Fitness fun

This lesson introduces fun cardiovascular exercises that raise the heart rate.

A lesson plan for grade 6 Healthful Living

By Sharon Serine

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Learning outcomes

Students will perform activities developing cardiovascular endurance.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

45 minutes

Materials/resources

Teacher will need:

• a stopwatch
• one beanbag per three students

Pre-activities

Students have received instructions and are proficient in taking their pulse.

Activities

Students perform their warm-up stretching exercises and take their pre-exercise pulse.

Activity One:

The students line up on the ending gym line. After the starting signal, the entire class runs down to the second line and back. The teacher times the students and stops the timer with the last returning student. This time sets a limit, which the class has to match or beat in the following two runs. If they go slower, they will have to do it again. This is a good challenge and no one person is singled out for being too slow.

Activity Two:

Students go to the wall, assume a handstand position, and hold for a minute. If they cannot do it, they do push-ups until a minute is up. Next, students stand with their backs against the wall, and squat down until quads are parallel with the floor, and hold for a minute. If they cannot do it, they run around the gym.

Activity Three:

Everyone pairs up. Number one student is in push-up position while number two student crawls under, number one student then does a push-up in down position, and student number two jumps over. This is a timed activity. Each pair has the opportunity to be the push up person, and each has a chance to be the jumper. They count how many times they can go over and under.

Activity Four:

Students face each other on the center line in the gym. They lie face down, arms stretched, fingertips touching. Teacher stands at end of the line and holds a ball in each hand, shoulder level. Teacher drops ball in left hand, line on left gets up and chases line on right (partner) to the end line. If tagged, chaser gets point, if not tagged, runner gets point. Do this several times.

Activity Five:

Partners are on opposite sides of gym, facing one another. Teacher will call out various activities: “Meet in the middle and give your partner a high five, go.” Students always wait until the teacher says “Go.” They run to the middle, do the activity, run back, and wait for the next activity and “Go” signal. Activities can vary, examples are: right high five, left high five, ten high fives, feet to feet sit-ups. Any exercise that you can turn into a partner thing would work.

Activity Six:

Students get into groups of three. Two partners are in sit-up position, feet touching, knees bent. Third person holds a beanbag at waist level. On “go” students sit up and try to grab the beanbag. Do approximately ten times, person holding beanbag, plays the winner.

Activity Seven:

Students finish cardio activities using a game for the entire class. Class lines up side by side on center line specified as a “white line.” One end line is the “blue line” and the other end line is the “red line.“ Teacher calls out “red,” “white,” or “blue,” students then run to that line. Of course teacher can call out “red” and point to the “blue” to have some fun. Last student getting to the line does some form of exercise, ten jumping jacks, pushups, or something not too difficult. This is a fun activity that targets those not paying attention more so than the slower runners.

Assessment

At then end of a strenuous session, take a pulse rate, to see if it has risen considerably (close to 85 percent of maximum heart rate). Pulse can be taken periodically to see if student is applying effort. Students could graph their beginning and ending pulse rate.

Supplemental information

For cardiovascular exercise, adults should reach between 60 and 85 percent of maximum heart rate, but according to research, this zone should be closer to 85 percent for children in order to bring same benefit as for adults.

Comments

I have found that students get bored with just running or walking. By adding competition with others, or just with improving their own scores students have more incentive to try harder.