Philosophy and Goals Traditional physical education programs have emphasized competition, games, sports and inherent athletic ability, often favoring those who are most talented and leaving the less able to view themselves as outsiders who will never make the grade. Games and sports are a means to an end, not an end in and of themselves. It is clear that all our children must be given opportunities to succeed in physical education and develop a lifelong commitment to the pleasure and inherent health benefits. Every child can develop appropriate skills, feel good about his or her body, and relate to others in positive ways. All children, regardless of their athletic talents, should have a variety of opportunities to participate in physical education and enrich their lives through physical activity. This vision informs our goal. That is to motivate and empower all our students to make wise and informed choices, to develop the crucial skills and good habits that will optimize their physical health and overall wellness throughout their lives. In a society that tends to be mechanized, stress-ridden, and sedentary, the physically educated person is prepared to participate throughout life in appropriate physical activities. He or she can also make choices that will minimize the risks of cardiovascular diseases that afflict one in four people in the United States. For the physically educated person, health and physical wellness are important personal values. The American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (AAHPERD) and the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) defines the physically educated person as one who has the necessary movement skills, is physically fit, does participate regularly in physical activity, knows the implications and benefits of involvement in physical activity, and values physical activity and its contribution to a healthy lifestyle. OUR philosophy: Everyone Can! OUR goal: Every student is a physically educated student
BUILDING BLOCKS The building blocks of elementary physical education are: endurance, strength, speed, power, agility,
balance, flexibility, gross motor control, fine motor control, motivation,
teamwork, character, game skills, and lifestyle activities. Our goal is to give
the student a broad foundation of many building blocks. Lessons are
developmentally appropriate. When delivered students are challenged but can
succeed. Each course of lessons leads the student up a spiral of development. Content is designed to meet all the New
Jersey Core Content Standards for Physical Education.
COURSE OUTLINES Introduction to Physical Education WE Ensure all students are familiar with behavior expectations. The lessons cover how to enter and exit the gym, safety lines and boundaries, personal space, use of the water fountain and rest-rooms, listening skills and signals, gym rules and guidelines. The main focus is to set high standards for conduct. THIS course also provide structures and a comfort level for those students entering a new and challenging environment.
Teambuilding Challenges The course goals are to build a positive self-concept, learn different roles and develop team communication. These goals are closely linked with the character education program at Bedwell School. The course is introduced to students as being an extension of this program. Competency in these skills enables and empowers students to resist destructive behaviors and seek out positive opportunities for growth and learning. These skills are cross disciplinary and should be integrated into each course within the program.
Foundation Skills The course provides students with a broad foundation of skills needed to participate in the motor skill courses introduced in grade three. These lessons can be used as a refresher for older students in the form of warm-up activities. The course building blocks are: Loco-motor movement forms, gross motor control, fine motor control, spatial awareness, body awareness, weight bearing and balance, level awareness, effort awareness, movement vocabulary, safety awareness, hand-eye coordination, creative response to music, dexterity, manipulation, visual tracking, scarf play, balloon play, beanie play, ball play, throwing, catching, kicking, striking, shooting, sportsmanship, cooperation, positive attitude and response to feedback. These skills are taught in isolation and developed in the context of simple games and activities.
Multi-Sport Lead-Up Skills Introduced in the third grade. these lessons build on foundation skills. The course introduces students to the specific skills needed to participate in major sports and games, especially those available at the middle and high schools. The sports and games covered are: Football, Soccer, Hockey, Cross Country, Tennis, Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Lacrosse, Track and Field and Volleyball. Lessons focus on developing motor control and skill in isolation and then within the context of mini and modified games. Simple tactics and strategy are introduced so students can use the skills effectively in game situations.
Lifestyle Activities and Traditional Yard Games
These activities fall outside the mainstream of traditional sport classifications. Nonetheless they bring diversity, choice and provide other lifestyle choices available into adulthood. These include: Climbing, ultimate Frisbee, power walking, bowling, croquet, horseshoes, bocce and hackie-sack.
Aerobics and Dance Sample benchmarks (NASPE) for dance in elementary physical education are as follows: - Demonstrates clear contrasts between slow and fast movement while traveling (K) - Combines loco-motor patterns in time to music (g.2) - Develops and refines a creative dance sequence into a repeatable pattern (g.4) - Designs dance sequences that are personally interesting (g.4)
Athletic Fitness and Track & Field This series focuses on the building blocks of athletic fitness that allow students to participate in most track and field events and function optimally in major games such as soccer, basketball, hockey etc: endurance, agility, quickness, reaction, strength, core stability, flexibility, balance, co-ordination and power. Students in all grades will frequently participate in mini-lessons or warm-ups that focus on one or more of these blocks.