PE Teacher Assistant: Upper Elementary

At the recent Haisley Silent Auction, attendees had the opportunity to bid on a teacher experience with me.  The winners of these items (one 3rd - 5th grader and one K-2nd grader) have the opportunity to be a PE teacher assistant for one half day!

Ethan W., or "Mr. W" as the students called him, was my teaching assistant for the morning of Friday, December 12, 2014.  We began the morning with Mr. Weindorf's class playing Mat Ball.  Ethan helped with scorekeeping and sounding the whistle every time the ball reached the pitcher's hands or an out occurred.  This class was followed by Mrs. McGee's fourth grade class playing Mat Ball.  Kindergarten then arrived for their PE time.  Ethan called out the locomotor skills for warm up, led stretches, and even raced a student in ABC Strong Soldiers!  He then gave directions for Clean Out Your Backyard, and participated with each class during the games.

Thank you for your help today, Ethan!!  I hope you had a BLAST being a PE teacher -- I had so much fun having you help today.  My sincere gratitude to your parents who made this experience possible -- AND helped the Haisley PTO along the way!!!

1-5: Mat Ball Photos

Here are some photos of Miss Everett's class enjoying Mat Ball.  

Y5 and K: Ball Familiarization Lesson Photo

Here are photos from our first day of lessons on ball familiarization.  Students are rolling and moving the ball around their bodies in different ways, and then rolling the ball and catching it after it bounces off of the wall and rolls back to them.  

Y5 and K: Week of 12/8/2014

Ball Familiarization

Young Fives and Kindergarteners will be working with playground balls (aka kickball ball, bouncy ball) this week.  They'll be doing different exploration tasks with them, such as:

• holding the ball in different locations relative to their body (high, low, to the right, left, in front, behind, etc.) -- trying this with both hands and then with one hand, and the other hand
• making a bridge over the ball
• sitting down, "criss cross applesauced", with ball in both hands -- try to stand up without using hands to help or letting go of the ball
• rolling the ball around body parts while sitting/standing
• rolling the ball against the wall and catching it
• partner rolling tasks

Check the PE blog later in the week for pictures of students experiencing these lessons!!  

1st Grade and Kindergarten Humanities: Week of 12/8/2014

Months of the Year

We have started our first grade and kindergarten nutrition unit for health, and will continue learning about food groups next week.  I thought we should take one class period and learn the Months of the Year dance.  This is something we will practice and do throughout the remainder of the school year.  Learning something to music and with motions helps us learn it better, faster, and retain it longer.

Students can practice this at home, with or without the actual song we use at school.  The motions are just like the Macarena.  Here are the directions:

1.  January:  Put your right arm straight in front with palm down.
2.  February:  Put your left arm straight in front with palm down.
3.  March:  Flip your right hand over.
4.  April:  Flip your left hand over.
5.  May:  Touch one hand to the opposite shoulder.
6.  June:  Touch other hand to the opposite shoulder.
7.  July:  Touch right hand to the right side of your head.
8.  August:  Touch left hand to left side of your head.
9.  September:  Put your right hand on your left front hip.
10.  October:  Put your left hand on your right front hip.
11. November:  Right hand on right hip.
12.  December:   Left hand on left hip.

Grades 1-5: Week of 12/8/2014

Mat Ball!!  Grades 1-5 this week will play a game called Mat Ball.   This game is based on classic kickball rules, with a few changes.   One major change is that gym mats are the bases.

We decided one additional rule about home runs this morning.  Home runs:  Grades 3-5 only.  If a kicked ball hits the backboard/rim/net only of center hoop on opposite side of the gym (without touching ceiling!), that kicker gets a home run and all runners advance to home.

We start with students gathered to overview rules.  Then, we divide into teams.  I write the teams on the board and we keep score of runs.  At the conclusion of class, I take a picture of the scoreboard (including the teams).  This way, next class, we can easily pick up where we left off.

