Week of 1/19/2016

Young Fives through 5th grade PE:  This week, all classes are starting with a new warm up:  intervals!  We use the projector to put an interval timer on the gym wall, and then follow along with different exercises.  20 seconds of exercise, 10 seconds of rest.  Grades 2-5 did burpees/jumping jacks or lunges/high knees for their exercises, and young fives, kindergarten, and first graders did jumping jacks and running in place for their exercises.  Before beginning, we review each exercise, and I demonstrate the correct form, along with adaptations students can use if they need to go at a lower intensity (for example, stepping legs out and in during burpees rather than jumping).  Students practice, and then we do just under four minutes of intervals.  After drinks, we moved on to continue work with our paddles.

Young fives, kindergarten, first and second graders worked with paddles and beanbags.  Each student had their own paddle and bean bag.  We call the bean bags Beanie, and the paddles Patty.  Students learn how to hold the paddle with a handshake grip.  Then, students are encouraged to try:

• balancing their bean bag on their paddle
• toss the bean bag up, catch it on Patty
• try to balance Beanie, holding Patty, and sit down all the way to the floor - without touching Beanie or the floor- and stand back up again without dropping Beanie!
• toss it from Patty, catch it in your free hand
• walk balancing Beanie on Patty, gallop, skip, sideways slidestep
• how many times can you toss Beanie up from Patty and catch it without dropping it?  

Third, fourth, and fifth graders continued working with paddles and foam balls.  Each student shared a court space with a partner and took turns hitting forehand/backhand shots at the wall.  Handshake grip, keeping paddle perpendicular to the floor, swing parallel to the floor, and trying to maintain a rally is emphasized.  

A student is hitting the ball at her court's wall.  Her partner waits for his turn behind the court area.  

Fifth graders.  Each taped "T" on the floor is one court.  We previously used the taped lines for two square or four square.  

Fourth graders.  

Fourth graders.  The center cones mark the waiting spot for partners.  The center area of the gym is also referred to as "the sidewalk".  Students use this area to move to another court if their ball rolls away from them (rather than walking through classmates' playing areas!).  

This kindergartener balances Beanie on Patty.  

Toss!  

First graders sitting down while balancing Beanie, then try to stand up while keeping Beanie balanced on Patty.  

Balancing!  

Sitting down - while balancing Beanie.  

Moving around the gym while balancing Beanie.   We walked, galloped, skipped, and sideways slide-stepped. 

Third graders use wall space to practice forehand strokes.

Moving around the gym while balancing.  

PE-Humanities/Health:  In health classes this week, students watched a personal safety video and then discussed how to stay safer from bad touch. 

ASD:  ASD classrooms continue to follow our routine, using a visual schedule:  locomotor skill warm-up, stretches, a game (TBall or Kickball), and then choice time.   

Visual schedule for ASD classes.  We check the schedule after we complete each item, and either move it to the right strip of velcro, or add a matching image next to the item to show we finished that section of class.  

SXI:  The SXI class has continued to enjoy taking turns at TBall and then moving, moving, moving!  We do individual activities with students based on their interests and levels.  Some may work on visually tracking objects, others may work on throwing and catching a ball, while others may be taking as many steps as possible during our time in the gym.  

Week of October 12, 2015: Y5-2

Bean Bags!!  Young Fives, Kindergarten, first, and second grades worked with bean bags this week.  Similar to our hula hoop lessons, activities focus on movement and space awareness, eye-hand coordination/tracking, and having fun.  We call our beanbags "Beanie".  Activities included many of the following prompts:  

• How many different parts of your body can you balance Beanie?  (Head, forehead, shoulder, fingers, elbow, tummy, back, knee, foot...)
• Stand with Beanie balanced on your head - lower to knees, and then sitting, trying not to let Beanie fall off, without touching it with hands.  
• Take Beanie for a walk on your arm/shoulder/head/back of your hand.  
• Put Beanie on your spot.  stand in front, behind, to the side, on the other side.  Jump forward/backward over Beanie.  Jump side to side over Beanie.  Hop on one foot around Beanie.  
• Build a bridge over Beanie.  Four parts, three parts.  
• Statue:  Move around the room to the music.  When the music stops, put your foot on the closest Beanie and make a statue.  (Gallop, skip, hop on one foot, jump on two feet, sideways slide-step).  
• Beanbag Freeze:  Balance Beanie on your head.  Walk around the playing area without touching Beanie, being careful to not let it slide off.  If Beanie falls, you're frozen.  Others still balancing their Beanie can carefully bend down to pick up your Beanie and hand it to you.  Say Thank you! when someone helps you, and be a helper to others!  
• Beanbag Signals:  My voice signals different activities with Beanie.  
• "Toss and walk":  Toss beanie up and catch, while walking around the playing area.  Gallop, skip, sideways slide-step can also be substituted for walk.  
• "Freeze!"  Let Beanie fall to the floor and make a statue on it. 
• "Leap!"  Leave your Beanie, leaping over as many other Beanies as you can. 
• "Jump!"  Jump side to side over your Beanie. 
• "Hop!"  Hop in a circle around your Beanie. 
• "Bridge!"  Make a bridge over your Beanie. 
• Toss and catching tasks: 
• Toss and catch, using your favorite hand, catching with two hands. 
• Use your other hand, catch with two hands. 
• Toss with one hand, catch with the same hand.  Other hand. 
• Toss with one hand, catch with the other hand.  ("Rainbow tossing")
• Toss Beanie up, clap once, then catch it.  Can you clap twice before catching Beanie? 
• Can you toss Beanie, touch your shoulders, then catch it? 

Activities adapted from Landy and Landy, Ready to Use PE Activities for Grades K-2, 1992.  

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.