B. Active Living / C. Movement Competence · Active Living and Movement: Train Smart, Respond Well, Play with Purpose

Measure, Track, Reflect: Assessing Fitness and Monitoring Change

B2 A1.5 A1.6About 45 minutes

Learning goals

I can choose a suitable test for each health-related and skill-related component of fitness.
I can test myself fairly, record my results and graph them over time.
I can calculate change and percent change, and look for trends instead of single results.
I can reflect on my results in a positive, private way and use them to set next steps.

Words to know

assess
To measure where you are right now.

monitor
To check again and again over time to see changes.

valid test
A test that really measures the component it is supposed to measure.

reliable test
A test that gives similar results when it is done the same way under the same conditions.

trend
The general direction of results over several tests: up, down or level.

percent change
How much a result changed compared with where it started: (new − old) ÷ old × 100.

Remember from Grade 7

In Grade 7 you did fair tests (same time of day, place, warm-up, rules and equipment), recorded a baseline, measured recovery heart rate, and kept a fitness log.

This year you'll test both kinds of fitness, pick tests that are valid and reliable, graph your results, and calculate percent change.

Hook: one bad day

Marcus did a plank test in week 3 and got worse than week 2. He felt like giving up. But when he graphed six weeks of results, the line clearly went up. Week 3 was the day after a tournament, and he was tired.

One result is a snapshot. Several results show the trend, and the trend tells the real story.

Component	Home test	Score	Better result
Cardiorespiratory endurance	6-minute run/walk on a measured loop	Distance (m) or laps	Farther
Muscular endurance	Plank hold, or push-ups to a steady beat	Seconds or repetitions	Longer or more
Muscular strength	Hard to test safely at home; track a hard exercise you can do only a few times with good form	Repetitions	More, with good form
Flexibility	Sit-and-reach: sit with feet flat against a box, reach along a ruler	cm	Farther
Agility	Shuttle run: 4 lengths of 5 m, touching each line	Seconds	Faster
Balance	Stork stand: hands on hips, one foot against the other knee, heel raised	Seconds	Longer
Coordination	Wall toss: throw with one hand, catch with the other, for 30 s	Catches	More
Power	Standing long jump on grass	cm	Farther
Reaction time	Ruler drop: catch a dropped ruler between thumb and finger	cm	Fewer cm (faster)
Speed	20 m sprint from a standing start	Seconds	Faster

Home tests for each component. For time and ruler-drop tests, a smaller number is better; for most others, a bigger number is better.

Valid and reliable

A test is valid if it measures the right thing. A plank measures muscular endurance of your core; it doesn't measure flexibility.
A test is reliable if it gives similar results when done the same way. Use the same place, time of day, surface, warm-up, rules and timer person each time.

Calculating change

Change = new result − old result.
Percent change = change ÷ old result × 100.

For example, a plank goes from 45 s to 54 s: change = 9 s; percent change = 9 ÷ 45 × 100 = 20%.

For time-to-finish tests (like a sprint), a decrease is an improvement.

Percent change compares the change with the old result. The plank went from 45 s to 54 s: the extra 9 s is one-fifth of 45 s, so the change is 20%.

Marcus's plank times over six weeks: 45, 50, 48, 55, 60 and 62 seconds. Week 3 dipped, but the trend is clearly up.

Reading your results kindly

Your results are yours. Compare with your own past, not with friends.
Results can be affected by sleep, illness, stress, weather, growth spurts and how much you ate.
A level or falling trend is information, not failure. Ask: Did I follow my plan? Am I resting enough? Should I change something?
Celebrate effort and habits, not just numbers.

Your results, your story

Fitness results are personal information. You don't have to share them, and you should never tease anyone about theirs. Talking to yourself kindly ("I'm building this step by step") helps you keep going.

Worked example

Let's analyse Marcus's log

Marcus's plank results (seconds) for weeks 1 to 6 were 45, 50, 48, 55, 60, 62. Find the change and percent change from week 1 to week 6, and describe the trend.

Change: 62 − 45 = 17 seconds.
Percent change: 17 ÷ 45 × 100 = 37.77…, about 38%.
Trend: up, with one dip in week 3 (he was tired after a tournament).
Next step: keep the plan, and add a side plank to train the core from another angle.

Marcus improved by 17 seconds, about 38%. The trend is up even though one week dipped.

