Middle School PE
yearly plan
Rationale
We decided to begin our yearly plan with a month-long baseball unit because it engages a wide variety of fundamental skills, including throwing, catching, striking, and running. These skills are precursors to fielding, batting, and base running and have a great deal of transferability among striking/fielding games. Baseball is also a very social game and would be an excellent introductory game in order to introduce the students to one another and build their communication.
In October we will complete a fitness unit that incorporates a variety of fitness strategies and practices. The unit will include self-defence, wrestling, aerobics, and circuit training. Following the slower pace of baseball, it will be appropriate to engage the students in a dynamic and varied unit. Through the variety of individual, pair, and team participation, students will see that learning requires the active participation of the student, people learn in a variety of ways and at different rates, and that learning is both an individual and a group process.
A badminton unit will occur in November in order that students continue their practice of throwing skills that they will have begun in the baseball unit. According to the tactical games approach, early net/wall games should include a variety of throw-and-catch games, which will have developed in the baseball unit. There is a wide range of complexity involved in teaching and learning badminton and as the teacher becomes aware of the student’s skill level, they can make adaptations and extensions to the lessons. Through the badminton unit, students will move from co-operative situations to competitive situations. They will also move from simple to complex tactical problems and game situations. Lastly, students will move from individual (singles) players to small group (2 on 2) to larger group (4 on 4) situations (Mitchell, Oslin & Griffin, 61).
The shorter instruction month of December will contain a games unit, including lead and follow games, and partner/team games. These games will build teamwork, active participation, and emphasize positive personal and social behaviours. These games are focused on teaching appropriate sport behaviour, emphasizing gymnasium rules and routines, establishing student roles and responsibilities, and developing teams, and pairs (Mitchell, Oslin, & Griffin, 3).
In January we will move on to a dance unit that will include rhythmic and creative, folk and cultural, social, and genre. The Ministry of Education in the Prescribed Learning Outcomes, outlines that it is expected that students use the creative process to develop dances, alone and with others. It also describes how students should be able to refine and present dance sequences from a variety of dance forms, alone and with others. Lastly, students will be able to select, refine, and present movement sequences using elements of body awareness, space awareness, qualities, and relationships in dance activities. (http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/pek7/7-body3.htm) Dance is an essential aspect of physical education and they must be given the opportunity to participate in a variety of dance forms. Participation in dance provides social and recreational opportunities for students, preparing them for social events. While students will have had the opportunity to develop endurance, flexibility and strength through the other units in the year, dance gives them the opportunity to further develop these attributes as well as developing their creativity.
During the month of February, the class will participate in a rugby unit that will end with alternative court and field games lessons. According to the tactical games approach, invasion games provide learners with more freedom of movement than other game types while giving them interaction with peers in a socially oriented team environment (25). Rugby develops psychomotor, cognitive, behaviour, social, and affective skills. It will follow the dance unit effectively by developing quite separate skills and providing the students with an outdoor activity.
In March, the class will complete a gymastics unit. The unit will be shorter than most due to the weeklong spring break. The Ministry of Education in the Prescribed Learning Outcomes outlines that it is expected that students select, refine, and present gymnastic sequences using movement concepts and skills. They will also learn to select, combine, and perform gymnastic movements in complex sequences. Throughout the unit, students will perform sequences using small equipment and large apparatus, alone or with others and demonstrate body mechanics to improve gymnastic skills (http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/pek7/7-body5.htm). The gymnastics unit will fall appropriately after the indoor dance unit and then the outdoor rugby unit. Students may think of the dance and gymnastics units as being too similar so it is important to break them up between the unique rugby unit.
The class will complete a track and field unit in April and the beginning of the unit will contain a week of gymnastics with apparatus. The gymnastics with apparatus leads well into track and field, getting the students used to using similar equipment and apparatus. The track and field unit will happen in the Spring to coincide with the school-wide track and field team season. In order to interest students in extra-curricular sports, they should be introduced to these activities during class time in a less competitive and intimidating environment. Students will practice throwing, running, and jumping skills that provide the foundation for a lifelong involvement in athletics.
