Lesson Plan Title: INTRODUCTION TO STEP AEROBICS

Concept/Topic to Teach:  Cardiorespiratory Endurance  Step Safety and Procedures

Standards Addressed: 2009 Alabama Course of Study: Physical Education/Lifelong Individualized Fitness Education (L.I.F.E.): #1, #4, & #8

Specific Objectives: After listening to a lecture and watching a demonstration the students will be able to:  Calculate their target heart rate.  Demonstrate how to maintain their heart rate within their target heart rate while wearing a heart rate monitor.  Practice safe behaviors while performing on the step.

Required Materials: Dry erase board, markers, eraser, laptop, projector, heart rate monitors, basin of water, empty basin for used heart rate monitors, pencils, calculators, target heart rate worksheets, stop watch, steps, CD player, relaxation CD, and step CD (All materials and equipment should be set up in the gym before class begins accept for the steps which the students will bring out with them from the locker room).

Anticipatory Set (Lead-In): Students will leave the locker room and sit on the bleachers facing the dry erase board after placing their steps along the wall in the gym. Teacher will ask the following lead questions:  “Last week we learned about a component of fitness. Raise your hand if you can tell me what component that was?”  “Right, flexibility! Who remembers why it is important to have good flexibility?”  “What type of exercises and activities did we perform to improve your flexibility?”  “When do we usually do these flexibility activities?”  “We will continue to work on our flexibility each class period, but this week we will add another component of fitness to work on, cardiorespiratory endurance.”  “How many of you know someone who has had a heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure or coronary bypass surgery?”  “What are some ways that we can reduce our chances of being effected by these diseases?”  “These are all diseases of the circulatory system. Who remembers from their science class what the major parts of the circulatory system are?”  “Today you will learn how we can strengthen our circulatory system through exercise. You will all use a heart rate monitor to make sure that when you are performing heart strengthening exercises that your heart is working at a rate that will strengthen it. After you learn how to use the heart rate monitor and figure out your target heart rate, we will begin learning an activity, step aerobics, which can strengthen your heart.” Step-By-Step Procedures for Teaching the Lesson:

LECTURE and Demonstration: Finding your pulse: Demonstrate as instructions are given.  Ask: “How can we monitor how hard our heart is working?” (Pulse Rate)  Say: “I want to show you several ways to take your pulse. Everyone take your two middle fingers and place them on your Adam’s Apple like this. Now slide those fingers over into the groove of the neck like this. It doesn’t matter what side. You should be able to feel your pulse in this location. Anyone need help finding your pulse?” Walk around and assist students in finding their pulse. Say: “This is called the carotid pulse because you are feeling the carotid artery. Now I will show you another location where you can feel your pulse, the radial pulse. Who can tell me why it is called the radial pulse? Turn your hand palm up, it doesn’t matter which hand. Take the same two fingers that you used to feel for your carotid pulse and place them on the thumb side of your wrist, like this. You should feel the radial pulse here. If you have found yours help your neighbor if they need help finding theirs.” Circulate to make sure all have found the radial pulse. Assist where needed.

Determining your pulse rate: Demonstrate as instructions are given.  Say: “Now we will count our pulse to determine what your heart rate is. Heart rate is measured by beats per minute so I could time you for one minute, you could count your pulse and you would have the number your heart beats during that minute. A minute is a long time to take your pulse. Who can tell me how we could time the pulse rate for less than a minute but still get beats per minute?” (possible answers: time for 30 seconds and multiply by 2, time for 15 seconds and multiply by 4, time for 6 seconds and multiply by 10) “Which do you think would be the easiest to do? We are going to time your pulse for 15 seconds, then multiply by 4 to get beats per minute. This method is not as accurate as counting for one minute, but more accurate than counting for 6 seconds and adding a zero, though that is the easiest way to do it. Okay, everyone find your radial or carotid pulse. (Wait till all are ready, help where needed) When I say GO, start counting your pulse, but the first pulse you feel you should count as zero. So you will be counting zero, one, two, three, and so on. Does everyone understand?” Use the stop watch to time the students. “Ready? GO!” Time for 6 seconds. “STOP! Now multiply that number by 4. Use a calculator if you want to. If your number was 20, your beats per minute would be 80, 20 X 4. If your number was 16, your beats per minute would be 64.

