12 WAYS OF FITNESS

12 WAYS OF FITNESS is a great December Theme!  Get the students heart pumping as the cold weather moves in!

I think building the idea of a GROWTH MINDSET in phys-ed and specifically fitness, will allow students to set personal goals to improve their own personal fitness and hopefully find enjoyment and self-satisfaction in the journey of trying to achieve these goals.  Goals setting, looking at strengths and areas for improvement, are some ways to begin to challenge students to grow in strength both physically and mentally. 

I stumbled upon a great twitter post by @MrMetcalfPE, called CHALLENGE ME!

https://mrmetcalfpe.wordpress.com/ and I thought integrating a variety of physical activity and fitness challenges, while teaching students about building a growth mind set inside the gym and out in the classroom and into the real world, would be a good combination.  Getting students ACTIVE FOR LIFE is the ultimate goal and making the body-brain connection is so important.

Below are some ways students will be thinking about, reflecting upon, being critical thinkers about their own learning while stepping into physical activity and fitness challenges!

1. A Fitness Check In (click on link for copy):

• Motivate
• Enjoyment
• Benefits
• Motivate Others

2. PERSONAL FITNESS PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL (click on link for copy)
A)Middle School: Grade 7 & 8
B) Junior: Grade 4, 5, 6

This sample performance appraisal focuses on the Components of Fitness, taking heart rate before, during, after exercise, setting short and long term goals, as well as re-visiting at varied times during the year.  I have recently changed this recording sheet to meet the needs of the students at my new school (less activities, removed heart rate section etc.,...previous schools I was able to build on previous years teaching to train students and allow them to build on their knowledge and understanding to be able to apply their learning on a recording form like the sample below).

3. RED LIGHT - GREEN LIGHT: Motivated or not to be physically active



4. Make Fitness Goal Setting using S.M.A.R.T. USING SMART ACTION Goals

5. CREATE A FITNESS LOG (CLICK ON LINK FOR GRADE 7é8 FITNESS LOG):

6. FITNESS Q-CHART (click on link).  Allowing intermediate students to be critical thinkers about fitness and being physically active.

7. F.I.T.T. TRAINING PRINCIPLES WORKSHEET (click on link)

AND FINDING YOUR PULSE PAGE (CLICK ON LINK)

8. FITNESS BINGO!  F.I.T.T.S. (click on link)
F=Frequency
I = Intensity
T=Time
T=Type
S=Stretch!

9. RUNNING BUDDY TOPIC CARDS (CLICK ON LINK)

Purpose of this activity:  to have students focus on being able to talk (talk test) with a partner and monitor their intensity level (how hard they are working).  Students can also use the breath sound check to monitor intensity level (described below).  Students can use the Running Topic Cards to strike up a conversation while jogging.  It can make the daunting word ‘running’ seem a little more exciting.

1. Designate a ‘running track’.  For example, circuit around a park, field, fitness track, gymnasium, or yard.  Instruct students to find a partner then take one Running Buddy Topic Card from the box.  
2. Have students run a designated number of laps.  Each lap completed students can discard their topic card and pick up a new one.

Running Buddy Topics (2 per card)

The best subject in school is…because… Types of music.	Favourite cartoon Camping	Under the sea What you want for Christmas
The cutest farm animal What you did on the weekend	A book you recommend a friend to read Favourite music	When I grow up My bedroom…
The best toppings on an ice cream Sunday In my locker…	The best thing about Winter Make your favourite pizza (toppings and all)	Good deeds Whose shoes do you want to walk in? Why?
Your favourite sport or activity is…because… Cats and dogs	Won a million dollars Best vacation spots	4 Scoop ice cream cone would include…flavours Dreams
Amusement parks If you could fly…	Chocolate Pickles	Favourite Restaurants Superhero’s powers I’d love to have
Winter vacation traditions Found a gene in a bottle, three wishes would be…	Favourite sports team Silly tricks your pet (or someone else’s) can do	Cloud pictures Media
What to do on a rainy day A story behind a ‘scar’	Hero’s Slang words (like ‘phat’) / meaning	Hollywood stars What should a friend never do?

