Grade Level:  Middle School (Grades 6 - 8)

Benefits of Exercise to Health and Life
 

Topic: Regular Exercise
1.   Understand that regular activities will improve fitness

Topic: Disease
1.   Articulate that people are of greater risk of obesity, heart disease, joint pain, stress and cancer if they do not exercise regularly.

Topic: Training Principles
1.   Understand that people must follow the training principles (frequency, intensity, time and type) in order to gain a benefit. 

Activity:   Regularly participate in a physical activity of one-hour duration outside of school for at least a period of one month (20 of 30 days). They will participate in at least two different activities during that period. They will report on the activities and when they were able to fit them into their daily routine.

Muscular Development
 

Topic: Muscles
1.   Distinguish which muscle groups are being strengthened for a wide variety of physical activities.
2.   Justify resistance training using a whole body approach as opposed to isolating muscles
3.   Give examples of antagonistic muscle groups.
4.   Distinguish the function of large and small muscles.

Topic: Related Activities
1.   Participate in a wide variety of activities that enhance muscular development through resistance.
2.   Evaluate the factors that make a variety of activities beneficial to muscular development.
3.   Relate muscle development to caloric expenditure during activity and inactivity.
4.   Explain the relationship between muscular development and bone density through weight bearing exercises.
5.   Understand that muscular development does not inhibit flexibility.
6.   Relate stretching to safety in strength training.

Topic: Fiber Types
1.   Define slow twitch muscle fibers as red fibers that are used for movements endurance.
2.   Define fast twitch muscle fibers as white fibers that are used for explosive activities.
3.   Define anaerobic activity.
4.   Compare the benefits of anaerobic to aerobic activity.
5.   Differentiate which movements require slow twitch and which require fast twitch during a given activity or sport.
6.   Explain why atrophy and/or hypertrophy  occurs.  Explain the difference between the two.
7.   Define progression as gradually increasing the intensity of exercise .
8.   Describe overload in muscle training as increasing the intensity, frequency and time.

Topic: Methods of Strength Training
1.   Differentiate between the methods of increasing muscular strength such as plyometrics, weight training, resistance training, and/or aerobic training.
2.   Appraise the benefits of core training. 

Topic: Muscle Function
1.   Demonstrate how flexion works for a variety of muscle groups.
2.   Demonstrate how extension works for a variety of muscle groups.

Topic: Health Benefit
1.   Break down the components of wellness that are effected by improved muscular development.
2.   Recognize that all body types can improve with training.
3.   Classify different body types.
4.   Accept the differences in body types of all people.

Activity: 
1.  Organize muscular development activities, exercises and movements by:
     a.      fast twitch vs. slow twitch
     b.      muscle groups
2.  Invent a machine that strengthens a particular muscle group.
3.  Predict how engaging in regular exercise would improve musculature (frequency and time).

Body Composition/Weight Management
 

Topic: Nutrition
1.   Decide whether the amount of fat in a food item is within the daily recommended allowance by reading a food label. (Daily intake, calories, fat etc.)
2.   Compare saturated fats (much less healthy) to polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats.
3.   Decide whether the amount of calories in a food item is within the daily allowance by reading the label.

Topic: BMI/Body Composition
1.   Identify that fat cells are made during adolescence.
2.   Calculate their own BMI using at least one of the BMI formulas or a chart or a skin fold reading.
3.   Define lean body mass as the amount of muscle tissue and other non-fat tissue such as bone, ligaments, and tendons.
4.   Recognize obesity as having a BMI ≥30.   Recognize that a healthy percentage of body fat for a male is 10-20% and 15-25% for a female.  Compare their number to a standard.

Topic: Training Principles
1.   Define frequency as regular exercise 3-6 times per week.
2.   Define intensity as the harder you work the more calories you burn off. And you raise your metabolism.
3.   Explain that you must work for an extended period of time to burn calories and raise your metabolism.
4.   Define overload as harder than normal everyday activities.
5.   Relate that increasing gradually the length of time you workout is progression.
6.   Describe specificity as aerobic exercise burns more calories and last longer.

Topic: Weight Control
1.   Illustrate that weight management is the balance of calories consumed versus calories expended.
2.   Define body composition as the amount of muscle, fat, bone and other tissue.
3.   Identify that an ideal diet for kids should be composed of 15% protein, 30% fat and 55% carbohydrates.
4.   Identify inactivity as the major cause in increased body fat.
5.   Explain the relationship between exercise, metabolism and body fat.
6.   Consciously practice a lifestyle that includes exercise and controls body fat with the end result being burning calories and increased metabolism. 