Directions for the heart rate monitors: Demonstrate as instructions are given.  Say: “Now you all know how to find out how hard your heart is working. The only special equipment you need to determine your heart rate is a clock or watch that has a second hand. This method can be difficult because it is sometimes hard to find your pulse, and especially when your heart is beating fast it is hard to count each beat. We are fortunate that we have heart rate monitors that do all the work for us!”  Say: “I am going to show you how to put on and operate these monitors. We have several different kinds, but they all work the same way. There are two parts to these monitors. One part is this elastic strap that has the electrodes on it. The other part is this wrist monitor which will display your heart rate in beats per minute. Place the elastic strap around your rib cage, right below your breasts. The electrode snaps in place. The electrodes will be resting against your bare skin. Once the strap is in place, dip your fingers into the basin of water and wet the electrodes so that they will make a good connection with your skin. Then secure the wrist monitor to you wrist and turn it on. After a few seconds the electrodes will pick up your heart beat and record it on the screen in beats per minute.”  Say: “When I tell you to get up, get a heart rate monitor and put it on then dampen the electrodes. Once it is on and working, get a target heart rate worksheet and pencil and return to your seat on the bleachers. Any questions? Ready, set, GET BUSY!” Circulate around students to assist where needed and monitor their progress.

Target Heart Rate Activity:  Once the students have completed putting on the heart rate monitors and are seated on the bleachers ask: “What have you noticed about your heart rate once you sat down and are still? (If is lowering) As I suggested at the beginning of class, your heart has to beat at a certain rate in order to become stronger. This rate is called your target heart rate. Before we can figure it we need to know what your resting heart rate is. Since you have all just been moving around, I want you to spread out on the bleachers so that you can lie down on your back and relax.” Make sure everyone has room to lie down. Say: “When I start the music, concentrate on your breathing, breathing in slowly, filling your lungs, and exhaling slowly. We will relax for about two minutes.” Start relaxation music CD. After two minutes say: “Quietly look at your wrist monitor. The # that you see is what you will record as your resting heart rate. Please write that number on your worksheet next to resting heart rate (RHR). Another number that we need to figure your target heart rate is your maximum heart rate (MHR). To find this, take 220 and subtract your age. For those of you who are 15, your MHR would be 205. Figure your MHR and write it down on your worksheet. Your target heart rate (THR) is a range of 65% - 85% of your MHR. Fill in the formula with the numbers you have for your RHR and MHR and figure out your THR. I will distribute calculators for you to share if you want to use one.” Workout a THR problem on the board so students can see the steps used to solve the formula. Circulate around to help where needed. Students who get their THR can help others.

Aerobic activities to develop Cardiorespiratory Endurance:  Once students have completed the top part of the worksheet say: You can develop good cardiorespiratory endurance by engaging in aerobic activities. These are activities that increase your heart rate and last for an extended period of time. An example of an aerobic activity would be long distance running or long distance swimming. Can anyone think of any other examples of aerobic activities?” As students site examples, write them down on the dry erase board. Encourage responses by prompting with questions such as “what will get your heart rate up?” or “would you be able to keep that up for an extended period of time?”.

Introduction to Step Aerobics: Guided questions and Video  Once the students have compiled a good list of activities say: “Step aerobics is a common form of aerobic exercise. The only piece of equipment you need is a step. You may purchase steps on-line or at a sporting goods store, or you can construct a step like we will use in class. Step aerobics can be done by yourself using routines that you make up, along with a video, or in a class setting with an instructor. The step routines used can be very basic, or more elaborate and dance-like. As you will see once we start stepping there are strategies used to make the activity more intense for those in better shape, or less intense for those just developing cardiorespiratory endurance.”  Say: “Before we start learning the step I want you to watch this short video of a step workout.” The video is found on YouTube, “Fitness: Beginner Step Aerobics Vol.1- Workout 1”.

