This unit will address the following: why physical activity is so important for today's youth, what are considered to be adequate forms of physical activity, how the human body supports physical activity, benefits of regular physical activity for mind and body, a brief explanation for the consequences of physical inactivity (this is a component of another team members unit), and suggestions on how to improve the inactivity of students. Students will participate in classroom daily exercise, maintain daily nutrition and exercise logs, create pictorial representations of the human body systems, and work in small groups to develop and carry out final project ideas. Each of these components will contribute to the students' general knowledge of physical fitness and responsibility.
This unit, in combination with the other proposed units, meets and exceeds the school and district recommendations. Our school asked that teachers work collaboratively, especially with the arts teachers, to enrich students' experiences. Not only does this lesson meet the recommendation, but will involve the entire student body. This unit also meets the needs of the district by incorporating numerous content strands and applying the learned knowledge to the outside world. While this unit is intended for the New Haven Public School System, any group of students or adults could benefit from learning about what constitutes a healthy lifestyle.
