Fitness for Life: Middle School provides a foundation for students to be physically active and fit throughout their whole lives. This middle school version of the award-winning high school text Fitness for Life meets the new NASPE National Physical Education Standards and state standards, and it is an ideal companion to the FITNESSGRAM/ACTIVITYGRAM assessment program. This book includes everything that made the original Fitness for Life one of the most widely used and respected high school texts. In addition, Fitness for Life: Middle School follows the IDEA formula:
I = Integrates with other academic areas (e.g., math, science, language arts)
D = Developmentally appropriate for middle school students
E = Educationally and pedagogically sound
A = Articulates with the high school level Fitness for Life
In Fitness for Life: Middle School, students follow the recommendations of the Physical Activity Pyramid to perform the correct amounts and kinds of activities. They also learn these skills:
Assess their own fitness levels and develop plans for improvement using short- and long-term goals
Develop skills to help them build self-esteem, communicate effectively, deal with peer pressure, and handle other social concerns
Understand how their bodies work so they can move more effectively and efficiently
Fitness for Life: Middle School is coauthored by Charles Corbin, a world-renowned expert in teaching lifetime fitness; Guy Le Masurier, who was an editor for Fitness for Life, Fifth Edition, and who coauthored the Children’s Physical Activity Guidelines for NASPE; and Dolly Lambdin, a nationally recognized leader in the field.
The text includes 18 lessons organized into 9 chapters. The lessons guide students in developing the skills they need in order to enjoy physical activity and explore the topics of body composition and nutrition, aerobics, sports, recreation, flexibility, and muscle fitness. The final chapter focuses on how to develop a healthful, active living. Each chapter includes the following elements:
Two lessons designed for the classroom portion of the class
A “Moving Together” feature that uses physical activity scenarios to address social issues of importance to middle-schoolers
A “Biomechanical Principles” feature that analyzes components of human movement
A “Take It Home” feature that guides students in independent projects that reinforce classroom lessons and encourage community interaction
A chapter review
There are other features throughout the book:
“Fit Facts” that offer interesting facts about health and fitness
Lesson vocabulary listing the key terms in each lesson
Web addresses that direct students to the FitnessforLife.org Web site for more content
Review questions for each lesson
Fitness for Life: Middle School not only sets the stage for high school by exposing middle-schoolers to a variety of developmentally appropriate and fun physical activities, but it also helps prepare them for a lifetime of health and fitness.
Unit I Fitness and Activity for All Chapter 1. Introduction to Physical Activity and Fitness Chapter 2. Learning Skills for Enjoying Physical Activity Chapter 3. Lifestyle Physical Activity
Unit II Aerobics, Sports, Recreation, and Flexibility Exercises Chapter 4. Active Aerobics Chapter 5. Active Sports and Recreation Chapter 6. Flexibility Exercises
Unit III Muscle Fitness, Body Composition, and Planning Chapter 7. Muscle Fitness Exercises Chapter 8. Body Composition, Physical Activity, and Nutrition Chapter 9. Planning for Physical Activity
Student text for middle school physical education classes.
Charles B. Corbin, PhD, is a professor emeritus in the department of exercise and wellness at Arizona State University. He has published more than 200 journal articles and has authored or contributed to more than 70 books, including Fitness for Life, an award-winning book now in its fifth edition. An internationally recognized expert in physical activity, health and wellness, and youth physical fitness, he has keynoted more than 35 state AHPERD (Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance) conventions and made major addresses and prestigious lectures in more than 15 countries. He is past president and fellow of the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education, a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), and a lifetime member of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD). Among his awards are a Healthy American Fitness Leaders Award, an AAHPERD Honor Award, a Physical Fitness Council Honor Award, a Council on Physical Education for Children (COPEC) Hanson Award, and the Distinguished Service Award from the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS). Dr. Corbin was named an AAHPERD Alliance Scholar and a National Association for Kinesiology and Physical Education in Higher Education (NAKPEHE) Distinguished Scholar and was recently inducted into the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) Hall of Fame.
Guy C. Le Masurier, PhD, is a professor of physical education at Malaspina University College, British Columbia, Canada. He has published numerous articles related to youth physical activity and physical education and coauthored the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) Physical Activity Guidelines for Children. Dr. Le Masurier has given more than 30 research and professional presentations at national and regional meetings. He reviews research for numerous professional journals and has contributed to Fitness for Life, Fifth Edition, and the Physical Best Activity Guide. Dr. Le Masurier is a member of AAHPERD (American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance), NASPE, ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine), and Canadian AHPERD.
Dolly D. Lambdin, EdD, is a senior lecturer in the department of kinesiology and health education at the University of Texas at Austin. She has 16 years of experience in public and private schools and 30 years in teacher preparation at the university level, much of it simultaneous. This required her to teach curriculum theory and teaching methods and actually teach hundreds of 5- to 14-year-olds. She has supervised more than 100 student teachers, visiting thousands of public school classes and learning from scores of fabulous cooperating teachers. Dr. Lambdin served as National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) president (2004-05), on the NASPE Board of Directors (2000-2006), and on the writing teams for the Texas Physical Education Essential Knowledge and Skills, the NASPE Beginning Teacher Standards, the Texas Beginning Teacher Standards, NASPE Online PE Guidelines, and the NASPE Appropriate Practices Revision. She has been an invited keynote speaker at state and national conferences. Dr. Lambdin has been honored as the Outstanding College and University Physical Educator of the Year by the Texas Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, and she has been recognized for distinguished leadership by the Council for School Leadership for Physical Education (CSLPE).
Supplementary Instructional Materials
Fitness for Life: Middle School Teacher’s Guide
2007 • Paperback with CD-ROM • 260 pp
ISBN 978-0-7360-6828-4 • Free to course adopters
Includes bound-in CD-ROM. Provides five lesson plans for each chapter: two lesson plans for the classroom sessions and three activity plans that supplement and reinforce the classroom content. Most plans are presented in four steps:
Gathering Information (for classroom lessons), or Instant Activity (for activity lessons)
Reflection and Summary
The lesson plans feature these elements:
Performance outcomes related to NASPE standards
Student worksheets for use in class or as take-home assignments
The website includes a test package for teachers, additional activities, and links to resources that support the learning. The middle school text’s companion Web site also provides a wealth of additional student content:
Lesson vocabulary in English and Spanish
Extended discussion of selected topics from the student textbook
Links to other sites and interactive features, such as calorie counters and BMI calculators
Two educational computer presentation programs developed exclusively for Fitness for Life: Middle School in which students answer questions and participate in teacher-directed activities
The Web site will be kept up to date with accurate and student-friendly content links and new content and research. The Web site is a valuable resource that supports Fitness for Life: Middle School by offering the accessible and valid information teachers want in a format middle-schoolers love. A bonus feature on the Web site is the “Ask the Author” section, where students can e-mail in their questions and have them answered by author Chuck Corbin.