the plan. Some students may wish to show a weekly plan. Others may wish to describe one of their favourite activities. The plan and how it is presented is flexible and should be decided by both the students and the teacher. Students should however be aware of the elements that must be included in their personal fitness plan. |
3. Discuss the meaning of physical fitness.
Activities
| 3.1 | Have the students take their own pulse rates after jumping rope or running on the spot for two minutes. This is most easily done by placing the second, third and fourth fingers flat against the pulse in the neck. After the exercise the students should wait two minutes and then again take their pulse rate and make note of it. Have them share information as to how their heart rate changed in the two minutes. |
| 3.2 | 8.3 Annex 4 Have the students look at a number of activities to determine whether or not the activities require flexibility, strength, or endurance or a combination of two or three. |
| 3.3 | Survey the students to determine their plans for physical exercise for the week. e.g. "Qu'est-ce que tu vas faire? Je vais jouer au basketball." Set up a chart for the week and have the students make daily notes of the exercise that they do. |
4. Examine different fitness plans.
Activities
| 4.1 | 8.3 Annex 5 In partners, have the students look at the fitness plans and choose the three plans that they prefer. Working in pairs, have the students ask each other questions about the plans. They might wish to use the possible questions and responses that are included. |
| 4.2 | 8.3 Annex 6 Have the students choose three of the activities from the fitness plans. With reference to the activities have them point out what they believe to be the advantages and disadvantages of the activities. |
5. Discuss the reasons that people are so interested in being in good physical condition.
Activities
| 5.1 | 8.3 Annex 7 From a list of reasons, have each student choose the top three reasons for being involved in physical activity. Add other reasons if possible. Have them share the information with a partner. Then share the partner's information with the rest of the class. From listening to the responses of the students, determine the most popular reasons for being in good physical condition. |
6. Survey parents, neighbours, etc., regarding their personal fitness plans.
Activities
| 6.1 | 8.3 Annex 8 Have the students interview three adults about their fitness plans. Share the results of the interview with a partner and compare the different fitness plans. |
| 6.2 | 8.3 Annex 9 Have the students interview parents and other adults to determine if their emphasis on physical fitness has changed in the last few years and how it has changed. Share the results with the class. |
7. Determine the kinds of physical activity that will improve the cardiovascular system.
Activities
| 7.1 | 8.3 Annex 10 Have the students look at the activities in the annex and decide whether or not each activity will improve the cardiovascular system. |
| 7.2 | Working in pairs or in small groups, think of ways to increase daily activity without setting aside a specific amount of time. e.g. walking to school. |
| 7.3 | As a class, list the activities in Physical Education class that contribute to cardiovascular fitness. Determine the activities that are most popular with the students. |
8. Determine preferences for the different types of physical exercise.
Activities
| 8.1 | 8.3 Annex 11 Working in pairs, have the students interview each other to determine their likes and dislikes of different types of physical activity. Choosing from a list of activities they should note their most favourite and least favourite activity. Add other activities as required. |
| 8.2 | Students should try to convince classmates to participate in a particular activity. e.g. "Jouez au tennis. C'est bon pour le coeur." "Faites une promenade. Ça ne coüte rien." This activity could be expanded by having the students create posters for a bulletin board display. |
9. Determine motivating factors for setting up a plan.
Activities
| 9.1 | 8.3 Annex 12 Working in pairs, have the students decide what would motivate individuals to set up a plan and then share motivational ideas with the main group. |
10. Prepare and present the fitness plan.
Activities
| 10.1 | Use the information from the annexes to help prepare a fitness plan. Students may wish to plan a fitness regime for the next week rather than make plans for a change in lifestyle. They may also want to focus on a particular activity and the characteristics of that activity. |
| 10.2 | 8.3 Annex 13. Students may wish to present their plan in the form of a contract. An example contract is given in Annex 13. Using the contract, students would keep a journal record of how they carry out the plan. This would also fit in and reinforce the health and physical education programs. |
11. Reflect on the unit. Do students feel that they know more about physical fitness or are more aware of the importance of physical activity. Will they continue with this plan? What motivation will be required? Are they aware of some of the different activities done by their classmates? What French was learned in the process?