Hello,

 

The children just finished gymnastics. There skills and performances were awesome.

 

The K students worked on traveling gymnastically; jumping skills with hurdler, hoop and shapes; donkey kicks and beginning to understand what balances are.

 

The first grade students worked on the same skills as K and also added more challenging balance on different body parts. They also challenged their donkey kick to move there feet to a new space starting the process of a cartwheel. It was fun watching them try this new challenge. They finished the unit with an olympic performance where they had a balance, jump, weight on hands action and a roll. They loved performing for their peers.

 

In second grade the students learned how to travel gymnastaclally while changing directions. Ask your second grade child what are the 6 direction your can travel in. They also learned how to balance symmetracally and assymetrically. Their final day of gymanstics was a performance that displayed all the skill learned in previous grade and the topic just mentioned. Their show was GREAT. I also taught them how to be a respectable audience. They loved cheering on their classmates

 

The third grade students continued the previos skill from younger grades and also worked on different shapes while balancing. They learned what inverted balance and levels are. They got to work on a gymnastics performance that had these skills and got to learn/work on a "real" cartwheel. Yes, this is the year that I formally teach all third graders how to do a cartwheel. In younger grades I am teaching them modified ways to do cartwheels called Weight on Hands Actions. At this time most can take weight on hands to hlod their hips over their heads and the cartwheels are ready.  Again the children loved showing off their performances and the audience (children) were respectful cheering on others.

 

Fourth grade is the time to challenge their gymnastics skills. All previous skills were review and refined. They then were taught how to do a weight on hands action on a line. YES, they had to try to keep their hands and feet on a line while doing a weight on hands action. Of course the width of the lines varied. Some were an inch thich while others were the size of a mat. This was great to allow all children an "IN" into the skill. It also allows them to feel sucessful with the skills and progress to challence themselves. They also worked on acceleration and deceleration speeds while doing gymnadstic skills. All previous gymnastics skill and speed and weight on hands action on a line were the requirements for their performnces. They worked hard for those 5 week to learn and refine their skills for their performances. They were GREAT!!!!

 

Finally in fifth grade they uses all their prevoius knowledge and skills to put together a performance, but with a partner. They worked on partner balances, matching and mirroring movements to "show" off their cooperative and gymnastic skills. The children LOVED partner balances. I started talking about a "Base of Support" and how to safely support others wieght when someone balances with and on you. They had to work cooperatively with mirroring and matching to find simmilar skills to move at the same pace/time. They loved showing off their hard work at the end with some amazing performances.

 

All fitness pre testing is complete :)

The children will now set goals to become healthier. Post test in April and May.

 

 

 

The fifth grade has also started their fitness unit. Please remind your child to bring in their completed fitness calander each week for the program.

 

And yes the PATS have won another Super Bowl.   WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

My site has your child/childrens day they have PE, to help remind you when they need sneakers. The best learning is when a child comes to school ready to learn. On PE day that means having sneakers. Your child/children will feel comfortable if they come with sneakers and do not have to worry about footwear. THe gym floor was refinished over the summer. Boots, black sole shoes and flipflops are not safe in the gym. 

 

Each new unit I will update this site so you know what is happening in PE.

 

We are now working on basketball skills for the next 4 week and then 4 week of volleyball related skills.