Let's Learn Some New Games

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to attend the Michigan MAHPERD Convention. I was reminded once again how different Phys Ed is today. There are so many new ideas, tools, and outcomes available to use.

Some new ideas I am implementing:
-Listing Health, Fitness, Sport, and Skill focus on the whiteboard so students always know our objective for the day.
-Using more foundational games to introduce strategy concepts to different types of sports (invasion, target, striking/fielding, net/wall categories)
-New report cards that list individual objectives that students meet or do not meet throughout the year.

I have recently been using www.thephysicaleducator.com as a resource. So many great ideas for behavior management, incentives, health, games and more! Definitely worth checking out.

I came across this poem at the end of a book last week. Yet again, it stresses the difference between old and new P.E. It also acts as a reminder that Phys Ed is not sports practice. If you don't have the same audience, why would you teach the same content?

It's hard to improve
when we're all standing still
watching the first picks
gain all the skill.

Let's learn some new games
where no one complains
there are too many rules
too long to explain.

Let's learn some new games
we can play at home
along with some neighbors
and when we're alone

Let''s learn some new games
that make us ALL go
yet the teacher says
that's all she knows.

-Bud Turner

What is Success?

... Hearing one of your non-athletic 4th grade students say, "I wish we had P.E. all day" after completing a 3/4 mile run and coming in last....

THAT is success.


That is just one of many comments I overhear from my students. This is not because of me, but because of the environment that's created in our "classroom." Whether in the gym or on the field, or running laps around the school, or whether fitness or sport day, the expectation is the same: Improve yourself, encourage others, have fun, and work hard.

Middle school students are completing six steps this year related to our overall fitness unit:
1. Learn the components of fitness: Cardiorespiratory Endurance, Muscular Endurance, Muscular Strength, Flexibility, and Body Composition
2. Participate in initial fitness tests: Mile Run, Pacer, Curl Ups, Push Ups, Sit and Reach, Height/Weight
3. Create 4 S.M.A.R.T. goals
4. Design an Action Plan for getting there
5. Perform final fitness tests (in spring)
6. Review action plan

This unit is reinforced with monthly activity/eating logs, optional extra credit health articles, and daily fitness warm ups that emphasize the different components an exercise routine must include for best health benefits.

We are also busy playing soccer, learning about the 17 laws of the game, and having many round robin tournaments anywhere from 1v1players to 12v12!

As a whole school, we also have some VERY EXCITING NEWS...

JUMP WITH JILL IS VISITING US FOR THE FIRST TIME ON OCTOBER 31!
I submitted our 8th grade's "Bone Rap" video remake of Jill Jayne's very own song and sent in almost 100 letters from students ask Jill to visit our school.

She will be visiting us for free and having an assembly/concert in our gym from 1:30-2:30 where K-8 students will gather for a good time and learn how being healthy is cool!

Can't wait!

FUEL UP TO PLAY 60

Dear Parents,

 

This year, West Side Christian Middle School students will be participating in a program called Fuel Up to Play 60.  This program is a very exciting opportunity for our school, as we learn to ‘fuel up’ with healthier foods and play 60 by being active at least one hour every day.

 

Fuel Up to Play 60 is a program founded by the National Dairy Council and NFL, in collaboration with USDA, that empowers students to take charge in making small, everyday changes at school. Students can win cool prizes, like an NFL player visit or Super Bowl tickets, for choosing good-for-you foods and getting active for at least 60 minutes every day. We want kids to make a difference not only in their lives, but also their community.

 

Fuel Up to Play 60 encourages youth to eat healthy and move more — and studies suggest that well-nourished, physically active kids can be better students.

Better nutrition, including eating a healthy breakfast each day, helps students get the nutrients they need and may help improve their academic performance. What's more, being physically active may help students improve self-esteem, cognitive function and test scores.

And with Fuel Up to Play 60, healthy students can have more fun! By participating in the program, youth have the opportunity to earn rewards and prizes. Those students who help build the program may benefit even more. In fact, researchers say peer group interaction may help to influence healthy choices, and student involvement can lead to motivation and engagement in learning.

As an education professional, school adult or parent you work every day to help your students reach their full potential and your school implement its wellness policy. Fuel Up to Play 60 gives you dynamic tools to meet these goals and supports you as you make your school a healthier place.

