Teaching Fitness for Life:Sample Semester Syllabus
Fitness for Life is a semester-long classthat willhelp you acquire knowledge about health-related physical fitness andhealthy lifestyles(such as regular physical activity and sound nutrition) that lead to physical fitness, health, and wellness.The class also will help you use self-management skills;become a good decision maker and problem solver; and become a good consumer of fitness, health, and wellness.
Course Objectives
Fitness for Life helps you become a physically literate person so that you can
- understand and apply important concepts and principles of fitness, health, and wellness;
- understand and use self-management skills that promote healthy lifestyles for a lifetime;
- be an informed consumer and critical user of information on fitness, health, and wellness; and
- adopt healthy lifestyles now and later in life.
Specific Lesson Objectives
Each chapter contains two lessons. Specific lesson objectives are outlined at the beginning of each lesson.
Readings
Corbin, C.B., & Le Masurier, G.C. (2014).Fitness for life, sixth edition.Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Reading Assignments and Class Schedule
Date / Reading / TopicsWeek 1 / Chapter 1 / Orientation: Class Organization
Fitness, Health, and Wellness for All
Week 2 / Chapter 2 / Adopting a Healthy Lifestyle and Self-Management Skills
Week 3 / Chapter 3 / Goal Setting and Program Planning
Week 4 / Chapter 4 / Getting Started in Physical Activity
Week 5 / Chapter 5 / How Much Is Enough?
Week 6 / Chapter 6 / Skill Learning and Injury Prevention
Week 7 / Chapter 7 / Moderate Physical Activity
Week 8 / Chapter 8 / Cardiorespiratory Endurance
Week 9 / Chapter 9 / Vigorous Physical Activity
Week 10 / Chapter 10 / Muscle Fitness Basics
Week 11 / Chapter 11 / Muscle Fitness Applications
Week 12 / Chapter 12 / Flexibility
Week 13 / Chapter 13 / Body Composition
Week 14 / Chapter 14 / Physical Activity Program Planning
Week 15 / Chapter 15 / Making Good Consumer Choices
Week 16 / Chapter 16 / Choosing Nutritious Food
Week 17 / Chapter 17 / Stress Management
Week 18 / Chapter 18 / Making Choices and Planning for Health and Wellness
Other Assignments
Option 1
Date / Assignment / PointsWeekly assignments / Worksheets (classroom and activity)
Chapter Reviews/Critical Thinking/Projects
Chapter tests / 10
10
10
Unit assignments / Unit tests / 5 x 6 =30
Semester assignments / Final exam (semester exam)
Semester project
Portfolio (collection of assignments) / 20
10
10
Option 2
Date / Assignment / PointsWeek 1 / Worksheet: Lifelong Health, Fitness,andWellness (c)
Worksheet: Learning to Self-Assess (c)
Chapter Review, page 27 (c)
Chapter Test: Fitness, Health, and Wellness
Worksheet: Feel the Pulse (a)
Worksheet: Health- and Skill-Related Fitness Challenges (a)
Worksheet: Health-Related Fitness Workout (a) / To be determinedby the instructor.
Week 2
Week 3 / Unit test: chapters 1 to 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6 / Unit test: chapters 4 to 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9 / Unit test: chapters 7 to 9
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12 / Unit test: chapters 10 to 12
Week 13
Week 14
Week 15 / Unit test: chapters 13 to 15
Week 16
Week 17
Week 18 / Unit test: chapters 16 to 18
Semester test (final exam)
(c) = classroom and (a) = activity
Class Procedures and Rules
List rules specific to your class (e.g., dress requirements, other classroom or activity rules).
Syllabus Preparation Guidelines
Use the following guidelines to customize the sample syllabus on the previous two pages.
