Week of 4/18 & 4/24: Mile Run, cardiovascular fitness, and more!!

Grades 3-5:  This week, we begin our spring round of the Mile Run test and AMAP (see below for information).  For grades 3-5, "The Mile" is part of our FitnessGram testing.  Any student grades 3-5 not finishing or not participating in the mile test during regularly schedule PE class will either make the test up during another PE class or during lunch recess (fifth graders makeups are almost always during recess because of scheduling).  Students are encouraged to take a speedwalk break as needed, to be safe, pace themselves, and try their very best during this activity.  Almost ALL students are physically able to do the mile in less than 20 minutes, even if walking the whole way.  We can do it!! This year, I added music -- bringing the wireless speaker and iPod outside.  This makes the atmosphere more fun for students!  Additionally, I run a stopwatch app on my phone during the test, and set this on the rolling cart.  This way, students can be checking their times at each lap.  (See photo below of the stopwatch!)

I truly strive to make The Mile fun and focus on best effort, intentionally NOT making the test a high pressure, anxiety-producing experience for students.  Just like everything at school, each student approaches the mile run differently, with a different fitness level, amount of sleep the night before, different breakfast/lunch/food before the test, emotional status, effort level, etc.  I only ask that students give their best effort when we test!  

For more information about Fitness Testing, check out my other blog posts about this topic, including this one from last spring:  http://haisleyphysicaleducation.blogspot.com/2015/05/pe-weeks-of-54-and-511.html

All grades -- AMAP:  AMAP stands for As Many As Possible.  I found this idea on a PE blog, and have used it this week!  Classes compete to see who can get the most laps per student.  Students hold a piece of paper and get a mark each time they go around.  I total these laps and divide by the number of class participants, and that's the magic number (laps per student)!!  Kindergarten and young fives have not participated in this yet -- but will in the next few weeks.  

For some classes, we used the mile run bubble sheets for AMAP.  For other classes, we used scrap paper (no names needed since total laps are divided by the total number of runners!).  

Grade 2:  Second graders experience a practice of the mile run test during PE in the spring.  This helps students know what the mile run test looks, feels, and sounds like -- before third grade.  I tell second grade students if they don't finish a mile during our time, it's okay - just try your best, and this is a practice!  Second graders are also participating in AMAP.  =)  

Grade 1:  First graders do a half mile timed test, and also AMAP.  During our AMAP time, many students have completed more than one mile!!  

Grade Y5 and K:  Young Fives and kindergarteners experienced "Sidewalk Track 101".  We talk about how the sidewalk track is the area around the "big kid" playground.  The sidewalk track is used for our school Walk-a-Thon, and for mile testing starting in third grade (and spring second graders).  We discuss basic expectations before going outside:  keep moving, hands/body to yourself, stay on the sidewalk, and listen for the whistle/megaphone for directions.  Then we take a walk around the sidewalk track all together.  We stop at different points around the track to talk about expectations.  Then, students are allowed to do 1-2 laps (time permitting) around the track at their own pace (speedwalking/jogging/running).  Y5 and K will do AMAP in the coming weeks.  

"Bubble Sheets".  This student completed the fall mile in 7 minutes 27 seconds.  WOW!  This time, he beat his old time, completing the mile in 7 minutes 13 seconds.  I share with students that my mile pace is between 9 and 12 minutes per mile when running 3+ miles.  I need to get out and complete my own mile run test!!   "Bubble Sheets".  This student completed the fall mile in 7 minutes 27 seconds.  WOW!  This time, he beat his old time, completing the mile in 7 minutes 13 seconds.  I share with students that my mile pace is between 9 and 12 minutes per mile when running 3+ miles.  I need to get out and complete my own mile run test!!

These are the outside expectations, and Half/Mile Test talking points we review before each test.   These are the outside expectations, and Half/Mile Test talking points we review before each test.

This is the stopwatch app to show students their time during the test.   This is the stopwatch app to show students their time during the test.

Week of 4/11: Flickerball & Directions/Levels/Pathways

Warm Up:  All grades
Continuous Jog
To prepare for upcoming mile run testing (grades 2-5), all grades complete a continuous jog warm-up.  Since we don't have an integrated scoreboard in our Haisley gym, we use a projector to put one onto the wall.  This shows students exactly how long we have left to jog/speedwalk/run.  Students are encouraged to try to jog/run the whole time, taking speedwalking breaks as needed during the activity.  The length of time depends on the class length and age level.

Mile run testing will begin in the next couple of weeks, weather and sidewalk track conditions permitting!  Please have your student dressed appropriately for outside time each day - particularly morning classes.  Thank you!!