Students in my first two classes on Monday morning seemed to enjoy this game!  It is fast-paced, and fun for all!

Credit and gratitude for this game goes to Judy Hart, retired Logan Elementary PE teacher. :)

Y5-5: Week of 12/1/2014

Locomotor Go Fish:  This week, grades K-5 will be participating in an activity called Locomotor Go Fish (see previous blog post for activity specifics).  Students young and old enjoy this activity.  Students review locomotor skills (skip, hop, gallop, jump, run, walk) in a competitive activity.  The activity is a little like the card game Go Fish crossed with a relay race.

Young Fives will participate in a variety of bean bag, hula hoop, and low organization games.  These will include Bean Bag Helper, Musical Hoops, and Clean Out Your Backyard.  These games review and reinforce following basic game rules, locomotor skills, space awareness, and throwing/rolling skills.

Bean Bag Helper:  Each student balances a bean bag on their head.  They walk around the play area - without touching or holding onto their beanbag.  If their beanbag falls down, they are frozen.  Others who are not frozen can **carefully** bend down and pick up classmates' beanbags, place them in their hands, and then the frozen student is back in the game.

Musical Hoops:  This game is like musical chairs.  When the music is on, they move around the play area using different locomotor skills.  When the music stops, they have to find a hoop.  Different from musical chairs, they can share space in the hoop when the music stops.  They're "in" the hoop if only one foot is inside the hoop.  I usually stop the game with two hoops left.

Clean Out Your Backyard:  The gym is divided in half with cones.  The class is divided in half, and each team must stay on their half of the gym.  The foam balls are "trash", and nobody wants trash in the backyard!  In this game, they throw or roll the "trash" onto their neighbor's yard.  (I do mention that in real life, you should throw trash in trash cans!!)  Students are reminded of the elements of overhand throw/underhand roll/underhand throw.  No kicking or hitting the ball allowed.  Students encouraged to throw into open space.  Playing this game in young fives and kindergarten prepares students for Guard the Pin, the reward game day for grades 1-2.

1st Grade and K Health: Week of 12/1

First grade and kindergarten families, look for Family Resource Sheets in backpack mail later this week about our upcoming Nutrition unit!  We'll play with food models, talk about the major food groups, and why good nutrition is important.

Some quality nutrition resources include:

Choose My Plate  (Replaces MyPyramid)

For Kids:
CDC BAM!  (Body and Mind)
KidsHealth

2014 Detroit Turkey Trot

Why not start Thanksgiving morning super early with a little 6.2 mile run around downtown Detroit?  It was a beautiful morning for a run!!  

All Grades: Week of THANKSGIVING!!!

This **very short** week in PE, we participated in the Great Turkey Award.  The activity is essentially a color by number turkey, with each turkey feather corresponding to a number, color, AND an exercise.

Young Fives - 2nd graders do this in a structured centers format.  They rotate to stations, participating in each center for about 1 minute.  Then they color in the corresponding feather for that center, sit and point to the next center.  Rotate, and repeat. :)  Centers include:  butterfly stretch, push-ups or ABC strong soldiers, jump rope, jumping jacks, and run laps.

3rd - 5th graders experience a free flowing centers format.  They can move at their own pace, with a small group or individually if they choose.  Centers include:  sit and reach (practice for fitness testing), push-ups or ABC strong soldiers, sit-ups, jump rope forward and backward, run laps, and jumping jacks.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of the Haisley community!!