For Fuel Up to Play 60 to work the best, your school should have at least one Program Advisor — an adult who serves as the program's champion, engages and empowers students as they help implement the program and encourages other adults to get involved. And Program Advisors have opportunities to earn rewards, recognition and funding to make it all happen. If you are interested in being a Program Advisor, please contact Mrs. Verkaik.                                                                                                   (Taken from www.fueluptoplay60.com)

In October, middle school students will have the opportunity to apply to become part of the Student Team, which will have the responsibility to meet weekly with a Program Advisor to implement a monthly challenge for the entire middle school. These physical activity or nutrition challenges can be found in the online playbook or can be created on their own. 

Check out the website to find out more. And, please consider helping your child create a username at www.fueluptoplay60.com.

FUEL UP TO PLAY 60

The Six Steps to Success

 

Step 1: Join the League

Create a username on fueluptoplay60.com

Pledge to Fuel Up and Play 60!

 

Step 2: Build Teams

Create the Student Team

 

Step 3: Kickoff!

Hold a kick off event for all middle school students

 

Step 4: Survey the Field

Complete a School Wellness Investigation.

 

Step 5: Game Time

Earn online badges by participating in monthly physical activity or nutrition challenges

 

Step 6: Scoreboard

Submit success stories about West Side participating in Fuel Up to Play 60 on the website!

The Challenge Behind a Good PE Lesson Plan

I just so happen to pick up a February issue (yes, I know it's September) of Christian Educators Journal and read an article titled, "Christian Education: Authentic and Sticky. I was inspired after reading the ideas laid out by Dan Beerens, especially as I busily try to accomplish many, many objectives and lesson ideas in these first few weeks- while simultaneously trying to build relationships with each one of my four hundred students- all within 30 minutes time- twice a week- in the West Side Christian gym.

Why is it so hard for me to create and implement a lesson with which I'm content?

• I like "sticky" ideas: Ideas that remain or "stick" with students AFTER their time with me and their time at West Side. I like introducing and teaching new exercises, lifetime activities, and games in general that they will remember. Students crave theses sticky ideas, too.

• My students' engagement is the "fuel" I use to keep me going when I teach: "To be truthful, the issue of student engagement is a difficult area for us because if we look at it honestly, we might need to make a change to our instruction that likely means more work. Yet let us acknowledge that we also derive the most joy from our teaching when we have hit upon meaningful questions, lessons, strategies, and resources that engage our students deeply!" -Yes. That pretty much sums it up.

• I'm an over-analyzer. To see if they worked, didn't work. To see if there's something I missed. Or, most importantly, is there a better way of doing it? Have priorities of learning changed? Are there better ways of testing students' health or fitness? Do students really need to know every rule to this particular sport? "We are in a time of reconsideration of what students truly need to know, given both our access to information and the fact that some things seem not to be as important given the scope of our world today."We live in a world of constant change- not that change is ALWAYS good. But sometimes- it IS.

• I want my students to "flourish": According to Wolterstorff, flourishing is about living in harmony with God, neighbor, creation, and self. I feel that I have a big responsibility in this flourishing through the way in which I teach. Am I creating a passion for learning and creative expression? Am I creating a desire to serve? Am I creating connections they can see in their learning? Am I allowing them to become divergent thinkers as they creatively solve problems? Am I teaching them all that God has gifted them with? That God calls them to? Am I demonstrating effective life habits and spiritual disciplines? Am I teaching a desire to act morally and ethically across all aspects of life?

I love what I do- and the challenges it involves. I truly hope that I can teach my students to be "foolish" in the eyes of the world: "...by teaching our students to choose love over fear, peace over contentment, patience over irritability, kindness over neglect, generosity over selfishness, faithfulness over deceitfulness, gentleness over pride, and self control over immediate gratification."

......in just thirty minutes. :)


Oh, and have you read this yet? http://writeproject.wordpress.com/2013/09/17/selling-grace-the-future-of-christian-education/


Beerens, Dan. "Christian Education: Authentic and Sticky." Christian Educators Journal (2013): 4-7. Print.

And We're Back!

It's so good to be back.

