Fitness Lesson Plan: Create a PSA About Exercise!

Submitted by: Angela Watson

Grade Levels: K-3

In this fitness lesson plan, which is adaptable for grades K through 3, students use BrainPOP Jr. resources to explore the importance of exercise in keeping the body fit. Students will identify ways to exercise safely, and create a public service announcement (PSA) to teach others about the importance of exercise.

Lesson Plan Common Core State Standards Alignments

Grade: 11-12

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.4

Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks.

Grade: 11-12

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.5

Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest.

Grade: 11-12

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.6

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating a command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grades 11–12 Language standards 1 and 3 here for specific expectations.)

Grade: 03

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.4

Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.

Grade: 03

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.5

Create engaging audio recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; add visual displays when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details.

Grade: 03

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.6

Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification. (See grade 3 Language standards 1 and 3 here for specific expectations.)

Grade: 04

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.4.4

Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

Grade: 04

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.4.5

Add audio recordings and visual displays to presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.

Grade: 04

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.4.6

Differentiate between contexts that call for formal English (e.g., presenting ideas) and situations where informal discourse is appropriate (e.g., small-group discussion); use formal English when appropriate to task and situation. (See grade 4 Language standards 1 here for specific expectations.)

Grade: 05

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.4

Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

Grade: 05

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.5

Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, sound) and visual displays in presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.

Grade: 05

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.6

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, using formal English when appropriate to task and situation. (See grade 5 Language standards 1 and 3 here for specific expectations.)

Grade: 06

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.4

Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.

Grade: 06

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.5

Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, images, music, sound) and visual displays in presentations to clarify information.

Grade: 06

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.6

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grade 6 Language standards 1 and 3 here for specific expectations.)

Grade: 07

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.7.4

Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.

Grade: 07

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.7.5

Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations to clarify claims and findings and emphasize salient points.

Grade: 07

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.7.6

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grade 7 Language standards 1 and 3 here for specific expectations.)

Grade: 08

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.4

Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.

Grade: 08

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.5

Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest.

Grade: 08

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.8.6

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grade 8 Language standards 1 and 3 here for specific expectations.)

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.4

Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.5

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.6

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. (See grades 9–10 Language standards 1 and 3 here for specific expectations.)

Students will:

Discuss and explore the importance of exercise in keeping the body fit.
Identify ways to exercise safely.
Create a public service announcement (PSA) to teach others about the importance of exercise.

Materials:

Computer and projector to watch BrainPOP Jr. as a class
Chart paper or board to record ideas
Class set of the quiz printout

Vocabulary:

exercise; stretch; flexible; stress; physical fitness

Preparation:

Preview the BrainPOP Jr. Exercise movie and read through the Exercise Lesson Ideas page to familiarize yourself with the scope of the movie and further your understanding of the topic. You may also wish to compile web and community resources for students to use when creating their presentations.

Lesson Procedure:

Show the Talk About It page to help assess prior knowledge and build background information about different types of exercise.
Ask students why they think exercise is important. Create a list of their suggestions on the board.
Show the Exercise movie. Pause as needed throughout the movie to respond to questions and develop understanding.
Revisit the discussion about the importance of exercise, adding to or revising students' prior suggestions that are on the board.
Divide students into heterogeneous small groups or pairs. (Alternatively, you may wish to complete the activity as a whole group with very young students.) Ask each group to select one form of exercise from the Talk About It activity and create a public service announcement (PSA) for the rest of the class and/or other classes in the school. PSA's are typically 30 seconds; however, you may create a longer format for your students.
Each group should write a script or create a plan to perform their PSA. Leave the list of reasons why exercise is important on the board for student reference. Groups may plan to act out their skit live or record it as a video clip or movie. Alternatively, students might create a PSA print advertisement or multi-media presentation.
Provide the groups with time to create their presentations. Remind students that their focus should be on educating their peers about one form of exercise and explaining how it helps the body stay fit.
Allow each group to present or perform for their peers.
As an assessment, have students take the easy quiz or hard quiz. On the back or on a separate sheet of paper, ask students to write a journal entry reflecting on their personal exercise habits. After this unit of study, what good habits do they plan to begin? Encourage every student to select at least one attainable goal.

Extension Activities:

Keep students' written reflections and hand them back after a month. Ask students to think, talk, and/or write about the progress they've made toward their goal. Allow students to edit or add to their plans. You may wish to collect the reflections again and pass them back a final time at the end of the semester or school year so the class can monitor their progress toward a healthier lifestyle.