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High School Grade  Project 2 weeks

Shoulder Strong: Left Side Comeback

Darius Taliaferro Joe McSpiritt
Darius Taliaferro, Joe McSpiritt
Updated
12.4.PF.6
CH.PH.02.15
CH.PH.02.20
CH.PH.02.01
12.4.PF.5
+ 21 more
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The Challenge

Shoulder weakness and poor movement mechanics are a widespread physical health challenge because they can reduce strength, stability, and safe performance in exercise, work, sports, and daily tasks. When muscle imbalances, overuse, limited mobility, and inconsistent training habits go unaddressed, your risk of pain, repeated injury, and long-term limits on movement quality increases.

Challenge Question

How might we design and test a shoulder-strengthening routine at our high school so that student-athletes with shoulder weakness or past minor injuries can move more safely, build lasting strength, and stay active?

Standards

  • [Massachusetts] 12.4.PF.6 - Design strategies and tactics to elicit a higher level of performance during a variety of sports, athletic, or physical activities. [PE]
  • [Massachusetts] CH.PH.02.15 - Demonstrate strategies for inclusion of all students in physical activity settings related to strength and speed
  • [Massachusetts] CH.PH.02.20 - Demonstrate exercises in strength training, cardiovascular activities, and flexibility training
  • [Massachusetts] CH.PH.02.01 - Apply movement concepts including direction, balance, level (high, low), pathway (straight, curve, zigzag), range (expansive, narrow), and force absorption (rigid, with bent knees) to extend versatility and improve physical performance
  • [Massachusetts] 12.4.PF.5 - Analyze performance and select appropriate modifications to movement concepts and biomechanical principles (e.g., force, motion, rotation) that improve performance of self or others in a selected skill and during game play. [PE]
  • [Massachusetts] CH.PH.01.09 - Apply skills that increase immediate peak functioning of body systems (vigorous exercise, eating nutritious foods, adequate rest)
  • [Massachusetts] 12.4.PF.4 - Demonstrate appropriate techniques to support flexibility, cardiovascular health, muscular strength and endurance, and skill-related fitness training [PE]. 
  • [Massachusetts] 12.4.PF.1 - Demonstrate activity-specific movement skills in a variety of lifetime recreational physical activities and health-related fitness activities (e.g., strength, cardiovascular, functional). [PE]
  • [Massachusetts] 12.2.PF.10 - Apply movement concepts and principles (e.g., force, motion, rotation) to analyze and improve the performance of self and/or others in a selected skill or lifetime physical activities (e.g., yoga, aquatics, biking, rock climbing, dancing, canoeing, weight training, golf, tennis). [PE]
  • [Massachusetts] 12.5.PF.3 - Recognize personal assets and demonstrate strategies that support growth mindset related to personal abilities to succeed, grow, and persist through physical activity challenges. [HPE; SE]

Competencies

  • Sustain Well-Being - Build affirming life practices (SW.2)
  • Sustain Well-Being - Nurture my identity (SW.1)
  • Build Community - Advocate for myself and others (BC.2)
  • Learn with Purpose - Monitor progress and adjust (LI.2)
  • Learn with Purpose - Develop a plan to pursue a goal (LI.1)
  • Learn with Purpose - Reflect (LI.5)
  • Learn with Purpose - Give and receive feedback (LI.3)
  • Design Solutions - Build models, prototypes, or action plans (DS.2)
  • Sustain Well-Being - Connect to the natural world (SW.4)
  • Sustain Well-Being - Build cultural intelligence (SW.3)
  • Design Solutions - Identify an issue or design challenge (DS.1)
  • Engage In Inquiry - Gather and organize original data (EI.4)
  • Navigate Conflict - Apply strategies to work toward resolution (NC.3)
  • Reason Quantitatively - Pose and solve problems (RQ.1)
  • Read The World - Evaluate use of techniques and technology (RW.3)
  • Read The World - Learn from the past (RW.4)

Learning Partners and Clients

Partner with a licensed physical therapist, athletic trainer, or school nurse who can help you screen shoulder movement, suggest safe exercise progressions, and give feedback on technique and injury prevention. Work with your PE teacher or strength coach as a weekly accountability partner to analyze your form, track performance changes, and adjust your action plan based on pain, mobility, and strength data. Invite a classmate, teammate, or family member to serve as an inclusion partner who can test modified versions of your routine, give feedback on clarity and accessibility, and help you design a plan that supports different ability levels. You can also study resources from the American Physical Therapy Association and the National Strength and Conditioning Association to compare your training choices with professional guidance on long-term movement quality, resilience, and real-life function.

Phase Overview

Phase Key Experiences
Discover
I can launch my project by trying simple shoulder movements and strength checks, noticing where my left shoulder feels limited or unstable, and using that evidence to identify the main causes of my injury risk and performance challenges.
Examine
I can research basic shoulder anatomy and movement patterns so I understand which muscles, joints, and actions affect strength, balance, and safe performance. I can track my own range of motion, pain signals, posture, sleep, and workout habits to find patterns that may be helping or hurting recovery. I can compare inclusive strength, flexibility, and cardio exercises to determine which strategies match my needs and can be adjusted for different learners. I can study biomechanical concepts like force, motion, and rotation to explain why certain exercises and form corrections may improve shoulder function and reduce injury risk. I can ask for and use feedback from a teacher, coach, trainer, or physical therapist to refine my understanding of safe and effective training choices.
Engineer
I can develop a 7-week shoulder rehabilitation and strength action plan with targeted exercises, technique cues, progressions, recovery habits, and inclusive modifications that improve real-life movement quality and reduce the chance of future injury.
Do
I can carry out my training plan, collect weekly data on strength, mobility, pain level, stability, and movement quality, and use that evidence to test how well my shoulder is improving and what adjustments lead to better performance.
Share
I can share my rehabilitation journey through a live demonstration and data talk with peers, staff, and family, showing how my shoulder plan improved my performance while also explaining what I learned about my habits, mindset, persistence, and ability to advocate for my own well-being.