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Learning Activity: Determining levels of physical fitness

• Quick Guide and Transcript

• NASCAR.com

• Kids Health

• CNN Presents Classroom: Driven to Extremes

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• Gupta: NASCAR ride 'more than a little terrifying'

• Gallery: The anatomy of racing

CNN STUDENT NEWS

(CNN Student News) -- Your students will compare the fitness levels of racecar drivers to other athletes, and they will develop personal fitness plans.

Procedure

In his report, CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta compares the heart rates of racecar drivers to those of marathon runners. Ask: What are the characteristics of physical fitness? What criteria do you think should be used to determine athleticism?

Explain to students that physical fitness can relate to a person's health and to the skills that he or she possesses. Health-related fitness might include body composition, flexibility, muscular strength, muscular endurance and cardiorespiratory endurance, while skills-related fitness might include agility, balance, coordination, speed, reaction time and power. Ask: What health-related issues do you think most affect racecar drivers (e.g., cardiovascular, respiratory and muscular endurance)? How can drivers improve their fitness levels in these areas? Can better fitness in these areas improve a driver's chances for success? Explain.

Then, have students discuss what physical skills racecar drivers need to be successful in their sport (e.g., reaction time, coordination, balance). Ask: Based on what you have learned about physical fitness, would you describe racecar drivers as athletes? State your rationale.

Next, have students consider the fitness levels of participants in other sports. Create a chart. On the left side of the chart, list the sports that students might play, and across the top, have students list the health-related and skills-related fitness characteristics. Have the students identify what fitness characteristics are necessary for each sport. Then, on a scale from 1 to 5, have students rate what they think are the health and skills fitness levels for athletes in each of the sports listed. Based on the overall scores for each sport, discuss which sports require the greatest levels of fitness for participation.

Finally, challenge students to rate their own fitness levels. Have them select sports or activities that they enjoy, and help them to develop fitness programs that will improve both their overall health and the skills necessary to participate in their chosen sports or activities. For example, students who love to play lacrosse could investigate ways to improve their cardiovascular endurance, their flexibility or their muscle strength, in addition to working on how to improve their reaction time, speed and agility. Encourage students to work with the school and community sports and health experts as they develop their fitness plans.

Correlated Standards

McREL

Health

Standard 5: Knows essential concepts and practices concerning injury prevention and safety Level IV [Grade 9-12]

Benchmark 1. Knows injury prevention strategies for community health (e.g., neighborhood safety, traffic safety, safe driving)

Standard 7. Knows how to maintain and promote personal health

Level IV [Grade 9-12]

Benchmark 1. Knows how personal behaviors relate to health and well being and how these behaviors can be modified if necessary to promote achievement of health goals throughout life (e.g., following a personal nutrition plan to reduce the risk of disease, periodically self-assessing physical fitness)

Physical Education

Standard 3. Understands the benefits and costs associated with participation in physical activity Level IV [Grade 9-12]

Benchmark 3. Understands the potentially dangerous consequences and outcomes of participation in physical activity (e.g., physical injury, potential conflicts with others)

Standard 4. Understands how to monitor and maintain a health-enhancing level of physical fitness Level IV [Grade 9-12]

Benchmark 8. Designs a personal fitness program that is based on the basic principles of training and encompasses all components of fitness (e.g., cardiovascular and respiratory efficiency, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and body composition)

Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education (Copyright 2000 McREL) is published online by Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) (http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks ), 2550 S. Parker Road, Suite 500, Aurora, CO 80014; Telephone: 303/337-0990.

Keywords

Carl Edwards, Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Jimmy Johnson, Kyle Petty, Tony Stewart, cardio, G-forces, aerobic, resistance

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