Maybe it's because of the greater sense of unrest in the world today, but for whatever reason, the idea of sportsmanship has come to take a more central role in what we do as Physical Educators. We can consider that new role to be a burden or an opportunity, as we consider the many ways in which we can seek to influence today's youth in this small area of affective behavior. The truth is that, willingly or not, we teach a great deal about personal behaviors in our role as PE Teachers. Our classrooms truly serve as a means through which we can model and teach positive social skills and behaviors. WE also have the luxury of pioneers who have paved the way for us. Men like Don Hellison have given us a model, as well as specific teaching strategies for teaching personal responsibility, a topic which encompasses many of the skills we wish to impart to our students...including sportsmanship. Maybe one of our New Year's resolutions this year can be to teach more specifically about these skills in our classes. Who knows what kind of impact we might have!

More about Don Hellison

Cindy Kuhrasch
Interdisciplinary Section Editor

Here is a great resource for helping kids to think about their behavior during sports participation. Once you have read the checklist together with your child, you can help him or her to self evaluate their behavior after an event.

Click here for the printable checklist!

Have your students try out this great game that matches terms with sports!

Here is a list of multimedia art activities that can be used to explore the theme of sportsmanship. You can view, post, and discuss your artwork on the theme of sportsmanship, in the sportsmanship Discussion Area. You can suggest improvement for individual activities and add activities, in the Art Activities Discussion Area.

1. Use brainstorming to explore ideas related to sportsmanship.
2. Draw the feeling of sportsmanship.
3. Use the Microsoft Agent and Mash to put together a skit or theater piece that explores sportsmanship.
4. Draw the feeling and create an animation.
5. Create a collage that expresses sportsmanship.
6. Create a cartoon.
7. Write a poem.
8. Use a variety of materials to build a sculpture.
9. Create a maze that you have to navigate to reach sportsmanship ***Create a map to map out the themes landscape.
10. Create a recipe for cooking up sportsmanship.
11. Create a chart and graph for exploring sportsmanship
12. Create a booklet on the care and feeding of your sportsmanship.
13. Write a short story.
14. Create masks of how sportsmanship looks.
15. Do Interviews.
16. Create an improvisational acting piece or role play
17. Choreograph a dance.
18. Create a video.
19. Create a song.
20. Create an scientific experiment.
21. Take a photograph.
22. Keep a journal.
23. Hold a discussion ( have a debate, review a book , movie, theater production)
24. Study and immerse yourself
25. Create metaphors (include in each activity)
26. 12 minute freeform writing on the theme.

These ideas can be found at the following website: