Department Overview:
The discipline of Physical Education addresses cognitive, social, and physical development. The physical education program is designed to help students understand and value the benefits of regular physical activity; evaluate their level of fitness; design and maintain personal fitness programs; develop motor skills sufficient to enjoy participation; and respect differences among people in physical activity settings. To enable teachers to meet the many needs and interests of students, a variety of activities are offered. In addition, all courses incorporate conditioning activities that will lead to the development of good cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular endurance, strength and flexibility. Students are encouraged to wear clothing that allows for mobility and comfort. Athletic shoes (sneakers) are required.
Health Education provides a foundation in public health and medical knowledge and inquiry into how individuals and societies acquire and/or change their health-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviors. Within the range of health content areas, students learn much more than factual information. They develop skills in finding and evaluating information and resources; making decisions and setting goals; and acting in ways that promote their own health and the health of others. Health Education (732) is required of all ninth-grade students. Students who arrive at ARHS after completing the ninth grade in another district are not required to take Health Education.
Child Development will focus on explaining how children change and grow over the course of childhood. This course will provide students a variety of classroom experiences which includes: reading, viewing videos, and interactive activities.
ARHS Graduation Requirement:
2 credits Health Education (grade 9)
2 credits Physical Education 10 (grade 10)
Course Descriptions:
Health Education 9 (732)
Credits: 2
Prerequisite: None
Health Education is a quarter long course required of all ninth graders. Students will receive factual information and confront attitudes regarding responsibility to one’s wellness, gender identity, drug and alcohol use, human sexuality, STIs (sexually transmitted infections), and building healthy relationships. This course will provide students with the opportunity to discuss these issues and others of concern to them, to obtain accurate information through classroom and library research, and to develop strategies for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Physical Education 10 (701)
Credits: 2
Prerequisite: None
This course is required of all 10th graders and includes a significant focus on Adventure Challenge. Adventure Challenge is a curriculum designed to build intellectual, emotional, physical and personal qualities. Activities are designed to build trust, communication, decision making and reflection as well as physical skills. The curriculum builds from team building challenges to the culmination of climbing and belaying. Safety and cooperation are emphasized as students are challenged to build their skills. In addition to Adventure Challenge there are units on personal fitness, individual/lifetime activities and team sports as part of this one semester course.
PE: Foundations of Personal Fitness (7106)
Credits: 2
Prerequisite: None. This course may be taken more than once for credit.
This is an entry level course to introduce students to personal fitness and provide them the necessary experience and knowledge to advance into our Strength and Conditioning course in future quarters/years. Foundations will take place in both a classroom and weight room setting. Students will have opportunities in the weight room to bridge their knowledge with physical activity. Through these activities, students will build a foundation of knowledge and gain basic practical skills designed to help them better understand how to develop their physical well-being in high school and beyond.
PE: Strength and Conditioning (7103)
Credits: 2
Prerequisite: Successful completion of PE: Foundations of Personal Fitness
Students will evaluate their individual fitness, design and implement a personal exercise program. Using daily dynamic warm-ups and alternating days of resistance training and cardiovascular exercises, students will track and document their overall fitness over the 9-week course. Instruction will include a full orientation to the weight room, as well as attention to the benefits of physical activity, exercise safety, principles of weight training, health related fitness, exercise and good health, weight control, nutrition and stress management.
PE: Invasion Games (7104)
Credits: 2
Prerequisite: None. This course may be taken more than once for credit.
This option offers a variety of traditional and non-traditional team sports such as basketball, flag football, rugby, soccer, ultimate, hockey and other invasion (offense invades defense) games. Activities presented will vary according to the time of year. Students will learn basic skills and strategies of critical thinking.
PE: Recreational Games (7105)
Credits: 2
Prerequisite: None. This course may be taken more than once for credit.
This elective course introduces students to a wide variety of team and individual sports, lifetime activities and wellness. Activities may include: basketball, badminton, pickleball, soccer, flag football, wiffleball, ultimate frisbee, capture the flag, volleyball and yard games. Activities will be selected based on the expertise of the instructor and interest of the students. This class requires active participation. Students will learn to use heart rate monitor technology and will develop a fitness profile analyzing their own aerobic fitness, flexibility, muscular strength and endurance, and caloric intake/expenditure.
PE: Net, Wall, and Target Games (7107)
Credits: 2
Prerequisite: None. This course may be taken more than once for credit.
This elective PE offering is designed to introduce students to the many net, wall and target games we have available to learn here at ARHS. Regardless of experience with net, wall and target games, this course is designed to meet the needs of all of our diverse learners and introduce students to new and wonderful ways to move their body across the lifetime. This elective course allows students room to explore existing games while offering opportunities to create and invent new ones in both casual and more competitive settings.
Unified PE (8706)
Credits: 2
Prerequisite: None. Open to students in grades 10-12. This course may be taken more than once for credit.
In this inclusion-centered class, students in both the General Education and Pathways to Independence programs will have the opportunity to try out a variety of physical education activities in a low-pressure environment. This experience is for self-motivated, independent and kind learners looking to build on their current leadership and humanitarian skills. There is a huge emphasis placed on building these skills as well as exhibiting positive and appropriate leadership behavior at all times. You will aid the teacher in the creation and delivery of lessons designed to build trust, communication, decision making and reflection. These activities will also aim to improve the physical skills of all students. Class content will include cooperative games, individual and group fitness, sport skills and game play. Students will be required to complete activity plans and implement/lead these lesson ideas, complete reflections and be expected to use their plus block period to continue this work in preparation for the week ahead.
Child Development (761)
Credits: 2
Prerequisite: None. Open to students in grades 9 - 12
Students in this course will study children through a variety of classroom experiences which includes: reading, viewing videos, and interactive activities. Special emphasis will be on pregnancy and birth, language development and gender differences in early childhood. Students will also study special issues and social problems of particular interest to them that relate to the physical, intellectual, emotional and social development of children.