Guided Practice/Monitoring:

Modified Step Workout/Target Heart Rate Check: Demonstration and Cues  After watching the video say: “As you saw, step aerobics can be a lot of fun! We are going to go into the cheerleading room to step. When I ask you to move, put all your worksheets in one pile at the end of the bleachers and the pencils in one pile next to them. Pick up your step and get into your squads in the cheerleading room facing the mirrors. Make sure you have space around your step. Sit down on your step.” While students are moving, setup the CD player in the cheer room with the Step Aerobic CD. Assist students in proper placement of their steps so they will have adequate room to move.  Once the students are situated ask: “What happened to your heart rate when you were moving your steps? As we start stepping you will notice that your heart rate will increase rapidly and then level off as your body achieves a steady state. Before we start let me share a few safety precautions: Demonstrate each precaution. 1. Step up on the step heel, toe. Step down toe, heel. 2. Do not let your heel hang off the back of the step. It puts too much strain on the Achilles tendon. 3. NEVER move forward stepping off the step. Always step off backwards or sideways. Moving forward puts too much strain on the knee. 4. Keep knee joints soft. Do not lock knees. It places too much stress on the knee. 5. NEVER step without shoes on. Our steps are wooden and may give you splinters plus you need good support on your feet. 6. Focus on your own stepping. Use the mirror to help you. Looking around may cause you to lose your balance. Check your heart rate. Everyone stand up behind your step, facing the mirror.”  Say: “We will warm-up by doing the basic step.” Perform the step slowly using cues. After demonstrating, have students join you. Cue: Step up right, step up left, down right, down left. Practice basic right with cues gradually picking up the pace and eliminating the cues (approximately 20 steps). Remind students to step up heel, toe, and down toe, heel. Demonstrate the left basic. After demonstrating, have students join you. Cue: Step up left, step up right, down left, down right. Practice same as right basic. Explain to students about the lead foot. Say: “The lead foot is the one that steps up on the step first. A right basic means that the right foot is the lead. We change leads because the lead foot does most of the work. When we start doing routines we will perform the routine once with one lead, and perform it again with the opposite lead. Let me show you how we can change leads without stopping. Demonstrate the tap change. Perform four basic right steps, tap change, 4 basic left steps, tap change. Have students repeat this sequence with you 4 times. Cue: Step up right, step up left, down right, down left/Up right, up left, down right, down left/Up right, up left, down right, down left/Up right, up left, down right, down tap left/Up left, up right, down left, down right/AND SO ON. Gradually pick up pace and eliminate cues.  Turn on music. Lead class in basic steps starting with 8 basic rights, tap change, 8 basic lefts, tap change, 4 basic rights, tap change, 4 basic lefts, tap change, 2 basic rights, tap change, 2 basic lefts, tap change, 1 basic right, tap change, 1 basic left, tap change. Continue alternating for 8 more steps. After last step continue with side steps back and forth on the floor. Cue: Stay on floor, single sides, follow me. Change single sides to hamstring curls for 16 counts, forward kicks for 16 counts, over head reaches for 16 counts, singles sides till heart rate check is done. Say: “We have just finished a warm-up which included a dynamic stretch. Carefully check your heart rate.” Walk around the room and check everyone’s HR monitor to ensure that they are working right. Ask: “Is your heart rate in your target zone yet? It should be higher than when we started. Your target heart rate may be in the lower range of the zone, but many of you probably have not reached your zone yet. We will start an abbreviated workout now so that you can feel what its like to work at the upper range of your target zone. We will start with our basic step. I will introduce several more steps. When I change the step, stay with the basic until you can follow along with me.” Start with the basic right and basic left like in the warm-up. After the alternating basics add the turn step, alternating knee lifts, side leg lifts, hamstring curls, kicks, v-step, tap up tap down, and over the top (See Step Descriptions Below). After each step has been introduced continue the same steps doing 8 before changing to the next step. Make sure students are cued to change steps before they need to change. Check the students to make sure that they are following properly. Add some arm movements to the steps. After 5 minutes, students will continue with the basic step while the teacher checks heart rates. Continue these same step patterns adding arm movements and hops to add intensity. After 5 more minutes ask students to perform the basic step while the teacher checks heart rate monitors. Continue with a cool-down, cue students to stay on the floor and perform single side steps. Remind them to keep their feet moving but to start slowing down the pace. Say: We keep our feet moving and muscles working during the cool-down to help the heart more quickly return to its resting rate. If we just stop activity, the blood will pool in our hands and feet and the heart will have to work extremely hard to bring that blood back into circulation.” Continue with the same floor moves that were done in the warm-up. Conclude with marching in place. Ask: “Has your heart rate come down? Is it below your target zone? Can you breathe normally?” If the students are still breathing hard continue with slower marching or small single side steps, gradually decreasing the pace. Once students have cooled down enough say: “We will now conclude our cool-down with some static stretching. Place your right foot up on the step, keep your right leg relatively straight, hinge at your hips and reach your chin down toward your right knee. Hold this stretch and breathe in and out slowly. Keep your right foot up on the step but step back with your left foot into a lunge position. Keep your left leg straight and lean into your bent right knee. Hold this stretch breathing slowly in and out. Bend your left knee and lower your hips toward the floor. Push your belly button toward the mirror. Hold this stretch and breathe in and out slowly.” Hold each stretch for 15-30 seconds. Repeat all three stretches with the left leg on the step. While the students stretch, observe each one for correct form. Make corrections as needed. If students have difficulty following any of this workout, stop and work on the parts they are having trouble with. The main emphasis of this lesson is to work within the target heart rate, and they will have trouble doing that if they cannot follow the instructor’s lead.