Topic: Metabolism
1.   Define metabolism.
2.   Define metabolic rate. 

Topic: Health Risk Factors
1.   Associate multiple health hazards with excessive fat: breathing difficulties, diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, kidney disorders, surgical risk, and pregnancy problems, less resistance to infection, shortened life expectancy and social discrimination.

Topic: Myths
1.   Articulate that muscle does not turn into fat.
2.   Conclude that there is no easy way to get and stay in shape and that spot reducing does not exist.

Care and Prevention of Injuries
 

Topic: Treatment
1.   Define the acronym RICE and articulate its relation to sprains and strains.

Topic: Skeletal Care
1.   Identify muscle, tendons, and ligaments as the stabilizers of joints and the role strengthening plays in joint injury prevention.
2.   Articulate that long bones are more susceptible to fracture because of their function and hollowness.

Topic: Prevention
1.   Distinguish between pain and discomfort.
2.   Predict what would happen if you did not properly dress for the weather conditions.
3.  Explain the importance of wearing non-constricting multi-layered clothing, including gloves, hats, masks, and socks, to prevent cold injuries from occurring.
4.  Explain why it is important to hydrate prior to exercise.
5.  Predict what injuries may occur in a variety of sports if you are a “weekend athlete”. (Frequency)
6.  Vary the intensity to decrease the risk of injury. (Intensity)
7.  Predict how varying the time of an activity can affect the chance of injury from over use. (Time)
8.  Explain the relationship between overloading a body system during a workout and how that can help to improve fitness and reduce the risk of injury. (Overload)
9.   Reduce the risk of injury by gradually increase the intensity of their workout. (Progression)
10. Apply both strength and flexibility conditioning to a variety of muscle groups in order to prevent injury to those muscles. (Specificity)
11. Create a month long calendar showing an activity and how they apply the training     principles.
12. Draw a conclusion of the risk of injury if they don’t follow each of the training principles.
13. Demonstrate a warm up and a cool down routine for yourself.

Skeletal Fitness

Topic: Physical Activity
1.   Describe how your body adapts to weight bearing exercise.
2.   Explain how weight bearing exercises can help increase bone mass and strengthen your skeletal system.
3.   Categorize osteoporosis as a risk factor and describe how the training principles and calcium rich foods can affect that risk.

Topic: Skeletal Physiology
1.   Explain how weight bearing exercises can help increase bone mass and strengthen your skeletal system.
2.   Distinguish between the Different kinds of bones in the skeletal system. (Long, short, flat and irregular).
3.   Give an example of each type of bone and where it is found in the body.
4.   Detail the functions of the skeletal system. (to provide a strong, stable, and mobile framework on which muscles can act, protect your organs and tissues from trauma, produce new red and white blood cells, and store minerals such as calcium and phosphorus).
5.   Explain the relationship between bones, bone marrow and blood. (bone marrow is inside of your bones, blood is made in the marrow. 
6.   Justify why you need to build strong bones during your teen years.
7.   Distinguish between a ligament (attaching bone to bone) and a tendon (attaching muscle to bone or another muscle).

Cardio-Respiratory Fitness

Topic: Respiration
1.   Articulate that the purpose of aerobic training is to improve the body's ability to deliver oxygen to muscles and to expire carbon dioxide from the lungs.
2.   Describe the effects that exercise has on the lungs.

Topic: Aerobic and Anaerobic Activity
1.   Articulate that air is partly oxygen.
2.   Differentiate between aerobic and anaerobic exercise and give an example of each.
3.   State the relationship between aerobic exercise and blood pressure.

Topic: Regular Exercise
1.   Articulate that regular exercise allows you to breath easier during daily activity.
2.   Predict the difference in resting heart rate between an individual who is unconditioned to one who is conditioned.
3.   Explain that the lower your resting heart rate the more time your heart gets to rest between beats.
4.   Articulate that when oxygen levels are too low, the brain sends a signal to the lungs, telling them to work harder.

Topic: The Physiology of the Heart
1.   Explain that the pressure of the blood on the artery walls causes pulse.
2.   Define blood pressure as the measure of the blood forced against the walls of the arteries.
3.   Explain that blood circulates from the heart out to the muscles and back to the heart.