Worked example

Let's read a reaction-time test

In the ruler-drop test, the ruler falls faster and faster, so a shorter catch distance means a faster reaction. Using the physics of falling objects, about 10 cm ≈ 0.14 s, 15 cm ≈ 0.17 s and 20 cm ≈ 0.20 s. Leila's catches were 19 cm, 16 cm and 15 cm. What does this show?

Read each result: 19 cm is a little faster than 0.20 s; 15 cm is about 0.17 s.
Direction: the numbers went down, which is better for this test.
Reliability check: use the best (or the average) of 3 tries each time, with the same partner and the same starting position.

Leila's reaction time improved from about 0.20 s to about 0.17 s.

Hands-on activity

Fitness check and graph

You need: a measuring tape or metre stick, a ruler (30 cm), a timer, a box or step for sit-and-reach, chalk or markers, a ball, a notebook and graph paper, and a partner.

Warm up (8 minutes): brisk walk or jog, arm circles, leg swings, hip circles, gentle walking lunges, side shuffles and 3 easy accelerations.

Choose two health-related and two skill-related tests from the table.
Write the rules for each test (where, how, how scored) so you can repeat them exactly.
Do each test once carefully (or best of 3 for ruler drop and long jump). Record your results.
Repeat the same tests every 2 weeks for 6 weeks. Graph each test with weeks along the bottom.
Calculate the change and percent change from the first test to the last.
Write a reflection: one area you improved, one area to work on, and what you'll change in your plan.

Cool down: walk, then stretch.

Safety: Do tests after a full warm-up. Sprints and shuttle runs only on a flat, dry, non-slip surface; jumps only on grass or a mat. Don't do the sit-and-reach with a bounce; reach slowly. Stop any test if you feel pain.

Just for fun

Q: Why did the fitness graph go to see the school counsellor?

A: It was having too many ups and downs. (Good news: if the trend is up, the downs are just part of the story.)

Your turn

What is the difference between assess and monitor?

Name a home test for flexibility and one for power.

A wall-toss score goes from 20 catches to 25. Find the change and the percent change.

Your 20 m sprint time went from 4.2 s to 4.0 s. Did you improve? Explain.

Give three things to keep the same so a test is reliable.

What does a trend tell you that one result can't?

Is a plank a valid test of flexibility? Why or why not?

More practice: warm-up

For the ruler-drop test, is a bigger or smaller number better?

Which component does the stork stand test?

Write the formula for percent change.

True or false: You should compare your fitness results with your friends' results to see if you're good enough.

Name one thing that can make a single test result lower than usual.

More practice: on your own

Sit-and-reach results: 18 cm, 19 cm, 19 cm, 21 cm. Describe the trend and the total change.

A standing long jump goes from 150 cm to 165 cm. Find the percent change.

Jamal's shuttle run times were 12.5 s, 12.1 s, 12.4 s, 11.8 s. Was he improving? Explain.

Why is the 6-minute run/walk a better test of cardiorespiratory endurance than a 20 m sprint?

Your results stayed level for six weeks. Name two questions to ask yourself and one change to try.

Challenge

Plank times: 40, 44, 50, 46, 55 s. (a) Find the percent change from the first to the last test. (b) Find the mean (average) of the five results.

Your 20 m sprint went from 4.0 s to 3.6 s. What is the percent decrease in time?

A friend tests her push-ups one week at 7 a.m. before breakfast on a carpet, and the next week at 4 p.m. after soccer on a hard floor. Explain two problems and how to fix the test.

Check your understanding

Quiz

A test that really measures what it's supposed to measure is:

Which test best measures power?

A plank goes from 50 s to 60 s. What is the percent change?

For a 20 m sprint, which result shows improvement?

Why look at a trend instead of one result?

Who should you compare your fitness results with?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: In Grade 8, students assess their health-related fitness and monitor changes over time, and they learn about skill-related fitness too. This lesson adds valid and reliable testing, graphs and percent change, which also connect to Grade 8 math.

How to help at home:

Be the timer or partner, and help keep each test the same every time.
Help measure a 5 m shuttle course or a loop for the 6-minute run/walk.
Keep results private and positive. Praise consistency and effort.

Common difficulties:

Forgetting that lower is better for timed tests. Ask, "Is a bigger or smaller number better here?"
Percent change errors. Always divide by the old (starting) result.
Discouragement after one bad result. Look at the trend together.

Social-emotional learning: Reflecting on results kindly builds self-awareness (A1.5); analysing data and planning next steps builds critical thinking (A1.6).