| As the end of
the summer approaches and we prepare to head back for a brand new
school year, it is a great time to start planning for the year ahead.
Most of your students are eagerly awaiting the new school year,
and can't wait to return.
For just that reason, it is important for each of us to explore
a variety of new activities to implement in our classes this school
year. If you have never utilized an interdisciplinary approach to
teaching Physical Education, why not start this year? There are
so many simple ways to incorporate the core subject areas into your
classes without changing your whole curriculum.
In this issue, I have listed a variety of activities for Language
Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Visual/Performing Arts
that you can utilize at various points throughout the school year.
When utilizing this approach to teaching, it is helpful to talk
with the classroom teachers in your school to find out what the
students are learning. By reinforcing what your students are learning
in their classrooms in a physical setting, you are allowing the
students to further understand the material. Start planning now
for a successful school year!! Enjoy!
Laura Petersen
Interdisciplinary Section Editor |
| THE
FIRST FEW PE CLASSES... |
| ...OF
THE SCHOOL YEAR
During the first few
classes of the school year, it is extremely important to set the
tone for the whole year. Students must learn what the rules of Physical
Education will be. It is important to keep your rules short and
simple, and address the major points, including participation and
safety. I believe it is also important to have your rules posted
in your gymnasium where students can clearly see them. You may choose
to make a large poster with the rules listed and post that on the
wall. PE
Central has an extensive list
of rules for the gymnasium that various teachers across the country
have submitted.
In addition to going
over your class rules, you want to set a routine for the year. The
following lessons are great for presenting your class rules, or
setting other classroom management routines.
First
Day Protocol: This lesson idea uses technology to present your
Physical Education rules.
Emergency
Communication: This management idea utilizes sign language to
allow younger students to get the teachers attention when a situation
arises.
Incredible
Encouragers: This activity helps you teach your students how
to encourage classmates in a positive way.
Foreign
Language Bell Ringer: The purpose of this activity is to engage
students in an activity at the beginning or end of a physical education
or health class. It integrates foreign languages, and helps children
learn to count in different languages.
Lights,
Camera, Action: This lesson helps students see, hear, and learn
the protocols and rules of the Physical Education Classroom.
|
| INTEGRATING LANGUAGE
ARTS & PE |
When
incorporating language arts concepts into your physical education
lessons, focus on the following areas: Writing, Listening, Viewing,
Speaking, and Reading. Topics such as spelling, vocabulary, comprehension,
question and answers, and critical listening can easily be incorporated
into a Physical Education lesson. Below are a sample of several
lessons that can be incorporated at different grade levels.
Scrabble
Laps (gr 3-5): The purpose of this activity is to incorporate
physical fitness with spelling of core vocabulary words. Helpful
hint: Ask the classroom teacher for a list of vocabulary/spelling
words of the week.
Scootin',
Sounds, and Sorting (gr K-2): The purpose of this activity is
to have students incorporate physical fitness and locomotor movements
with practice of beginning sounds of words, and the letters of the
alphabet.
Word
Fitness (gr 3-5): This game allows students to perform a varied
workout while practicing spelling skills. Helpful Hint: Ask the
classroom teacher for a list of vocabulary/spelling words of the
week. Award more points to groups who can spell a word from that
list.
|
At
Clarkdale Elementary School (Austell, Ga.), Diana Gobbi teaches
spelling, computer skills, and physical education at the same time!
The lesson starts
with a computer keyboard, but this keyboard is larger than life.
It's drawn on the gym floor or painted outside on the concrete!
Gobbi has created laminated activity cards to accompany the keyboard.
Each card includes a series of directions such as:
 |
Jump to spell these computer words:
disk, cursor, return. |
|
Spell your
name. |
|
Jump to spell
your favorite PE activity. |
|
Press return/enter
to start this program over for the next person. |
Students jump from
key to key to complete the activities.
The
Little Engine that Could: Read the book "The Little Engine
That Could" to the class. Compare the "little engine"
with a Winter Games athlete. Discuss with the children how the Winter
Games athletes have a dream, and how it takes hard work and determination
to achieve a dream. Encourage the children to draw, and then verbalize
and act out their dreams, and what they might do to follow their
dreams.
Story
Obstacle Course:
Create an obstacle course based on a popular children's story. Students
act out the story by moving through the obstacle course, and moving
in different directions, levels, and pathways. Students will learn
the concepts of over, under, behind, in front of, etc., by participating
in the obstacle course.
Start the activity
by reading the book to the class and talk about the movements the
different characters are making throughout the story. Examples of
stories that can be used are "The
Tale of Peter Rabbit" or any of the Winnie
the Pooh books.
