January 2025

January 13th-16th: 🏒🪂🏒🪂🏒

This week in PE...

Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade started a parachute unit! This is one of my absolute FAVORITE units to teach. We worked on parachute safety, how to grip the parachute properly, making ripples and waves, ups & downs, igloos, jello-mountains, and 2nd grade classes got to play a game called sharks and lifeguards! 

3rd, 4th, and 5th grade started floor hockey this week. Before talking about hockey, we warmed up with a game called Burrito Tag. When tagged you must put a hand up in the air and wait for a tortilla holder (someone with a blue mat) to come and help you roll into a burrito! Then you get back in the game. 

For Floor hockey, we talked about floor hockey safety and then signed a safety contract to keep the blade of the hockey stick below waist level at all time. After we signed the safety contract, each student got their own floor hockey stick and a choice of an item to practice dribbling with (hockey pucks, hockey ball, yarn ball, or a large gatorskin ball). We worked on our ready stance, stationary dribbling, and then dribbling on the move. Next week we are going to work on passing and some game play scenarios. 

On Monday, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade got to have one class with the parachute because they are ahead of our other classes since winter break started on a Tuesday. 

On Thursday 3rd-5th reviewed how to dribble with the floor hockey stick by playing a dribbling relay style game. One student from each team has to run to the middle and get one yarn ball to dribble back to their team's cone. Then the next person in line gets to go. The team with the most yarn balls at the end won the round. For the second round, we did one half of the gym vs. the other half. At the end that had to add together ALL the yarn balls from each team on the same side of the gym. We even had a tie for one game and had to settle the winner with rock paper scissors!

After this warm up game we learned how to pass with a partner using the floor hockey sticks. For the remainder of class we worked with a partner on controlling our passes. 

January 27th-30th:

This week in PE...

On Monday and Tuesday, K-2nd grade got to pick stations to play outside on the field. Some of the choices they had were soccer, hula hooping, jump rope, Velcro throwing, and using our scoops to throw and catch! 

For grades 3rd-5th we started talking about Fitnessgram testing. Fitnessgram is state testing for Physical Education that begins in 3rd grade. The goal of Fitnessgram testing is for students to see what their overall fitness level is at. We have to gather data from several different physical fitness tests. We talked about the 5 Components of Fitness which are the 5 categories the Fitnessgram testing matches up with. We talked about the first component "Cardiovascular Endurance." I then related this component to the Fitnessgram Pacer Test. Then we discussed how to do the Pacer Test, went outside on the field, and practiced. In the next few weeks students will do the Pacer Test for real. 

Since Fitnessgram is a state mandated test, a note will not excuse a child from completing any test. If a student misses a test, they will have to make it up at a later time. I like to compare this testing to the STAAR test but for PE. 

On Wednesday & Thursday...

K-2nd got to watch more of Everyone's Hero due to weather. 

3rd-5th grade learned about another Component of Fitness "Flexbility." Then we talked about the two flexibility tests they must complete for Fitnessgram. These tests are the Trunk Lift and Shoulder Stretch Test. We started to take scores for the Shoulder Stretch test on these two days.