Pages

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Pl3ying in Dance!

We are learning to move creatively and in unique ways using DR. BEST.  

D= Dance Elements...
R=Relationship

B=Body
E=Energy
S=Space
T=Time

November 2013
Playing in Phys-ed class includes creative movement play!  Another great resource for dance at  www.dancepl3y.com.  This is my "take home" message from this Dance Co:

We are in our bubble of awesome when beginning to move and become creative with how we express our own movements through the elements of dance!!!
 We are moving to "We Found Love  (Choreo. byMelanie Guertin from Dance Pl3y) " as a warm-up....I am learning to move in 360 degree space and teaching the students how easy it can be to move creatively with just a few simple steps...then we include different ways to move 

All Classes will work through the elements of Dance (DR. BEST) but below is our specific focus:


Primary
1 : Emphasis on body and space: Connect familiar movements.
2: Emphasis on body and space:  explore pathways, directions, and shapes to alter familiar activities.
3: Explore pattern and movements forms with emphasis on time and energy

Junior:  
4:  Explore movement sequences and narrative forms with emphasis on time and energy
5: Communicate ideas and images through movt with emphasis on relationship.
6: Communicate variety of ideas through combined elements emphasis on body, space, time, energy, relationship (all elements).

Intermediate
7: Use elements in choreographic forms to communicate different moods.

8: Use elements in choreographic to communicate ideas and issues.

Friday, October 4, 2013

Fitness Q-Chart: Critical Thinking

Fun ways to use the Ophea's 50 Fitness Activities and integrate literacy tools into PE!

Intermediate Warm-up activity or cardio-respiratory endurance to get them moving and critically thinking about their personal fitness.

WHAT - WHERE - WHEN - WHO - HOW - WHY...IS - DID - CAN - WOULD - WILL - MIGHT

Equipment
Instruct students to find a partner.

Have a couple sets of Die in the middle of the gym (use clear mini lunch box containers and place 2 die inside then students shake) or in each corner.  Post the Fitness Q-Chart on the wall or place beside the die in the centre of the activity space.  

Partners role 2 die once.  One number corresponds to vertical column and other to the horizontal column (their choice after reading each corresponding question.  The numbers cross-reference to a critical question in the matrix along with a fitness activity.  Students perform the number of repetitions MULTIPLIED BY THE NUMBERS (1X3=3 REPS).

Example:  Roll a 1 and 3: 1(WHAT) by 3(CAN) = What can you do to make your lifestyle more healthy and/or active? (1X3=3) 3 REPS of LOW ROW.

Partners then jog one lap returning to the corner they started from or return back to the middle and roll the dice again for the allotted time.


Monitoring Fitness Levels: RPE

Shout out to a great blog post titled "Heart Rate Monitors Bulletin Board" and  "Using Rate of Perceived Exertion in Elementary PE", that inspired me to make my own anchor chart of the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE). 

My students seem to need a better understanding of what warm-up means vs. continuous moderate to vigorous physical activity vs. high-intensity all-out sprints!  I am definitely going to try red and green post-its, having students calculate their heart rates at various times to show resting-heart rate and active heart rate.  Click here for RPE BLM.

Primary/Junior RPE: 
Primary PE: Rate of Perceived Exertion Anchor
 Junior/Intermediate RPE:
Intermediate PE:  RPE 
Going old fashioned!  I made a heart-rate calculator chart (using Grade 7 Maximum heart rate then shaded off 60-80% training zone) to allow students to monitor how hard they are working.


Thursday, October 3, 2013

Gr.7-8 Passport for Life Pilot Letter to Parents

HomeAttention Lawfield Parent/Guardians of Ms. Merritt grade 7/8 students (Mrs. Fallon's class) (letter from Passport for Life Website):

Your grade 7/8 Students will be participating in Passport for Life.  This initiative, developed by Physical and Health Education Canada (PHE Canada), supports the development and advancement of physical literacy (explained in link) among students. The goal of physical literacy is to support all individuals in their ability to move with competence and confidence in a wide variety of physical activities and environments. 
Physical Literacy explained definition
Passport for Life is an online program which will be used to gather information about your child’s level of physical literacy. Passport for Life is an online program which will be used to gather information about your child’s level of physical literacy. To learn more about Passport for Life and strategies to help your child improve their physical literacy visit the Information for Parent section of the website


Your child’s Passport for Life results are not equivalent to their Physical Education grade, however, the teacher will use this information to provide individualized help for students to set goals and work towards continued improvement. Parents play a critical role in helping children develop physical literacy. As your child uses Passport for Life, you can expect your child’s teacher to involve you in helping him or her to set realistic and achievable goals. 

The Passport for Life Program includes: 
 tools to assess student levels of physical literacy, 
 guides to help interpret results, 
 ideas and resources to help your child’s teacher improve the physical literacy level of your child, 
 connections to the mandated health and physical education programs in your jurisdiction, and 
 resources and connections to further knowledge and competence. 

The program is divided into four key areas: 
 Active Participation: Includes involvement in activities within school and beyond, both 
organized and unorganized. Children and youth should experience activity in a variety of 
environments, such as on land, on ice and snow, in water and in air. 
 Living Skills: Those skills associated with making healthy active choices that are both beneficial to and respectful of their whole self, others and their environment. 
 Fitness Skills: Include balance, muscle endurance and cardiovascular fitness (stamina). 
 Movement Skills: Include throwing, jumping, and running—the building blocks of more complex skills used in games, activities, sports and leisure pursuits. 

