29.2 Physical Fitness, FitnessGram, Inclusive PE & Game Tactics

Overview & Exam Relevance

Competency 004 (Physical Education) asks teachers to:

• apply principles of fitness (cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, weight control, conditioning, safety, stress management, and nutrition);
• evaluate and monitor fitness, including with technology;
• understand strategies and tactics for games and sports;
• teach rules, etiquette, and fair play; and
• design and adapt activities so that all students, including those with physical, emotional, sensory, learning, or language differences, are actively engaged.

This section covers fitness components and the Texas FitnessGram, inclusive and adapted physical education, heat safety, the PE TEKS, game tactics, and fitness technology.

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Components of Physical Fitness & The Texas FitnessGram

Physical fitness divides into health-related components (essential for disease prevention and physiological vitality) and skill-related components (essential for athletic performance).

Health-Related Fitness Components

1. Cardiorespiratory Endurance: The capacity of the circulatory and respiratory systems to supply oxygen to skeletal muscles during sustained, continuous physical activity.
2. Muscular Strength: The maximum amount of force a muscle or muscle group can exert in a single maximal effort.
3. Muscular Endurance: The ability of a muscle or muscle group to exert submaximal force repeatedly over an extended duration without fatigue.
4. Flexibility: The functional range of motion available at a joint or series of joints.
5. Body Composition: The relative ratio of lean body mass (muscle, bone, vital organs, and water) to fat tissue mass.

The Texas FitnessGram Battery (TEC §38.101)

Under Texas Education Code §38.101, all Texas public school districts must administer an annual physical fitness assessment to all students enrolled in grades 3 through 12. Texas adopted the FitnessGram, developed by The Cooper Institute.

Key features of the Texas FitnessGram include:

• Criterion-Referenced Standards: FitnessGram evaluates performance against criterion-referenced benchmarks known as the Healthy Fitness Zone (HFZ). Rather than ranking students normatively against their peers (e.g., percentiles), the HFZ represents the objective level of fitness associated with good health and reduced risk of chronic cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
• Test Battery Protocols:
  • Cardiorespiratory Endurance: The PACER (Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run), a 20-meter multistage shuttle run back and forth across a marked course set to an audio cadence that accelerates each minute; or the alternative One-Mile Run/Walk.
  • Muscular Strength and Endurance (Upper Body): The 90-Degree Push-Up Test, administered to a recorded cadence of one push-up every 3 seconds, requiring a 90-degree elbow bend and straight body alignment.
  • Muscular Strength and Endurance (Abdominal): The Curl-Up Test, administered to a recorded cadence of 20 curl-ups per minute (one every 3 seconds), requiring the student to slide their fingertips across a 4.5-inch measuring strip (or 3-inch for younger students) with heels remaining on the mat.
  • Trunk Extensor Strength and Flexibility: The Trunk Lift, where the student lies prone on a mat and smoothly elevates their upper body using back extensor muscles, measured with a ruler from the chin to the mat (maximum scored lift is 12 inches to prevent lumbar hyperextension).
  • Flexibility: The Back-Saver Sit-and-Reach, measuring hamstring and lower back flexibility by testing one leg at a time while the opposite knee is bent with foot flat, protecting the lower lumbar spine; or the Shoulder Stretch.
  • Body Composition: Calculated using Body Mass Index (BMI) derived from objective height and weight measurements, or skinfold caliper measurements.

Skill-Related Fitness Components

Skill-related fitness attributes enhance motor performance in sports and specialized movement:

• Agility: The capacity to rapidly change body direction and position with speed, balance, and control.
• Balance: The ability to maintain biological equilibrium while stationary (static) or moving (dynamic).
• Coordination: The smooth, accurate integration of multiple sensory systems (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) with motor output to execute complex actions.
• Power: The rate at which mechanical work is performed; the explosive product of muscular force and movement velocity (Power = Force x Velocity).
• Reaction Time: The time elapsed between the presentation of an external sensory stimulus and the initial muscular response.
• Speed: The ability to propel the entire body or body parts across a specific distance in the shortest elapsed time.