See the previous blog post about this activity.  :)

Upper Elementary: Week of 11/17/14

This week, 2nd-5th grade upper elementary students are working on five different center/station based activities.  This helps them learn or re-learn our centers expectations for Haisley PE. :)  Students are divided into approximately equal groups and work at a center until the whistle sound.  Then, grades 3-5 students "clean up and point".  This means they clean up/reset the center for the next group, point to their next center, and wait for my signal to rotate.  This procedure (for grades 3-5) is a little more concise compared to the lower elementary centers procedure, since these students are older and many have experienced these expectations for centers before.  Second graders, at this point in the school year, still follow the Y5-1st grade procedure for centers. :)

Centers this week include:
Jump Rope:  Students choose between beaded jump ropes to work on jumping, tricks, patterns, etc.  Jump rope tricks from past years are always posted in the gym, and students are encouraged to challenge themselves at this center.  Jumping rope is quite a cardiovascular workout!!

Bowling:  It's been a few weeks, but we remember our bowling unit.  :)  We used similar group member roles for this center, single-lane, bowling setup.

Hula Hoops:  Oh, how we love hula hoops.  Similar to the jump rope center, students can experiment with traditional hula hooping, or do some hula hoop activities from our hula hoop lessons.

Bounce Pass:  For this center, students chose between a playground ball or a basketball.  Standing on floor lines, they bounce pass to one another.

Pull-Up Bar:  Students have an opportunity to practice for the Flexed Arm Hang, one of our FitnessGram fitness tests.  Students are reminded that for the FAH test, grip must be overhand.  However, they can practice pull-ups or FAH procedure with underhand grip if they prefer for this center. :)

Below is a collage of station instructions (posted on the walls during directions and class), and one class in action.

Lower Elementary: Week of 11/17/14

This week, Y5-1st grade lower elementary students are working on four different center/station based activities.  This helps them learn the rules for centers in the PE setting. :)  Students are divided into approximately equal groups and work at a center until the whistle sound.  Then, students "clean up, sit, and point" at their center.  This means they clean up/reset the center for the next group, sit down with their group, and point to their next center -- and wait for my signal to rotate.  This procedure has worked so well for students, AND me.  When we do this, I know they've set up the station for the next group and that they know where they're moving to next.  It's also a great time for any last minute reminders.  :)

Centers this week include:
Jump Rope:  Students could choose between beaded jump ropes to work on jumping over the rope, or using a speed rope stretched on the floor for different creative movements.  We briefly reviewed last week's jump rope activities, too.

Bowling:  Remember our bowling unit?  :)  We used similar group member roles for this center, single-lane, bowling setup.

Hula Hoops:  Oh, hula hoops, how we've missed you.  Similar to the jump rope center, students can experiment with traditional hula hooping, or do some hula hoop activities from our hula hoop lessons.

Ball rolling:  For this center, students rolled a 6-7 pound medicine ball a short distance to a partner.   (Floor tape marks their positions on the floor.)  Students are in partners or a group of three, and the ball stays on the floor the entire time.  Work those pectorals and triceps!! :):)

Below is a collage of station instructions (posted on the walls during directions and class), and classes in action.

Lower Elementary: Week of 11/10/14

Lower elementary and young fives students continue to practice locomotor skills during our warm-up activities.  This week, after warm-up and stretch, we're working with jump ropes -- without picking them up and using them as actual jump ropes!!  There are many activities we do with ropes -- besides jumping!!

Here are some of the movements students were encouraged to try.  We used two different ropes:  speed ropes (made of a molded plastic material, all one piece) and beaded ropes (a rope with beaded sections.)

Speed ropes:  Stretch the rope flat in an approximately straight line.  

• Pretend the rope is a tightrope and walk along it.  
• Walk forward, backward, sideways along the rope.  
• Try to walk forward/backward/sideways with eyes closed. 
• Jump/hop side to side/front to back over the rope.  
• Jump/hop side to side/front to back while moving from one handle to the other handle.  
• Make a pattern of hops / jumps while moving from one handle to the next handle.  
• Make a bridge (with own body) over the rope.  Try to move the bridge from one end of the rope to the other end.  
• Keep hands on the floor and jump feet over the rope.  
• Leap over classmate's ropes (picture below).  Count how many leaps you do before "Freeze!"
• Try other ways of moving along the rope - including criss-cross walking, jumps/hops, etc.  I love to see what students come up with for these movement exploration lessons!!  

