Sunita Williams Elementary Physical Education

MAHPERD Presentation 2018

K-2 Educational Gymnastic Progressions - MAHPERD 2018

Introduction

Thank you for taking the time to attend my presentation at MAHPERD 2018 and I hope you found some of the information useful and relevant to you. This was my first ever presentation and I am open to any and all feedback that you might have for me. Feel free to email me at rob_tatro@needham.k12.ma.us.

It was my goal to show you some simple progressions that you can add immediately to your educational gymnastics unit whether you are a crafty veteran like myself, a newbie on the block, or anywhere in between. I've been testing and tweaking these learning experiences in my gymnasium for the past 20 years and can wholeheartedly say that they have given my students the ability to see themselves as gymnasts no matter what their level of experience. Educational gymnastics can and should be accessible to everyone, not just the formally trained. I know, teaching educational gymnastics can be intimidating but when you set up a safe, developmentally appropriate learning environment, centered around explicit instruction and comfortable routines, your students can and will be dressed for success!

Routine is not the enemy!

When it comes to gymnastics, routines are necessary and comforting for students. They know what they are going to do, when they are going to do it, and also know that if they do what they are supposed to, they will be rewarded!

First of all, let's just talk for a moment about Kindergarten. We all know that teaching Kindergarten in a gymnasium can be like herding cats if you don't have strong management skills (sometimes even if you do) so their routines need to be a little more rigid. Starting with socks and shoes ... walking your students into the gym, down the balancing line until you get to the end, taking off socks and shoes, putting socks inside of shoes, placing shoes against the wall side by side, meeting in the center of the gym for circle time is as explicit and direct as it sounds and it needs to be. They need to learn how get into this routine appropriately otherwise class gets started off on the wrong foot (pun intended) and can quickly snowball into what can be a dangerous environment without control. Those routines remain fairly rigid throughout the lesson for Kindergarten so that they learn how to transition in and out of learning activities, in and out of explore time, and finally into the routine of getting their socks and shoes back on before they line up to leave the gymnasium.

As your students move into 1st and 2nd grade, the routine remains the same but just a little more student directed vs. teacher directed. The routine is:

Kindergarten

Explicitly walk them down the balancing line until you get to the end, taking off socks and shoes, putting socks inside of shoes, placing shoes against the wall side by side, meeting in the center of the gym for circle time. Play name game before introducing today's warm up animal.

1st and 2nd Grade

Letting students do this on their own but correcting students who forgot to do what they needed to during the warm-up.

Kindergarten

Play "Jungle Book". Students travel, travel, travel around the gym without touching anything. When the teacher says an animal, there is an action that needs to be done for 3 gymnastics. One animal is added to the game each week. Animals should be a combination of hanging, balancing, and traveling animals while relating them to gymnastic content.

1st and 2nd Grade

Warm ups are travel based but tent to incorporate previous lesson content.

Kindergarten

Almost always one task with one lesson focus. There is some variability between working individually, working with a partner, and working in a small group each class to help teach and emphasize the social and emotional competencies each one of these situations require.

1st and 2nd Grade

Almost always explicit review of the last lesson focus with an extension for some or all of the class. Sometimes and introduction of a new concept.

Kindergarten

Sometimes called "free time" and a reminder that this is an opportunity for students to demonstrate that they know how to use the apparatus safely. Following the rules for every unique piece of equipment.

1st and 2nd Grade

More often than not called "explore time", a time that students can explore how they can use concepts learning in class to the environment around them. Also and opportunity to ask for help. Sometimes "explore time" can be used as a carrot on a stick to get what you want our of the lesson focus.

Kindergarten

Class stopped 5 minutes early for this. Students can't line up until their socks and shoes are on and tied and/ or secured. Help given to students who need it with reminders about practicing this skill at home.

1st and 2nd Grade

Class generally stopped with 3-4 minutes early. Students can't line up until their socks and shoes are and tied and/or secured. Class reminded that if they can't get their shoes on in time, that we'll stop earlier next class.

