Week of 5/16: Sinkerball! Beanbag relays!

Grades 2-5:  

For this week in PE, grades 2-5 played a game called Sinkerball.  I found the game on a site called www.physedgames.com.  Here is the video description of the rules:  

Classes really enjoyed this game!  Classes played during both of their PE classes this week, with new teams each time.  This game works on throwing/rolling, and also strategy and teamwork.  We discuss how strategy is a plan to be successful - and how in this game, some strategies may include:

• starting the game and staying away from the throwers as much as possible
• protecting your pin with your body as much as possible while pulling it
• if your pin is down, helping someone with fewer or no helpers protect their pin
• tossing balls to the back or side of the playing area, rather than right back to the throwing team, if you are protecting a pin
• coordinating with other throwers to throw many balls at once at one pin

Some adaptations from the video rules we used include: 

• only throw/roll - no kicking, no hockey sticks
• throw zone on one side of the gym worked best for our gym size
• played for time (rather than points) - team with longest time with at least one pin standing won that round

Classes watched the video directions before dividing into teams and starting the game.  

Grades Y5-1: 
Younger classes worked on bean bag relays this week.  This activity helps younger students understand the concept of a relay activity - one person from your team leaves at a time, and the next person has to wait for them to return before leaving.  Beanbags were hidden under about 25 cones in the playing area.  Relay teams worked to retrieve one beanbag at a time, by looking under one cone per turn.

Week of 1/25/2016

Health: First Grade
In health this week, we learned about how germs spread, how we can prevent germs from spreading, and the importance of washing our hands.

PE:  SXI and ASD
Our SXI classroom continued to enjoy Tball, and worked on locomotor/manipulative skills individually selected based on student interest and skill level!  Our ASD classrooms practiced locomotor skills during our warm up, improve flexibility during stretches, game skills and kicking during kickball, and making active choices during choice time.

PE:  Young Fives, 1st, and 2nd Grades
Lower elementary students participated in an interval warm-up, and then reviewing the steps to the overhand throw (T, Muscle, Step, Throw).  Next, students reviewed the rules of the game "Clean Out Your Backyard" (Young fives and K) or "Guard the Pin" (1st and 2nd grades).  These games use the overhand throw, so students have practice using their skills in a dynamic setting.

Mrs. Strohl's class 

PE:  3rd through 5th Grades
After an interval warmup, upper elementary students continued work with paddles, learning the game of Pickleball!  Pickleball is very similar to tennis, but played with a short wooden paddle and a small wiffle ball.  In past weeks, we have learned how to strike the ball using the paddle, and this week, we are enjoyed a game with that skill.  Students had a brief introduction to basic, modified Pickleball rules, and then we played King/Queen of the court style.  One side of the court is the King or Queen.  The other side is the challenger.  If the challenger loses the point, they go to the back of the line and the next challenger tries to win a point.  If a challenger wins the point, they take the Queen/King's spot and the Queen/King goes to the end of the challenger line.  It's a fast moving way to have students enjoy using our nets and paddles safely, and allowing many chances to have contact with the ball.  Students of all ability levels enjoyed this game, and the friendly competition was quite exciting!

Fifth grade Pickleball setup.  King/Queen of the courts are on the right side.  Challengers are on the left.  

5th grade Kings/Queens =)

4th graders play Pickleball King/Queen of the court

Third graders

Third graders

Third graders

Third and fourth graders:  Ms. Hahn's class.

Fifth graders

Bam!  5th graders enjoying pickleball.

Mr. Carnegie's class

Happy New Year!

 We've had a blast this past week with parachute in upper elementary.  (Next week will be lower elementary's turn!)  Lower elementary students continued working on the overhand throw in centers.  One center was throwing with me, where I worked with each individual student.  Other centers included hula hoop, bean bag toss, exercises, and bowling.

Ms. Caballeros and Ms. Cech's classes have been enjoying new visual schedules, and one new element to our routine:  stretches!  We've also continued working on striking skills with tball.  Ms. Addison's class continues to work on individualized activities for each student, along with bowling and tball, too!

First grade health classes finished our fire safety review booklets.  Students can feel free to finish coloring their work at home.  Have your student show you the booklet and tell you about fire safety!

First graders working on fire safety review booklets

Parachute version of sharks and minnows

Inflation!  

Big giant bubble, right in front of them!

Color switch:  students walk with the parachute, jog to the next spot of their same color when called

Shake it!  

Sharks and minnows

Popcorn!