10. GETTING TO KNOW YOUR HoPE! (CLICK ON LINK)

Poor, Never, Disagree		Good, Sometimes, Agree			Excellent, Always, Strongly Agree
1	2		3	4		5

Questions			Rating
I eat 3 balanced meals every day.			1      2      3      4      5
Healthy eating is important to me.			1      2      3      4      5
My family is concerned about mental health My family is concerned about physical health..			1      2      3      4      5
I participate in regular physical activity outside of school.			1      2      3      4      5
I participate in extra-curricular sports within the school and/or the community.			1      2      3      4      5
I feel better when I am fit.			1      2      3      4      5
Being fit is important to me.			1      2      3      4      5
I enjoy jogging.			1      2      3      4      5
I am competitive when I play sports.			1      2      3      4      5
I enjoy physical education class.			1      2      3      4      5
Factors that motivate my participation in physical activities
3 of my favourite physical activities are:	Intrinsic motivators	Extrinsic Motivators
	□  I am good at it. □  I enjoy it □  I like being with my friends □  It makes me feel good □  Other _________________________	□  To receive an award. □  Because it’s popular □  To be more like a sports hero. □  My family wants me to. □  My friends want me to. □  Other ___________________________
	□  I am good at it. □  I enjoy it □  I like being with my friends □  It makes me feel good □  Other _________________________	□  To receive an award. □  Because it’s popular □  To be more like a sports hero. □  My family wants me to. □  My friends want me to. □  Other ___________________________

1. Describe what you do to be active on a daily and/or weekly.

2. What can I do as your Health & Physical Education teacher to help you achieve success this year?

3. From the choices below, circle what living skill(s) is/are your strength.

4. From the choices below, circle what living skill(s) you would like to work on or improve.

11. RATE OF PERCEIVED EXERTION (click on link AND SEE BELOW) and FITNESS RUBRIC

NOTE: My email on RPE chart is wrong...it is cmerritt@hwdsb.on.ca :)

12. 12 WAYS TO FITNESS (CLICK ON LINK)

NAME OF ACTIVITY	THE 12 WAYS TO FITNESS
GRADE	Junior-Intermediate
PARTICIPANTS	12 student leaders plus the rest of the class
EQUIPMENT	CD Player with music Large List of the Activities Alternative list of activities: Heart-2-Muscle Circuit Cards (see PDF attached) can also be used.  Copy Cardiorespiratory cards onto red cardstock and Muscular Strength-Endurance cards onto Blue cardstock
DIRECTIONS	Explain to the students that this is an add-on fitness activity using 12 student leaders. They will perform some fitness exercises (poster on chart paper for them to remember what comes next) and it works very much like the Christmas song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" where the students add on and perform the next number of exercises. All of the students will do the exercises together. For example, all do 4 sit-ups together, then they do 3 push-ups, etc. Below is an example of “The 12 Ways to Fitness” complete with suggested fitness exercises.
EXTENSIONS	Have students get into groups of 12 and perform this activity. Have students choose the exercises to do.
* Safety Considerations:  No jewelry; proper footwear; obstacles cleared; make sure students have own personal space when performing activities.

Resource: Adapted from www.pecentral.ca

#	ACTIVITY	DESCRIPTION
	Push-up	First student leader does
	Sit-up	Second leader adds on then repeat #1
	Coffee Grinders	Third leaders adds on then repeat # 2, #1
	Crab Kicks	Forth leader adds on then repeat #3, #2, #1
	GOLDEN REST	Fifth leader adds on… Slow walk chanting “one golden rest, two golden rests, three golden rests, four golden rests, five golden rests”…then repeat #4, #3, #2, #1
	Leaping Leaps	Sixth leader adds on then repeats #5, #4, #3, #2, #1
	Jumping Jacks	Seventh leader adds on then repeats #6, #5, #4, #3, #2, #1
	Forward Lunges	Eighth leader adds on then repeats #7, #6, #5, #4, #3, #2, #1
	Cross Crawls	Ninth leader adds on then repeats #8, #7, #6, #5, #4, #3, #2, #1
	Bell Hops	Tenth leader adds on then repeats #9, #8, #7, #6, #5, #4, #3, #2, #1
	Skipping Skips	Eleventh leader adds on then repeats #10, #9, #8, #7, #6, #5, #4, #3, #2, #1
	Mule Kicks	Twelfth leader adds on then repeats #11, #10, #9, #8, #7, #6, #5, #4, #3, #2, #1

C.Merritt, HWDSB  cmerritt@hwdsb.on.ca

***Muscle-2-Heart 1-12 cards PDF (click on link)
Alternative list of activities: Heart-2-Muscle Circuit Cards.  Copy Cardiorespiratory cards onto red cardstock and Muscular Strength-Endurance cards onto Blue cardstock