Fitness Homework
written by Kyle
Krupa, Mattawoman Middle School in La Plata, MD
 WHY
WE DO IT
With the growing obesity levels in
our society, we decided to start sending home fitness homework
to get students exercising outside of school. We can only
do so much during school, and homework is our way of extending
our time with students. This homework is intended to not only
encourage students to exercise, but to also encourage the
community to work with these students for extra credit. We
are using the homework to help our students and our community.
Along with fitness and health, we are looking for new ways
of meeting the new health and fitness standards.
As math and readings starts to invade
into our focus area, we are also using this homework as a
way to meet our content needs as well as math and reading
integration. The homework is focused on the health related
fitness components, and is used to give the students health
related information as well as a workout.
HOW IT'S DONE
We introduce the homework by talking
about the importance of fitness every day. We also explain
to students that they have an assigned article to read and
questions to answer. After that portion is explained, we talk
to them about the assigned work out and what is expected from
that work out.
If it is a cardiovascular workout
we want their heart rate in their target heart rate range
for the duration of the exercise, which should be thirty minutes.
We talk about what a cardiovascular exercise is, and ask the
students for some examples. We then tell the students that
it is out of ten points and they can get extra credit if they
get a family member to participate with them.
if it is a muscular strength workout
we want them to include multiple exercises for the thirty
minute workout. We tell them that muscular strength is the
amount of force that can be produced by a single contraction
of a muscle, and that we are looking for them to improve on
their overall strength. We talk about what a muscular strength
exercise is, and ask the students for some examples. We then
tell the students that it is out of ten points and they can
get extra credit if they get a family member to participate
with them.
If it is a muscular endurance workout we want them
maintaining the exercise for the duration of the exercise
and that it is the ability of a muscle group to continue muscle
movement over a length of time. We then give examples and
ask the students for any other examples. We then tell the
students that it is out of ten points and they can get extra
credit if they get a family member to participate with them.
If it is a flexibility workout we want them to work
on their range of motion with their different joints. We explain
to them that flexibility is the range of movement possible
at various joints. We then give examples and ask the students
for any other examples. We then tell the students that it
is out of ten points and they can get extra credit if they
get a family member to participate with them.
HOMEWORK EXAMPLES - examples of homework
we send home with students (Word documents)
Biography: Kyle Krupa graduated from Malone
College in Canton, Ohio with a Bachelor of Science in Physical
Education in 2004. For the past seven years, he has been teaching
Physical Education and Health at Mattawoman Middle School
in Waldorf, Maryland. He has seen Physical Education go from
a sport focus to a movement focus during his years of teaching.
Due to that change, Kyle has focused on finding a way to allow
students to move outside of school. With the help
of his Physical Education team, he has created the idea of
homework to help students, their families, and the community
become involved in physical fitness.
(back
to pelinks4u homepage) |
