PE: Week of 4/27

This week in PE, we continued to add time to our cardiovascular warm-up.   Most classes completed a 10 minute continuous jog in the gym.  We've been gradually increasing our movement time to prepare for the mile and half mile run tests.  As the weather continues to improve, I'll be taking classes outside to complete their half mile/mile run test.  Please send students with layers for warmth, particularly if they have PE early in the morning.

Kindergarten, Young Fives, 1st, and 2nd graders completed a continuous jog cardiovascular warm-up and then stretch.  Next, students used paddles with beanbags.  This lesson (from Landy & Landy, Ready to Use PE Lessons for K-3, 1992, p 245) targets hand-eye coordination, visual tracking, and right-left dexterity.  Using a bean bag instead of a ball allows for more on-task time with these skills, since it eliminates the need to chase a bouncing ball around.

Examples of verbal prompts I gave during the lesson, along with demonstrations:

• Walk with your beanbag on the paddle.  Try different locomotor skills (skip, gallop, sideways slide-step, tiptoe walk, etc). 
• Holding your beanbag on your paddle, try to sit down-stand up again without dropping.  How can you move the paddle all around your body, transfer it from hand to hand, high/low, right/left, front/behind? 
• Can you toss your beanbag up in the air and catch it with your free hand?  Can you trap it between the paddle and your free hand?  Switch hands and try it again.  
• Toss the beanbag up with your free hand and catch it on the paddle.  Try to toss it higher.  Switch hands. 
• Toss the beanbag off of your paddle and catch it on your paddle.  Count how many times you can do it without dropping the beanbag.  Switch hands. 
• Toss the beanbag holding the paddle palm up (forehand position), catch it with your palm down (backhand position).  Try switching hands.  Can you do other tricks?  
• Stand facing your partner.  Put your beanbag on your paddle.  Toss and catch it with your partner using your paddle.  Try:  toss with paddle, catch with hand.  

Kindergarteners exploring tossing and catching beanbags with paddles.  

Partner toss/catch.  

Grades 3-5 students, following their 10 minute continuous jog warm-up, will participate in the human knot activity.   Students are divided into groups of 4-10 students.  They stand in a circle.  They hold up their right hand and each take another group member's hand (not the person next to them, though).  Then, repeat with left hands - and it can't be the same person whose right hand you're holding.  Then, students move and try to untie the "human knot" they've created, returning to a circle formation.  This activity works on communication, strategy, teamwork, spatial awareness, and listening skills.  

1st Health: Fire Safety

First graders learned about fire safety this week in health.  First, we talked about how fire can hurt things and people:  burn and smoke.  We discussed the different ways burns and smoke can hurt people and damage things.  Then, students watched a short fire safety video, summarizing fire safety points.  Finally, we reviewed fire safety ideas and concepts with discussing rules for preventing fires and burns.

Next week, we'll continue fire safety with reminders of what to do in case of a fire.  This will include reading aloud some situations and then discussing the safest option.  Students are so engaged when we read situations, and they have so many connections to all of our topics!

PE: Y5 - 5

In PE this week, students are participating in a 7 minute continuous jog warm up.  During this warm-up, a scoreboard is projected onto the wall with 7 minutes on the clock (pictured and described in last week's blog post).

5th graders running.  The clock is projected onto the wall to let students know exactly how much time is left.  

After our warm-up, classes participated in cooperative hoops during one PE class.  Students form a circle and join hands.  A hula hoop is placed on one student's arm.  The challenge is to move the hoop all the way around the circle and back to where it started without letting go of hands.  Students work on spatial awareness concepts, communication, teamwork, and cooperation during this activity.

After warm-up during the second PE class of the week, students played a quick round of Pins and Baskets (2nd - 5th grades), Guard the Pin (1st grade), or Clean Out Your Backyard (K and Y5).  

Self-contained ASD classes this week worked on kicking and throwing in PE classes, along with our regular routine cardiovascular/locomotor skill warm-up.  We also played t-ball, and even ventured outside for a walk around the sidewalk track!!

Ms. Addison's POHI class continued with working on individual goals during PE.  These goals including walking with or without a gait trainer, throwing/rolling/catching a ball, grasping objects, and participating in a t-ball activity.

K Health: Two Ds for Telling and Safety When Moving around

In Kindergarten health this week, we are starting our safety unit.  The first lesson focuses on self management skills of knowing when it's important to tell an adult about a situation.  Students begin by brainstorming safety rules of all kinds.  Examples include walking in the hallway, no jumping off of swings, hands to self, kind words and actions, and more.

Then, we talk about a rule we're learning about when to ask for help from an adult:  The Two Ds for Telling.  If a situation is dangerous or destructive, always tell an adult.

