Grade 5 – Grade 6
Below are discussion questions and activities to highlight the importance of being active and how activity makes us – and our pets – feel! Both the discussion questions and activities are part of the ‘Active Together’ character education theme for the 2023-2024 school year! To see other character building themes, click here!
Discussion Questions:
- What does being active mean? Moving our bodies and engaging our minds
- What are some ways you are active (Think of both physical activities where you move your body, and activities that use your mind)? Exercise, running, skating, walking, dancing, reading a book, doing a puzzle, learning a new skill, etc.
- Why is it important to be physically active (moving our bodies)? Why is it important to be mentally active (using our minds)?
- How does being active make you feel?
- What do you think the term “active together” means? What do you notice about the picture in the poster?
- What are some ways that you can help your pet stay physically active? What are some ways that you can help your pet’s mind stay active?
- Why is it important that you make sure your pet stays physically active? Why is it important to make sure your pet has things to do?
- How do you think pets feel when they are active?
Activities:
1. Normal Behaviours
We have normal behaviours that we carry out that keep us active! It’s important that we have the time and space to be active as it’s important for our well-being. Ask students:
- What are some normal behaviours/activities of kids your age? (Think of activities where you move your body, and activities that engage your mind).
- How does doing these behaviours/activities make you feel?
- How do you think you might feel if you couldn’t do any of these behaviours?
Animals also have normal behaviours that they need to carry out to help them to feel good. Many of these behaviours are instinctual – which means they don’t need to be taught by their parents, they are born wanting to express them. Ensuring animals have opportunities to express their normal behaviour is an important part of meeting an animal’s needs.
As a class, watch the Five Needs of Animals – Behaviour video (4:30).
Post Video Discussion Questions:
- What are some normal behaviours of pets that you know? (Think of behaviours where they move their bodies and activities that engage their minds)
- How are your normal behaviours similar to or different from an animal’s normal behaviours?
- Enrichment is anything that helps animals express their normal behaviour (such as toys, games, and other animals to socialize with). What are some examples of enrichment that help kids your age express their natural behaviours? Friends: Playing with friends at recess, Book: for reading, Bike: for riding, games: for playing, etc.
- Why is it important for you to express your normal behaviours? It helps you feel good, burns off energy, relieves boredom, helps you relax, help you to feel happy, allows you to be you!, etc.
- Why is it important for animals to be able to express their natural behaviours? Just like people, animals need the opportunity to express their natural behaviour to feel positive emotions such as contentment, enjoyment, etc. Animals that do not have an opportunity to express their natural behaviour might experience negative emotions such as boredom, anxiety, depression and frustration.
Building on the post video discussion, work through the Normal Behaviours slides as a class. Have students identify the animal on each slide, and then answer the following questions for each animal.
- What are some normal behaviours of this animal?
- What can we do to help the animal express their normal behaviour?
Remind students that being providing the opportunity for animals to express their natural behaviour is one way we stay active with our pets. Sometimes this means providing our pets with enrichment so that their minds are active!
2. Active Together
Building on what students have learned about staying active with pets in the previous activity have students create their own ‘Active Together’ poster using the poster template. Have students draw a picture of themselves with a pet being active together. Remind students that ‘active’ looks differently depending on the animal species (i.e., walking you dog and letting him sniff, providing enrichment for your hamster so she is not bored, training your cat to do a trick, etc.). Have students include words and sentences on their poster that address the importance of being ‘active together’ with our pets. Have students present their poster to the class and then display them in the classroom or around the school to help spread the message!
3. Activity Tracking
Setting goals can help us stay active which benefits our overall health. Goals that we set ourselves can help motivate us to be active on those days we don’t feel like it or when we are busy. Ask students the following discussion questions:
- What is a goal?
- How can setting goals keep us motivated?
- What are some internal (enjoyment, pleasure, satisfactions, etc.) and external (benefits and rewards) factors that influence your motivation?
- What kind of goals can we set to help us stay active?
- Are there any other factors that motivate you to be active?
- Why is it important to include daily physical activity into your routine? Why is it important to make sure a pet has daily physical activity?
- What types of schedules do you already use in your life? School schedule, hockey schedule, dance schedule, etc.
- How might a schedule help you to reach your goal?
- What other things should you include in your schedule? School, extra-curriculars, homework, time with friends and family, chores, time to relax, etc.
Using the Activity Tracker activity sheet, have students create a goal around moving their bodies and staying active for one week. Their goal should be the amount of time that they want to spend being active throughout the week.
