November Kindergarten Learning Summary
This fall our Kindergarten students have been exploring their own space and the space around them. They have learned the meaning of kinesphere and how it changes when they move based on the space they take up. They are learning to move safely, stop and start on signal and control their bodies while moving. Students have also been working with ropes, hoops and scarves making letters, patterns and balancing these objects. We have also introduced some tagging activities with games of low-organization. Students were also tested on loco-motor skills and the 5 minute endurance jog.
November First, Second and Third Grade Leaning Summary
During the fall trimester students have learned to move competently using a variety of fundamental skills. They have learned the meaning of "kinesphere" and how their personal space changes as they move. Students were also introduced to the fundamentals of tennis, including: grip, stance, and the forehand hit. We have begun testing their cardio-vascular endurance by jogging continually for 7 minutes in grades 1 and 2 and 10 minutes in grade 3. Daily warm-up activities reinforce responsible and self-directed behaviors that lead to positive social interactions in physical activity.
Welcome to 3-5 physical education with Mr. Lewis! We will be active, cooperative, and supportive of each other as we explore the world of movement throughout the 2011-2012 school year. Get out and be active!! Our 4th through 8th graders take part in a fitness evaluation called FitnessGram twice a year. Once in the Fall and again in the Spring. The link below will take you to the FitnessGram site and provide you with an overview of the program. This additional link takes you to the frequently asked questions. We hope the two will give a better understanding of the strengths of this testing protocol. 3rd graders practice the test but are not evaluated by the program. They, and the 1st and 2nd graders, complete a endurance run 3 times a year to evaluate their cardiovascular system. This is done as a timed run with the goal for each student being that of maintaining at least a jogging pace for a designated period of time. We start of at 7 minutes and work our way up during the year. Learning Summary
for the First Trimester November Kindergarten Learning Summary This fall our Kindergarten students have been exploring their own space and the space around them. They have learned the meaning of kinesphere and how it changes when they move based on the space they take up. They are learning to move safely, stop and start on signal and control their bodies while moving. Students have been learning about the different locomotor skills while exploring tempo, levels and pathways. Cooperative small group challenges have been used to help them learn skills for working and moving with fellow classmates. Class time has been spent practicing listening and following direction skills. November Second and Third Grade Leaning Summary During the fall trimester students have learned to move competently using a variety of fundamental skills. They have learned the meaning of "kinesphere" and how their personal space changes as they move. We have begun testing their cardio-vascular endurance by jogging continually for 10 minutes. Aerobic games have given students a way to build their endurance while also providing experiences that expose them to teamwork concepts. Daily warm-up activities reinforce responsible and self-directed behaviors that lead to positive social interactions in physical activity. November Forth and Fifth grade Learning Summary The Fall trimester has focused on Fitness Evaluation. All students completed a comprehensive testing protocol know as FitnessGram. This serves as their progress report this trimester. We have also begun to work cooperatively within a variety of games that are all designed to improve aerobic capacity while providing opportunities to problem solve, practice leadership, and explore components of teamwork. We have recently introduced pedometers to the class time as a way to increase their awareness of how active they are being and empowering them to be responsible for their activity level. 1st and 2nd grade: We have spent the first trimester learning how to function as a class that is full of movement. A central concept has been that of "Kinesphere". This is a student's personal space. Naming it helps as we work to move about efficiently and safely. Other points of focus have included: Moving safely in a game setting, learning to control our bodies while tagging, exercising to increase endurance, problem solving with a partner, the mechanics of the underhand and overhand throws, and control of a ball with soccer skills. Students also participated in a endurance evaluation which required them to jog as long as they could up to seven minutes. We repeat this evaluation throughout the year with a gradual increase in time. 4th and 5th grade: This trimester has been filled with much activity. We started off reviewing the concept of Kinesphere. We then worked through some group building activities to help us function well as a class. Many classes were filled with exercises designed to build strength and endurance as we prepared for the FitnessGram assessments. These were completed near the end of the trimester and are reported out in the FitnessGram progress report. Learning Summary for Second Trimester 1st and 2nd grade: We kept active during the second marking period. We focused on developing and refining large locomotor skill with lots of opportunities to practice and experiment with various levels, pathways and forces. Balance while stationary and as one moves was also explored. We had many chances to practice our control of not only our bodies but also a variety of balls as we moved about. The concepts of weight transfer, loading and follow through were introduced with the overhand throw and tennis swing. We also continued to learn about the effects of exercise on our bodies and took the endurance jog challenge to the next level of ten minutes. 4th and 5th grade: One of our activities was Ultimate Deck Ring. This is a variation of Ultimate frisbee. It uses a soft rubber ring that allows greater inclusion because it is easier to catch and throw. We moved from that into a modification of Badminton using the rings. This, again, simplifies the act of volleys and gives the students time to focus on the tactics of forcing the opponents to move in a way that puts them at a disadvantage. The emphasis on staying ready to move was continued as we explored the game of Team Handball A period of time was given to review the mechanics of the overhand throw and to formally evaluate students. Fitness was a regular theme as we worked to keep the winter from diminishing our fitness levels. We will be revisiting the FitnessGram testing in our last marking period to see how students have succeeded. Learning Summary for Third Trimester 1st and 2nd grade: We took our throwing skills and put them to work in game situations. The mechanics of catching were gradually introduced and practiced as we continued to improve as throwers. Theses combined skills were then used in games. Each student was videotaped for evaluative purposes at the end of this group of lessons. We next moved on to gymnastic tumbling. This gave the students the chance to practice balancing, generating force, and absorbing force with their bodies. Dance was explored with some line, circle and free dances. Endurance development was an ongoing activity that culminated in our 12 jogging challenge. 4th and 5th Grade: Students participated in team building and cooperative activities to start the trimester. A favorite challenge in this section was Jewel of the Nile. The goal in that was to move your group across an imaginary Nile with the aid of "tools". Success was dependent on their ability to problem solve and work together. Basketball was another focus of our classes this trimester. Ask your child if they can describe what "triple threat" means. The trimester wrapped up with the FitnessGram evaluation. |
