The classroom activities are designed to be taught over many days. Although they are separated into specific sessions, each session may actually take several days to complete.
Session One – Unit Introduction - Read-Aloud
Me and My Amazing Body
by Joan Sweeney
This fundamental and comprehensive introductory text will prepare the students with a foundation of human anatomy vocabulary. After reading and discussing the book, create a chart that includes the new information and vocabulary for students to refer back to as they begin their work. In small groups, students will make a body tracing on large butcher paper, white and/or brown. Students can then begin to label parts of the body that they can see: head, arm, leg, knee, elbow, hand, foot, etc. These large charts are the beginning of what will become the anchor charts for reference as the students learn the systems of the body and the engineering that allows their bodies to work.
Session Two – Students will use construction paper cutouts add the skeleton and muscles to the interior of the body tracing as they start to build the engines that allow their bodies to work. Using the charts from
Me and My Amazing Body
, the students, in their groups, will cut white construction paper to the approximate size and shape of the major bones of the body. After gluing them into place on their body tracing charts, the students will add pink construction paper cutouts of the major muscles in the body. Students should pay attention to the location of major joints – hips, knees, elbows and shoulders, wrists, ankles – and label them as the construct their musculoskeletal systems.
Session Three – Yoga Poses and Practicing on the Mats
This session is the beginning of the actual physical fitness and exercise portion of the unit which will be the foundation of options during the indoor recess component of the school day. Because this is an open-ended activity, with continued learning occurring, there is no definite time frame to this session, meaning it may be repeated several times throughout the year to introduce new poses and review previously learned ones.
To prepare for the yoga lessons, students will need to have a mat, either their own from home or possibly purchased through donations from the school or parent committee. The mats stay at school and should be labeled with the students' names. Mats are helpful not only as support during exercises, but they define the space that each student has as their own, an important part of helping them maintain control.
Beginning on Page 70 of the text
Once Upon a Pose,
read the basic training section to prepare for the fundamentals for teaching the poses, including strategies for breathing and for counting while holding poses. With the idea of mastery, each session should focus on five poses at most. The initial choices are as follows: mountain, tree, child, cat, and warrior. The session will end with the peaceful pose, with students initially lying still for one minute, but ultimately building that time to as much as five minutes.
As students master the initial poses, they can begin to include any new poses from the 28 choices taught in the text. Each new pose should be learned with a partner (either of their choice or teacher choice) and then taught to two other students to ensure understanding and a beginning of expertise. During the group sessions, the students who have mastered a new pose may teach it to the group.
Keeping reference books in the classroom for students to use as they practice teaching each other and working on poses themselves will encourage correct poses but also inform students of other options they might like to try. Continue to encourage the strategies of counting through the poses and focusing on their breathing.
Session Four – Calisthenics and Aerobics Lesson
This session is intended as a review of what most students have learned in their Physical Education classes. An opening lesson for the students could be a brainstorming chart of what movements might be included in this category. Ideas they may easily come up with could be jumping jacks, sit-ups, and push-ups. As they learn more throughout this session, this chart can be enhanced and more defined, such as what parts of the body are you using for each exercise, how many times can you repeat the movements before tiring. Include the students in generating characteristics of the exercises.
This session is should include the objectives of building appropriate vocabulary, rules about spacing in the classroom, maintaining control of body and voice and doing your best. Remind students may not choose to do this as their indoor choice but it is important that they are introduced to the process and understand the rules. This will ensure everyone has equal choice.
As the students are practicing their movements, have them feel their hearts beating and notice their breathing rates. They will like notice that that these exercises are more about getting blood pumping than flexibility.
Create a Venn diagram or similarities and difference chart as students learn the movements and actions. This too will remain as reference and interactive as the unit continues, student may add new information as they gather it.
Session Five – Work out with combination of all three exercise categories
This portion of the unit begins the gradual release of the activities to now becoming the students' choice. The goal of the last three sessions was to build knowledge and skill in the three areas of exercise. At this point, now during the recess portion of the day, the students will act as instructors and lead small groups in exercise routines as they make the decisions on poses or movements. With a 20-minute block of time, students may lead a session and "attend" a second session. Each day can be identified as the Yoga Day, the Aerobics Day or the Calisthenics Day to help with any space issues that might occur if all three are happening at once. One common activity will always be the cool down or peaceful pose to help students transition from recess to the next part of their day. As an additional component of the session, there may be quiet classical music or nature sounds or classical music playing as the students relax for the last five minutes on their mats.