In May we will do a dual unit of manipulatives and yoga. The manipulatives weeks will include juggling & rope jumping and the yoga unit will include the introduction and practice of a few types of yoga. The manipulatives unit will prepare students for the emphasis on manipulatives in Grade 8. It is important to have this unit at the end of the year so that students will retain memory of it for the year ahead. Yoga will aid students with strength training, flexibility, and will call to attention the body/mind connection that is often missed in physical education.
In June the students will complete a Frisbee Golf unit ending with one week of student’s choice of games. The Frisbee golf unit will be appropriate because the weather should be quite suitable for outdoor activities. Students will have developed their accuracy in throwing through the baseball and rugby units. Frisbees are technically more challenging to throw and so it is appropriate that students have developed less technical throwing skills. The game of frisbee golf teaches students that they can enjoy a social and fun activity while elevating their heart rate and developing their fitness level. It is fitting to end the year with the student’s choice of games as they have been practicing and developing their teamwork and participation skills throughout the year. They will need to negotiate, show leadership, and be flexible as they decide which games to play and how to be self-directed and responsible.
Goals:
The B.C. Ministry of Education recommends that no less than 15% of instructional time is spent in any one movement category. This minimum-time percentage provides flexibility for teachers to allocate additional time in areas that best meet the needs of their students. The yearly overview presents all five movement categories excluding Alternative-Environment Activities which will be covered in outdoor education field trips including snowboarding, hiking, orienteering etc.
In order to create a safe learning environment, it is essential that teachers address a number of issues prior to, during, and after an activity has taken place. The first issue is whether the activities are suitable to the student's physical age, and mental and physical condition. The second factor is whether the instruction has been sequenced progressively to ensure safety. It is essential that students be given specific instruction about how to use and handle the equipment appropriately. Lastly, teachers must ensure that the equipment and facilities are in good repair, and have been suitably arranged in order to promote and maintain safety.
In order to create quality physical education programs, the duration, intensity, and frequency of activities must motivate students and meet their individual needs. Students should be participating in a selection of activities from all movement categories. Quality physical education programs will encourage the development of positive attitudes, foster active participation, and draw on problem-solving skills. Effective programs will recognize the difference in students' interests, potential, and cultures and develop personal and career-planning skills that students can use throughout their lives.
A major goal of our yearly Physical Education plan is for students to be exposed to experiences that encourage them to enjoy and appreciate physical activity and its effect on lifelong health and well-being. Through the variety of athletics and activity, students are encouraged to explore, take risks, exhibit curiosity, work with others co-operatively, and achieve a personal and functional level of physical fitness. All movement experiences provide opportunities for the development of positive personal and social behaviours.
Active Participation is emphasized throughout the yearly plan. During group work, all opportunites ensure that all students have an active role in the learning activity. Problem-solving skills and decision-making skills challenge students to identify and investigate problems, find a variety of ways to solve them, and show their solutions in a variety of ways.
In the physical education classroom, there are a variety of diverse learners with diverse backgrounds so the selection of activities, equipment, and materials must reflect students' diverse characteristics. There are a multitude of characteristics to consider, namely cultural heritage, gender, special needs, exceptionalities and a variety of interests (http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/pek7/intrck-7.htm).
References:
Planning a Physical Education Program: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/pek7/intplk-7.htm
Rationale for Physical Education: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/pek7/intrrk-7.htm
Cottesbrooke Infant School P.E Policy:
http://www.cottesbrooke-inf.bham.sch.uk/homedir/documents/PEPolicy.doc.
Mitchell, S., Oslin, J and L. Griffin ( 2003). Sport Foundations for Elementary Physical Education: A Tactical Games Approach. Champaign, IL, Human Kinetics.
Beaudoin, C., and J. Fraser-Thomas, “Implementing a Physical Education Curriculum: Two Teachers' Experiences,” in Canadian Journal of Education / Revue canadienne de l'éducation, Vol. 27 (2/3), 2002. pp. 249-268.