Goals: The goal of this curricular unit is to define exercise, explain why it is beneficial to a healthy lifestyle and reinforce good exercise habits

Curricular Unit: Be Happy, Be Healthy

EXERCISE

Joanne Jukins – EDU 553

Grade Level: 2^nd/3^rd Grade

Goals: The goal of this curricular unit is to define exercise as movement or activity, to explain why it is beneficial to a healthy lifestyle, and to reinforce active habits.

Objectives:

· Students will demonstrate their knowledge of what exercise is through language arts and art projects.

· Students will demonstrate their understanding of how exercise benefits their health through web research and visual presentations.

· Students will be able to analyze their own activity levels and compare them to State recommended levels of activity for their age group.

· Students will be familiar with ways to be active all year round.

Standards: 1, 3 & 6

Assumptions: Students will have limited prior knowledge on how to use computers, Microsoft Word and the Internet. Students have previous experience working in cooperative groups. Students have prior knowledge of basic games and movements from Physical Education classes.

Materials:

· Chart Paper/ Markers

· Paper/Pencils

· Art Supplies

· Magazines/Newspapers

· Computers

· Software

· Use of Internet

· SMART board

Modifications: Extra time and one on one help for ESL students and any/all identified students.

Assessment: Assessment will be ongoing. Students will be observed through out the unit on their participation within their groups, their projects, their oral presentations and their participation in class discussions.

Lesson One : What is Exercise?

Introduction: Today we are going to learn what the word exercise means and discover many different ways to exercise.

Procedure:

· Brainstorming. Ask “What do you think ‘exercise’ means?” Record all answers on chart paper. Then define exercise as ‘continued movement,’ and ask them to remove or add any suggestions on the chart paper.

· Lead discussion about exercise vs. exercising. (Exercising being repeated, structured movements for a specific amount of time.)

· Split students into four groups. Discuss what IS exercise and what ISN’T exercise. Pass out chart paper/markers for each group. Direct students to make two lists. Help them get started:

Exercise Not Exercise

riding a bike riding in a car

jumping rope watching TV

· Allow each group time to share their lists.

End lesson by showing students exercise PowerPoint displayed on SMART board.
http://www.geocities.com/jorillamax/joexercise.ppt

Tell students that tomorrow they will learn WHY exercise is important.

Assessment: Monitor student understanding by asking appropriate questions throughout the lesson. Observe participation in cooperative groups and review and save written responses.

Lesson Two – Why is Exercise Important?

Introduction: Yesterday we learned what exercise means and what is and isn’t exercise. Today we will learn how being active keeps us healthy and happy. We will start by watching the Be Happy, Be Healthy PowerPoint again and trying to find at least ONE reason that exercise is important.

Procedure:

· Show PowerPoint again. http://www.geocities.com/jorillamax/joexercise.ppt

· Ask if anyone learned a reason why exercise is important. Write all responses on Chart Paper. Briefly discuss the 4 reasons exercise is beneficial (Heart, Brain, Sleep, Fitness)

· Tell students that they will be working in groups today to explore, research and share information on one of the four areas and how it relates to exercise.

· Divide students into groups of four (different from yesterdays grouping) Supply each group with a topic (Heart/Brain/Sleep/Fitness) and paper/pencils and write www.yahooligans.com on the board.

· Direct each group to their computer. Ideally every two kids will have one computer. Assist them as they locate yahooligans and type in their topic. (Depending on their age and computer experience, they may need help finding appropriate information.) They will be responsible for buddy reading about their topic and each student writing one sentence or fact about their topic and/or drawing something that they have learned.

· End lesson with each group sharing what they have learned.

· Tell students that tomorrow they will have a chance to create a poster to show what they have learned.

Assessment: Monitor student understanding by asking appropriate questions throughout the lesson. Observe reading and participation in cooperative groups and review and save written responses.

Note: There are many excellent websites to visit. Depending on age of students and the extent of their research capabilities these sites can be very beneficial. There are also many games that reinforce healthy habits and the importance of exercise.

http://www.kidshealth.org/kid

http://worknotes.com/IL/Chicago/Fit4FunKidsFitness/NewsFlash4.stm

http://www.kidshealthandfitness.org.au/default.asp

Lesson Three – Show What You Know

Introduction: Today you will have a chance to demonstrate what you have learned so far by using the computer and magazines to make a poster about exercise.

Procedure:

· Review all the charts that have been created and pass out the research that was completed in previous lesson.

· Using the SMARTboard as a projector, demonstrate for students how to use Microsoft Word to type sentences in a very large font. Demonstrate how to use clip art to find corresponding artwork. Demonstrate the printing process.

· Type : “Did you know________________________________” and instruct students to type and complete the sentence with something that they have learned about exercise. Direct them to find clip art to go along with their sentence and then to print out the page. Do an example for them.

