Locomotor Go Fish!

This week, grades K-4 will play Locomotor Go Fish.  (All fifth grade classes are having their well-deserved game days!  See the earlier blog post, PBIS in the Gym, for more information about game days and how they work.)  Locomotor Go Fish integrates letter recognition, spelling, locomotor skills, teamwork, and cooperation.

Cards with letters spelling some locomotor skills (gallop, hop, run, skip, jump, walk) are scrambled, face down, in the center of the gym.

The Fish "Pond"

Six cones are set up along the endlines of the gym.  Each cone has a locomotor skill sign attached to it:  gallop, hop, run, skip, jump, or walk.  Students are divided equally among the cones.

One half of the gym, with walk, jump, and skip cones set up.
The other half of the gym has cards for run, hop, and gallop.  

On the "Go" signal, students leave their team cone in relay-formation (using the corresponding locomotor skill of their team), go to the center circle, and get one card to bring back to their team.  If they need the card to spell their skill, their team keeps it and the next person in line goes to the center to get another card. If they don't need the card to spell their skill, the next person in line takes the card back to the center, and brings a different card back to the team.

Teams continue like this until they have spelled their skill, then they sit quietly at their cone until all teams have finished.

This upper elementary team has spelled their skill, hop, and is quietly waiting for other teams to finish.  

Upper elementary students keep their cards in front of their team cone.  Lower elementary students have a larger laminated paper with their word on it to help with matching the letters.

This lower elementary team needs to find the "O" card to finish spelling their skill, gallop. 

PE: Advocacy videos

I happened to Google "PE Blogs" this evening, and found two advocacy videos I thought worth sharing.

This first video highlights the importance and necessity of quality physical education.  (Approximately 5 minutes.)

The second video documents one specific school where PE is used as an intervention to help kids focus and learn better.  (Approximately 8 minutes.)

Please note:  If you choose to view these videos, note that they are from an external website (YouTube).  AAPS is not responsible for the content of external websites.  Please view with care.

PHOTO: Upper Elementary Overhand Throw Post-Test

Upper Elementary students continue with centers.  This week, we're post-testing the overhand throw.  Fifth graders assessed partners, along with my assessment of each student.  When students assess each other, they learn the parts of the skill better, too.  Assessing one another also helps reinforce one of the Michigan Grade Level Content Expectations for Physical Education: "Students will apply knowledge of the critical elements of movement concepts while performing the ... overhand throw in controlled settings." (K.MS.05.03, http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/K-8PE_313769_7.pdf)  Rubric items included:

• Side-on to target
• Non-throwing hand points at target
• Opposite foot steps forward
• Weight transfer from back to front
• Follow through in target direction

Centers for this week included:  

• Target post-test
• You choose!  throwing station (Students chose, with a partner, which object to throw back and forth.)
• Feedback/water station (students wrote down two things they enjoy about gym class and one thing they would like changed, then had the opportunity to get a drink of water)
• Fitness testing practice:  Flexed Arm Hang and Sit & Reach

Below is a picture of the objects at the You choose!  throwing station:

Foxtail, CatchBall (the giant jack), Particle Ball

PHOTO: Lower Elementary Playground Ball Games

Lower Elementary
Grades K-2 continue experiencing playground ball activities.  This week, we'll try two games:  Tip the Pin and Tunnel Ball.

• Tip the Pin:  Class is divided approximately in half.  Each team has a pin in the center of a circle.  One person is the pinguard.  The pinguard tries to keep the pin from getting knocked over.  Those on the outside edge of the circle use their hands to roll the ball to try to knock the pin over.  Strategies include quick passes to teammates along the edge of the circle and then a quick pass to the pin to try to knock it over.  Teamwork and cooperation are emphasized.  

In these photos, a second grade class plays Tip the Pin:

• Tunnel Ball:  The class is divided approximately in half.  Each team stands in a single file line.  The person at the front of the line (Leader) starts with the ball.  On the start signal, the Leader passes the ball to the person behind them (in a prescribed way) until the ball reaches the last person.  The last person in line then runs to the start of the line and becomes the Leader.  Everyone shuffles back one place, and the new Leader passes the ball behind them until it reaches the last person, and so on.  The game continues until the original Leader is back in her/her starting position at the front of the line.  Depending on the class, we may do this as a race, or we may do it as a cooperative activity with no emphasis on doing better than the other team.  Variations:  Change the way students pass the ball.  Ideas:  over their head with two hands, between their legs on the floor, between legs off of the floor, to the side at their waist, over/under:  over one person's head, under next person's legs.  

PHOTO: Overhand Throw Practice, Ball Skills, ACT WISE

3-5:  This week, 3rd through 5th grade continued overhand throw practice.  Students experienced three overhand throw-focused centers, and one fitness center.  Specific feedback was given to each student during these rotations to encourage progression.

When any class experiences centers, each station is described and/or demonstrated.  Questions are answered as a group, and signs with each station's directions are posted to remind students of  expectations.

Centers are described and photographed below.

Throw Bowling.  Stand at the tape line and overhand throw to knock pins over.  Set pins up for the next student in line.

A fourth grader prepares to overhand throw to knock the pins down.  

Target Practice.  Stand at the tape line and overhand throw at the snowman target on the wall.  Watch your partner to check their form:  T, Step, Throw.

A fourth grader throws at the snowman target.

Jump Rope.  One rope per person, both hands on the handles (no helicopter).  Watch your personal space!

Two third graders jump rope.  

Foxtails.  Hold the ball to throw, keep away from the ceilings and baskets.  Try to catch the tail to challenge yourself!

A student prepares to catch the foxtail ball.  

K-2:   Kindergarten through 2nd grade continued with ball skills.  We experienced more bouncing and rolling tasks, both individual and partner.

Health:  The 3/4 split classes and fourth graders practiced putting ACT and WISE together, our models for "What to do when something bothers you" and "Decision-making".