Step Descriptions: o Turn Step: (4 counts) Step up on the right edge of step with right foot, left steps up on the left edge of step (feet are now wide apart on the step). As you start to step down with the right foot your body will make a quarter turn clockwise with the right foot coming down on the floor by the left edge of step then the left foot taps down between the step and the right foot (you are now looking at the wall to the right). Step back up with the left foot on the left edge of the step, step up with the right foot on the right edge of the step (feet are again wide apart on the step), make a quarter turn counter clockwise and step left foot off by right edge and right foot taps down between the left foot and the step. (Two turn steps/one turn) o Alternating Knee lifts: (8 counts) Step right foot up on the left edge of the step. Lift left knee. Step down with left foot, step down with right. Step up on right edge of step with left foot, lift right knee. Step down with right foot, step down with left. That is one alternating knee step. The step is changed to a side leg lift by lifting the straight leg slightly out to the side (abducting the leg). The hamstring curl is performed by keeping the knee down and bringing the heel up toward the buttocks. The kick alternating lifts you just do a low kick out front. o V-Step: (4 counts) This is done like the basic step starting on the floor at the center of the step but you step up to the outer edges of the step and step off back at the center. Kind of like the turn step but you don’t turn. o Tap Up Tap Down: (4 counts) This step can be done facing the step or turned to the side. Right lead – step up on the step with your right foot, bring your left foot up and tap it on the step, step down with your left foot, bring right foot down and tap. o Over-the-Top: (4 counts) Right lead: Step up with right foot turning a quarter turn counter clockwise as the right foot steps up (you are now facing the left wall), step up with left foot, step down on the other side of the step with your right foot, step down with your left foot. You are still facing the left wall but on the other side of the step. This step can be started with your already facing the left wall, depending on what step preceded this one.

Closure (Reflect Anticipatory Set):

Wind up: Questions and lecture.  Tell the students to sit on their step facing the mirror. Ask: How many of you stayed within your target zone during the workout part of this activity? Anyone go above their target zone? What did we do that made your heart rate go up?” Answers should include, arm movements, hops, pace of the music increased. Say: “So if you need for your heart rate to decrease you can stop using your arms, or lower the intensity of your steps. These steps are not adjustable, but you can buy steps that are. The higher your step is the higher your heart rate will be. If not using arm movement or decreasing the intensity of your steps does not lower your heart rate enough you could perform these moves without the steps, on the floor. I never want you to stop. If it gets too hard you can march in place, or do the basic step. But remember, you need to check your heart rate monitor to make sure that you stay within your target heart rate range. When it drops below or to the lower part of the range, use one of the strategies that we just discussed to increase your heart rate. Does anyone have any questions concerning what we did today?”  Say: “Next class period you will put your heart rate monitors on in the locker room and I will show you how to clean them before putting them away. We will start right away with the step workout learning some more steps and starting to learn the mandatory routines. Turn your heart rate monitors off and place them in the empty basin so that I may clean them. Please stack the steps as you found them in the locker room when you go in. Great job today girls!! You may dress in.”

Assessment Based on Objectives:  The student will calculate their target heart rate using the formula given in class with 75% accuracy. The students will show mastery by completing problems on a worksheet for homework.  The student will demonstrate how to maintain their heart rate within their target heart rate while wearing a heart rate monitor with 90% accuracy. The teacher will periodically check heart rate monitors during the workout and give feedback to students on their progress.  The student will practice safe behaviors while performing on the step with 100% accuracy. The teacher will use a check sheet while observing student activity on the step. Sample Check Sheet for Step Safety

M T W TH F Jennifer

Heel Toe/Toe Heel S Whole Foot on Step U Steps off Correctly S Appropriate Shoes S Focus on Instructor and S Self Knees are Soft S S = Safe U = Unsafe

Adaptations (For Students With Special Needs):

Kristen is hearing impaired. She has 75% hearing loss in her right ear and 65% hearing loss in her left ear. She reads lips well. I make sure that Kristen is looking at me when I talk. I also use gestures like tapping my right leg with my hand when that will be my lead leg or pointing in the direction that we will move in. Kristen does not have any trouble following directions. She does not have an aide with her, but I assign a buddy to her, with her blessing, to help interpret if she has trouble.

