Keep Them Moving



Summer is coming to end for many teachers, parents, and students. Summer is a time for everyone to get outside, exercise, and enjoy each other. When school starts, no of that should change. We need to keep kids moving all year long.

Too often as the year gets going, classrooms get busy and activity is not a focus. Getting students up and moving decreases behavior in the classroom and increases attention. Activity needs to be present in every classroom and no excuses should be made. Here are 10 easy ways to incorporate activity into every classroom without losing "academic" time. 

1.   Introduce vocabulary words to your class on a daily/ weekly basis. Use a bone or muscle each day instead of saying the word "go". This allows students to learn parts of their body, increase their vocabulary, and work on their spelling. Incorporating vocabulary into the class gives the teacher another avenue for assessment. Teachers then can administer quick writes, allowing students to demonstrate knowledge in those areas.
2.   When using any kind of counting in your class, have the class count using multiples. Students can also use a call and response method of counting by spelling out different words that you have chosen which relate to physical education.
3.   Create a word wall. This wall can be the ball wall or PE shed. This is a great tool to utilize and introduce students to different words for their vocabulary. Allow the students to join the process of determining which words make it onto the ball wall. In the primary grades, classroom spelling words can make an appearance on the wall.
4.   Provide students with informational texts on different physical education disciplines. A perfect way to introduce this to the class is to give the students informational texts on a game that will be played during the class that day. Have students read the information and then, using their reading comprehension skills, play that game without further instruction from the teacher.
5.   Have students apply physical education vocabulary through writing exercises unique to each discipline. This could be as easy as writing a reflection on how moderate-vigorous physical activity can affect the body. It also can be utilized by having students do a longer project with research and data involved.
6.   Have students read information on certain skills or activities and then discuss as a class the meaning of the information. For example: Have students read the definitions of offense and defense and discuss the meaning and how it can be implemented in a game like situation.
7.   When students are playing games where scores are kept, have each point be worth a different value than one. For example in elementary school, in a game of soccer, each goal can be worth six points. This will make students count using multiples of 6, creating a deeper level of thinking.
8.   Have students create a personal workout program to achieve optimal level of health related physical fitness. Students are trying to create a written, organized, and well-developed program.
9.   Create a math station using a dry erase board. This station can be part of many different PE activities. For example set up an adventure race where students are running distances to each obstacle and they cannot move forward until figuring different problems. Using word problems related to physical education will create a deeper level of thinking in physical education.
10. Give students Fitnessgram results and have students in groups create different ways to increase the scores at your school. Think/Pair/ Share your ideas with the class as a whole and brainstorm solutions and possibilities.
Getting students up and moving each day does not have to be a battle or take away time from instruction.

Be the one who takes movement and incorporates it into daily routines, making sure that your students are ready to live a healthy and productive life.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Sometimes You Go Back, To Go Forward

Be the One...Who Stays Positive

Be The One... That Connects With Kids