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Elementary classroom teachers have many responsibilities. No other group of educators is expected to prepare for, and teach, such a diverse curriculum. In some areas, elementary schools employ specialists to teach some of the subjects, the most common of which are physical education, art, and music. Other schools expect the classroom teachers to meet all the needs of their students.
A poster in my office shows a photo of a child, with the caption, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste. So is the other 90% of a child" (www.healthfirstusa.com). What can elementary classroom teachers do to increase the physical development and learning of their students, without taking away from the three Rs? What are they likely to do when they have their own classroom?
Most universities, and their accrediting agencies, require preservice elementary educators to pass a methods course in physical education. Many of the students enrolled in this course have had previous physical education experiences that they considered unpleasant. This must be taken into account.
Important topics to be covered in the methods course for preservice elementary classroom teachers include the following:
| • | An understanding of the goals of a quality physical education program, and its relationship to the goals of elementary education. |
| • | The ability to support physical education specialists in the area of fitness development. |
| • | An understanding of fundamental movement concepts and skills. |
| • | An understanding of the affective, cognitive, psychomotor, and physical characteristics of elementary school-aged children. |
| • | The ability to employ techniques that minimize off-task behavior in a physical activity setting. |
| • | The ability to enhance student learning through the appropriate use of physical activity. |
| • | The ability to analyze lesson plans and learning activities for their developmental appropriateness. |
| • | The ability to create an active learning experience, as well as to adapt lesson plans to fit the unique needs of all children. |
| • | A battery of resources, including, but not limited to, web sites and textbooks, and where developmentally appropriate interdisciplinary lessons plans are likely to be found. |
The above topics will be discussed in subsequent editorials on this interdisciplinary page. Feedback is appreciated. What do you think? Do you agree? Disagree? Do you have ideas that can assist classroom teachers, and the faculty that prepare them? Please contact me at: smcghie@semo.edu with any and all thoughts you have on this topic.
Shaunna McGhie
Section Editor
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If you have ideas, comments, letters to share, or questions about particular topics, please email one of the following Interdisciplinary PE Section Editors:
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Para Shoot Ball - grades 3-5
(bar graphs)
Modified from a lesson developed and taught by the following PE 309 students, Spring 2000 semester:
Michelle Volkerding, Sarah Harris, Melissa Pickering, & Mary Scott
Materials/Equipment Required: a parachute and 5 foam balls
Anticipatory Set: I will ask the students if they know what a parachute is, and if so what they are used for. Then I will tell the students that we will be doing a Math activity with a parachute to practice our graphing skills.
Safety: The students will be instructed to walk, not run, when going to the circle. The students will be instructed to keep their arms in front of them when waving the parachute.
Objective: The objective of this activity is for the students to be able to accurately construct a bar graph with the information they collect throughout the activity.
Instructional Input: The teacher will tell the students to stand around the parachute leaving at least two feet between one another. They will then be instructed to lift the parachute to hip level when the teacher says the word "lift".
After everyone has the parachute at hip level the teacher will count to three. On three, the students will lift the parachute all at once, sending the balls in the middle flying through the air. The students must keep a hold of the parachute. After the balls come back down, the students must mark on a sheet of paper how many balls did not land back inside the parachute.
Check for Comprehension: After the first session, the teacher will ask the students if they understand what they are supposed to do, and answer any questions they may have.
Variations for Special Learners: Physical Handicap - If the student has a physical handicap then the teacher can select them as the official ball counter. Their job will be to count how many balls land outside, and inside of the parachute. Learning Disability - These students can be told that if they need help they can get it from the teacher, or they can be allowed extra time to turn in their work.
Closure: The teacher will explain that by doing this activity it helped us compile information that they will be using for their assignment, which is to make a bar graph, and that bar graphs can be very useful in organizing information. We will then discuss other things that we could use a bar graph for.