Walking into school seeing all of those familiar, smiling faces definitely beats last year's attempt at getting to know everyone all at once and being the "new" teacher. :)


To start off the year, I shared this information with my middle school students through a newsletter:

In 2009, 1,375 physical educators participated in an online survey for NASPE, the National Association of Sport and Physical Education. This survey explored key aspects of PE programs in our nation’s schools.

For nearly 50% of these educators, the primary focus of their PE program is “health-related fitness,” followed by “motor skills and movement forms” (33%), “personal and social responsibility” (12%) and “preparation for sport participation” (6%).

When asked to rate each on importance for a middle school setting, physical educators prioritized “health-related fitness” as most important (87%) and “preparation for sport participation” as least important (25%).

So, is WSCS part of this “new PE”? I’d like to say so. But please don’t be mistaken, I love many traditional and non-traditional sports. But teaching sports is not my sole purpose and PE class is not sports practice. My job is to use sports among other activities to encourage lifetime physical activity. My responsibility is to give each student the necessary tools to feel confident in their skills, feel knowledgeable in their personal health, and become attracted to some new activities that they can use after their time at WSCS.

The National Standards for Physical Education are listed in the top left corner of this newsletter. As we go throughout this year, I encourage you to ask your kids what activities, exercises, worksheets, or sports they are participating in. My goal is to address all five standards throughout a variety of fun and engaging activity.

I am blessed to be able to call this my job. I look forward to teaching, challenging, and encouraging each student this year as we dive into our own “new PE”.

After our discussion, we reviewed expectations, assignments, and opportunities they will have this year. We then jumped into some cooperative team challenges:

1) Zig Zag Team Toss
2) Group Juggling
3) Team Mat Challenges

2nd-5th grades also reviewed expectations and rules, discussed what P.E. stands for, and started some fun team challenges that encouraged following directions and encouragement like:

1) Space Invaders
2) Shipwreck
3) Team Juggle
4) Fitness/Exercise Stations



Once each class learns how to work together cooperatively in an encouraging way, we will jump into our first units, Fitness Testing for 4th-8th, Aerobic Fitness for 3rd, and Body Parts/Actions/Planes for 2nd.

Why What I Do Matters

One of the most (and really only) frustrating parts to my job is persuading others to see just how important physical education is. Battling the stereotypical gym teacher who "rolls the balls out" is something I've dealt with personally on more than one occasion. Whenever I am questioned on why PE matters, I'm overwhelmed with how many different answers I could give or directions I could take. I came across this article, which touches on so many of those answers, that I had to share. I hope many PE teachers are continuing to fight the stereotype, and, if in a Christian setting, are remembering to share with their students all of these ideas (regularly!) that show just how much God values Physical Education!
 

PE THROUGH A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE

“The book of Genesis reveals God as the only creator of all things, from the universe to the smallest creature on earth. He is majestically in charge of the whole world. The coming of sin into the world destroyed this heavenly balance and presented man with his own route to follow. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ later opened up the way of reconciliation and once again brought man back into an eternal relationship with his creator. Grasping this truth about God as both creator and redeemer must inevitably change our attitude to him and the way we live our lives socially, mentally, spiritually, and physically.” –This brings me to my  favorite subject: PHYSICAL EDUCATION.

By its very nature physical education breeds in a social environment where mental, emotional, physical and spiritual tensions are in abundance. As such it is a great training ground for the Christian and the sharpest of places for him to work out his faith. Jesus calls us to live out our faith and to go where people can be found as sports are a huge part of our society. –What a blessing for me to be part of each student’s Christian training starting in their elementary years!

"To God, there is no sacred-secular divide. Everything belongs to him, even sport and fitness. We are “to love God and enjoy him forever” and this can be fulfilled as effectively on the sports field as it can inside a church.”

Psalm 139:13-16 talks about the intricacy of God knitting together ‘body and soul’ with words like ‘skillfully wrought’ and ‘wonderfully made’. The complete person is not just body, nor spirit or intellect. He is ALL of these things and is given the opportunity to glorify God in all of these areas. 

To educate children physically is to enable them to develop naturally in stature, to discover potential of their talents and make them aware of the need to keep their bodies in good shape!

