The main focus of these activities is on healthy lifestyles, which include healthy eating and physical activity. Help students make the connection between turning off the TV and other screens and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. We have drawn from a variety of strands of curriculum to show how physical activity can be incorporated into the classroom.
Health and Physical Education - HEALTHY LIVING
By the end of Grade 7, students will:
- relate healthy eating practices and active living to body image and self-esteem.
Specific Expectations |
Activities |
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Healthy Eating:
Identify factors affecting healthy body weight (e.g. food intake, growth spurts, physical activity/inactivity).
enefits of healthy eating for active living.
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TV Unplugged:
See description below |
THE WEEK BEFORE Turn-off the Screens
(Parts of this activity can be completed as a homework assignment).
TV UNPLUGGED
Discuss the influence that television has on our actions and views about our body image and food choices.
Hand out the TV Unplugged activity sheet and ask the students to analyze a favourite fictional television show (e.g. situational comedy, drama) using the activity sheet. Students may wish to record the television show in order to capture the details for the answers required.
Discuss the impact of the images and values students witnessed on television. Tie the discussion to the impact that our feelings about our bodies have on the food choices we make. For example, if you have a negative body image, you may find comfort in eating certain types of food to help make you feel better or you may restrict your food intake or exercise excessively. If you have a positive body image, you may not worry about these issues.
Have students consider their findings from the analysis of their television program and write a summary of how they would change the show to ensure positive messages on body image and food choices.
Questions to consider are:
- How would you portray the male and female characters in the show? How would your show include a wide range of people (e.g. different body shapes and sizes, ethno-racial differences, etc.)?
- How would key body image and self-esteem issues be addressed? What are some of the positive things they noticed?
- What are some of the negative messages?
- What are some of the positive messages about physical activity?
GRADE 7 TV Unplugged
When we watch television or read magazines or newspapers, it is important to be able to look at them critically in order to understand the messages that they are trying to give us.
Choose a fictional television show (e.g. sitcom) that you like. As you watch it, answer the questions below.
- Name of show:
- Does the female character(s) portray any stereotypes about food choices, or body shape and size (e.g. thin, attractive girl is popular)? If yes, describe.
- Does the male character(s) portray any stereotypes about food choices, or body shape and size (e.g. heavy boy eats lots of high fat foods)? If yes, describe.
- What message(s) about food choices, body image, body shape/size or the standards of beauty are reflected by the character(s)?
- How do you feel about the messages of body image, body shape/size or the standard of beauty reflected by the character(s)?
- Do the characters in the show reflect individuals in real life? Describe.
Health and Physical Education - ACTIVE PARTICIPATION
By the end of Grade 7, students will:
- apply living skills (e.g. basic problem-solving, decision-making, goal-setting, and conflict-resolution techniques) in physical activities (e.g. games, gymnastics, dance, music, outdoor pursuits).
Specific Expectations |
Activities |
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Living Skills:
Apply a goal-setting process (e.g. set a realistic goal, identify and address barriers, barriers, prepare an action plan, determine and access sources of support, and identify how to know when the goal has been reached) to short-term goals related to physical activity or personal fitness
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Goal Setting:
Students will set realistic goals for reducing the amount of time spent watching TV, considering possible barriers and methods of recognizing success. Students may use the active lifestyle support ideas included in this package as alternative activities to try instead of watching television.
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MATH - DATA MANAGEMENT & PROBABILITY
By the end of Grade 7, students will:
- systematically collect, organize and analyze data;
- develop an appreciation for statistical methods as powerful means of decision- making;
- interpret displays of data and present the information using mathematical terms;
- evaluate data and make conclusions from the analysis of data.
Specific Expectations |
Activities |
Collecting and Organizing Data:
Understand the impact that statistical methods have on decision-making.
Analyzing Data:
Use conventional symbols, titles and labels when displaying data; Read and report information about data presented on bar graphs, pictographs and circle graphs, and use their information to solve problems.
Concluding and Reporting:
Make inferences and convincing arguments that are based on data analysis. |
Turn-off the Screens Data:
Students will collect and organize data from the Turn-off the Screens campaign. Students may use the data to construct graphs, charts or tables. Students will read and report information about their data and use the information to make conclusions. (e.g. problem solving, time management, usefulness of goal setting).
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Language
By the end of Grade 7, students will:
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Communicate ideas and information for a variety of purposes (to outline an argument, to report on observations) and to specific audiences, using forms appropriate for their purpose and topic (e.g. write a lab report for an audience familiar with the scientific terminology).
Specific Expectations |
Activities |
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Word Use and Vocabulary Building:
Give evidence of an expanding vocabulary in their writing.
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Report Writing: Students write a reflection, report or narrative passage about their goal to reduce screen time and the barriers they encountered during the process. Discuss the use and role of technology in our lives. Students may make arguments or connections to compare personal usage to national averages or trends. |
Adapted from Central Western Ontario TV-Turnoff Week Leader-Teacher Package 2003