Fitness with a jumpstick

The lesson includes a variety of activities for strength, endurance, and flexibility with the use of a jumpstick. Intervals of jogging and exercises of major muscle groups include an element of fun. The teacher's leading role adds intensity and excitement to these activities.

A lesson plan for grade 1 Healthful Living

By Bozena Mielczak

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Related pages

• Fitness fun: This lesson introduces fun cardiovascular exercises that raise the heart rate.
• Primary fitness skills unit: The main focus of this unit is primary physical fitness skills assessment and development. With PE class scheduled once a week, fitness assessment becomes a challenge. This unit keeps students moving and at the same time assesses their primary fitness skills in each lesson.
• Dream Team basketball stations: Students will refine their basic skills of basketball by participating in a variety of basketball stations.

Related topics

• Learn more about exercise, health, physical education, and physical health.

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Learning outcomes

Students will gain knowledge and participate in activities enhancing muscular strength, endurance, and flexibility.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

40 minutes

Materials/resources

• jumpstick
• pinnies to mark freezers and defrosters for the stimulating game
• music
• movement flash cards
• lines of a basketball court with a large circle in the middle (not necessary, but very helpful)
• four cones for the corners of the court (not necessary, but helpful)

Pre-activities

• Introductory Segment: Previous lesson review and introduction of a new assignment, explaining briefly the importance of basic components of physical fitness.
• Play a stimulating game such as Freeze Tag.
• Warm-up: Students travel in general space with music practicing a movement designated by the movement flash card. When the music stops, students freeze, and read flash cards for the next movement. Include activities affecting all the major muscle groups.

Time: about 11 minutes

Activities

There are five segments for this activity.

• Segment A
  1. Students follow the jogging teacher on the basketball line (they are reminded about pacing and to keep constant distances, no cutting corners, no skipping in line) - 2 laps.
  2. The teacher leads students on the line to the central circle. All sit in a large circle and stretch legs in a pike position. When finished, the teacher turns the stick, and the students need to jump over it. The teacher explains that the stick is a hungry rat that tries to bite any part of a student’s body. When a student is touched by the stick, it represents a bite. Since a rat has rabies, the only way to get well is to get to the hospital and stretch for a count of 20. After that, the student comes back to the game.
• Segment B
  1. Same as A.1, but jogging 3 laps.
  2. Same as A.2, but the activity in the circle is 10 roll-ups (modified sit-up with leg swing to sitting position). The antidote for the rat poison is 5 roll-ups in the hospital (away from the game area). Explain how roll-ups affect the body.
• Segment C
  1. Same as A.1, but jogging 4 laps.
  2. Same as A.2, but the activity in the circle is 10 mule kicks. The antidote for the rat poison is 5 mule kicks in the hospital. Explain how mule kicks affect the body.
• Segment D
  1. Same as A.1, but jogging 5 laps.
  2. Same as A.2, but the activity in the circle is 10 supermen. The antidote for the rat poison is 5 supermen in the hospital. Explain how supermen affect the body.
• Segment E
  1. Same as A.1, but jogging 6 laps.
  2. Same as A.2, but the activity in the circle is 10 tuck jumps. The antidote for the rat poison is 5 tuck jumps in the hospital. Explain effect of jumps on the body.

Cooling down, breathing exercises, and relaxation: The teacher turns the stick. When the stick touches the first student, he/she is the last person in line to the exit door. The students who drop out of the game line up toward the exit door. They stretch sitting in a pike position while waiting for the end of the game. After all the students drop out of the game, they lie down, close their eyes, breath deeply with music for relaxation.

Time: 30 minutes

Assessment

Teacher observes the students performing each exercise and gives oral feedback and corrections to ensure effectiveness of these exercises.

Supplemental information

Comments

The above lesson can stand as an individual unit or be a part of a larger fitness unit. If the teacher meets the same students several times a week, all activities in one lesson can be designed for just one area of the body, so the lesson titles would be, for example: Upper Body Fitness, Leg Strength, etc. The format of the class can be easily adapted to the desired grade level by the appropriate selection of exercises and time adjustment depending on the particular lesson goal.

I taught this lesson to kids in 1–5 grades with slight modifications in intensity and duration and all the students enjoy it tremendously.

I tried to buy a jump stick recently, but it is not available anymore (probably because of fiberglass splinters the stick had after the first day of turning). I improvise now by using a half-inch PVC pipe with a plastic ball attached to this pipe with an about three feet rope.