Collaborating With The Classroom Teachers

Each week we try to reinforce what the students are learning in the classroom. We communicate through email. For example this week the topics were as follows.

K- We are working on the letter Hh, sight word "are" and neighborhoods (community helpers).

1st Grade is focusing on 2 digit subtraction for the next two weeks... as well as continuing writing with details and sequencing

2^nd Next week we will read a story about animal baths and will be counting money in math. The following week is a story about a goose, then Planet Earth and then Super Storms

3rd grade is working on multiplication. last week we learned about arrays and repeated addition. This week we're learning the 0,1,2,5,9, and 10's. In Reading we are learning inference and context clues.Next week were going to be using multiplication in word problems.

4^th math conversions. Math-fractions and measurement.

 science, we've just finished up with animal life cycles. This week( Thurs-Wed.),  we'll be working on the respiratory system.
5th In math have been studying angles, parallel lines, perpendicular lines, symmetry, shape turns.   
      In science we have been studying the food web.

Most topics are easy to integrate into the pe lesson.

Writing with details and sequencing- At the end of the pe lesson we asked the kids to write a journal entry. We discussed the difference between the topic sentence and the details. If the journal entry has a correct topic sentence and supporting details the students will receive a half dollar coin stamp. We used this as a ticket to play the next day. This motivates the students to get the work done. We can also see who needs added instruction.

Counting money- We integrate money into all of our lessons with the use of the money stamp. Every couple of weeks we have the students count up their money and log it into their register located in the back of their journal.

Multiplication- We have dots on the ground on the blacktop so the students can do their exercise and guarantee they have personal space. The dots are in rows of ten and we have seven rows. Daily we count up the number of students counting by 2's, 3's, etc. We discuss how to make math sentences. Ex. Two times ten equals twenty or Ten times two equals twenty. We can extend the lesson by asking if we want to divide these twenty people onto two teams how many people would be on each team?

Measurement and geometry- We measured both the blacktop and the grass field. We talked about what tool would be appropriate to use to measure the field. We had the children diagram the blacktop and field. The also had the students label the ninety degree angles, parallel and perpendicular lines. We talked about whether the sides of the court are symmetrical or asymmetrical.

Food Web- We also integrate 4H into our pe program. We maintain a school garden. Exercise is not only jumping jacks but weeding, watering and planting. The kids get a hands on education about plants. The science that can be taught through the plants is amazing.

Student Learning Targets

For the past couple of weeks we have administered our Fitnessgram test. The students have been measured weighed, stretched and pushed to do their best on their fitness tests- push ups, curl ups, running. After putting in the data we had to write our SLT's based on how our students performed. Since the pushup and situp numbers were already high I decided to focus on their flexibility. The sit and reach test is what my learning targets are based on. I must get 55% of the kids to be in the Healthy Fitness Zone on the Back Saver Sit and Reach flexibility test by the end of the year.

Using the Fitnessgram To Analyze Performance

This week we have been using the Fitnessgram data to analyze the students' performance. From counting the repetitions the kids perform when doing push ups and curl ups to measuring the 20 yard distance on the field. The students have been measuring their sit and reach and their trunk lift distance. The kids are also measuring their height and weight. Tomorrow they will run their mile. In all the measurements the kids have been asked to estimate how many reps they will perform or their time. We have also discussed what the standards mean and how they compare to the standards.

Understanding Measurement Of Distance

This week we are working on measuring distance in PE. As we are running our sprints and agility exercises we are showing the students how far they are running. We set up cones to show the measurement in ten foot increments. We also showed how we use a tape measure or a meter wheel to measure long distances. We showed the students that our field is a 75 feet by 60 feet rectangle. The students are given instructions to run 60 feet, 30 feet, etc. The students also drew a diagram of the field in their journal. This will lead us into lessons on perimeter and area square footage.

Converting Minutes to Seconds

Since the beginning of the year we have been learning how to tell time and what role does time play in physical education. We have used the clock to tell us what time we begin and end pe class and analyze our schedule in pe class. Now we are learning about how to record smaller units of time like minutes, seconds and hundredths of a second. One of the things we are doing this week is converting minutes to seconds. We have been using the stopwatch to time sprints and laps. We will be using this conversion in the coming weeks to determine such things as the average time run for members in a relay race, adding race times to get a total time, determining the difference between the fastest and slowest times and using time for the Fitnessgram. The by products of this learning is that students begin to develop a sense of time, they learn the difference between minutes, seconds and 1/100 of a second and they learn to work a stopwatch.

Learning About Time And Distance

We have been learning about time and distance this week. We have been using the stop watch to time sprints, relay races and laps.
For the sprints we grouped the students in 7 even lines. Each group has a timekeeper. The timekeeper works the stopwatch and tells the other students what their time is. The students were instructed to run 3 races. They wrote their fastest time down in their journal. They also had to write down how far they ran. We also gave the older students a bonus question. How far did you run total? Example of journal entry-
Today I ran 75 feet in 6 seconds.
bonus  75 feet
           75
         +75
         225 feet

For the relay races again we grouped the students in 7 lines. Each group had a timekeeper and a recorder. The recorder went first and the timekeeper went last. At the end of the race the timekeeper communicated with the recorder the time of the relay race. The students ran 3 races. Then the students had to return to their journals where the recorder shared the information with the rest of the group. The students had to circle the team's fastest time. We talked about how far each person ran- 60 feet there and 60 feet back. We talked about how we measure the distance and what tool we would use- a tape measure compared with a ruler.. The older students were given a bonus question. What was the total time of the three races? Example of journal entry- race 1-1:20
                     race 2- 1:15-fastest
                     race 3- 1:17
bonus         total time 3:52 min.

For the laps we grouped our students in their ability groups. One of the students was chosen to be the timekeeper for each group. Depending on their ability level the students ran between 3-6 laps along with doing between 10-40 push ups and 25-50 sit ups in a circuit format. The students were given their stop time and their total time from the stopwatch. They were then asked  to determine what their start time was. For the younger students we only recorded their time and talked about the difference between seconds and minutes and how long of a distance could be covered in each. We also talked to the students about how long we have for PE so that they can begin to develop a sense of time.
Example of journal entry- Date 10-5-12, Temp 76 F
Pu 40  Su 50 Laps 6    end time 10:50 am
                                   total time 12:00
                                   start time 10:38 am
                                    

Balancing The Checkbook

This week we began to balance our checkbooks(the PE journal). We started by having the students add up the coins they have earned. On each page they added up their coins and put the total at the top outside corner of the page. This teaches them how to chunk and organize their data. On a page in the back of the journal they will add up how money they have for a particular month. They are saving up for a free choice day in PE which costs them $8.00.
We have also started giving bonus questions that the students must go home and research and then bring back the answer. They are given $1.00 for bringing back the right answer. Overtime work = overtime pay! This week the bonus question was how does one calculate their max heart rate? We discussed where to find the answer. The students now know how to go to experts to find their answer.