Parachute!!!!

5th graders beginning the parachute lesson

This week, Y5-5th graders will be enjoying parachute during PE classes!!  Parachute brings back many fond memories of my own elementary PE classes.

Along with being a PE favorite, parachute also provides many opportunities to reinforce and continue working on motor skills and movement patterns.  The concepts listed below are from the AAPS PE Curriculum (Motor Skills and Movement Patterns strand, Movement Concepts domain), which is aligned with the Michigan GLCEs for PE.  Also included are specific examples of ways parachute can help with these concepts.

• Space awareness:  Directions (up/down, forward/backward, right/left, clockwise/counterclockwise).  For example, we walk clockwise/counterclockwise while holding the parachute.  Students move the parachute up/down.  Students are asked to step forward/backward.  
• Space awareness:  Levels (low, medium, high).  Example:  Students hold the parachute at a low level (at feet), medium level (waist), high level (above head).  
• Effort:  Time (fast/slow, sudden/sustained).  Example:  Students shake the parachute fast or slow.  Students move the parachute suddenly or hold it in a sustained manner.  
• Effort:  Force (strong/light).  Example:  Students move the parachute with different amounts of force during our activities.  
• Relationships:  Relationship movement concepts of objects and/or people (over/under, on/off, in front/behind).  Example:  Students put their knees on top of the parachute to create a mushroom balloon with the parachute.  Students also put the parachute behind them to create an igloo.  

Basketball Basics: Y5-2

This week, Young Fives, Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd graders are working on basic basketball skills using playground balls.  Students worked on dribbling:  stay low, keep the ball close, eyes out, soft hands.  Students will also practice rolling, chest passes, and bounce passes to wall targets.  With partners, students will practice these skills.  We will also review some exploratory movement tasks with our playground balls.

First graders at work.  This student is trying to clap as many times as possible before catching the ball.  

First Graders practice rolling

Kindergarteners practice bounce passes

Basketball Golf: Grades 3-5

This week, grades 3-5 are working on basketball skills through an activity called Basketball Golf.  Imagine golf scoring combined with basketball shooting.  Lines are taped on the floor near different baskets, labeled #1-18.  The lines are our "holes".  Students are in partners, and take turns shooting from the "holes".  Scoring partner records how many shots it takes for their shooting partner to make a basket from a hole.  The maximum score on any hole is five.  Students are encouraged to use proper shooting technique, with the BEEF acronym to help with form:  Balance, Eyes, Elbow, Follow Through.

"Hole" #18

Basketball Golf Scorecard

5th Graders Playing Basketball Golf

5th Graders Playing Basketball Golf

Overhand Throw and more

This week, fifth graders are finishing up miscellaneous Fitness Testing items as needed.  

Grades 3-4:

• Jump Rope challenge warm-up.  Get a rope and go to letter seats and start jumping.  When the music starts, your challenge is to jump as much as you can during ONE song (about 3 minutes).  If you miss, reset yourself and keep jumping!  Take breaks with side-swings if needed, and then go back to jumping.  (During this time, I am usually also jumping with them - demonstrating some of the tricks we have learned and giving feedback as needed.)
• First class of the week:  Game Day!  Many classes have earned a game day through being prepared for PE class.  
• Second class:  Overhand throw activities.  Review steps of overhand throw (T, Muscle, Step, Throw), and concepts (stepping with opposite foot gives more force, eyes on your target, etc.).  Throwing practice.  

Grades Y5-2: 

• Locomotor skills warm-up. 
• First class of the week:  Game Day!  Many of these classes have also earned game days by arriving to PE prepared.  
• Second class:  Overhand throw.  Demonstrate the steps with the keywords of the overhand throw (T, Muscle, Step, Throw).  Practice at wall targets.  During this practice time, I circulate to students to give specific feedback.  We also take about 10 minutes of this class period and do some activities with the beanbags, and then conclude the class with a few more target throws.  

First graders practicing the "Muscle!" step of throwing.

 "THROW!"

Jump, Jump!!

This week's jump rope lessons will be in centers.

Centers for younger students will be:
1.  Basics and tricks with Mrs. Stoops (I give them a water break before we rotate from this center.)
2.  Side swings - practicing swinging the rope side to side, with a figure 8 motion with both hands holding jump rope handles.
3.  Free Jump
4.  Shapes on the floor with your rope

Older student centers will be:
1.  Basics and tricks with Mrs. Stoops
2.  Contest
3.  Water break
4.  Long ropes
5.  Free Jump

Since all students used beaded ropes (pictured below) last week, fourth and fifth grade students will choose between beaded and speed ropes for this week's centers (third graders will have a choice the second PE class of this week).  Beaded ropes are best for learning to jump rope because it provides more weight to the rope, making it easier to feel the rope as it swings around.  It also provides auditory feedback when the rope hits the floor.  Speed ropes are best for, well, speed, as they are lighter.  They're great for fast jumping, tricks that involve high rope speed, and cardiovascular training.

These are actual jump ropes from Haisley, with "You Rock!" added with photo editing.  

New Warm-Up

I recently observed a warm-up in another PE class and thought we would give it a try!  Here's a picture of fourth grade students participating here at Haisley.  I am introducing this warm-up to students this week.

Gym setup:  Four cones near one endline, different colors.  A corresponding set of four cones (matching colors) near the other endline.  Students divide into approximately even groups, behind the cones at one end of the gym.

Activity:  Students move, one at a time, to the other cone using the specified skill (run, skip, gallop, slide-step, high knees, back kicks, etc.).  Once they reach the other cone, they walk around the edges back to their group's start cone.  Students wait until the person before them reaches the half court line before starting.  It's not a race, and with built-in walking breaks, allows students to self-pace appropriately for their cardiovascular fitness level.

We usually do warm-up activities for five minutes or less.  Often the length of one song is perfect, and the addition of music helps increase energy.  =)

American Lung Association: Fight for Air Climb

Sunday, March 1, I participated in the American Lung Association Fight for Air Climb.  This is a fundraising event for the American Lung Association.  I participated in honor of close family members, friends, and students affected by asthma, cystic fibrosis, and any lung diseases or issues.  Preparing for the event included fundraising (THANK YOU to those who donated!!!), and some training on stairs (actually the step mill machine at my gym).  The actual event is climbing the Detroit Renaissance Center's 70 flights of stairs!!  It was quite an experience, and was more difficult than I thought.  I was shocked to learn that the fastest finishers did the entire 70 flights in around 7 minutes!!  Wow!!

Jump Rope!

This week, students will be learning a new warm-up routine, and then starting a jump rope unit.  We begin with basics:  how to measure a jump rope and find the right length for you, basic jumps (single and double bounce jumps), and then go through some basic and advanced jump rope tricks for those who are ready.

Earlier in the school year, K-2 students experienced some movement exploration lessons with jump ropes.  For those lessons, ropes were on the floor and not used for traditional rope jumping.  For these lessons, we are focusing on the skill of jumping over the rope in a rhythmic, consistent pattern.  Students who have mastered basic jumping skills will then work on more advanced jumping skills.

Some of our jump rope tricks/skills include:

• Straddles (side, front, double)
• X
• Rocker
• Boxer
• Skier
• Bells
• Skier-bell combo
• Twister
• Peek-a-boo
• Heel to heel
• Toe to toe
• Heel-to-toe
• Front leg kicks

Jumping rope is an excellent cardiovascular fitness activity.  The Jump Rope Institute has some excellent resources related to jumping rope.