chapter 8 Planning Your Curriculum

Overview of Chapter Curriculum planning Selecting desired outcomes Program of physical activity and fitness

Developmentally Appropriate Physical Education Based on three principles Motor skill development is sequential and age related Motor skill development is similar for all children Rate of motor development varies among and within children

Curriculum Planning Design your curriculum so that... Programs are based on developmentally appropriate principles Students understand and adopt physically active lifestyles Programs accomplish their goals and objectives

Fitness Education as Part of the Curriculum Curriculum should facilitate many opportunities for exercise Primary goal is to develop and maintain a health-enhancing level of physical activity Plan for long-term goals of developing a commitment to lifelong physical activity Organize around four components of health-related fitness: cardiorespiratory endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and body composition

Developmental Framework for Curriculum Planning Use developmental information from chapters 3 to 7 in planning Develop program around skills that develop during elementary school Provide opportunities for children to progress individually Lower grades—fundamental skills Upper grades—specific skills; helping children past the proficiency barrier

Selecting Desired Outcomes Children who are physically educated... Demonstrate competence in motor skills for a variety of physical activities Understand movement concepts, principles, and strategies Participate regularly in physical activity Achieve and maintain a health-enhancing level of physical fitness Exhibit responsible personal and social behavior Value physical activity

Understanding Curriculum Alignment Vertical alignment—relationship of benchmarks and content across grades –Usually shared across teachers and may be defined by school system –Critical is that you accept your part of the plan Horizontal alignment—annual progress measured by benchmarks –Vested in the individual teacher –Demonstrate accountability by alignment of standards, benchmarks, objectives, curriculum content, and assessment

Focusing on Integration Combines skill development with an emphasis on the value of physical activity for health Keep all children physically active Use teachable moments to point out health- related fitness concepts Teach all children the FITT guidelines (chapter 6) Ask children to think about health-related fitness concepts for various sports

Practical Considerations for Curriculum Planning Your school and physical education objectives and goals School and community environment and culture Size of your classes Student abilities Equipment and facilities Scheduling of classes Your own likes, dislikes, strengths, and weaknesses

Questions to Answer Before Selecting a Unit and Activities Can you manage the unit or activity, given the number of students you have? Does the unit or activity meet the needs of all your students? Is the unit appropriate for your students’ developmental level (readiness)? Does your choice of unit or activity respect the cultural needs and interests of your students? Will the unit or activity stretch your students’ cultural awareness? (continued)

Questions to Answer Before Selecting a Unit and Activities (continued) Do you have access to the space needed for the unit or activity? Do you have the equipment so that all students are involved in learning the unit? Is time in each session sufficient to accomplish the specific goals? Is the total time available enough to accomplish the goals of the unit? Given all issues, can you conduct the unit safely? (continued)

Questions to Answer Before Selecting a Unit and Activities (continued) Is the content meaningful, challenging, and motivating for all your students? Is the overall value of the activity equal to the costs? Based on the overall schedule, is this activity compatible with other units and lessons being taught?

Developing Appropriate Content for Physical Education Progression—improvement or mastery Sequence—order of tasks or progression Scope—breadth or range of the program

Consider Progression, Sequence, and Scope Consider these with regard to developmental progression and benchmarks –Locomotor patterns –Manipulative patterns –Body awareness –Body parts –Nonlocomotor skills –Spatial awareness –Effort –Relationships

Program of Physical Activity and Fitness Terms children should understand –Health-related physical fitness –Physical activity –Skill-related fitness –Exercise (continued)

Program of Physical Activity and Fitness (continued) Principles for maintaining and improving physical fitness –Overload –Frequency –Intensity –Time –Type

Guidelines for Teaching Health-Related Fitness Concepts Cardiorespiratory fitness—introduce one concept per day Muscular strength and endurance—relate them to overload, progression, and specificity Flexibility—moving a joint through the range of motion Body composition—related to body type, BMI, and obesity and overweight

Motivating Children in Fitness Offer praise and encouragement Do not criticize or embarrass Individualize fitness lesson to build confidence –Give children success range for number of exercises –Allow children to choose among exercises –Have children track how far they run in specific time –Focus on personal effort and improvement –Praise and reward individual effort, improvement, and group cooperation

Obese and Overweight Children Create a fun physical education program Always build in ways to individualize Consult with family members Privately recognize and reinforce good lifestyle choices Encourage all children to focus on how individual choices lead to a healthy lifestyle Allow obese children to choose their own intensity level for exercise

Developing an Annual Plan Use a weekly calendar Use categories of activities for plan Cover all grade levels Use variety and revisit topics Focus on skill development Make sure it is developmentally appropriate –Progression –Breadth –Depth –Sequence

Is Your Plan Developmentally Appropriate? Orderly sequence of motor skill learning Provisions for individual differences Appropriate goal structures Ample learning time From COPEC (1992).

Guidelines for Writing Objectives Make clear the expectations for the learner Define expected behavior Describe criteria of acceptable performance Example: The student will dribble the ball 10 yards and back using the dominant hand with good form Writing objectives in all three domains –Psychomotor –Affective –Cognitive

Content for Writing a Daily Lesson Plan Objectives Equipment Warm-up Skill-development activities Closure