Inquiry Plan—Grade 3 Active Living: Physical Fitness
Inquiry Plan—Grade 3 Active Living: Physical Fitness
Curriculum Expectations (Grade 3)
1.1 - use self-awareness and self-monitoring skills to help
them understand their strengths and needs, take respon-
sibility for their actions, recognize sources of stress, and
monitor their own progress, as they participate in physical
activities, develop movement competence, and acquire
knowledge and skills related to healthy living
A1.2 - demonstrate an understanding of factors that
contribute to their personal enjoyment of being active
as they participate in a wide variety of individual and
small- group activities [PS]
A2.2 - identify new capabilities and other benets that
may result from improved cardiorespiratory tness [CT]
A2.3 - assess their degree of physical exertion during
cardiorespiratory tness activities, using simple self-
assessment methods [PS]
A2.4 - develop and act on personal goals related to physical
activity [PS, CT]
Big Ideas
1. Being physically active helps me to feel good and stay
healthy and strong.
2. Knowing what I like about being active can help me set
personal goals related to being active.
3. Being able to monitor how hard I am working during
physical activities will help me achieve my physical activ-
ity goals.
Possible Inquiry Question:
Why is it important to be physically active?
How will I know I’m trying my best when participating in physical activities?
What Students Need to Know
• The benets of physical activity
The factors that contribute to personal enjoyment
of being active
• Various methods of assessing cardiovascular exertion
How to develop and act on personal goals related to
physical activity
What students need to be able to do
Use simple methods to assess their degree of
cardiovascular exertion
Monitor their progress during physical activity
• Develop a goal related to cardiorespiratory tness
Act on a personal goal
Show understanding of how their actions relate to
personal enjoyment
Ophea | 2016 | Inquiry-Based Learning in Health and Physical Education
Inquiry Plan—Grade 3 Active Living: Physical Fitness (cont.)
Culminating Assessment (of Learning)
Students explore and investigate the benets of cardiorespiratory tness, degree of exertion, and goal setting.
Students communicate their ndings through creating and acting on a personal goal related to physical activity and
share it through visual means that might include:
• a class book/blog of personal tness goals or on a running shoe cut out and displayed on a bulletin board
creating a class infographic on what they learned about cardiorespiratory tness, exertion, and goal setting and how
it has helped them be more capable in participating in physical activities (e.g., activities they enjoy, 100% of the class
have been able to elevate their heart rate when playing triangle tag, benets of being active, etc.)
Reection: After completing the culminating task, students revisit their KWHLQ Chart (Appendix B) and complete sections
on what they have learned and what new questions they have that surfaced from their ndings. Students reect on the
process of inquiry, examining successes, challenges, and how they might overcome challenges.
Activating Prior Knowledge
Alphaboxes (Appendix A)
As a class, students give a word related to physical activity or cardiorespiratory tness starting with each letter of the
alphabet as identied in Appendix A. Responses can be an activity, tness related vocabulary, or anything that comes to
mind when thinking about tness (e.g., H—heart beat, J—jump). Write the initials of the student who suggests the word
in the box beside it.
Option: Students complete chart with parents/guardians at home over the course of the unit.
KWHLQ Chart for Cardiorespiratory Fitness (Appendix B)
Individually, using Appendix B, students record on a sticky note what they know about cardiorespiratory tness, what
they want to know, and how they think they can nd the information. At the start of the unit/inquiry, students put their
notes on a class KWHLQ Wall Chart, or they can share their responses verbally and the teacher or student leader records
these on chart paper. Keep the chart paper displayed and revisit it often throughout and following the completion of
the inquiry. Allow students the opportunity to reect on what they have learned and what new questions have surfaced
throughout the inquiry.
Poster/Infographic (Appendix C)
Share a quote or grade-appropriate tness poster or infographic (e.g., see Appendix C) and record questions students have
in response to what they see and think. Consider modelling questioning for students if appropriate. Possible questions
might include:
• I wonder how hard I’m working?
• I wonder how I will know how I’m doing now?
• I wonder what the difference is between being THE best versus doing my best?
• I wonder how we get all of the class to do better than we did?
Students can record questions on their KWHLQ Chart, a “Wonder Wall” in the activity space, or an online message board
used for ongoing class reections.
Ophea | 2016 | Inquiry-Based Learning in Health and Physical Education
Inquiry Plan—Grade 3 Active Living: Physical Fitness (cont.)
Instructional Activities
Assessment For/As Learning
Effect of different levels of physical activity
on the body—Exertion
Students work in small groups and complete stations
that identify a variety of different physical activities,
for 1 minute per station. Activities might include vigorous
walking, jumping jacks, or skipping. Students monitor
their physical reactions (checking their heart rate, rate of
breath, ability to talk, sound of their breath, and perceived
exertion) during the physical activity. Following the activity,
students record their observations about their heart rate,
rate of breath, ability to talk, sound of their breath, and
perceptions of how hard they were working.