Fifth graders:  continuous jog warm-up

Kindergarteners warming up

Grades 3-5:  
Flickerball is a game usually played with a football (3rd and 4th use a foam sphere ball, 5th uses a foam football), with scoring at the two main basketball hoops.  We play with the same setup as Ultimate (Frisbee), so this is great follow-up game!  Students have enjoyed this game, and the competition.  We mix up the teams each time, so it's a new game/competition each class period.  Teams accrue points each time they play, playing a different opponent each game during the class.

Flickerball Rules

Depending on how the game is going, we sometimes modify one rule:  dropped/incomplete pass --> turnover.  In classes having difficulty completing passes, we modify to this:  if the intended receiver touches the ball in any way, it's that receiver's ball.  If they totally miss it, it's a turnover.  This allows teams having difficulty completing passes to still progress and enjoy the game, while maintaining safety (preventing the loose ball from being chased by all players).  This is more common in third grade games, but can happen in fourth and fifth grade, too.

Game order - keeps teams playing new opponents.  Each game is 2-3 minutes long.  Teams are new each class, so it's never a repeated game or matchup.

Fourth Graders

Fifth graders

Fifth graders

Fifth graders

Third and fourth graders

Grades Y5, K, 1, & 2:  
Directions, levels, and pathways is the basis of movement and space awareness.

• Directions:  Forward, backward, and sideways.  This is the direction of your body, not the direction your body is going (east, west, north, south, counter/clockwise, right, left).  
• Levels:  Standing = high level, knees bent = medium level, on the floor = low level.  
• Pathways:  Imagine walking through a surface covered with snow.  Your footprints are the pathway you took.  Pathways can be any shape, anything!!  

We began talking about directions, and then students explored with movement in different directions on different body parts.  For example, prompts included: "Try moving forward only on your hands and feet.  Try moving backward on your belly/front.  Move sideways on three body parts only."  After exploring these directional movements, students then made up their own "directions story".  They created a story with a beginning, middle, and end -- with a movement and direction for each part.  Volunteers shared their story with the class.  We then extended these exploratory movements and movement stories to include pathways, and then levels.  

Kindergarteners: exploring directions and pathways

Young Fives: exploring forward movement on their front

Second graders:  exploring backward movements

Second graders:  exploring sideways movements

PE: Weeks of 5/4 and 5/11

This is such a busy time of the school year!!  The past two weeks have been full of many different kinds of activities for all grades.  Depending on the weather, classes have been going outside to use our outdoor spaces for PE classes.  If weather steered us indoors, we had other fun things to do!  Activities for Y5-5 have included:

• Mile Run Testing:  This is a FitnessGram test to assess cardiovascular fitness.  Grades 3-5 participate in this test.   Spring second graders do this as practice for 3rd grade fall.  Students with a previous fall score know their fall score prior to the start of the spring test, and have a goal of beating their previous time.  (I pre-label the mile run bubble sheets with student names and previous mile run times.  This gives more class time to the completion of the mile run.)  We emphasize best effort during this activity.  Students are encouraged to cheer each other on.  Students hold a "bubble sheet", and receive a mark in each bubble corresponding to each lap.  At the end of their mile (6 laps), I write their time on the bubble sheet.  

• Half Mile Run:  This is a lead-up activity for the mile run for K-2.  During our time to complete a half mile, we emphasize best effort, moving the whole time, and fun!  Students hold a bubble sheet, similar to the 3-5 sheet, but with only three bubbles.  This helps students know exactly what to expect for the 3rd-4th-5th grade "Mile".  =)  

• Fitness Laps activity:  Students run a lap and then stop to do an exercise.  When finished with the exercise (they count their own repetitions), they do another lap.  Exercises are posted on a cone near the starting area for reference, and are different for Y5-2 and 3-5.  

Grades 3rd -5th Fitness Laps

Young Fives - 2nd grade Fitness Laps

• Hand-Paddle Play:  Previously, we used a paddle with a bean bag to work on dexterity and eye-hand coordination.  This week, some classes used their hand as a paddle.  They experimented with things like: 
• Let the ball bounce and then hit it against the wall.  Hit the ball low/medium/high on the wall in front of you.  Catch it with both hands each time.  
• Try to hit it against the wall again when it bounces back!  
• Try to hit the ball with your non-favorite hand.  
• Two Square:  Floor tape marks two square "courts" around the gym.  Students played this game at the conclusion of class.  
• Adapted from Landy & Landy, Ready-to-Use PE Activities for Grades 3-5.

Third graders playing two square.  

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.

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.