Download CLIL lesson on muscle contraction Kitty Purgason 1/7/2010 Content

CLIL lesson on muscle contraction
Kitty Purgason 1/7/2010
Content objective: Ss will know the three types of
contraction--concentric, eccentric, and isometric
and be able to correctly label example actions. -(biology, health, fitness)
Language objective: adverbial clauses “This occurs
when…”
Listen: When we do things with our muscles, such as
hold on to something, lift something, or move, our
muscle fibers are either lengthening, shortening, or
remaining the same. These are called
“contractions.” The word “contraction” implies
shortening, but when it’s used about muscles, it
means any kind of tension. There are three main
kinds of contraction. The first is concentric
contraction. This occurs when you push against
something that you can move, for example lifting a
weight. The muscle fibers shorten as they
experience tension. The force of the muscle is
greater than the force of the load. The second is
eccentric contraction. This occurs when you let
something down gradually, for example, when you
are letting down a weight, or when you catch
something and don’t let it fall. The force of the
external load is greater than the force of the muscle.
The muscle fibers lengthen under the tension. The
third is isometric contraction. This occurs when
you hold up an object with moving it, or if you push
against something that doesn’t move. The muscle
fibers remain the same length. The muscular force
matches the force of the load exactly. Let’s try
something—pick up a book or your bag with one
hand. Feel your bicep with the other hand. You can
feel it contracting; the muscle fibers are shortening.
Now gradually let down the book. Now your bicep
fibers are lengthening. It’s an eccentric contraction.
Now let’s try a little jump. When you go up in the air,
your thigh muscles, particularly the quadriceps, are
doing concentric contraction. They are lifting the
weight of your body. When you land they are doing
eccentric contraction, keeping your body from
falling down. When you bend your knees and just
We have to know what our
goals are, both language and
content.
Introduce topic. Use
experience, visuals, to aid
comprehension.
stay still, it’s isometric contraction.
Matching – diagram and label
See below
Use the cues below. Write three correct sentences.
Then write two more sentences on your own.
When you _____, your muscles are undergoing a(n)
____ contraction.
a. Lower a bucket into a well
b. Pull a bucket up out of a well
c. Holding a bucket
d. Push a door closed
e. Keep a door closed that someone is pushing
against
f. Hold a door closed
Answers
a. eccentric
b. concentric
c. isometric
d. concentric
e. eccentric
f. isometric
Check comprehension of
content. Don’t require too
much language. Matching,
sequencing, etc. are good
techniques.
Help students work on
productive skills. Provide
sentence patterns to assist
them.
Matching handout
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
Fill in the blanks with the correct term to match the diagram:
Concentric contraction, eccentric contraction, isometric contraction