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|
 |
|
This week I read an article by Thom McKenzie and Jim Sallis that addressed the time challenge physical educators face. Here's what they suggested:
"To better serve elementary school pupils, schools might consider modifying the role of specialists to take on new duties - as consultants."
They then described how PE teachers could help structure the entire school environment to encourage all students to find ways to stay sufficiently physically active on a daily basis.
Should future PE teachers be trained to be both instructors and consultants? Should we be concerned less with conducting lessons ourselves and more with training other teachers in our schools to integrate movement into their lessons?
This is a role we have been considering adding to our
professional preparation program. I am interested in readers'
thoughts and especially any personal experiences others
might have acting as "consultants" within the school setting.
Please share. |
|
| INTEGRATING MATH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION |
| When incorporating
math concepts into your Physical Education lessons, focus on the
following areas: numbers, measuring and graphing, geometry, patterns
and functions, probability and statistics, and logic. Concepts
such as counting, addition, subtractions, multiplication, division,
fractions, and shapes can easily be integrated into your Physical
Education lessons. In this section, you will find several lesson
ideas that integrate math and physical education.
Bowling
Over Fractions (gr 3-5): To enhance the students' understanding
of fractions through bowling.
Card
Play (gr 2-4): To help children practice addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division in a creative way.
Place
Value Throwing (gr 2-3): Allows children to practice throwing
while reinforcing place values.
Boxed
Ball Throw (K-4): This activity incorporates the skill of
the underhand throw while reinforcing basic math computation skills.
TWINS
(gr 2-4)
This activity incorporates
making body shapes while learning about symmetry.
Students will start
out working alone. Have the students practice making symmetrical
shapes with their bodies, meaning that both sides will look the
same. Have them make the shapes at different levels. After making
symmetrical shapes, have the students work on making asymmetrical
shapes with their bodies at different levels.
Next, have the students
work with a partner. One person will make a symmetrical shape,
with the partner mirroring the student and making the same shape.
Teach students that this would be known as congruent shapes in
mathematics.
Finally, have the
students work in groups of 3-4. Have the groups come up with ways
to make body shapes that show different types of triangles and
quadrilaterals. Ask students if they can make isosceles,
right, obtuse, acute, or scalene
triangles. Then see if students can make shapes such as trapezoids,
rhombus,
parallelograms,
squares, and rectangles.
LESS
THAN, MORE THAN, EQUAL TO (gr 1-3)
This concept integrates
a variety of movements and skills while working with different
math symbols.
As children learn
about the math symbols of less than (<), greater than (>),
and equal to (=), you can incorporate these simple math terms
and symbols into your classes. During a station activity, you
may have task cards that indicate how many of a particular skill
to practice using one of the math symbols. For example, at an
exercise station, the task card may say the following:
| 1. |
Perform < 5 push-ups. |
| 2. |
Perform >10 sit-ups |
| 3. |
Perform >25 jumping jacks |
Another example, at
a Ball skills station, the task card may say the following:
| 1. |
Dribble the ball > 30 times with
your right hand |
| 2. |
Dribble the ball < 50 times with your left
hand |
| 3. |
Use an overhand throw to throw the ball against
the wall > 15 times |
These are just a few examples of types
of tasks that you can include in your classes. You can always
come up with more examples based on the unit of instruction that
you are presenting in your classes. |
| VISUAL
AND PERFORMING ARTS & PE |
When
incorporating the Visual and Performing Arts in your physical
education lessons, focus on the following areas: music, theater
arts, and visual arts. Use concepts such as: listening to, analyzing,
and describing music; acting in formal and informal presentations;
directing by planning improvised and scripted scenes; and choosing
and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas.
Below, I have listed
a variety of activities that you can use to easily incorporate
the Visual and Performing Arts into your Physical Education lessons.
Dancing
in the Park with Friends: This mini-unit of 3 lessons for
students in Grades 9-12, has students learning a dance based on
a character in Stephen Soundheim's musical Sunday
in the Park with George. A second lesson has Students studying
Georges Seurat's painting "A
Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La grande Jaffe," and
create physical gestures based on one of the characters. Finally,
students will have the opportunity to create an original dance.
Clowning
101 (gr 5): This lesson is great for including in a Circus
Arts Unit. Students learn about the history of clowning and different
types of clown characters. Students will have the opportunity
to create their own clown characters, and develop a skit to perform.
Systems
of the Body (gr 5-8): Movement and Choreography: In this lesson
students will create movement patterns that express information
about the various systems of the body.
The
Charleston (gr K-4): In this lesson students will have the
opportunity to learn about the history of the Charleston,
and learn the Charleston dance steps.
|
Added
here are some scavenger hunts that would be great for this Fall.
They're good exercise, and a great social activity for fun outdoors.
