Before teaching students about physical fitness I believe it is important for the students to have a purpose, that is, to understand why physical fitness is an important concept. I would begin listing three statements on the chalkboard. As a class we would read and discuss the first statement. According to the Eric Clearinghouse on teaching and teacher education, ". . .regular physical activity has significant health benefits, and even modest increases in energy expenditure can have health enhancing effects. . ."5 We would need to define what words such as modest and expenditure means, but then a discussion on what health benefits they believe would result from increased exercise and make connections to self about what effects that they have experienced. A discussion on how they will be participating in increasing their physical activity both in-schools, through the ABC for Fitness Program, and at home will occur. Students will record their increases in their journal. Students will participate in increasing their physical activity both in school, through the ABC for Fitness program, and at home and record their increases in their journal. A significant focus needs to be put on physical activity because most fifth grade students do not consciously incorporate it into their day.
The second statement listed on the board will read: As access to technology increases students are spending more time using computers, playing video games, and watching television and less time participating in physical activity.6 According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average family spends 5 ½ hours on all media combined.7 As a result, obesity is on the rise and children are not building a healthy foundation. Students will discuss this statement in their small groups and report to the class. I will add that habitually incorporating physical activity into a daily schedule at a young age could continue into adulthood. The final statement reads, "Studies have also shown that physical activity can benefit a person physically, emotionally, and mentally." Students will discuss the meaning of each key word, physically, emotionally, and mentally. Students will classify their predictions and suggestions from the first statement into one of each of the categories listed above. This list can be added to as learning takes place.
