• PHYSICAL EDUCATION GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

     

    • FITNESS/HEALTH
    • SKILL DEVELOPMENT
    • SPORTSMANSHIP

    FITNESS/HEALTH

    The Physical Education department believes that each student should be exposed to a healthful lifestyle that includes consistent exercise, proper diet, and healthy habits.

    A consistent exercise program is emphasized throughout the curriculum by providing daily exercises as part of the lesson.  In each class, students are exposed to the flexibility, cardiovascular, agility, and strength components of exercise.

    • The importance of flexibility is discussed in class.  Flexibility is important in preventing injury and increasing an individual’s performance.  The students do a series of stretches before activities. 
    • In some classes cardiovascular awareness and improvement are measured through the student’s heart rate.  Students find their resting heart rates by taking their pulse every morning before getting out of bed for five consecutive days.  They find an average pulse for five days and then do a computation to find their target heart rate for exercise. The purpose of finding the students’ resting and maximum heart rates is to give them the knowledge of how hard they need to exercise to have an effect on their fitness levels.
    • The importance of agility and quickness is discussed in class, and ways to improve agility and quickness are presented throughout each year.  Class activities include running with change of direction regularly.  A shuttle test is then administered to see improvements in this area.
    • The importance of strength is also discussed in class, as are healthy ways to improve and build strength.  Each class includes strength activities that help to improve the students’ overall strength. 

    Physical education class also emphasizes proper diet, body weight, and health issues.  Students participate in regular discussions on the relationship between body weight and body fat, and how this relationship affects health.

    SKILL DEVELOPMENT

    Skill development is a regular focus of the physical education curriculum.  In kindergarten through fourth grade, skill development is pursued through individual work, large-group activities, and non-competitive games.  In fifth through eighth grade, students continue to focus on skill development with activities in partnerships and in games with small groups that allow everyone to participate.  Skill development is measured through continued observation.  It is important to the department to allow every student to develop at his or her own pace, and to encourage each individual to achieve his or her potential.  The department stresses non-competitive behavior throughout skill development.  Encouragement and support among the students is a priority throughout the curriculum.

    LOCOMOTOR MOVEMENTS

    Running, leaping skipping, sliding, galloping, walking and jumping are featured throughout the curriculum, with an emphasis in grades K-4.  Improving one’s ability in these locomotor movements continues throughout each student’s career.

    NON-LOCOMOTOR MOVEMENTS

    Bending and stretching, pushing and pulling, raising and lowering, twisting and turning, shaking, bouncing, circling, and balancing are also used throughout the curriculum.  Improving one’s ability in these non-locomotor movments continues throughout each student’s career.

    MANIPULATIVE SKILLS

    These are developed through handling of an object and from the basis of game skills; in particular, they are the foundation of ball skills that take the student into adulthood.   It is the goal of the department to have every child feel confident with his or her individual skills including throwing and catching, batting and kicking, rebounding and redirecting.

    SPORTSMANSHIP 

    Sportsmanship is an integral part of the Physical Education curriculum.  With the ability to work with each other, students can have an excellent experience in class.  Sportsmanship has been an important focus in the department since its founding.   The term the department uses is progress reports is “sportspersonship,” and everyone is encouraged to become the best sports person they can imagine.  The discussions that surround this topic are respect, cooperation and TEAMWORK, appreciation for others, and fair play.

    • Respect is highlighted throughout the curriculum during games and activities, with a focus on how to respect each other’s space and ownership during class.
    • Cooperation is another fundamental skill that is used daily in class.   The students cooperate regularly through sharing equipment and participating in games.  Cooperation is a visible signature of the department and is the foundation of teamwork and sportsmanship.
    • Appreciation for others means developing an understanding of others’ strengths and weaknesses. It is important to remind the students to not be competitive with their strengths, and to continually encourage each other to put forth the effort to improve weaknesses.
    • Fair play is another integral aspect of sportsmanship.  The department teachers the students how to follow rules and understand the importance of fair play.