Beaded ropes:  Make the rope into a variety of shapes.  

• Begin with students working individually with their own rope.  
• Students are assigned a small group, 3-4 students.  They then work together to make shapes with ropes on the floor.  This helps with students' space awareness, and number/shape/letter recognition.  
• Each group begins with an index card with a shape, letter, or number on it.  They work together with their group to create the shape, letter, or number using ALL of their group's ropes.  
• When finished creating the shape/number/letter on the card, the group trades their card for a new card.   Index cards are velcro attached to the wall, so students can easily trade for a new card.  (Photo below of activity and index card set-up.)

Upper Elementary: Week of 11/10/14

For grades 3-5, this week we're participating in a Rock-Paper-Scissors warm up.  Ask your student to explain the rules of this quick, low-organization game.

Following warm-up, we practiced building structures (we called them castles) from hula hoops.  This was a small-group challenge, and is quite tricky!!  The structures play an important role in a game, where students work on teamwork, underhand rolling, cooperation, and have fun in a competition to see who can win the most points!!

Being prepared: Incentive program grades 1-5

Grades 1-5 have an incentive program to be prepared for PE class.  If the entire class is prepared for PE class, the class earns a star.  To earn a star, everyone in the class must have on appropriate gym shoes (rubber sole, covered toe, covered heel), and all jewelry (dangling earrings/necklaces/bracelets/watches most commonly) removed when class begins.

Once the class earns four weeks of stars, they earn a game day!  The game day is scheduled as it works for our PE schedule.  Classes sometimes have to wait to have their game day happen - but we record when the game day actually happens, and they continue earning stars toward their next game day each class.

For grades 1-2, the reward game is Guard the Pin.  Grades 3-5, the reward game is Pins and Baskets.  Gym setup and many of the basic rules are the same for both:  the gym is divided in half with cones.  The class is divided evenly into two teams.  Players may not cross the center line of the gym.  The goal of the game is to knock over the other team's pins.  First team to knock over the other team's pins wins that round.  Each pin can have one pin guard, who must stay standing and may not touch the pin to stop it from falling or hold it up.  Players may only roll or throw the ball -- no kicking or hitting the ball.

For Pins and Baskets, if a team makes a green $$money ball$$ basket on the center hoop only (without crossing the center line), they can reset all of their team's pins.

Many ask:  isn't this just dodgeball?!?!?  No, it isn't.  We don't ever play dodgeball or games where humans are targets.  Students are aiming at the pins, and pin guards are only volunteers.  I explain to students that the best success I've had (and I've played this game A LOT) is with rolling the ball and knocking it against the back wall to hit the pins.  :)

Most students seem to love this game, and I enjoy participating with students when I can.  This game also works on overhand throwing, rolling, and space awareness.  For first graders, this is one of the first games we do following "Clean Out Your Backyard" (which they LOVE!!!).

A third grade class enjoys a game of Pins and Baskets

Upcoming Races!!

It's fall....the colors are GORGEOUS, the weather is crisp....perfect for a run or walk!!  Many MANY events out there....Check out this site for races!!  Below are races I plan to participate in.

Wicked 10K:  Plymouth, Michigan
Rick's Run:  Ann Arbor, MI-  In honor of AAPS PE teacher Rick Dekeon.
Turkey Trot:  Detroit, MI  (I'm not sure which distance yet, 5K or 10K)

If you're participating in these or other events, let me know and we can try to connect on race day!!!

In-School Bowling

We have the privilege of a program called Bowler's Ed.  The program brings 6 carpet bowling lanes, indoor-safe practice bowling balls, and 6 sets of pins.  For one half day, two bowling experts instruct students on bowling basics.  Then, we continue using the equipment for two weeks of bowling activities.  At the conclusion of the two week loan period, students receive coupons for bowling at Bel-Mark Lanes.  This program is possible through their partnership with Bowler's Ed.