Exercise Physiology: The FITT Principle & Energy Systems

The FITT Principle governs exercise prescription for physical conditioning:

• F — Frequency: How often physical activity occurs (e.g., 5 to 7 days per week for children).
• I — Intensity: How vigorously the activity is performed. Children should accumulate at least 60 minutes of daily Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA), operating within a target heart rate zone of 50% to 85% of Maximum Heart Rate (where Maximum Heart Rate = 220 - Age).
• T — Time: The duration of the session (at least 60 minutes daily, accumulated through structured PE, active play, and recess).
• T — Type: The specific mode of exercise (aerobic, muscle-strengthening, or bone-strengthening activities).

Aerobic vs. Anaerobic Exercise:

• Aerobic Exercise: Continuous, rhythmic activities lasting several minutes to hours that rely on the oxidative metabolic pathway using oxygen to synthesize adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Aerobic exercise (jogging, distance swimming, brisk walking, jump rope) develops cardiorespiratory endurance and utilizes slow-twitch (Type I) muscle fibers.
• Anaerobic Exercise: High-intensity, short-duration activities lasting from a fraction of a second to approximately two minutes that exceed the body's capacity to deliver oxygen, relying on the ATP-PCr (phosphagen) and anaerobic glycolytic pathways. Anaerobic exercise (sprinting, maximal vertical jumps, heavy weightlifting) builds explosive muscular power and engages fast-twitch (Type II) muscle fibers.

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Inclusive Physical Education, Adaptive Pedagogy & Climate Safety

Elementary physical education must provide equitable, safe, and developmentally appropriate physical activity for all learners.

Adapted Physical Education (APE) & Universal Design in PE

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, students with disabilities must receive physical education instruction in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) alongside their non-disabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate. Physical educators apply Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Adapted Physical Education (APE) strategies by modifying instructional variables:

• Equipment Modifications: Utilizing larger, lighter, or brightly colored balls (foam balls, beach balls, yarn balls) that travel slower to assist students with visual-motor processing delays; providing audible, beeping balls for students with visual impairments; using short-handled, oversized rackets; lowering basketball hoops or volleyball nets.
• Rule and Boundary Modifications: Allowing multiple bounces in tennis or four-square; permitting students in wheelchairs to hold the ball in their lap for extra pushes; widening base paths or shortening running distances; substituting running with partner buddies.
• Instructional Differentiation: Providing multi-modal directions (combining verbal explanations with visual picture task cards and teacher/peer physical demonstrations); breaking complex motor skills into smaller constituent steps (task analysis and forward chaining); pairing students with supportive peer partners.

Environmental Heat Safety in Texas Climates

Teaching outdoors in Texas requires vigilant monitoring of environmental heat stress, high ambient humidity, and the heat index. Children are physiologically more vulnerable to heat-related illnesses than adults because they have a higher surface-area-to-body-mass ratio, produce more metabolic heat per pound of body weight during exercise, and possess less developed sweating mechanisms.

• Hydration Protocols: Mandate water breaks every 15 to 20 minutes during warm weather; encourage students to drink water before feeling thirsty; never withhold water as a disciplinary consequence.
• Heat Illness Spectrum:
  • Heat Cramps: Painful, involuntary skeletal muscle spasms (typically in calves or abdomen) caused by profuse sweating and electrolyte depletion. Action: Move student to shade, rest, gently stretch muscle, and provide cool water or electrolyte drink.
  • Heat Exhaustion: A moderate systemic heat illness caused by hypovolemia and dehydration. Symptoms include: profuse sweating, cool, pale, or clammy skin, weakness, dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, and a rapid, weak pulse. Core body temperature is slightly elevated but remains below 104°F. Action: Move student immediately to an air-conditioned room, elevate feet, loosen or remove heavy clothing, apply cool wet towels to neck and face, fan the student, and provide small sips of cool water if fully conscious. If vomiting occurs, seek immediate medical attention.
  • Heat Stroke: A CRITICAL, LIFE-THREATENING MEDICAL EMERGENCY caused by the complete failure of the body's thermoregulatory mechanisms. Core body temperature exceeds 104°F (40°C). Symptoms include: hot, red, dry skin (or sometimes profuse sweating during exertional collapse), confusion, bizarre behavior, combativeness, delirium, slurred speech, loss of consciousness, seizures, and rapid bounding pulse. Action: CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY. Begin aggressive, rapid cooling: immerse the student up to the neck in cold water if available, or place ice packs in the neck, axillae (armpits), and groin while fanning vigorously. Do NOT attempt to force fluids by mouth if mental status is altered.