· Supply each group of four with a large piece of poster paper, glue, old magazines, scissors, and markers. Instruct them to cut out their sentence and clip art and any other pictures from magazines or newspapers they can find that would be appropriate and glue them all together to make a collage-like poster. They can also draw their own pictures. (There will be four sentences, one per student, on the same poster.)

· Share and display all posters.

· Tell students that in the next lesson they will find out if they are getting enough exercise and sleep.

Assessment: Monitor student understanding by asking appropriate questions throughout the lesson. Observe reading, writing, and participation in cooperative groups and review and save written responses.

Lesson Four – Tracking/Recording our Activity

This lesson will be spread out over the course of the school day and will culminate upon the students return to school the following day.

Introduction: Today we are going to be keeping a journal of our activity throughout the whole day and evening. It is your job to remember what you have done and write it down.

Procedure:

· Pass out teacher-made journal to each child. (Journal can be as simple as a few pages of paper stapled together. Must start with what time child woke up and end with what time child went to bed. Then it can be divided into three sections, Morning/Afternoon/Evening with a page for each section.) Give students time to decorate the cover.

· Ask child to fill in their name and what time they woke up. Then as a class you can discuss the types of activities the kids should be looking for. i.e., playing inside/outside before school, walking to school, climbing stairs, etc.

· During the school day, direct students to record each time they walk to a different location in the school, climb the stairs, what they do at recess, during gym, etc.

· For homework, direct the students to finish the journal, ending with what time they go to bed.

Lesson Five – Tallying and Assessing Activity Journals

Introduction: Today we will determine how much activity and sleep we got in one day and predict what might cause this to change each day.

Procedure:

· Starting with wake up time and bed time, assist students in calculating how much sleep they got in one night. Discuss if there were reasons why they got more or less sleep than they normally would and have them come up with the number of hours they normally get each night.

· For each activity they have written down, have them estimate how long (in 5 minute blocks) they were active. Breaking it down into Morning/Afternoon/Night might make it easier for younger students. (Or counting by fives until you get to 60 and then starting over will help them understand the hours.)

· Discuss what might make these activities and times change (weather, day of the week, season, etc.)

· Ask them to recall how many hours a night of sleep is recommended for a child and how many minutes of activity a day. (This info is in the PowerPoint presentation – 10 hours of sleep and 30 minutes a day of activity and hopefully on a student-made poster.)

· Instruct them to compare and record their results with the recommended amounts. Give them the opportunity to share their results with the class if they want to. (Many students may not want to share if their results are incompatible.)

· Tell students that tomorrow we will learn many ways to increase our activity levels.

Assessment: Monitor student understanding by asking appropriate questions throughout the lesson. Observe reading, writing, and math computations. Offer feedback as needed. Collect and save journals and computations.

Note: Addition to this lesson could include students using the BMI calculator to figure out their own Body Mass Index. This can be found at

http://www.kidshealth.org/Features.jsp?lic=1&feature=31

Lesson Six – Learning to be Active

Introduction: Today we will think about how much activity we get and learn ways to be more active all year round.

Procedure:

· Review quickly the previous lessons and lead kids to the conclusion that being active will lead them to a more healthy and happy life. Point out that some kids are more active than others, but everyone can be active if they try.

· Return kids’ journals and have them work in pairs to make a list of all the things they did (combined) over the course of a day. They can record this in their journals.

· Give each pair of students a 9X11 piece of paper and have them fold it to divide it equally into six parts. Label each part as follows:

Just You Two of You A Lot of Kids

Cold Outside Hot Outside Stuck at Home

· Direct them to http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/fit/what_time.html. Have them buddy read and take notes adding a few activities under each title. (modification: draw a picture of the activities)

· Have students share their work.

· Suggest that each student return to their original activity journal and see where they could add 15 minutes of activity to their day.

CLOSURE: Invite Gym teacher for a SHOW/TELL where the students show the posters, journals and lists and take turns telling their Gym teacher what they have learned and how they are going to lead more active life styles.

Assessment: Monitor student understanding by asking appropriate questions throughout the lesson. Observe answers, reading, writing, and participation in cooperative groups and review and save written responses. Listen carefully as students share with the Gym teacher.

Follow Up Activities:

The following sites have great interactive games relating to health and exercise:

games:

http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/closet/games/bed_game.html

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/sleep/starslp/index.htm

http://worknotes.com/IL/Chicago/Fit4FunKidsFitness/hf7.stm

Have students print out a calendar with exercise tips on each page:

http://www.kidsrunning.com/kidscalendar.html

Students can create their own physical fitness activity calendar at this site:

http://www.bam.gov/sub_physicalactivity/index.html