Lesson Plan
Stay Strong Guide
Students will demonstrate understanding of muscle function and strength-building activities by completing a brief quiz and discussing answers to reinforce key concepts.
This quick, targeted lesson strengthens students’ grasp of muscular health and exercise principles, boosting confidence and promoting lifelong fitness habits.
Audience
6th Grade Small Group
Time
15 minutes
Approach
Administer a short quiz with guided review and tailored support.
Materials
Strength Slides, Stay Strong Quiz, Strength Quiz Answers, and Whiteboard and markers
Prep
Review Materials
5 minutes
- Print enough copies of Stay Strong Quiz for each student.
- Review Strength Slides to familiarize yourself with key points.
- Preview Strength Quiz Answers to anticipate common questions.
Step 1
Warm-Up & Introduction
2 minutes
- Gather students in a small group setting.
- Display the first two slides of Strength Slides on the board.
- Quickly review muscle types (skeletal, smooth, cardiac) and ask one recall question to engage prior knowledge.
Step 2
Quiz Administration
8 minutes
- Distribute Stay Strong Quiz to each student.
- Instruct students to complete the quiz individually or in pairs.
- Circulate to monitor progress, clarify questions, and provide support.
Step 3
Review & Discussion
3 minutes
- Project or collect quizzes and display answers from Strength Quiz Answers.
- Go through each question, highlighting correct responses and addressing misconceptions.
- Encourage students to explain why their answers are correct.
Step 4
Differentiation & Extension
2 minutes
- Support learners who struggled by reteaching one key concept using a simple demonstration or analogy.
- Challenge advanced students to name and describe one additional strength-building exercise not on the quiz.
- Note areas for follow-up instruction based on student performance.
Slide Deck
Stay Strong!
Explore muscle types and strength-building activities to keep you healthy and active.
Welcome students. Introduce the lesson focus on muscle function and strength. Explain that after these slides, they will take a brief quiz to reinforce learning.
Types of Muscles
• Skeletal: Voluntary muscles attached to bones.
• Smooth: Involuntary muscles in organs.
• Cardiac: Involuntary muscle of the heart.
Review each muscle type. Ask students for examples: e.g., skeletal: biceps, smooth: stomach, cardiac: heart.
How Muscles Work
• Muscles contract by shortening fibers.
• Tendons connect muscles to bones.
• Contraction pulls bones, creating movement.
Explain the concept of contraction and relaxation. Use arms to demonstrate contracting biceps.
Strength-Building Activities
• Push-ups
• Squats
• Planks
• Lunges
• Pull-ups
Highlight correct form for two exercises. Encourage students to think of other activities.
Why Build Strength?
• Improves posture and balance.
• Supports healthy bones.
• Increases confidence.
• Boosts overall fitness.
Discuss benefits. Ask students which benefits they find most motivating.
Quiz Time!
Grab your Stay Strong Quiz and let’s test your knowledge!
Instruct students to take out the quiz. Explain time and format. Move to quiz session.
Quiz
Stay Strong Quiz
Answer Key
Strength Quiz Answers
Use this key to guide your review discussion and grading.
Question 1
Prompt: Which type of muscle is under voluntary control and attached to bones?
Correct Answer: Skeletal muscle
Explanation: Skeletal muscles are the voluntary muscles that attach to bones via tendons. Students should recognize “skeletal” by remembering these muscles help move our arms and legs when we choose to.
Question 2
Prompt: Which type of muscle lines internal organs like the stomach?
Correct Answer: Smooth muscle
Explanation: Smooth muscles are involuntary and found in organs (stomach, intestines, blood vessels). They work automatically to move substances through the body.
Question 3
Prompt: Which muscle type is found only in the heart?
Correct Answer: Cardiac muscle
Explanation: Cardiac muscle is unique to the heart. It contracts rhythmically and involuntarily to pump blood throughout the body.
Question 4
Prompt: What connects muscles to bones and allows movement when muscles contract?
Correct Answer: Tendons
Explanation: Tendons are sturdy bands of connective tissue that anchor muscles to bones. When the muscle shortens, it pulls on the tendon, which moves the bone.
Question 5
Prompt: Which exercise primarily works your chest and arms when you lower and push up your body?
Correct Answer: Push-ups
Explanation: Push-ups engage the pectoral (chest) muscles and triceps (back of the arms) as you push your body away from the floor.
Question 6
Prompt: Which strength-building activity involves holding your body in a straight line, supported by your arms and toes?
Correct Answer: Planks
Explanation: Planks require you to hold a rigid, straight-body position. This isometric exercise works the core, shoulders, and legs to maintain stability.
Question 7
Prompt: In one sentence, describe what happens to your muscle fibers when you lift weights or do strength exercises.
Sample Correct Answer: “They contract (shorten) and then relax to create movement.”
Explanation: Lifting weights causes the muscle fibers to activate and shorten, generating force. When the force is released, the fibers lengthen back to resting state.
Scoring Rubric:
- Full credit: Mentions both contraction (shortening) and relaxation (or lengthening).
- Partial credit: Describes only contraction or only relaxation.
Question 8 (Extension)
Prompt: Name one additional strength-building activity not listed above and explain how it helps build your strength.
Scoring Guidance:
- Accept any valid strength exercise (e.g., bicep curls, deadlifts, wall-sits, overhead presses).
- Student explanation should connect the exercise to muscle engagement (e.g., “Bicep curls work the biceps by lifting weight toward the shoulder,” or “Wall-sits strengthen quads by holding against gravity”).
- Full credit: Includes both a valid exercise and a clear explanation of how it builds strength.
- Partial credit: Lists an exercise without explanation, or provides an explanation of general health without linking to muscle engagement.
Use this key during the Review & Discussion phase in Stay Strong Guide to highlight correct responses and address misconceptions. Encourage students to explain their thinking in their own words.