Lesson 6.1 Being Physically Active and Physically Fit

Overview

This lesson focuses on the overall health benefits of being physically active, which improves physical fitness and aids your ability to perform daily activities.

Learning Targets

  • LO1: Compare and contrast physical activity, exercise, and physical fitness.
  • LO2: Evaluate the physical, mental, and social benefits of physical activity on your health.
  • LO3: Predict how physical activity can affect your health status.
  • LO4: Identify three activities you could do at home when taking an activity break.
  • LO5: Design a schedule you could use daily to get your 60 minutes of exercise completed.
  • LO6: Analyze the influence of your personal values and beliefs on inactivity in your life.

Preparation

Chapter Opener: Use the chapter 6 How Physically Active Am I? self-assessment to introduce the chapter before moving on to Lesson 6.1 or assign the self-assessment as a homework task before starting this lesson.

For the Warm-Up Activity: Write the Journal Question on the board or identify (and copy as needed) the worksheets you plan to use:

For the Content Focus: Open the Lesson 6.1 PowerPoint slides or make copies of the Lesson 6.1 Note-Taking Guide.

For the Lesson Focus: Copy the Lesson 6.1 Skill-Building Challenge Worksheet: Advocating for Physical Activity.

Warm-Up Activity

Select a warm-up activity to help get your class focused and on task.

  • Self-Assessment: Have students complete the How Physically Active Am I? self-assessment.
  • Journal Question: We often associate physical activity, exercise, and physical fitness with being active. List two ways you think the three terms are similar and two ways the three terms are different from each other.
    • Option: Write or project the question and have students respond in their journal or on their “bell ringer” sheet as they enter class.
    • Option: Have students discuss the question with a partner or in a small group.
  • Vocabulary Review: Have students work individually, in pairs, or in small groups to complete the Lesson 6.1 Vocabulary Review Worksheet.
  • Quiz: Have students complete the Lesson 6.1 Quiz to assess their prior knowledge.
    • Option: Collect the quiz and use it alongside a posttest to demonstrate student learning.
    • Option: Have students share their answers with a partner and then go over the answers together as a class.

Lesson Content

Review the content from the textbook lesson.

Lesson Focus: Advocating for Physical Activity

  1. Give each student a copy of the Lesson 6.1 Skill-Building Challenge Worksheet: Advocating for Physical Activity.
  2. Have students work individually or with a partner to complete the worksheet.
  3. Once completed, ask students to work with their partner to write a letter to their school administrators to advocate for brain boosts or activity breaks throughout the school day. Students are asked to write a letter to school administrators, but they could write a speech, prepare a PowerPoint presentation, or make an informational flyer as well.
  4. Ask students to share their advocacy presentations with the class or the intended audience (teachers, principal, parents, guardians, etc.); provide feedback by answering the questions on their worksheet.

Challenge Activity

Have students needing an additional challenge work on the following Thinking Critically task.

Talk to an adult—a family member if possible—and ask them about any chronic diseases they may have or someone else in your family may have. You learned in this lesson that being physically active can help prevent many chronic diseases. Based on the chronic disease the adult you spoke to may have or know about, does it influence you to be more physically active daily? Why or why not?

Reflection and Summary

Review the critical content from today’s lesson. Review the learning targets and ask students to answer each question posed.

Can you...

  • Compare and contrast physical activity, exercise, and physical fitness?

    Physical activity, exercise, and physical fitness are similar in that they all involve individuals being able to move and be active. Physical activity, exercise and physical fitness are different in that they are each specific to what the outcome of the activity is. Physical activity is movement using the large muscles of the body. Exercise is planned, structured, and repetitive physical activity for the purpose of improving or maintaining one or more components of fitness. Physical fitness refers to your body systems being able to work together efficiently to allow you to be healthy and able to perform all the daily activities you need to.

  • Evaluate the physical, mental, and social benefits of physical activity on your health?

    Physical benefits of physical activity can include building healthy bones and muscles to help decrease injuries and prevent osteoporosis as well as improving sleep by being more restful. This results in staying asleep longer and therefore improves concentration. When physical activity is combined with healthy eating, this can help people maintain and regulate their weight.

    Mental benefits of physical activity can include the reduction of anxiety and depression, an increase in concentration, and improvement in thinking and memory—all which can help with focus throughout the day.

    • Social benefits of physical activity can include helping build social connections through teams or groups by meeting new people, developing friendships, and learning to work with others.

  • Predict how physical activity can affect your health status?

    Being physically active on a regular basis can help reduce the risk of chronic diseases; being physically active as a teen results in a greater likelihood of being physically active throughout your life.

  • Identify three activities you could do at home when taking an activity break?

    Activities that could be done at home during an activity break could include going for a short walk, doing yoga, shooting baskets, doing a workout routine, riding a bike, and doing a dance break, among others.

  • Design a schedule you could use daily to get your 60 minutes of exercise completed?

    Set up a daily schedule that will help you get your 60-minutes of exercise in. Make it work best for you and your daily schedule.

  • Analyze the influence of your personal values and beliefs on inactivity in your life?

    There are always reasons to be inactive: not enough time, not being good at something, being too tired, and many more. Determine where these reasons to be inactive come from, who or what may influence you to be inactive, and then think about how you can make changes to be more active by finding activities you enjoy doing.

Assessment

Complete one or more of the following assessment tasks for this lesson.

Take It Home

Take note of how inactive or active you, your friends, and your household members are. Observe for a weekend whether you and the people you surround yourself with are active or inactive. Talk with them about being more active or maintaining their activity level. See if you all can agree on some physical activities you’d be willing to do together. If no one is willing to participate, find others who will and get active!

Option: Assign the How Physically Active Am I? self-assessment as a homework task if it was not used at the start of this lesson.