Texas PE TEKS: Social and Emotional Health

The 2020 PE TEKS organize learning into five strands of equal importance: movement patterns and movement skills; performance strategies; health, physical activity, and fitness; social and emotional health; and lifetime wellness. The social and emotional health strand (working with others, responding to class expectations, and applying self-management skills) and the lifetime wellness strand emphasize:

• Sportsmanship and Fair Play: Following rules without teacher surveillance, accepting official decisions graciously, congratulating opponents, and resolving game disputes peacefully through rock-paper-scissors or discussion.
• Cooperation and Teamwork: Encouraging peers of varying athletic abilities, sharing equipment equitably, and recognizing that personal physical effort contributes to collaborative group success.
• Lifelong Value of Physical Activity: Cultivating an appreciation of physical movement for self-expression, stress reduction, social connection, and personal challenge.

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Game Tactics and Strategies

The Teaching Games for Understanding approach groups games by their tactical problems, so strategies learned in one game transfer to others:

Elementary students first learn skills in simple, small-sided games (such as 2 vs. 1 keep-away) with modified equipment and rules. Then they combine skills, such as dribbling while moving to open space, and develop teamwork.

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Rules, Etiquette, and Fair Play

Teach rules explicitly and explain their purposes: safety, fairness, and fun. Students practice self-officiating, shaking hands after games, encouraging teammates, and accepting calls. Modifying rules so everyone participates (no elimination games, rotating positions) increases activity time and keeps less-skilled students engaged.

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Technology for Monitoring and Improving Fitness

• Heart rate monitors show whether students are working in their target heart rate zone.
• Pedometers and accelerometers count steps and measure activity, supporting personal goals, such as adding 1,000 steps a day.
• Fitness apps and spreadsheets let students track FitnessGram results and set personal goals.
• Video analysis lets students watch their movement patterns and compare them with a mature form.

The emphasis is on personal improvement and goal setting, not comparing students to one another.

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Physical Activity, Stress Management, and Weight Control

Regular activity reduces stress and anxiety, improves sleep and concentration, and, together with healthy eating, helps maintain a healthy weight by balancing calories eaten with calories used. Children and adolescents should get at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily, including muscle- and bone-strengthening activities at least three days a week.

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Movement Skills & Physical Fitness Components Reference Table

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Classroom Scenario Application

Classroom Context: Ms. Henderson is conducting a 3rd-grade physical education lesson on striking and spatial awareness. The class includes Marcus, a student with moderate visual impairment, and Elena, a student who frequently struggles with fine-motor frustration.

Instructional Design & Station Implementation:

1. Warm-Up & Spatial Exploration: Ms. Henderson instructs students to travel across general space using a skip, alternating between straight and zigzag pathways, moving at a medium spatial level. On the whistle, students freeze in a wide, low-level balanced shape in their self-space.
2. Station 1: Striking with Implements: Students practice striking a suspended stationary ball with a paddle. For Marcus, Ms. Henderson provides an oversized, high-contrast yellow foam paddle and a high-contrast sound-emitting beeper ball suspended at chest level, allowing Marcus to utilize auditory feedback to execute a proper side-facing stance and contralateral forward step.
3. Station 2: Locomotor Sequencing: Students navigate a low-obstacle course requiring them to hop across three hoops on the left foot, leap over a foam hurdle onto the right foot, and slide sideways between cones.
4. Station 3: Health-Related Fitness: Students perform curl-ups to the recorded 3-second cadence, recording their completed reps on personal goal sheets aligned with the Healthy Fitness Zone rather than comparing numbers with peers.
5. Environmental Monitoring: With outdoor temperatures at 88°F and high humidity, Ms. Henderson enforces mandatory 90-second hydration breaks every 15 minutes, actively monitoring students for signs of heat exhaustion (pale skin, profuse sweating, or dizziness).