1. Growth and development

                Luke 2:52 “And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” Within this short verse is the intellectual growth that comes through wisdom, the physical development that comes through stature, the social and emotional growth through man’s favor and the spiritual maturity that develops as a result of God’s favor.

2. Physical Conditioning

                We are called to be good stewards by God. This stewardship includes taking care of our body. Part of taking care means conditioning it so that when we give our body back to our creator we can show God that we have treated it as a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Our task should always be to glorify God by how we use our bodies and seek to become all that we are capable of being through the physical talents He has given us!

3. Rest and Relaxation

                After the task of creating the world, God rested. We can only endure so much emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical stress. There is a need to be free from work and responsibilities. This is a time for leisure, rest, and recreation. -I hope to instill confidence in my students as they are introduced to many recreational activities they can use for a lifetime.

Talents are given by God and our bodies are considered a temple of the Holy Spirit. In this setting, we are able to practice discipline, cooperation, confidence, encouragement, leadership, loyalty, and integrity- a place for the Christian character to respond to God’s calling to strive toward its goal as Philippians 3:13 says, “I press on towards the goal to win the prize.”

COMPETITION

“Compete” means “to strive together”. The people we compete against are co-competitors rather than opponents. In sport, competition helps us maximize our potential and maximize our talents to the best of our ability. I believe God does care about who wins the game, but more importantly, he cares about how we play the game, how we treat opponents, and how we react to the outcome.

Our faith walk is a marathon.

A good analogy for our faith walk isn’t a sprint, but a marathon. It’s a journey we are on, not a finish line we are racing to. It is something we continue working at, with a lot of diligent training and persistence. “Those who wait on the Lord shall run and not be weary and walk and not faint.” 

SPORTSMANSHIP OR CHRISTMANSHIP?

2 Timothy 2:5 “If anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules.” 

Christmanship: embodies the best of sportsmanship (fun fairness, and being a good loser) with the best of sportsmanship (giving one’s best effort to win) but it transcends and surpasses them both. It challenges the Christian athlete to compete as Christ would compete.”

PERSPECTIVE

Our motivation is running the race for the eternal prize. Through this perspective, we are able to: respond to challenge, show commitment, courage, finish the race, develop patience, compete against the odds, train, and endure.

-“Sport is not inherently bad, nor it is inherently good. It is what we make it!” –Dr. Rainer Martens

-Taken from: The Christian Institute, The Teaching of Physical Education: A Biblical Perspective

Happy Summer Break

Well, I completely dropped the ball on updates. It is now summer! Let's take a look back at March-May:

-Middle School students learned many new games like Ultimate, Speedball, and Handball while also practicing the traditional sports of Softball and Hockey.

-Elementary students were challenged with many cooperative team games where they problem solved on their own, in small groups, or as a class.

-WSCS completed their first ever GIRLS ON THE RUN season with 16 3rd-5th grade girls running a 5k race with 2,000 other Girls on the Run from Kent County.

-I was able to attend all track meets by being the track announcer and tallying results for the schools.

-Our middle school students wrapped up fitness testing and reflected on what they did this year.

-Elementary students participated in Field Day!

-I moved into a new office! Yahoo! I have a window. :)



This Summer involves lots of reflecting as well as brainstorming new ways to get our kids excited about physical education.

Goals for next year:
1. Establish a strong Fuel Up to Play 60 Program for our middle school students through a student-led team.
2. Develop our own physical education curriculum using Curriculum Trak.
3. Create a new assessment tool/report card for elementary students.

Have a safe and activity-filled summer!!

Circle of Fun

Today, I shared my "Circle of Fun" with my middle school students. This circle of fun involved 12 different "FIT DECK" cards. Half of these cards involved Plyometric Exercises and the other half involved Resistance Band Exercises. I set this up in a large circle around the gym, alternating plyos and resistance. This allowed for each student to get their heart rate up (check to see if they were in their target zone) and then recover at the resistance band station and learn a new strength training exercise. I played Toby Mac while we participated in each different station with one partner for 45 seconds and then rotated to the next. I couldn't believe it, but by the time class was done the students really DID think it was fun. This combined with their "2 Song-Jog" at the beginning of class really got them moving and working hard within our 40 minutes together!

