Long-term goals
A1: Students will relate personal physical and emotional health benefits of regular participation to physical activity (e.g., energy, endurance, stress management, fresh air and sunshine when activities are done outside)
One of the most important aspects of physical education is to provide a solid foundation on which students may build a lifelong appreciation of the benefits which an active lifestyle provides. The students will achieve this through the use of self assessment, which will encourage them to reflect on the effects of physical activity on mood, physical health, relationships, and a number of other areas of life.
The students will also receive an objective perspective on the improvements they have made over the year through their teacher’s assessments. The instructor will provide feedback that may help the students see improvement and benefits which they may not have detected on their own.
Through various assessment measures, students will be able to make quantifiable observations, such as being able to run for longer, stretch further, or lift more weight, which will make the improvements tangible. They will also have opportunity to reflect on some less tangible but equally important benefits that may be obtained through physical activity, such as social benefits, stress management and energetic release, and feeling good about oneself.
A2: Students will relate the development of muscular strength and endurance, cardiovascular endurance, and flexibility to participation in specific physical activities
Students will develop a deeper understanding of how various physical activities affect different aspects of physical health and ability. This will be accomplished most specifically through goal setting after a baseline fitness test, and periodic follow up testing and assessment. Students will track improvement and note setbacks through fitness logs and journals, as well as through reflection on the results of follow up testing.
By setting goals and checking in on their progress in relation to these goals, students will develop their ability to form realistic objectives, cope with potential setbacks with minimal discouragement, and understand the effort required to reach said goals. Striving to reach goals in a supportive environment which appreciates students varying strengths will help students to find their niche within a range of physical activities. This will provide students with an understanding of the physical activity which provides the enjoyment