Topic: Training Principles
1.   Explain that increasing heart rate through exercise strengthens the heart muscle.
2.   Apply the concepts of frequency, intensity, time, overload, progression, and specificity and relate pulmonary fitness to controllable health risk factors.
3.   Explain the difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercise.
4.   Explain that a lower resting heart rate allows the heart to rest between beats.

     Topic: Risk Factors
1.  Articulate how a healthy cardio-respiratory system affects wellness.
2.  Articulate that being heart healthy depends on the ability of our body to deliver oxygen and nutrients to muscle, tissue, organs and bones and that we need oxygen to produce energy in the muscles.
3.  Explain how increased levels of cholesterol affect the body (arteriosclerosis and heart disease).
4.  Explain HDL and LDL.
5.  State the 6 risk factors associated with heart diseases that are controllable as: inactivity, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol level, stress and smoking. (Three are uncontrollable, gender, heredity and age.)

Activities
1.   Determine from a list of exercise, which is aerobic, and be able to defend decision (exercises that condition the heart and lungs are: aerobic dancing, bicycling, brisk walking, stationary cycling, hiking uphill, jogging, jumping rope, rowing and swimming...)
2.   Apply the concepts of frequency, intensity, time, overload, progression, and specificity by using the website mypyramid.com, design a workout and filling out an activity sheet.
3.   Choose an activity and demonstrate the FIT training principle.
4.   Compare the methods of checking for intensity such as the talk test, target heart rate or perceived rate of exertion and demonstrate use of at least one during a workout.
5.   Demonstrate taking pulse before, during and after aerobic activity.
6.   Calculate resting heart rate, target heart rate and maximum heart rate.

Flexibility

Topic: Muscles and Joints
1.   Explain and demonstrate the kind of motion the joints in the body allow.
          Pivot - such as in the neck - rotating motion
          Hinge joint - Such as in the knee - permits back and forth motion
          Ball and socket - Such as the hip and shoulder - allowing for movement in many different directions
          Gliding joint - such as wrists and ankles - allow bones to slide over one another 

Topic: Stretching
1.   Demonstrate a stretch to increase flexibility in the following muscles:
          Neck, chest, shoulders, lower back, hamstrings, groin, quadriceps, calves, Achilles tendon
2.   Complete a worksheet in which they match the body part with the exercise used to stretch that muscle.

Topic: Range of Motion
1.   Articulate that flexibility is the lengthening of the muscles and if you do not use the range of motion available in a joint, muscles begin to shorten and you lose flexibility.

Topic: Safety
1.   State some of the reasons for stretching to increase flexibility are to reduce the risk of injury, reduce the chance of low back pain, and help relieve emotional tension.

Topic: Training Principles
1.   Apply the concepts of frequency- stretch each muscle group daily or 3x week, intensity- stretch beyond normal, time- hold stretch for 10 – 15 sec, overload- to stretch a muscle longer than normal, progression - gradual increase intensity by stretching farther (1st time hold the longer or increase the number of stretches, then stretch farther), specificity- stretching specific muscles at specific joints, and relate flexibility to controllable health risk factors.
2.   Explain how poor flexibility affects a person's quality of life.
3.   Explain the relationship between strength and flexibility, and tell why you should do both. (Keep muscles on opposite sides of a joint balanced.)

Stress

Topic: Stressors
1.   Identify that anxiety, depression and stress can have harmful effects on the quality of life.
2.   Articulate that a stressor is something that causes stress.
3.   Articulate that both good events and bad events can be stressors. (i.e. TV, video games, events). 

Topic: Physical Activity
1.   Relate how exercise, especially regular exercise, enhances the body's ability to respond to stress.

Topic: Relaxation and Meditation
1.   Perform deep breathing exercises. 

Topic: Lifestyle
1.   Understand that fruits and vegetables contain nutrients that help to relieve stress.
2.   Articulate that limiting caffeine and staying hydrated is beneficial to the nervous system and assists in combating the effects of stress.
3.   Understand that they should take responsibility for their own stress.

Topic: Training Principles
1.   Apply the concepts of frequency, intensity, time, overload, progression, specificity and relate stress to controllable health risk factors.
2.   Keep a food journal for a week that also includes regular exercise.

Topic: Psychological Responses and Emotions
1.   Articulate that perceptions are based on past experiences, influenced by personality traits and are difficult to unlearn. Our perceptions become our reality. 

Topic: Negative Behaviors
1.   Understand that TV and video games can be over stimulating and increase stress levels.