Reading Assignments and Class Schedule
The sample syllabus (base plan) requires students to read the first 18 chapters of the book. Chapters 19 to 21 are not included in the base plan syllabus. These are bonus chapters that can be used in a follow-up course (see the Teacher Web Resource, or TWR) or as a substitute for any of the 18 chapters in the base syllabus. Schools that require health education may choose to include chapters 19 to 21 rather than chapters 15 to 18 if those topics are covered in a health class, or instructors can include two chapters in three different weeks (add chapters 19 to 21 to the syllabus).
Instructors who want a more detailed syllabus can cut and paste topics from table 3 (Fitness for Life Content) or table 4 (Schedule for Delivering the Fitness for Life Program). These tables are included in the introduction on the TWR.
Instructors may wish to include specific dates (e.g., Sept. 1) rather than week numbers for specific reading assignments.
Readings. All readings in the sample syllabus are from the Fitness for Life text. If an instructor plans additional readings, they should be listed in the Readings section of the syllabus.
Assignments.Instructors can include a list of assignments on the syllabus. The sample includes two common options. Choose one or the other.
The first option provides general categories of assignments with point values. The specific assignments for each are provided to the students each week. Instructors who choose this option can modify the table based on their needs. Instructors can choose varioustypes of assignments from the many options available.
The second option provides a more complete list of specific assignments for each week of the semester. The sample illustrates possible assignments for week 1. All available worksheets for chapter 1 (week 1) are listed as well as tests, chapter reviews, critical thinking questions, and projects. Instructors aren’t expected to use all available assignments (see Volume Control,later). Instead, use the following information, as well as information from the TWR, to make decisions concerning items to include in the expanded syllabus (option 2). After selecting assignments, determine the point values for those assignments.
- Worksheets. Printable worksheets are provided onthe TWR. Each is referred to in the evaluation section of the lesson plans on the TWR. Worksheets can be completed as class assignments. The lesson plans make recommendations concerning which worksheets to include as assignments. There are worksheets for classroom days (c) and worksheets for activity days (a). If the first option is used, the instructor selects assignments and announces them at the beginning of each week. If the second option is used, the instructor lists all of the assignments for the semester in the syllabus.
The sample for option 2 provides a list for all of the worksheets available for chapter 1. To make similar lists for other chapters, list the worksheets for each chapter on the TWR. Instructors aren’t expected to use all available worksheets.Instead, review the lesson plans and worksheets and decide which worksheets to assign each week. Only the ones assigned should be included on the syllabus. Each worksheet can be assigned a point value.
- Chapter reviews. A chapter review is included at the end of each chapter. The review can be used for in-class discussion or as an assignment. If chapter reviews are included as assignments, they can be assigned a point value.
- Tests (lesson, chapter,unit).The TWR has premade quizzes for each lesson, each chapter (two lessons), and each unit (three chapters). Instructors can assign point values and give these tests as desired.
- Critical thinking questions and projects.The chapter review section of each chapter includes critical thinking questions and student projects. Instructors may ask students to answer questions as a project or complete one or more projects during the semester. If so, point values should be added to the syllabus.
- Student portfolio. As described in the introduction on the TWR, a student portfolio is a collection of worksheets and other assignments from the entire semester. Assignments can be graded during the course of the semester. Instructors may choose to assign a grade for the completed portfolio as well.
Class procedures and rules. Procedures and rules vary from school to school and teacher to teacher. In the space provided in the sample, provide a list of the procedures and rules for your class.
Volume Control
When you watch a video or listen to music, you use the volume control. You turn it up or down to suit your needs. When planning assignments, use the same idea.You can start with a few of the most relevant as a trial. In future classes, you can turn up the volume (add more assignments) or turn it down (delete some assignments). We offer more worksheets and other assignments than most teachers will use. But not all teachers want their students do the same things. Having many worksheets and other assignments to choose from helps instructors customize the course. In addition, different worksheets can be used from semester to semester to keep things fresh. Worksheets that are not assigned can also be used as makeup work for students who miss class.
The key is to set the volume control at a level that helps the instructor meet important educational objectives while providing a reasonable workload for students and a reasonable workload for the instructor.