Unit Plan 15 (Grade 7 PE): Fitness Planning & Goal Setting

Focus: Apply fitness components and FITT principles to design a realistic multi-week fitness plan, set meaningful goals, and understand how to adjust training safely over time.

Grade Level: 7

Subject Area: Physical Education

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–55 minutes per session

I. Introduction

In this Grade 7 Physical Education unit, students move from simply participating in workouts to thinking more like planners and decision-makers about their own fitness. Through light cardio warm-ups, mini-workout experiences, and a structured Personal Fitness Plan Workshop, students learn how to connect goals, fitness components, and FITT details in a practical way. The unit helps students understand that a good fitness plan is not random or based on doing the hardest workout possible; instead, it should match a goal, include realistic choices, and build in safe progress over time. Students also explore a variety of lifelong physical activity options so their plans can reflect activities they might actually continue outside PE. By the end of the week, students should be able to explain why a fitness plan needs clear goals, manageable steps, and regular adjustment based on effort, progress, and barriers.

Essential Questions

• How can I build a fitness plan that is realistic, safe, and connected to my goals?
• How do FITT principles help me decide what kind of workout to do and how often to do it?
• What is the difference between a plan that sounds impressive and a plan I can actually follow?
• Which physical activities fit my interests and could become part of my life beyond PE class?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Monitor workout intensity using RPE, heart rate, or the talk test and make adjustments when needed.
2. Explain how different activities build different fitness components such as endurance, strength, flexibility, and muscular endurance.
3. Apply FITT principles when designing or adjusting a short-term personal fitness plan.
4. Create a realistic multi-week fitness plan with a goal, chosen activities, and clear workout details.
5. Reflect on likely barriers to following a plan and identify strategies for staying consistent.
6. Explore a range of lifelong physical activity options and connect them to personal interests and future participation.

Standards Alignment — Grade 7 PE (SHAPE America-based custom)

• PE:S3.7b – Monitoring Activity Intensity & Making Adjustments Use heart rate, perceived exertion, talk test, or other tools to monitor activity intensity and adjust pace, duration, or rest to meet personal goals or target zones.
  • Example: Students use a 1–10 effort scale or heart-rate checks to decide when to push harder or slow down during interval running.
• PE:S3.7c – Applying Fitness Components & Training Principles Explain how different activities develop specific fitness components and apply FITT principles when designing and choosing workouts.
  • Example: A student explains that a workout of repeated short sprints builds speed and power, while longer steady runs improve endurance.
• PE:S3.7d – Developing, Implementing & Evaluating a Fitness Plan Create a short-term fitness plan that includes realistic goals, chosen activities, and planned FITT details, follow it for a set time, and evaluate progress and barriers.
  • Example: Over several weeks, a student logs their workouts, reflects on adherence to the plan, and revises goals or strategies based on actual progress.
• PE:S5.7c – Exploring Lifelong Physical Activity Options Identify and explore a variety of physical activities that can continue into teen and adult life, including both competitive and non-competitive options.
  • Example: Students brainstorm activities like recreational leagues, hiking, biking, swimming, martial arts, dance, gym workouts, and fitness classes as long-term options.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can use RPE, heart rate, or the talk test to understand how hard I am working.
• I can explain which activities build different parts of fitness.
• I can use FITT to build a workout plan that matches my goal.
• I can create a realistic fitness plan with activities I could actually follow.
• I can identify one likely barrier and one strategy to help me stay consistent.
• I can name physical activities I might continue beyond PE.