Exercise - Teacher Explanation

Welcome to Lesson 2.4 on Exercise, as part of the Year 2 Animals Including Humans unit. This lesson is designed to meet the National Curriculum's requirements for pupils to understand the significance of regular exercise, balanced diet, and maintaining good hygiene for humans. However, it is important to note that certain pupils with respiratory or cardiac conditions may need to be excused from some exercises for health and safety reasons. The lesson offers a multidisciplinary approach, linking with English through comprehension tasks, Maths by measuring time and distance, and Physical Education (PE) through a variety of exercises. The initial activity introduces pupils to different types of exercise, specifically resistance training, which focuses on strength building, and cardiovascular training, which enhances stamina and can be quite breath-taking.

The lesson proceeds with a research task where pupils delve into the positive impacts of exercise on the body, such as a stronger heart, improved recovery times, and lower blood pressure. Following this, the push-up challenge, which has been ongoing for six weeks, concludes in this session. The challenge involves pupils doing push-ups for a minute, three times a week, and tracking their progress in strength and stamina. It is an inclusive activity with no predetermined outcome based on gender. Analysis of the results can be incorporated into the lesson through graphing exercises. Another key activity is the star jump challenge, where pupils perform the exercise for one minute intervals, with rest and breath counting in between, to observe the body's demand for oxygen during exercise and how it returns to resting rates post-exercise. This practical application demonstrates the scientific principle of how the body regulates oxygen intake and energy use during and after physical exertion. The lesson aims to be engaging and informative, and sets the stage for further exploration in the next class.