Youth Trainers

Youth Trainers Wednesday Schedule: 

1st Grade - 9:30-9:55

2nd Grade - 10:05-10:30

3rd Grade - 11:05-11:30

4th Grade - 11:35-12:00

WHAT?

Youth Trainers: An Innovative program unique to AEA!

This uniting program facilitates joyful connections and meaningful relationships between our wonderful students! Every Wednesday 1st-4th (students and teachers) come out, one grade level at a time, for 25 minutes of fun physical activities. During these play experiences, students also learn concepts, activities and strategies to improve health, performance, and social skills.  

5th Grade students take on the role of ‘Youth Trainers’ to explore the central idea of how their leadership affects others.  They lead their elementary counterparts while building relationships, practicing movement/motor skills and improving their personal fitness levels. 

HOW?

Youth Trainers assign themselves specific jobs based on the IB Attributes and are assessed weekly on those job responsibilities. Targeted IB attributes (and attitudes) include Communicator, Caring, Reflective, Creative, Enthusiasm, Appreciation, Respect and Cooperation.  5th graders then guide their groups through 'Fitness and Friendship' stations before teaching them the games they voted to play.

Classes alternate coming out every other Wednesday. Teachers stay to monitor safety, help manage behavior and supervise/join in the activities. Students spend 7 minutes at each station and then rotate to the next activity with their trainers.  Videos below.

WHY? 

• To develop Physical Literacy - the knowledge, skills, fitness, values, and motivation to attain and maintain a healthy lifestyle. 

• Mentoring and leadership opportunity for 5th grade students to learn, play and build connections with other children

• Develop physically educated students who have a strong sense of self identity, and the social skills to work cooperatively with others

• ‘Education Code section 51210 states that each school district maintaining an elementary school composed of grades 1-5 must provide at least 200 minutes of P.E. instruction for every 10 school days, not including recesses and the lunch period.’

• ‘Schools offering intense physical activity programs have seen positive effects on test scores in mathematics, reading and writing, in addition to less disruptive classroom behavior.’