Physical Education

Each and every PE lesson will give students an opportunity to personify our 4 core values in the gym:

Throughout the school year students will experience games, activities, challenges, and choices that align to one or more of our Physical Education standards listed below. Aligning our PE curriculum to these standards gives our students a well-rounded and holistic physical education, making it more likely for them to identify activities they enjoy, try new things, and pursue their own physical literacy journey.

Week of 11/13-11/17

PE UNITS

September - Community building 

During this unit students  learn the routines and procedures of Physical Education. Such routines as what to do during instruction, when the music is on/off and how to move safely around the gym. Examples of some activities include creating letters using our bodies, working in small groups to retrieve items in a relay, using various equipment to get a group across the gym and how to play tag games.

October: Rolling, Throwing, and Catching (Manipulatives)

We have been practicing underhand rolling and sliding, underhand throwing, overhand throwing, and catching. Did you know that chimpanzees have been known to throw rocks at trees as part of their very own game-play? Throwing is one of the most primitive skills. In Kindergarten, we practiced identifying our strong hand and rolling/throwing with the opposite foot forward. In 1st grade, we practiced rolling and throwing with strong and light force. In 2nd grade, we practicing rolling/throwing at different distances using differing levels of force. In 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades, we practiced rolling/throwing at different targets with a focus on accuracy, rolling/throwing at stations, and in small-sided games with varying levels of difficulty. We even included offense and defense strategies. 

We've started practicing catching. You can't think of throwing without catching just like you can't think of peanut butter without jelly. The most consecutive passes between two people is 4,169 catches.Currently, we're beginning to work on catching by tracking the object with our eyes, reaching for the object, moving our body towards the object, and using the correct hand positions to catch a ball. Catching helps develop and improve eye-hand coordination and overal spatial awareness. It is a true test of reaction time. 

November: Dribbling, Passing, Shooting with Hands (Manipulatives)

Dribbling practice involved reviewing the main cues which are pushing the ball down with finger pads, dribble as high as your waist and try to look ahead. Pre-k  - 2 played games where students had to high five and play rock, paper scissors while dribbling. Also red light, green light and follow the leader. 3 - 5 played slap away and cones up, cones down

Shooting cues included holding the ball with the preferred hand, finger back, non preferred hand supporting. Jump and push the ball up towards the basket. Eyes on the basket. Pre-k - 2 played tag games where if tagged students must take a shot in a corner of the gym at a basketball hoop. 3 - 5 competed in a spirited games of spot shot.

Passing cues included elbows out, step and push the ball towards a teammate. Chest pass and bounce pass. Pre-k - 2 practiced passing a soft ball to partner then played a game when they had to bounce pass into a hoop then back to their team. 3 - 5 played a game of students in the middle taing turns trying to touch the ball for points.

December: We will be finishing up some basketball and begin talking about fitness using scooters! During this unit, we have begun talking about cardiovascular endurance and muscular endurance. In Grades K-2, we're playing various winter themed games, such as "Snow Monster" and "Mario Kart," while using scooters and moving at different speeds and in different directions/pathways.  In Grades 3-5, we've begun practicing the FitnessGram Pacer Run while talking about personal best and personal challenges. We then used scooters in various winter games that focused on speed, agility, strategy, and overall teamwork.

January: This month, we have begun striking with the hands. In this unit, K-2 students will work on eye-hand coordination while using different levels of force to strike various objects with the palm of their hand. They will be learning about proper technique as well as how to hit the object at various heights like on the floor, on a cone, or in the air. Students in grades 3-5 will also be learning about striking with the palm of their hand. They will practice this skill from various distances aiming at different sized targets arranged in different directions. They will also play small-sided games that require them to use a variety of strategies while striking a ball with their hand. Additionally, students in grade 3-5 will continue to practice the activities in the FITNESS Gram Assessment. They will continue to achieve their personal best on the Pacer Run, which measures cardiovascular endurance, as well as begin to practice and re-practice the push-up, curl-up, sit and reach, and trunk-lift exercises. 

February-March: This month, we have begun striking with the short implements. In this unit, K-2 students will continue working on the same concepts as striking with the hands, but they will not be using implements like paddles and racquets to strike to different targets and different distances. They will be learning about striking different objects and how the force they use and the direction of their body influence where their objects go. Through small sided games and partner challenges, they will continue to work on eye-hand coordination, agility, speed, and power along with important teamwork skills like communication, sharing equipment and space, and encouragement. We have also been completing our FITNESS Gram Assessment with the Pushup and Curlup exercises.