Fuel for Performance

Year Level: Year 9

Subject: Health and Physical Education
Australian Curriculum Strand: Personal, Social and Community Health
Content Descriptions (ACPPS):

• ACPPS041: Investigate the role of food and nutrition in enhancing health and wellbeing.
• ACPPS042: Plan and evaluate new and creative interventions that promote their own and others’ connection to community and natural and built environments.
• ACPPS043: Critique behaviours and contextual factors that influence health and wellbeing of their communities.

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Lesson Duration

75 minutes
Class Size: 30 students

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Learning Intentions

By the end of the lesson, students will:

• Understand the role of nutrients and nutrition in physical performance.
• Compare different sources of energy and their use in various physical activities.
• Evaluate the fluid replacement practices of athletes (including hydration and over-hydration).
• Analyse their own diets against athlete dietary needs.
• Investigate when and why sports drinks may be used instead of water.

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Success Criteria

Students will be able to:
✅ Identify key energy-providing nutrients.
✅ Categorise physical activities based on energy requirements.
✅ Explain differences in hydration approaches across different sports.
✅ Apply knowledge to evaluate their own eating and drinking habits.
✅ Justify choices between using water or sports drinks in varied contexts.

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Warm-Up Activity (10 minutes)

"Fuel My Fire" Movement Starter

• Begin the lesson with a movement-based activity to simulate how the body uses energy.
• Students perform 3 types of physical activity for 1 minute each:
  • Jog on the spot (low intensity)
  • Burpees (high intensity)
  • Plank hold (isometric/minimal movement)
• After each, students rank the activity in terms of energy used (low, medium, high).
• Facilitate quick discussion: "Which foods might fuel each of these activities?"
• Transition: "Let’s learn what’s really going on in our bodies!"

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Explicit Teaching (15 minutes)

Key Content Covered

✅ Macronutrients Overview

• Carbohydrates – primary short-term energy source for moderate to high-intensity activity.
• Proteins – important for muscle repair and recovery.
• Fats – long-term, slow-burning energy used in lower-intensity exercises.

✅ Micronutrients & Supporting Nutrients

• Vitamins, minerals – support energy release and muscle function.
• Water – essential for hydration, temperature regulation, and cellular health.

✅ Energy Input vs Output

• Explain the concept with a visual scale.
  • Athletes (high output) = high demand on energy intake.
  • Sedentary individuals = low output, lower demand.

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Guided Practice (15 minutes)

Think-Pair-Share: Energy Matching

1. Materials Provided:
   • Set of six cards for each pair: three showing physical activities (e.g. football, yoga, marathon) and three showing foods (e.g. banana, steak, sports gel).
2. Instructions: Match each food to an activity. Justify the reasoning based on energy source and nutrient profile.
3. Class Discussion: Pairs share rationale. Introduce idea that different athletes fuel differently.

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Case Studies (15 minutes)

Athlete Hydration & Diet Profiles

Case Study Carousel (Groups of 5 students)
Stations are set up around the classroom with the following profiles:

1. AFL Midfielder – Endurance-focused
2. Olympic Weightlifter – Explosive power and strength
3. Professional Cyclist – Sustained cardio, long events
4. Netball Player – Stop-start agility
5. Swimmer – Early morning training sessions

Each profile includes:

• Description of their typical daily diet
• Strategies for hydration/fluid replacement pre/during/post activity
• Consequences of over/under hydration

Task:

• Groups rotate every 3 minutes and complete a short ‘Athlete Assessment Sheet’.
• As they rotate, they mark:
  • Key fuels this athlete uses
  • Hydration strategy (water vs sports drink?)
  • Risk of over-hydration (e.g. hyponatremia)

Final station: students reflect on which athlete surprised them the most and why.

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Individual Reflection Activity (10 minutes)

My Power Plate & Water Way

• Students complete a personal dietary and hydration reflection worksheet.
• Prompts include:
  • "What did I eat yesterday before/during/after physical activity?"
  • "Did I drink enough water?"
  • "Would a sports drink have been more suitable?"
  • "Which nutrition choices matched or didn’t match my activity level?"

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Class Discussion & Debrief (5 minutes)

Pose the question:
"If you could recommend one nutrition or hydration tip to your future self before playing in a grand final, what would it be?"

Encourage students to share examples – link back to outcomes:
– knowledge of nutrients
– energy in vs out
– hydration choices

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Exit Ticket (5 minutes)

Hydration Snapshot (Mini Quiz)
Students complete a short Google Form (or printed version if no devices) with 5 questions:

1. What's the primary fuel for a 90-minute soccer game?
2. Protein helps your body mainly with...?
3. Why might a marathon runner choose a sports drink during a race?
4. What can happen if someone drinks too much water during exercise?
5. One way I can improve my hydration is… (short response)

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Differentiation Strategies

• Support: Provide illustrated key words for EAL/D learners (e.g. 'carbohydrate', 'hydration').
• Extension: Challenge advanced students with real sports nutrition labels to analyse sugar, sodium and energy content in sports drinks.

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Resources Required

• Printed nutrition cards
• Athlete case study posters
• 'My Power Plate' worksheet
• Whiteboard or projector
• Optional: timer for carousel rotations
• Devices for Google Form quiz (or print version)

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Assessment Opportunities

• Participation in oral discussions
• Athlete Assessment Sheets (group work)
• Completion of personal reflection worksheet
• Exit Ticket quiz – quick check for understanding

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Teacher Notes & Opportunities for Integration

• Integrate with PE practical when analysing performance and recovery.
• Invite a guest speaker (local athlete or sports dietitian) for future lessons.
• Next step: lead into "Making a Game-Day Meal Plan" in future health units.

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Reflection Prompt for Teacher

“How did this lesson change the way students think about energy input and hydration for physical activity?”

Use this to guide adjustment of future lessons and provide deeper case study follow-ups.

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This lesson aligns closely with the Australian Curriculum and offers both theoretical understanding and personal relevance. Through case studies, movement, and personal reflection, students make meaningful connections between what they learn in health class and how they care for their bodies.