I am so passionate about fitness, and allowing students to experience NEW activities, exercises, and health concepts in a safe environment. It's so rewarding to see students enjoy things they never even knew existed- and to conquer a workout like they never thought they could. I hope that each of my students finds something enjoyable that they can use in their life after their years at West Side. Sometimes it's so worth taking a break from team sports and being able to level the playing field with new individual physical activity- to really see how far my students can push themselves and realize they can do SO much more than they thought they could.

What a great day.

WOW!

Wow! Our students raised $1,900 for the American Heart Association through Jump Rope for Heart! This past week was an exciting celebration Wednesday through Friday as each class came to the gym with their donations and participated in jump rope/basketball stations one last time.

I'm looking forward to introducing new activities, fitness topics, and sports games this week with all students Kindergarten through Eighth! Middle school students will start out by learning eighteen different forms of dodgeball (!). We will then introduce a new game called Speedball- a combination of football, basketball, and soccer. We are already discovering that learning that many different form of any game is a skill itself. :) Third and Fourth Graders will begin their floor hockey unit combined with learning specific exercises for each part of the body, as well as agility drills, balance, and coordination (can't resist throwing in fitness). First and Second Graders will be practicing teamwork and cooperation using the parachute (first time all year)! Kindergarten will be emphasizing locomotor skills in different pathways, levels, and directions as well as throwing and catching with different objects.We will also continue working on the skill of listening through music and practice cross lateral movements.


Lots to do! Time to get moving.

Service Opportunity

Our Gymnastics Unit kept us busy all through December, where students practiced skills in a team setting on the balance beam, mini trampoline, vault, and parallel bars. We also had a floor routine section where students created their own routine with music to perform for the rest of the class. Each class divided into four countries that competed in the Gymnastics Final Performance Day. Each team also learned how to judge using a combination of three scores: Difficulty Score, Execution Score, and Artistry Score. It was fun to see students learn and compete in a non-traditional sport.

Next week, we will be introducing the American Heart Association's Hoops for Heart and Jump Rope for Heart at West Side Christian for the first time. This service opportunity allows students to learn how the heart works, how to stay healthy, and how they can help other kids around the world with special hearts. Each class will watch a short DVD about the national Jump Rope for Heart/Hoops for Heart Program. Then, for the next four weeks, we will dive into jump rope skills and basketball skills, all while learning about the relationship between the heart and exercise. Our final event day will involve showcasing our learned skills for parents and teachers. Students will have the next month to raise money for kids with special hearts in a donation envelope being sent home next week.

Check back often in the next month for any available resources.

Here is our Final Event Schedule:
Wednesday, February 13: Middle School Hoops For Heart (during normal PE class time)
Thursday, February 14: First Grade, Second Grade
Friday, February 15: Third Grade, Fourth Grade

Check out: www.heart.org/jump or www.heart.org/hoops for more information!

Help Your Child Save Lives and be a Heart Hero!

HOW:  Support your child in the American Heart Association’s Jump Rope For Heart program

WHAT:  A life-saving and educational community service program

WHY:  Your child will help kids with special hearts, learn about how to be heart healthy and feel good!

We are thrilled to share our school is supporting the American Heart Association’s Jump Rope For Heart program! 

When your child participates in Jump Rope For Heart he/she:

 ·         Learns about the importance of the heart – how it works, and how to take care of it: Through classroom exercises and educational information provided by the American Heart Association.

·         Helps kids with special hearts: Our safe online tool makes it easy for your child to set up a Web page and send emails to invite friends and family to support their fundraising efforts and to share life-saving information. 

·         Feels good for making a difference in people’s lives!  Funds raised support American Heart Association research and education initiatives that save lives in our community.  Congenital heart defects are the most common cause of infant death from birth defects.  Many children are alive today because of treatments not available even 10 years ago. Funded research and advancements have changed and saved their lives!

We hope you are as excited as we are to support our students in this important experience!  If you have any questions or would like to volunteer, please let me know.  Visit www.heart.org/jump to get started today!

Please return your child’s donation envelope by:  FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15

Lexi, age 11   “This has changed my life by making me aware of what other kids have gone through who also have heart defects. I now realize how amazing it is to have doctors who are able to fix peoples' hearts and make them better again, and I am very thankful for them!”

*Our school also has the opportunity to earn free physical education equipment.