Nikki had a bad reaction to the DPT shot when she was an infant. Due to that reaction she suffered brain injury that has left her moderately retarded. She also suffers from grand mal seizures. Physically Nikki is a large girl and does not have good balance or agility. The adaptations I have made for Nikki are to have her work on some of the basic moves on the floor instead of on a step. She has a hard time coordinating her movements. She has a special education aide that is with her all the time. Nikki has an easier time moving when her aide holds her hand. Nikki wears the heart rate monitor, but so far she has not gotten her heart rate up to her target zone. She does enjoy the music and keeps moving though she is not able to keep up with the pace of the rest of the class. Nikki at times is a behavioral problem so her aide or I need to be with her at all times. I had the school nurse come to the class at the beginning of the semester to educate my class on what to do when a seizure occurs. Many of the girls had never seen a grand mal seizure so I showed them a video of what one might look like. Nikki has suffered one seizure while in my class. Luckily it did not last long.

Extensions (For Advanced Students): Advanced students in Physical Education class are those who are athletically skilled and are highly motivated. In a step aerobic class these students will help lead the class while I am assessing. They can also help me to make routines to teach to the class. Any student that excels in our fitness activities I make a point of letting them know what careers are available in the fitness field, and how they can make extra money being an instructor while they are in school.

Possible Connections to Other Subjects:

1. The function of the circulatory and respiratory systems in anatomy and physiology. 2. Knowing how to plug numbers into formulas to solve problems in math. 3. Problem solving skills used in all subject areas.

Reflection:

This lesson had a lot of activities and each activity flowed well from one to the other in a logical progression. The students were able to grasp the concepts of cardiorespiratory endurance, and target heart rate through discussion and the worksheet but then were able to actually experience through activity. The students loved using the heart rate monitors. With continued use they will be able to correlate their physical symptoms experienced while exercising with the level of their heart rates. I was impressed that some of the girls were able to problem solve by adding more intensity if their heart rate was too low or decreasing the intensity if their heart rate was too high. Showing the video before starting on the step built generated a lot of enthusiasm in the class. They were excited about learning this new activity. The demonstration and modeling strategies that I used to teach the different steps worked very well. All the girls were able to follow along accept for Nikki who worked at her own pace with her aide. I felt that the target heart rate worksheet took too long to do. In the future I think that I will teach several of my more academically adept girls the skill the day before and then work on the worksheet in groups with each group having a leader who can take her group through the process step by step. I would also work through one or two of the practice problems assigned for homework before sending the worksheet home with the girls. I did not meet my objective with this worksheet assignment. I also think that if I present the target heart rate part of the lesson at the end of the class before we start stepping the girls might retain it better. Then we could review this procedure before putting on the heart rate monitors.

Lesson Plan developed by Debby Crowell, ED505, Dr. Fowler Name: ______

Target Heart Rate Worksheet

Target Heart Rate (THR): The range of heart rate that you must achieve while performing an aerobic activity in order to gain cardiorespiratory fitness. Your THR is 65% - 85% of your MHR.

In order to figure your THR you must first know your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) and your Resting Heart Rate (RHR).

MHR = 220 – age.

My MHR = 220 - ______(your age) My MHR = ______

My RHR = ______

The formula to figure your THR is:

Lower THR =((MHR – RHR) X .65)) + RHR

Upper THR = ((MHR – RHR) X .85)) + RHR

Use your numbers for MHR and RHR and figure out your THR. You may use a calculator.

WORK THE FOLLOWING THR PROBLEMS FOR HOMEWORK - Show your work on the back of this sheet for each problem.

Find the target heart rate zone for the following people:

1. 20 year old woman with a RHR of 60 2. 60 year old man with a RHR of 72 3. 14 year old girl with a RHR of 68 4. 80 year old woman with a RHR of 70

This is due the next day you are in class. Turn it in by placing it in the tray on your teacher’s desk.