Trimester 2
2025
Kindergarten & 1st Grade
Moving us into trimester 2, we learned about the National Program 5210, Let’s Go! This program uses numbers and a simple ideology to start young students thinking about healthy choices they can make each day to move forward towards a healthy lifestyle, 5 fruits and vegetables, 2 hours or less of screen time, 1 hour of physical activity and 0 sugary drinks. The program also touches on the number 10 in their + program to represent 10 hours of sleep. We discussed and practiced these components using scooter and tag games.
Sticking with the scooter for equipment and fitness in mind, our next unit was Scooter games. We discussed how scooters require muscular strength and endurance as well as balance to move. We also used the scooter activities to discuss direction, pathways. Scooters are also a great way to learn to differentiate between upper, lower and core muscles.
Our last unit of trimester 2 we practiced striking with foam paddles and connected the skill and practice to other sports like tennis, pickleball, badminton and even pingpong. Students practiced striking towards a target, using forehand, backhand and volley over a net with balloons.
Following this unit we practiced simple basketball skills like, bouncing and catching (bounce pass), dribbling and shooting. It was great fun, especially the shooting!
Second Grade & Third Grade
Second and third graders began their second trimester learning about and discussing the program 5210+ Let’s Go! This healthy lifestyle program uses numbers as guidelines to make it straightforward and simple for young children to make healthy choices throughout their day, 5 Fruits and Vegetables, 2 Hours or Less of Screen Time, 1 Hours of Physical Activity, 0 sugary drinks and the plus program is 10 Hours of Sleep. We learned and memorized this program using tag and scooter games.
Continuing with scooters, we learned about different pathways, upper and lower and core strength as well as the importance of balance in building muscular strength and endurance.
In the next unit we practiced striking with foam paddles and connected the skill and practice to other sports like tennis, pickleball, badminton and even pingpong. Students practiced striking towards a target, into buckets, forehand, backhand and volley over a net.
Following this unit we practiced basketball skills like, dribbling, passing (bounce and chest pass), shooting and simple offensive and defensive concepts and strategies.
4th & 5th Grade
Fourth and Fifth grade began trimester 2 with a review of 5210+ Let’s Go! We played tag games and other activities to build knowledge of healthy lifestyle choices and created goals and plans to make individual healthier choices.
We followed this unit with some collaboration holiday/winter activities and then transitioned to fitness testing and goal setting. Students participated in the Aerobic Pacer test, curl ups, push ups, and flexibility testing. Students learned about the components of fitness, aerobic, muscular strength & muscular endurance and flexibility. We discussed and analyzed personal fitness scores, growth and compared to the Healthy Fitness Zone. We used this to set fitness goals and create plans to meet them when we retest in the spring.
Our next unit in the trimester was a sport called Omnikin or Kinball. This game was invented in Canada by a physical education teacher more than 30 years ago and has now become a global sport with national and world cup events. Kinball is played with a very large balloon-like ball. There are 3 teams or 4 that play. Each team hits the ball and calls our 1 team color to “catch” the ball. The object of the game is to keep the ball in bounds and to not let it touch the ground. When the ball is caught you earn a point. When the ball is dropped or faulted the other teams earn a point. During our lessons students learned how to hold, hit and catch the ball, as well as positions, offensive and defensive strategies. It was great fun and something we will continue to practice and play.
We then practiced basketball skills like, dribbling with control while changing speed and direction, passing while in motion, shooting (lay ups and jump shots) and simple offensive and defensive strategies playing Bucketball, a modified version of basketball.
Kindergarten & 1st Grade
Kindergarten and first grade began the year learning , “What is Physical Education”, the boundaries of the gym and expected behavior during directions, discussions and lessons. These activities explored spatial awareness, pathways, start and stop signals. Lessons introduce, review and practice of locomotor movements such as jog, gallop, skip, crab walk, bear crawl using different pathways and direction patterns. Following these lessons we worked on how to find a partner and create small teams/groups, how to communicate and work together through simple collaboration activities.
We used the classic P.E. parachute to learn about collaboration and using equipment safely and with respect. We made different kinds of waves, rode the waves above and below and created mushrooms, igloos and jellyfish, which all require safety, following direction and collaboration.
Kindergarten and first grade learned about and practiced skills for soccer. We played games like “My Puppy” and “Island Adventure”, learning how to dribble and trap with control and how to kick a ball towards a target.
In our final unit we practiced how to underhand roll and throw a ball towards a target, mainly a bowling pin. This was great fun, especially when we turned on our disco music and disco ball and did some glow bowling! We also practiced how to guard and little more about offense and defense during this unit during the game, Pin Knock Down.
2nd & 3rd Grade
Second and third grade started the trimester reviewing and learning boundaries and expected behavior for physical education and the gym. We started by reviewing and practicing locomotor movements, pathways, exercises and stretches. We practiced expected behavior using collaboration and communication activities, with partners, small groups, the parachute and teams, where we focused on communication, giving and receiving feedback respectfully, following directions and collaboration.
We then used the parachute to create community and practice collaboration. We made different kinds of waves, rode the waves above and below and created mushrooms, igloos and jellyfish, which all require safety, following direction and collaboration. Students in second and third grade also played the game of Cat and Mouse which requires perseverance, taking turns and collaboration as well.
Following this, second and third graders practice skills of dribbling, trapping, passing and kicking during our soccer unit. We practiced simple offensive and defensive strategies during games like Villain Vs. Hero and Sharks and Minnows.
We finished the trimester with our throwing unit. We worked on accuracy and form using the steps; Ready, Swing, Step & Throw, Follow Through and applied our offensive and defensive strategies during games like Guard Your Pin and Pirates of the Caribbean!
4th & 5th Grade
What a fantastic start to the year LES has had. Fourth and fifth grade started the year reviewing and introducing expected behavior during P.E. lessons with exercises, stretches, simple fleeing and dodging activities using simple equipment. Once boundaries and expectations were set we moved onto community and collaboration activities and practiced how to show good sportsmanship, communicate and give/receive feedback respectfully, through activities like Grenades & Shields, Asteroids and Chicken Baseball. Using the ABCDE’s of Collaboration students communicated and worked together to use strategies and tactics as a team.
Our next unit used games like Classic Dodgeball, Castle Ball, Spot It, Perfect Pass and Battleship to apply offensive skills, defensive skills and practice overhand throw and catching.
Following these lessons we practiced dribbling, trapping, passing, kicking, offensive and defensive strategies during our soccer unit. Students practiced and play small sided soccer games and activities like Sharks and Minnows, Kick Away and Follow Me.
Our final unit of the trimester was our throwing and catching unit. We began with a simple overhand throw, then changed to a football. From there we introduced football plays and tree routes. It was great fun to see the improvement and excitement from lesson to lesson. We ended with our game of Battleship adding in offensive and defensive strategies and tactics.