Observations Graphic Organizer (Appendix D)
Exploring enjoyment of participating
Students participate in a variety of physical activities
(e.g. Noodle tag, Everybody’s It, Animal circuit, co-operative
games) and reect on factors that contribute to their
enjoyment of being active.
Large-group discussion
Teacher observations, verbal feedback
Anecdotal Recording Chart (Appendix E)
Personal goal setting
Using the Think, Pair, Share strategy, students brainstorm
what they know about setting a goal. Have pairs share
their responses with the class. Consider recording student
responses on the board or chart paper. Students practise
setting a simple goal and recording it on an index card.
Students exchange goals with a peer to assess progress
toward their goals based on a checklist of criteria.
Educator can model a class goal.
Teacher observation with verbal feedback using Fitness
Self-Assessment Checklist (Appendix F)
Possible Reection Questions for Unit
• How did you feel during the activity we just completed?
• Did you enjoy that activity? What did you enjoy about the activity?
• What were some of the changes that happened in your body as you participated in the activity?
• What could be changed so that the activity would be more enjoyable for you and for everyone?
• What goal would you have next time?
• What are the benets of participating in physical activity and getting your heart beating faster?
• What do you need to do to get your heart beating faster and lungs working harder?
• Did you work hard enough to have an increased heart rate throughout the task?
Reection questions for setting a goal
• Did you participate in class activities that you planned in order to help you reach your goal?
• Did you do the home activities that you planned in order to help you reach your goal?
• What was the hardest part of trying to reach your goal?
• What would you change for your next tness goal?
Note: A tness inquiry folder/notebook could be used for students to record questions they have, information about
their degree of exertion, factors affecting tness, achievement of their goal, appendix material, how they feel/enjoy-
ment, and reections about any part of the process.
Ophea | 2016 | Inquiry-Based Learning in Health and Physical Education
Appendix A: Alphaboxes
In each box, try to write any words that begin with that letter and are related to Physical Activity or Cardiorespiratory Fitness.
A B
C
D E
F G H I J
K L
M
N O
P Q R S T
U V
W
X Y Z
Ophea | 2016 | Inquiry-Based Learning in Health and Physical Education
Appendix B: KWHLQ Chart for Cardiorespiratory Fitness
What do I know? What do I want to know? How will I nd out? What did I learn?
What questions do I have now?
Ophea | 2016 | Inquiry-Based Learning in Health and Physical Education
Appendix C: Poster/Infographic
It’s not about
being the
BEST
it’s about being
BETTER
than you
were yesterday.
Ophea | 2016 | Inquiry-Based Learning in Health and Physical Education
Appendix C: Poster/Infographic (cont.)
Work hard and
be proud of what
you can achieve
Do something that
your future self
will thank you for.
Ophea | 2016 | Inquiry-Based Learning in Health and Physical Education
Appendix D: Observations Graphic Organizer
Perform each activity, taking 1 minute of rest between each activity.
Physical
Activity
Heart Rate
• Regular beating
• Faster beating
How hard are
you working on a
scale of 1-10?
Breathing
No change
I can hear
my breath
I’m breathing
hard
Talk Test
Can’t talk
Can talk with
some gasping
Can talk easily
How hard are
you working?
Going easy
Medium hard
Working
my hardest
How do you
feel when
you’re being
active?
Crab walk across
the activity area
20 jumping
jacks
Skip around the
activity area
4 times
Boxer jogs
20 second
Hop on each
leg 5 times
Skip rope
20 times
Run 1 lap around
activity area as
fast as you can
What activity made you breathe the hardest?
How do you know you’re working hard?
What activity did you enjoy the most?
Ophea | 2016 | Inquiry-Based Learning in Health and Physical Education
Appendix E: Anecdotal Recording Chart
Success Criteria:
• Student identies why they enjoy being active.
• Student identies physical, social, emotional, and mental benets.
Student Name
Evidence
Student Name
Evidence
Student Name
Evidence
Student Name
Evidence
Student Name
Evidence
Student Name
Evidence
Student Name
Evidence
Ophea | 2016 | Inquiry-Based Learning in Health and Physical Education
Appendix F: Fitness Self-Assessment Checklist
Success Criteria
Application
1.1 - uses self-awareness and self-monitoring
skills to help them understand their strengths
and needs, take responsibility for their actions,
recognize sources of stress and monitor their
own progress, as they participate in physical
activities, develop movement competence, and
acquire knowledge and skills related to healthy
living
A2.3 - assess their degree of physical exertion
during cardiorespiratory tness activities, using
simple self assessment methods [PS]
Application
1.5 - use a range of critical and creative thinking
skills and processes to assist them in making
connections, planning and setting goals, analysing
and solving problems, making decisions, and
evaluating their choices in connection with
learning in health and physical education
A2.4 - develop and act on personal goals
related to physical activity [PS, CT]
Student Names
Got it Still working on it Got it Still working on it
Ophea | 2016 | Inquiry-Based Learning in Health and Physical Education