Database Lesson Plan
Title: Am I Fit?
Grade Level: 6th Grade
Content Area: Physical Education – Physical Fitness testing, and graphing
Overall Description: Students will look at a database that has the fitness test scores of all Armstrong students, and they will have to find their scores among the masses and enter them into a bar-graph using Microsoft Excel. Then, the students will look through a database online, searching for the standards set by the state for each of the physical fitness tests they take in P.E. Once they acquire these standards, they will then place the numbers into the same graph previously created, showing a direct comparison of the student’s score, and the norm set for that student’s age/grade level.
Objectives: One of the primary objectives of fitness testing is to provide students, teachers, and parents with information regarding the student’s current fitness status. The information received from the tests can then be used as the basis for designing a personal, individualized fitness development program for each student.
Another objective of the fitness assessment would be to determine if our P.E. program is achieving its stated fitness goals. For example, my colleague and I who team-teach together set a goal that at least 90% of our students should achieve the Wellness Zone or above. Reaching the Wellness Zone would mean that the student achieved a score equal to or higher than the required standard set by the state for each test. If the percentage we get at the end of the year falls below our stated goal, we can adjust our program accordingly.
SSCC: During this lesson, students will be asked to look at our Armstrong P.E. blackboard site for a link which will send them to an online database at the Virginia Department of Education’s website. The students will then search this database, which displays the standard fitness scores for children ages 6-17, for the 4 tests required to achieve VA-Wellness. Next, they will sort through the columns to find what the individual scores are for their particular age/grade level. Once found, these scores will be recorded for later use. Then, the students will begin a search through a database that I will provide for them, also on Blackboard, for their individual test results recorded so far this year. This database will have the test results for every Armstrong student listed according to ID number. These scores also will be recorded for later usage.
For the second part of the lesson, the students will take the first set of scores (VA-Wellness standards), and place them into a bar graph using MS Excel, creating a picture representation of what is required of them for each test. Next to these scores, students will then enter the results achieved by them for each test next to the VA standard already graphed. As a result of the graphed picture, the students will be able to tell if their scores meet the requirements set for each test based on the levels created in the bar-graph. They will do so by communicating to me in two paragraphs, attached to their graph, how their scores compare and what they can do to maintain/improve results in the future. Typing this attachment will be an expectation.
Authentic Problem: The student will ask themselves: “Do my fitness test scores qualify me for the VA-Wellness Award?”
Clear Outcome: Personal scores will be compared to the set norms so the outcome will be evident.
Thinking Skills: Students will need to know whether or not their scores need to be higher or lower than the fixed standard. For example, if the requirement for a 6th grade girl is to do 29 curl-ups in one minute, getting a score of 29 or above would qualify her. However, if the requirement for a 6th grade girl is to run the mile-run in 12 minutes, she would want to get a score of 12 minutes or below to pass this test. Making this differentiation will be something the students will be required to do in this assignment.
Software Skills: Students will need to use the Blackboard Learning site to access a link which will be provided for them. This link will send them to an online database that will open in Adobe Acrobat Reader. Students will have to scroll down to the designated page, and then search/sort their way to their results. Graphing these results in MS Excel would be the second part of their assignment. This particular skill has been confirmed to have been taught to students at the 5th grade level in our school. Therefore, no time teaching software skills in this area will have to be scheduled with the students. Finally, the students will have to communicate their results to me in a typed format using a word processor. Again, these skills have been previously taught to these students, hence requiring no additional preparation time.
Instructional Plan: Once all of the fitness tests have been completed by the students, I will have to finalize a working database, created in MS Excel, which has all of the fitness scores of our Armstrong students. This database will then be posted on Blackboard for the students to access their scores. Then, I will have to post a link for the Virginia D.O.E. website, which the students will also have to access to acquire the norms for each of the tests required to achieve VA-Wellness. After the latter is prepared, I will present the assignment to the students in class verbally. A written copy of the assignment will also be provided as students leave the gym.
Evaluation Strategy: When looking at the students graphs and written analyses, I will be asking myself numerous questions when grading the assignment. Did they: plot the correct norm? Plot their correct score? Type their analysis? Say whether or not they achieved overall physical wellness, and why/how? If all of these elements are present, and the graph looks good, they will earn an A for this assignment. Depending on how many required elements are missing will determine lesser grades.