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|
| INTEGRATING SCIENCE
AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION |
|
When incorporating science into your
physical education lessons, focus on the following areas: biological
life sciences, earth sciences, and physical sciences. Concepts such
as identifying body parts, muscles and bones, learning about different
systems of the body, learning about simple machines such as levers
and weather patterns, can easily be incorporated into your lessons.
Below I have listed a variety of activities that you can use to
easily integrate science concepts.
"I
can move" but why? (gr K-2): The purpose of the activity
is teach children about movements they can do with their bones,
muscles and joints.
Molecules
(3-5): helps teach students about the characteristics of molecules
and the three states of matter, including gas, liquid, and solid.
Fun
Bones (3-5): The students will learn different bones of the
body while using various body awareness concepts.
The
Atomic Relay: Integrating Science and Physical Education: This
article written by a Middle School Science teacher, describes an
activity that was done with his science class to demonstrate basic
atomic structures and electrons. This activity can clearly be done
within a physical education class as well.
Be
Active Kids! Curriculum: The Be Active Kids! Curriculum
is a science-enriched physical education curriculum for Grades 3-5.
The lessons are closely aligned with the 4 National Content Standards
in Science Education. The various lessons integrate science vocabulary,
principles, and concepts. The are three different units: "Dr.
Love's Healthy Heart," "Mickey’s Mighty Muscles,"
and "Flex Coolbody's Fitness Club."
Atomic
and Molecular Structure (gr 9-12): This is a dance activity
which allows students to use their knowledge of physical science
to create movement patterns that simulate the movement of atoms
and molecules.
Heart
Power!: Heart Power is a free resource from the American Heart
Association. This curriculum-based program can be used to teach
children about the heart and how to keep it healthy. The website
has a variety of resources that can be downloaded and printed for
use in your classroom.
Discovery:
Bouncing High, Bouncing Low (ages 5+): This lesson has students
comparing the height that different types of sport balls will bounce.
Students will need to incorporate various physics concepts in this
lesson. |
| INTEGRATING SOCIAL
STUDIES & PHYS ED |
When
incorporating Social Studies into your physical education lessons,
focus on the following areas: geography, history, famous Americans,
Government, Economics, The World, States and Regions, and Maps and
Globes. Use concepts such as customs and cultures from around the
world, Olympics history, modes of transportation, and map reading.
Below, I have listed
a variety of activities that you can use to easily incorporate Social
Studies concepts into your Physical Education lessons.
The
Amazing Race (gr 3-5): 1) The students will improve their directional
awareness by locating sites and symbols on a map, 2) the students
will increase their heart rates while traveling to each site and
performing the specified task/exercise at each site, and 3) the
students will work cooperatively with their partners throughout
the challenge.
Playground
Fitness Course (gr 3-5): To create a map and map key that the
students can use as a fitness course and to reinforce map skills.
USA
State Tag/Mississippi River Shuffle (gr 3-5): The purpose of
this activity is to reinforce the geographic location of the states
of the U.S.A. (relative to the Mississippi River or to other geographic
features you may choose).
FITNESS TRIPTIK
(gr 2-5): This activity is great to teach students geography and
facts about the different states in the USA
Equipment/Materials
Needed: colored states cards with a picture of the state, and
facts about the state-the name of the state should not be listed;
laminated USA maps; color coded exercise chart; dry erase markers
How to Play:
Arrange students in groups of 3-4. Each group is given a Triptik,
which is a list of 5 states. One student at a time runs to the far
end of the playing area, where all of the colored state cards are
scattered face down. The student picks up one colored state card
and brings it back to their group. The group must figure out which
state is on the card, and if it is on the Triptik.
If the state is on the
Triptik, the group keeps it and the students places an X on the
map in the appropriate spot, and then the entire group completes
the predetermined exercise from the color coded exercise chart.
Once this is completed, the next student will go to get a card and
the process repeats. If the state is not on the Triptik, the next
student returns it and brings back a new card. At the end of the
activity, the students can arrange the states in alphabetical order
or by population.
A
Multicultural Approach to Physical Education: Proven Strategies
for Middle and High School
This book,
written by Rhonda Clements and Suzanne Kinzler, has numerous games
and activities that teachers can use to teach students in grades
7-12 about games played in different countries of the world. Teachers
can choose a country and learn about a game/activity played in that
country. This will allow students to learn about different cultures
of the world, and the types of physical activity utilized in those
different cultures.
|
TREASURE
HUNTS ( online lesson plans)
LESSONS
|
HEALTH
- The discussion and video for this activity includes dialogue
about sexual behavior related to the prevention and control
of HIV/AIDS. This activity also assumes that students have a
basic
understanding of HIV/AIDS and how it is transmitted. |
|
My
Body Interim - A fund way to learn about your body's systems. |
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