Equip all students with a heart rate monitor if applicable. The teacher will introduce the lesson by briefly explaining the idea of heart beats and heart rates – how the intensity of an activity affects the heart beat. If heart rate monitors are not available, the teacher should review how to take a manual pulse. Before the students begin, they will find and record their resting heart rate. With a partner, students will then participate in each of the stations recording their heart rate on the teacher’s cue (every 3-4 minutes). Students will rotate every 8-10 minutes on the teacher’s prompt. To complete all stations this lesson may take several class sessions.

A worksheet should be provided that allows students to record their heart rates at each station and then comment as to why a particular station may have resulted in a higher or lower heart rate.

Station 1 Virtual Sports Game (Nintendo Wii Sports) - Tennis or Boxing
Station 2 Gamercize Steppers - 'Play' mode (Predetermine the game in which will be used)
Station 3 Dance Dance Revolution - Free Play Mode
Station 4 Virtual Bikes (Cateye GameBike)- Predetermine the game and mode that will be used
Station 5 Martial Arts Simulator (3 Kick) - 30sec-1min games individual OR 1-2min games as a partner team
Station 6 Jump rope - Students perform a variety of jump rope routines
Station 7 Locomotor skills - Students perform various locomotor skills around the gym

Closure/Assessment:

Review the concept of heart rates- check for understanding. Have the students determine their max heart rate and average heart rate. Ask some students why understanding this concept is important to them? Discuss heart rates at the various stations and have students explain why their heart rates may have been lower at certain stations.

Choose stations/activities based on the intensity levels you would like your students to experience throughout the lesson. For example, if you are aiming to achieve high heart rates, allowing students to participate in Wii bowling may produce lower hearts then if they are asked to play Wii boxing. However, having a station resulting in lower heart rates can be a learning objective in which students explain why their heart rates were lower or higher as a result of participating at a particular station.

Traditional and/or active gaming stations can be modified based on available equiment.