Wii fitness?
Testing the claim that using a Nintendo Wii computer game is a good way of keeping fit
In this activity students will collect data to test the health benefits of the Wii Fit.
The lesson is part of a series of activities including Testing fitness levels, Fitness and gaming and Presenting fitness data, which all provide students with an opportunity to collect data which they can use as evidence to debate whether people should be encouraged to engage in computer-based sport activities.
This is one of a set of resources developed to aid the class teaching of the secondary national curriculum, particularly KS3. It has been designed to support the delivery of key topics within mathematics and science (specifically biology).
Activity: Testing the claim that using a Nintendo Wii computer game is a good way of keeping fit
In this fun practical activity students will record their pulse rates before and during three activities, including playing a traditional computer game, playing tennis on the Wii Fit, and playing tennis.
Once the activities are complete, learners will then plot a graph to compare and analyse their results. Students are also encouraged to consider how difficult it is to control all variables and therefore carry out a fair test.
Download our activity overview for a lesson plan on computer game fitness.
The engineering context
Collecting data is an essential part of every engineer’s job. But not all data is perfect. Engineers must learn to question the validity of the data, question the size of the data set used and question the time span data needs to be collected over before it can be used to confirm a claim. This leads to the design of better tests and more reliable outcomes.
Suggested learning outcomes
Students will be able to explain how pulse rate and respiration are affected by activity. They’ll also learn how to interpret individual and group data on pulse rates, relating it to level of fitness. Finally, they’ll be able to evaluate the suitability and validity of the data collected.
Download our activity sheet and other teaching resources
The activity sheet includes teachers’ notes, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download, and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your class’s and your schools’ needs.
You can download our classroom lesson plan below.
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Available Downloads
Wii fitness activity
Wii fitness activity description, teachers' notes and curriculum links.
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