Then, we brainstorm situations that might be dangerous, destructive, or both.  Examples include: 

• drinking, eating, touching, smelling an unknown product, poisons, medicine
• playing with or being near weapons or other dangerous objects
• not wearing a seatbelt or bike helmet
• not staying with the class or group on a field trip
• playing in or near water without an adult
• trying to touch or play with an unfamiliar animal
• riding a bike in a busy street without adult help
• skateboarding in a busy parking lot

The difference between tattling and reporting is something most kindergarteners are working on, and we discuss it during this lesson.  Tattling is telling an adult about something in order to get someone in trouble.  Reporting is telling an adult about a situation you feel may be dangerous or destructive.  We then discuss adults that can help in a dangerous or destructive situation (teachers, principal, mom, dad, other relative, friend's mom or dad, etc.).

We also talked about safety while moving around -- walking and biking.  Students brainstormed safety rules, and I added a few, too:

• always have permission from an adult to take a walk or bike ride
• wear safety equipment when on a bike/scooter/etc (helmet) 
• look both ways when crossing the street
• always watch for driveway danger
• no goofing around when in or near streets/parking lots/where cars or bikes are
• if with an adult, follow the rules for crossing the street or going ahead of the adult (example:  holding hands when crossing the street, waiting at corners for the adult to catch up)
• walk on the sidewalk whenever possible
• watch where you're going!   

1st Grade Health: Safety on Wheels

During health this week, first graders discussed Safety on Wheels.  Students brainstormed things they use with wheels, and students came up with very expansive lists of ideas (including planes, tractors, cars, trucks, front loaders, bikes, scooters, skateboards, skates, and more!!)!  We then talked about how some of these (bikes, scooters, skateboards, tricycles, roller skates, inline skates) involve physical activity.  Using these things can be a part of our 60 minutes of physical activity each day!!

Then we discussed some basic safety rules with bikes, scooters, skateboards, and skates.  Students did a fabulous job making connections to personal experiences!!  We talked about WHY each of these rules is important to follow, and what could happen if these guidelines aren't followed.

Hungry Hippos: Young Fives and Kindergarten Adaptation

Young Fives and Kindergarten are participating in an adapted version of Hungry Hippos.  The basic setup is the same, and students sit criss-cross-applesauce on the scooter.  They collect beanbags in their lap, and the team with the most beanbags at the end of the round wins the round.  Then a new student has a chance to be the hippo.  This lesson reinforces scooter safety concepts, space awareness concepts, cooperation, and one-to-one correspondence.

Young Fives playing Hippos

Counting the beanbags

Hungry, Hungry Hippos: VIDEO

This is a fifth grade class playing Hungry Hungry Hippos.  Enjoy!

Warm-ups, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Scooters, and Teamwork

Cardio Warm-Up

This week, each class will begin with a five minute cardiovascular warm-up.  A timer will be projected on the wall, with a buzzer sound at the conclusion of the five minutes.  For the next couple of weeks, we'll gradually increase the warm-up time to prepare for the mile run (grades 3-5 FitnessGram test, grade 2 practice), half mile run/walk (Young Fives, K, and 1st grade), AND the Haisley Walk-a-Thon!!

This is what our "scoreboard" looks like.  Using a projector, it displays on the wall for all to see during our warm-up.  This helps students know exactly how much time is left in the warm-up activity.  

Hungry Hungry Hippos

Hungry Hippos is the name of the game for this week for 1st through 5th grade.  This was entirely inspired by social network posts (Pinterest/Facebook) from other PE teachers.  Hungry Hungry Hippos was one of my favorite childhood games to play.  Imagine this game in the gymnasium, and the students are the "hippos".  Teams work together to send out a teammate on a scooter with a small plastic container.  On the scooter, the student must use the plastic container to trap balls from the floor to slide them back to their team's area.  The team with the most balls in their corner wins that round.

Update  4/16:  K and Young Fives participate in a modified version of this game, reinforcing teamwork, cooperation, scooter safety, and space awareness.  Check out the blog post about their version here.

****UPDATE 4/16:  We'll have to save our Sewer teamwork activity (below) for another time...Hippos definitely needed all of our class time this week!!  

Teamwork

This week, if time allows, students will also participate in a teamwork activity called The Sewer.  This activity also includes spatial awareness, communication, problem solving, and strategy.

Students are divided into groups of four.  Each group has three cones and one hula hoop.  Cones are set in a triangular pattern, with the hoop balanced on top.  This makes the group's sewer top.  Groups have different challenges to accomplish together.  These include:

1.  Students begin outside the sewer.  One at a time, they must enter the sewer and stay inside until all student are inside.
2.  All students are inside.  They must now have all students leave the sewer one at a time.
3.  Students must go under the sewer top and stand inside the hoop one at a time.
4.  Students are in the hoop and now crawl under the hoop, one at a time, until they're all out.