Remind students that everyone’s goal will be different and there are no right or wrong ways to be active. Remind students that scheduling activities that they enjoy doing will make the goal easier to achieve.
Over the week, have students record their activity and the amount of time they spend doing the activity. Remind students to record how they feel after each activity. Encourage students who have a pet to include their pet in some of the activities!
Once the week is over, have students create a bar or dot plot graph to show how many minutes they were active for each day. Then have students reflect on the following reflection questions:
- Were you able to meet your goal? Why or why not?
- Did you face any challenges when trying to meet your goal?
- Did creating the schedule help you to make time and follow through with being active?
- How did being active throughout the week make you feel?
Extension: Have students do this activity again at various times throughout the year, engaging in conversations about how different factors (such as seasons) can affect our levels of physical activity. Some discussion questions could include:
- How does being active change during the seasons? Why types of physical activity might you do in the winter versus the summer?
- Are there any other factors that might affect your physical activity throughout the year? (i.e., Holidays like Christmas or Spring Break, sport seasons, etc.)
As students do this activity multiple times throughout the year, have them update their chart/graph to show their time spent being active throughout the year.
Curriculum Connections
ELAL
- Organizing Idea: Writing: Ideas and information can be articulated accurately and imaginatively through the use of writing processes and an understanding of the author’s craft.
- Guiding Question: How does proficient writing enhance communication skills?
- Learning Outcome: Students enhance the accuracy and artistry of expression through creative and critical thinking processes.
- Skills and Procedures:
- Create written texts for a variety of audiences and purposes.
- Publish selected pieces, incorporating graphics, captions, charts, or other text features to support a purpose or connect with an audience.
- Write to inform, explain, describe, or report for a variety of purposes and audiences.
- Skills and Procedures:
- Learning Outcome: Students enhance the accuracy and artistry of expression through creative and critical thinking processes.
- Guiding Question: How does proficient writing enhance communication skills?
Physical Education and Wellness
- Organizing Idea: Active Living: Developing physical literacy through movement and active living supports well-being across a lifespan.
- Guiding Question: What is the relationship between motivation and active living?
- Learning Outcome: Students examine the effect of motivation on physical activity.
- Skills and Procedures:
- Describe internal and external factors that influence motivation to be physically active.
- Consider why motivation is important to active living.
- Skills and Procedures:
- Learning Outcome: Students examine the effect of motivation on physical activity.
- Guiding Question: What is the relationship between motivation and active living?
Art
EXPRESSION
- Component 10 (i)
- PURPOSE 1: Students will record or document activities, people and discoveries.
- Concepts
- A. Everyday activities can be documented visually.
- Concepts
- PURPOSE 1: Students will record or document activities, people and discoveries.
ELAL
- Organizing Idea: Writing: Ideas and information can be articulated accurately and imaginatively through the use of writing processes and an understanding of the author’s craft.
- Guiding Question: How is precise writing influenced by ongoing craft and process development?
- Learning Outcome: Students create texts that reflect personal voice and style through creative and critical thinking processes
- Skills and Procedures:
- Create written texts for a variety of audiences and purposes.
- Publish selected writing, incorporating graphics, captions, charts, or other text features to express individuality.
- Write to inform, explain, describe, or report for a variety of purposes and audiences.
- Skills and Procedures:
- Learning Outcome: Students create texts that reflect personal voice and style through creative and critical thinking processes
- Guiding Question: How is precise writing influenced by ongoing craft and process development?
- Organizing Idea: Writing: Ideas and information can be articulated accurately and imaginatively through the use of writing processes and an understanding of the author’s craft.
Physical Education and Wellness
- Organizing Idea: Active Living: Developing physical literacy through movement and active living supports well-being across a lifespan.
- Guiding Question: How can motivation support engagement in active living?
- Learning Outcome: Students analyze motivation and its relationship to personal development and active living.
- Skills and Procedures:
- Connect daily routines and planned physical activities with active living goals.
- Recognize the influence of motivation on movement skill development and proficiency in various physical activities.
- Skills and Procedures:
- Learning Outcome: Students analyze motivation and its relationship to personal development and active living.
- Guiding Question: How can motivation support engagement in active living?
- Organizing Idea: Active Living: Developing physical literacy through movement and active living supports well-being across a lifespan.
Art
EXPRESSION
- Component 10 (i)
- PURPOSE 1: Students will record or document activities, people and discoveries.
- Concepts
- A. Everyday activities can be documented visually.
- Concepts
- PURPOSE 1: Students will record or document activities, people and discoveries.
