ND Curriculum Initiative

Subject & Standards

Needs Assessment/Rational

The prevalence of overweight among U. S. adolescents aged 12-19 years has tripled, from 5% in 1980 to 15% in 2000. With the trend of youth obesity on the rise in our country, we need to stress the importance of physical activity and personal physical fitness. “Schools have been recognized as a key setting for increasing participation in physical activity among students.” Fitness testing will help the students understand their present fitness level and compare it to boys and girls around the U. S. in their age group using the President’s Challenge for Fitness. Encouraging them to begin daily improvement of their personal physical fitness and continue an active lifestyle throughout their life. Reference: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Participation in High School Physical Education—-United States, 1991—2003” (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, September 17, 2004 / 53(36);844-847.

Understandings & Goals

Enduring Understanding: We would like them to understand that their personal fitness level is a continuous life-long process that they have control over. The activity choices that they make directly affects their personal fitness. We encourage them to begin daily improvement of their personal physical fitness and continue an active lifestyle throughout their life. Goal(s): The student will assess and analyze their personal fitness level. The student will compare their personal fitness level with other students. The students will set personal fitness goals and develop a plan to achieve those goals. The student will re-assess and analyze their personal fitness level and compare the results to their goals.

Questions Answered

Essential questions: Based on the physical tests: What is my personal fitness level? How can I improve my personal physical fitness level? What are personal fitness goals?How do we measure person fitness goals? How do I compare with other students my age? Objectives: Using the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sport qualifying standards, the student will assess their personal fitness level by participating in the five-item test battery of the President’s Challenge for Fitness. Using their results from the five-item test battery of the President’s Challenge for Fitness, the student will input their fitness test results into “Fitness Reporter” program with no errors. Using the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sport qualifying standards, the student will analyze their personal fitness level using the “Fitness Reporter” program. Using the “Fitness Reporter” program’s Fall Fitness Report, the student will compare their personal fitness level with other students in each of the five fitness tests. Using the “Fitness Reporter” program’s Fall Fitness Report, the student will determine their individual goals for each of the five fitness tests. Using e-mail, the student will communicate their individual goals for personal fitness with their parents and instructor one time. Using the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sport qualifying standards, the student will re-assess their personal fitness level by participating in the five-item test battery of the President’s Challenge for Fitness.

Assessment

What quiz and test items (e.g. simple content-focused questions that require a single, best answer) will provide evidence of understanding? The student will be assessed with a quiz on fitness benefits, fitness testing protocol, and types of physical fitness tests. What academic prompts (e.g. open-ended questions or problems that require students to think critically and then to prepare a response / product / performance) will provide evidence of understanding? Both pre-test and post-test, the student will be asked to evaluate their fitness levels in abdominal strength and endurance, muscular flexibility, upper body strength and endurance, agility and total body coordination, and cardiorespiratory endurance. They will be asked to think about and formulate ideas to improve. What performance tasks and projects (e.g. complex challenges that are authentic, mirror the real world and require a performance or product) will you include that will provide evidence of student understanding? The student will complete the five fitness tests in the President’s Challenge for Fitness - Curl Ups, Sit and Reach, Push Ups, Shuttle Run, and Timed Mile Run. What other evidence (e.g. observations, work samples, dialogues, student self-assessment) of understanding will you collect? The student will complete a goal setting worksheet related to the five fitness tests in the President’s Challenge for Fitness.

Instructional Strategies

The learning strategies will be inquiry-based: as the students learn about the how’s and why’s of fitness testing through research and internet information gathering; and problem-based: as the students will be setting personal fitness goals with specific testing goals and be directing themselves toward those personal fitness goals.