Examples of Learning Progressions

Kindergarten

Body Support Spinners

After an introduction to what a balance is (strong and still shape held for 3 gymnastics), talk about how balances can be held on lots of body parts.
Also explain that balances can be held on more than one body part at the same time and that sometimes that is important to keep our balances still and safe.
Body parts that are touching the ground during a balance are also called bases of support.
After walking the students through some teacher demonstrations, partner students up with a spinner and play "Body Support Spinners!"
To play, the spinner spins the spinner to land on a body part, the balancing partner then thinks of a shape they can make while using that body part in a balance. When they are ready, they say go and the spinner counts to three gymnastics. Spin again and repeat, switch places after each partner has had three spins.
Extension - Have the spinner give feedback to the balancer. Thumbs up if the balance was strong and still for 3 gymnastics, thumbs sideways if the balance was wiggly.

First Grade

Dicey Balances

After reviewing what a balance is (strongand still shape held for 3 gymnastics), talk about how balances be very different from each other by answering three questions:
How many bases of support are you using?
Which body parts are you balancing on?
What kind of shape are you trying to make?
We're going to play a game using a dice to help us answer these questions. With a partner and a die, in open space one partner gets to be the roller and the other gets to be the balancer, the game has three builds:

Build 1, the roller rolls the dice once and each number is assigned a body part (1 - foot, 2 - hand, 3 - bottom, 4 - elbow, 5 - knee, 6 - head). Whichever body part is rolled, the balancer will try to create a balance using that body part and hold it still for 3 gymnastics. The roller will count to three gymnastics and then show thumbs up or thumbs sideways for a strong & still balance or a wobbly balance. Take turns.
Build 2, the roller rolls the dice twice. Once to find out which body parts to use in the balance, the second roll to find out how many body parts to include in the balance (1 - one body part, 2 - two body parts, 3 - three body parts, 4 - four body parts, 5 - five body parts, 6 - roll again or student choice. Important ... explain that sometimes, some combinations are not safe and it's ok to roll again to create a safe balance (ie, head, and one body part). Played the same as build 1.
Build 3, the roller rolls the dice three times. Once to find out which body parts to use in the balance, the second roll to find out how many body parts to include in the balance, and the third to find out what shape the balance will try to include in the balance (1 - straight, 2 - curved, 3 - wide, 4 - narrow, 5 - twisted, 6 - roll again or student choice. Important ... once again, explain that sometimes, some combinations are not safe and it's ok to roll again to create a safe balance (ie, head, and one body part). Played the same as builds 1 & 2.

Second Grade

Sticky Landings

After playing elevator with the students as a warm-up review, talk about the importance of upwards arm swing with a hard push off the floor in order to gain height.
Let students know though, that an important aspect of being a gymnast is being able to control your body and in a jump. Not only is that important in takeoff, it's also important in landing and that's what we're going to practice today.
Talk about and demonstrate three types of landings that we're probably going to see today. Sticky landings (feet hit the floor and don't move), Foot shuffler landings (feet hit the floor and move to catch balance), and Crash landings (feet hit the floor and so do other body parts to catch balance and absorb force). Which landings show the best control? Emphasize the bending of the knees upon landing to help absorb force and slow the body down, about keeping your body centered to stay balanced.
With a partner, we're going to practice jumping from the floor, trying to get as high into the air as possible, and then trying to land with control. Take turns making three jumps over a very low hurdle, have one partner give you thumbs up (sticky), thumbs sideways (foot shuffle), or thumbs down (crash). Extension - how about a high hurdle? Extension - how about from a height (folding chairs work very well).?
Game - Students are with a small group and have the option of jumping off of three floors low (folded mat), medium (single trapezoid mat), high (double trapezoid mat). Each group has an scorer with an ipad using the clicking counter app. The group takes turns jumping from just right heights (heights that you can control your landings from) while the scorer watches. A sticky landing from the first floor is worth one point, a sticky landing from the second floor is worth two points, and a sticky landing from the third floor is worth three points. Foot shuffle landings are ok and are worth 0 points. Crash landings are not what we want and are worth negative the same number of points as the sticky landings are. Each jumper gets three jumps and then we rotate the scorer. Try to see what kind of score you and your partners can get up to.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse