Procedures

• SET UP

  This lesson offers several options for you to use with your students whether you are teaching in class, using a hybrid model, or engaging through distance learning. It can be completed in steps as a class or students can move at their own pace and complete the activities independently.

  You can post links to the videos in the lesson along with the related handout and engage in discussion to share responses on a discussion board or learning management system.

  You can also save and share the following Google resource for students to use with this lesson.

  Handout: Graphic Organizer (Google Doc).

  In Google, choose "File" then "Make a Copy" to get your own copy. You can make any needed adjustments in the instructions such as which activities students need to complete, when it is due, etc. and then make it available to them via Google.

• WARM UP AND INTRODUCTION

  Pose the following brainstorming questions to your students: 1.) What do you do to stay physically fit? 2.) How might your answer compare with the answers of your family members or friends?

  Play this introductory video clip [Clip #1] (6:27) for your students. Direct your students to answer the following questions on their graphic organizer:

  • According to Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, what is “movement culture?”
  • How was exercise “transformed” during this era? What three elements were “revolutionized?”
  • Based on the clip, why was jogging popularized during this era?
  • According to Petrzela, for whom did studio-based fitness originally serve? Why?
  • What does Petrzela say linked croissants and jogging in this era, and how did privatization play a role?

• VOCABULARY

  Direct your students to their graphic organizers to view and define the vocabulary terms that will appear in the choice board activity in the chart in their graphic organizer handout. The vocabulary words are also listed to the right on this webpage. We recommend having your students define and present the terms in a jigsaw activity to save time.

  Depending on time and resources, you may consider having your students define and present the terms in a Frayer's Model activity, where each student takes one-to-two words. Students can then post their models around the room for reference throughout the lesson. Note: this is not an all-encompassing list of terms included in each video. We recommend you previewing the video to determine any necessary additions/subtractions to this list for your specific students.

• ENGAGEMENT

  Direct students to the engagement section of their graphic organizers. Have students view each clip, take notes, and answer each question in their graphic organizers. Encourage your students to share their responses with a partner or small group when finished. All clips feature Professor Natalia Mehlman Petrzela of the New School teaching a class on 1980s fitness culture. This class was taught online due to the coronavirus pandemic and the New School provided the video.

• The Culture of the 1980s [Clip #2] (4:04).

  • How does Petrzela link the 1980s with the 1960s and 1970s?
  • What examples of “austerity” and “extravagance” of the era does Petrzela provide?
  • Based on the clip, what inequalities existed in the 1980s?
  • What was a “yuppie?”

• President Ronald Reagan and Fitness [Clip #3] (3:37).

  • What do you see in the images accompanying the “How To Stay Fit” article in the clip?
  • According to Petrzela, what two things “highlight that this is a different era” of fitness?
  • What examples from President Reagan’s personal life and comparisons between eras does Petrzela provide?

• EXPLORATION

  Next, have your students choose (or assign) four or more of the seven topics in the choice activity section in their graphic organizers. Have students view each clip, take notes, and answer each question. Direct students to prepare to present their findings with the class when finished.

• Arthur Jones and Nautilus [Clip #4] (3:18).

  • What company did Arthur Jones start?
  • According to Petrzela, what was Jones “horrified” of? What was his solution?
  • Based on the clip, how did Jones’ invention “revolutionize” gyms?
  • How does Petrzela describe Jones’ personal life?

• Judy Sheppard and Jazzercise [Clip #5] (3:00).

  • What prompted Judy Sheppard to develop jazzercise?
  • How does Petrzela describe jazzercise?
  • Based on the clip, what did it mean that jazzercise became a “franchise?”
  • For what two reasons does Petrzela say the franchising of jazzercise was important?

• Jacki Sorensen and Aerobic Dancing [Clip #6] (2:16).

  • What does Jacki Sorensen create, and where is her work popularized?
  • Petrzela compares the work of Sorensen with that of Judy Sheppard. What do the two women have in common, and what impact did that commonality have on their work?
  • What does Petrzela say about the “language” used during the time?
  • Based on the clip, what was the goal of women’s fitness during the 1980s?

• Rolling Stone Magazine and Sports Clubs [Clip #7] (2:15).

  • What “Rolling Stone” story does Petrzela reference in the clip?
  • What was the “Rolling Stone” story about?
  • Based on the clip, what impact did the Sports Connection club have on the image of gyms?
  • What other example of the “fascination” of fitness in the 1980s does Petrzela provide?

• Jane Fonda and VHS [Clip #8] (2:51).

  • Based on the clip, what was Jane Fonda “most responsible” for?
  • What transformation does Petrzela describe was occurring to gyms in the 1980s?
  • According to Petrzela, why did Fonda initially start her workout studio?
  • In what two ways did Fonda make dance exercise “popular?”

• Not a Thin Ideal [Clip #9] (1:39).

  • According to Petrzela, what was the “answer” of some people who resisted the “deeply problematic” fitness culture of the 1980s?
  • What presumption did groups such as “Large as Life Fitness” challenge?
  • Based on the clip, what perspective did these groups champion?

• John Blair, Molly Fox, and LGBTQ Culture [Clip #10] (3:09).

  • Based on the clip, who was John Blair?
  • What connection does Petrzela describe between Blair and Arthur Jones?
  • According to Petrzela, why was fitness important for those with HIV and/or AIDS?
  • What did it mean when Molly Fox said her fitness studio was a “third place” for LGBTQ people?

• WRAP UP

  Play this wrap up clip [Clip #12] (6:55) for your students. Direct your students to answer the following questions on their graphic organizer:

  • What does Petrzela mean when she describes the “path not taken?”
  • What positive and negative changes does Petrzela provide regarding this shift?
  • According to Petrzela, what impact did the shift in fitness culture have on Tamilee Webb?
  • Based on the clip, what did Kathy and Peter Davis contribute to the shift in fitness culture? What did Carol Scott do?

• CLOSURE

  Allow time for your students to prepare their findings from the lesson with their peers.

  After your students are finished sharing their findings from the choice activity with the class, direct them to complete the final culminating writing prompt in their graphic organizers: Having now learned about various topics related to the emergence of a new American fitness culture in the 1980s, describe the lasting legacy of this era through today. Be sure to include evidence from the video clips to support your argument. Direct your students to use evidence from the video clips to support their response.

  Have students share their responses, comparing their perspectives with their classmates'.

• OPTIONAL EXTENSIONS

  Option #1: Explore the Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee's Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Research and prepare a presentation on three to five connections between this report and the shift in American fitness culture through the 1980s. Make sure to include evidence from both the report and from this lesson in your presentation.

  Option #2: This article from Men's Health magazine lists 40 fitness gurus from the 1980s through the present day. Research one of these individuals and prepare a presentation comparing their life, accomplishments, and legacy on American fitness culture with one of the individuals you studied in the choice activity. Make sure to include evidence from both your research and from this lesson in your presentation.