All students will be experiencing the bowling program - fundamentals, practice, and game time.  This includes our special needs classes, as well as our young fives students!!  We are so excited for this program, and the first day was a great success.  Thank you to Phil Goodman, Bowler's Ed, and Bel-Mark Lanes!!!

Bowling lanes, all ready for our first class!!  

Bowling experts teaching basics to a fifth grade class

Bowlers, line judges, and pin setters rotate through practice shots and tournament play.

Hula Hoops

When most people think about hula hoops, they often think of hula hooping around the waist.  There are so many more activities to do with this amazing piece of equipment!  We work with space and body awareness (example:  stand behind the hula hoop, hop inside the hula hoop on your left foot), basic locomotor skills, and much more during these lessons.

One of the most exciting activities for students is spinning the hula hoop.  Students spin the hoop, leave it spinning, and challenge themselves to touch one wall.  They hustle back to their hoop to try to catch it before it is flat on the floor.  Students are moving in all different directions, so safety is important.  Reminders about personal space and watching out for others are always given immediately before this activity.  They love it and I love to see them succeed!!

Students at squad seats, in personal space, experimenting with the hoops.  

Spinning the hoops in place.  

More activities we enjoyed include using the hoop as a jump rope, bridges/balances over the hoops, and holding the hoops in different ways.  Hula hooping around arms or ankles are also fun to try!!

PE/Humanities - Health!!

First grade and kindergarten students have been working hard during their PE/Humanities - Health time in the gym.  We have been learning about social/emotional health, including how to have positive relationships with others, and learning about feelings.

First grade students illustrated how they are good helpers at home and at school.  Kindergarten students created a coupon booklet for a special adult at home.  Each coupon can be redeemed for a job around the house, such as making a bed or helping with laundry.

First grade students illustrating how they help others at home and at school.  

Fitness Testing

We have (mostly) concluded our fall "pre-test" fitness testing.  We'll test again in the spring!!  Below is a photo of the curl-up testing.

The tape on the mat marks how far the students are to curl up -- sliding their fingertips from the beginning of the tape to the end on each curl-up.  An audio track from my computer counts out the pace.  Just for fun, we named the man who counts the pace on the track "Walter".

To set up, students bend their knees over the tape and line up their fingertips with the start of the tape.  Then, they use their abdominal muscles (abs, tummy muscles) to curl up their upper body, sliding their fingers along the tape until they feel the end of the tape.  The tape is wider for upper elementary, and less wide for lower elementary.

Scrambled Eggs!!

Scrambled Eggs is a low organization game we played with lower elementary classes in the past two weeks.  Students move to music around the gym using locomotor skills:  skip, gallop, hop, jump, walk, sideways slide-step.  While they're moving, they are "scrambled eggs".  When the music stops, students stop and listen for what type of egg they are to be.

Hard boiled egg:  curl into a ball on the floor.
Soft boiled egg:  lay flat on the floor on tummy.
Fried egg:  lay on back, wiggle hands and feet in the air.

Here's a picture of "Fried Eggs", which was many students' favorite part of the game:

This game, and others like it, include many important PE concepts and skills:  locomotor skills, personal space, space awareness (staying in "the box", boundary line around the edge of the gym), following directions, and listening skills.  For lower elementary students, all of these skills are the main focus of our first several PE classes, and are emphasized throughout the year.  

Schedule posted on PE website

Hello there!  The PE schedule is now posted on the PE website.  :)  Click PE Schedule on the left navigation bar.

Educating the Student Body

Why is PE important?  This video infographic gives some important information about the role PE can play.  

Fall 2014

Helloooooooooooooooooooo Haisley!!!  Get those gym shoes ready.  It's going to be a fabulous year in the Haisley gym!!

Coming soon:  PE schedule, pictures of first week activities in PE and Health, and much much more.  =)