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| "Yummy" Idea from PE Central |
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Candy Bar Fractions
Purpose of Activity: To give students a clearer understanding of the relationship between caloric expenditure and exercise. Also, to give students a real world use for fractions as they relate to daily life.
Physical Activity Being Taught: cardiovascular fitness
Suggested Grade Level: 4-5
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My Dad's Hands
Bedtime came, we were settling down,
I was holding one of my lads.
As I grasped him so tight, I saw a strange sight:
My hands. . .they looked like my dad's!
I remember them well, those old gnarled hooks,
there was always a cracked nail or two.
And thanks to a hammer that strayed from its mark,
his thumb was a beautiful blue!
They were rough, I remember, incredibly tough,
as strong as a carpenter's vice.
But holding a scared little boy at night,
they seemed to me awfully nice!
The sight of those hands - how impressive it was
in the eyes of his little boy.
Other dads' hands were cleaner, it seemed
(the effects of their office employ).
Thinking back, misty-eyed, and thinking ahead,
when one day my time is done.
The torch of love in my own wrinkled hands
will pass on to the hands of my son.
I don't mind the bruises, the scars here and there
or the hammer that just seemed to slip.
I want most of all when my son takes my hand,
to feel that love lies in the grip.
~ by David Kettler ~
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Apple's Disability Connection
Apple Computers' site to support the disabled through the use of technology. Assistance via technology for visual, physical & learning disabilities.
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Wheel of Habitats - grade 2
(plant & animal habitats, locomotor skills)
Modified from a lesson by Sherri Voerg
Materials/Equipment Required: For this activity you will need 5
poster boards; each with a different habitat listed on it. For this activity, I have chosen to use the following: ocean, arctic, desert, jungle, and pond. You will also need a spinner
(poster board and brass fastener) listing various locomotor movements such as walking, skipping, hopping, etc.
The final item needed is a list of plants and/or animals that live in the various habitats you choose.
Safety: Students will be moving around in general space. Remind students of the importance of keeping safe distance from one another.
Anticipatory Set: The teacher will introduce the activity by telling students that we will be reviewing the different places that plants and animals live. The teacher will review and reinforce the term habitat.
Instructional Input/Modeling Behavior: The teacher will begin by going over each of the habitats on the poster boards positioned in the different areas of the gym; the reasoning being to ensure that all of the students know which habitat is positioned where.
Next, show them each of the locomotors skills on the wheel. Explain that you will be calling out a plant or animal. The students’ job is to decide (on their own without blurting out the answer) which habitat it belongs in. The teacher will spin the wheel and tell/show students which locomotor skill it lands on.
When the whistle blows, each student must perform the locomotor skill chosen to the correct habitat area. Model one animal/plant together to ensure comprehension.
Independent Practice: Spin the wheel again and call out another plant/animal. Once the students get to the habitat(s), discuss why they chose the habitat they did.
Checking for Understanding: Teacher will observe which habitat area the students choose, and discuss why they made the choice they did. There may be valid arguments for more than one habitat.
Closure: The teacher will review the various habitats, and what types of plants and animals can be found in each.
Variations for Special Learners: The teacher can adjust the difficulty of the game as necessary to accommodate the students’ abilities. Students having difficulty can be paired with other students. More difficult plants, animals, and habitats can be used for gifted students. Various locomotor activities can be used for students having difficulty with the movement portion of the activity.
Reference: Adapted from "Habitat Sort" and "Wheel of Exercise" in Teacher Tips All Across the Curriculum by Rosemary Alexander, pgs. 99 and 109.
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| "Cool" Idea from PE Central |
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Cranium Cool Down
Purpose of Activity: To allow students to cool down from physical activity, and to reinforce the location of bones.
Physical Activity Being Taught: Proper cool down, and the scientific names of bones.
Suggested Grade Level: 3-5
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CNN Interactive: Health
This is CNN's health page featuring current health news, and general health and medical information. Though not specifically disability related, it's a good place to find that story your friend's cousin heard on TV...
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