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Muscle Groups

Seventh graders learn the major muscle groups — upper body (biceps, chest, shoulders, back) and lower body (quads, hamstrings, calves, glutes) — so they understand what their body is working during exercise.

Grade 7Body Systems45 minutes1 class periodSHAPE / Skills-BasedExplicit teaching4 StandardsSHAPE
Start the Lesson
Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Name major muscles.
  • ✓Sort upper & lower body.
  • ✓Know what muscles do.
  • ✓Train all your muscles.
Essential Question

Your body has over 600 muscles! Knowing the major muscle groups helps you understand your workouts. What are the main muscle groups?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Sort It · Interactive

Upper Body or Lower Body?

Project this and sort each muscle into upper body or lower body.

💪 Sort each muscle — upper or lower body?Try it
💪 Upper Body
🦵 Lower Body
Tap a muscle, then tap a bucket.
The Lesson · Health & PE Flow (Warm-Up · Learn · Practice · Apply · Cool-Down)

45 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — 600+ Muscles

5 min

Your body has over 600 muscles — what are the main groups?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Flex a muscle.
  • Ask what group it’s in.
  • Get ready.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Flex.
  • Wonder.
  • Get ready.
2

Learn — Muscle Groups

10 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Explain upper-body muscles.
  • Explain lower-body muscles.
  • Note what they do.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Learn upper.
  • Learn lower.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Sort Them

11 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Upper Body or Lower Body?
  • Sort each one.
  • Point to them.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Sort.
  • Point.
  • Explain.
4

Apply — Apply

9 min

Students apply.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a muscle you use in a sport.
  • Say what it does.
  • Plan to train it.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name it.
  • Say it.
  • Plan it.
5

Cool-Down — Cool-Down

5 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name an upper-body muscle.
  • Name a lower-body muscle.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name one.
  • Name one.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to SHAPE America National Health Education & Physical Education Standards.

SHAPE
HE.1

Comprehend concepts about muscles.

SHAPE
PE.2

Understand muscles used in movement.

SHAPE
PE.3

Value muscular fitness.

SHAPE
HE.7

Practice caring for the body.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Muscle diagram cards.
  • Sentence frame: “The ___ is in the ___ body.”
  • Use a body diagram.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with biceps vs. quads.
  • Use a diagram.
  • Sort one at a time.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Add the core.
  • Match muscles to exercises.
  • Label a full diagram.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • 🧍A muscle diagram
  • 💻Upper Body or Lower Body?
  • 💪Space to move
  • ✏️Pens
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

musclea body part that moves youmuscle groupmuscles that work togetherbicepsfront arm musclequadricepsfront thigh musclehamstringsback thigh musclecorethe middle musclesupper bodyarms, chest, backlower bodylegs and hips
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
Is the biceps an upper-body or lower-body muscle?
Upper body.
QUESTION 2
Is the quadriceps upper or lower body?
Lower body.
QUESTION 3
Why is it good to know your muscle groups?
So you understand your workouts and train your whole body.

Cool-Down: know your muscles.

Have students name one muscle they use in a favorite activity and what it does. A printable muscles sheet is in the PE & Health library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Muscle GroupsFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Muscle GroupsQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Muscle GroupsPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: biceps, core, hamstrings, lower body, muscle, muscle group, quadriceps, upper body
  1. muscles that work together
  2. the middle muscles
  3. front arm muscle
  4. back thigh muscle
  5. a body part that moves you
  6. arms, chest, back
  7. front thigh muscle
  8. legs and hips

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. Is the biceps an upper-body or lower-body muscle?
  2. Is the quadriceps upper or lower body?
  3. Why is it good to know your muscle groups?
Answer key — Part A: 1) muscle group · 2) core · 3) biceps · 4) hamstrings · 5) muscle · 6) upper body · 7) quadriceps · 8) lower body
Part B: 1) Upper body. 2) Lower body. 3) So you understand your workouts and train your whole body.