The information collected will also inform overall regional and provincial levels of physical literacy in order to monitor improvements over time and to assist in understanding what other resources or interventions may be needed. Please be assured that all data collected through this initiative will be anonymous and will reflect a compilation of all data (not individualized). 

Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions or concerns. 

Sincerely,

Ms. C. Merritt





Friday, September 20, 2013

"T.A.G. You're It" Peer Assessment

Another way to encourage students to be accountable in H&PE through peer assessment.

Junior and Intermediate Lawfield students found a partner to work with at the start of class.  We introduced a variety of activities that promoted small group (pairs) work.  We also introduced some Physical Literacy Charts from Thompson publishing and discussed how to give feedback when viewing their partner performing the Perfect Practise: Learn to play charts


T.A.G. You're It Peer Assessment Anchor Chart
***Found this amazing idea on Pinterest and can be found at "Classroom Freebies Too"

I adapted the wording to work in Health and Physical Education!  Fun way to get them thinking!!!

F56 Peer Evaluations

T.A.G. EXIT CARDS: Students will eventually fill out an Exit Card: Self Evaluation (see below for BLM).
T.A.G. You're It:  Self Evaluation


Thursday, September 19, 2013

Merritt Bucks! Celebrating Living Skills and Character Ed. in Phys-Ed


Students in Ms. Merritt's Phys-Ed classes are earning Merritt Bucks for demonstrating the character trait of the month, promoting positive Living Skills (see below), and/or demonstrating positive learning connected to the daily learning goal.

I will update each month, the character trait and Living Skill we are focusing on!


(Purchased "Sport Money"from TPT from Michelle McElhinny then made my own back that says "Merritt Buck $1)
September Character Trait:  Responsibility

Living Sills in Health and Physical Education: 

Personal Skills:  Some daily learning goals are...
  • We are learning to listen to and follow instructions (classroom routines).  
  • We are learning to participate actively.
  • We are learning to monitor how hard we are working.
  • We are learning to change into proper gym attire (Gr. 5-8).
Interpersonal Skills:
  • We are learning to work cooperatively in small groups.
  • We are learning to encourage others in a positive way.
Critical-Creative Thinking Skills:



Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Yoga Tag - Angry Birds (YOGA) Tag

We have taught our students two different sets of  'standing' yoga poses using the Thompson Publishing Chart "Yoga 1: Begin to Explore" Physical Literacy Cards.  We have then adapted a variety of games where students have to freeze in a choice of yoga poses.

Yoga Tag.  Select 3-4 "its".  If tagged by an it, students selected 1 of 4 yoga poses below, and froze in this position.  They are freed by 1 student mirroring their pose for a "3, 2, 1 done" count and both re-entered the game.



Angry Birds  (YOGA) Tag:  

  • Cut up pool noodles in to discs (or use another soft object) and hand TWO out to each student (see picture below).  I called the noodles "rocks" as Angry Birds 'crash' into rocks. 
  • Select 4 Yoga Poses (above) and attach one coloured noodle to each (I used pink, yellow, purple, green noodles).  
  • Select 3-4 "Angry Birds" to be the "its".  
  • If tagged by an angry bird, students explode ONE "rock" (coloured noodle) into the air.  They still have one "life left".
  • If tagged by an Angry Bird a second time,  the tagged person freezes in designated Yoga Pose (according to the colour they exploded into the air).  
  • They can be freed by non-its  picking up an exploded 'rocks' .
  • (Could call non-its the "green piggies")


Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Welcome! You've Got Merritt!

Welcome to Health & Physical Education at Lawfield!  Looking forward to a great year of learning, growing, and inspiring one another to become health and physically literate!

Click here for Ontario Health and Physical Education Curriculum.

Ontario Health & Physical Education Curriculum 

For those looking for a black lined master of this, download WELCOME! and T.E.A.M.!


Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Quotes To Live By: Toronto Marlies

With MLSE ShapeUp Crew, (Maple Leaf Sport and Entertainment), Ophea, a film crew, and 4 patient youth...I am always inspired and humbled by the expertise surrounding me and given opportunities for learning - an endless gift I'm thankful for.

I love 'quotables' and inspiring moments...Had to share this!
"We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence is not an act, but a habit"


"Sweat more in here...bleed less on the ice"


Thursday, June 27, 2013

30 Play Day Ideas: 2013

Thanks to all the amazing ideas from Pinterest, I was able to come up with an initial list of play day ideas for this year!  This is our first year having the whole school take part in play day (Grade 8's selected and ran the stations from the list below as well as running the play groups: grades 1-2 (block 1), grades 3-5 (block 2), grades 6-7 (block 3)...balanced day!) Each grade group had a block of time to move around our 10 selected stations!


1.     ‘Rest’ Water Station: We did the following at our rest station - Tic-Tac-Toe Yoga Fit; Character Building Activity ("Who is your superhero?"); Chalk; Duck Tape bracelets; Freezes (sold freezes for $1).
  • Tic-Tac-Toe Fitness: Yoga and Active Start Charts from Thompson Publishing .  You can use any type of fitness activity in each square. Students alternated taking turns placing their 'move' on the tic-tac-toe board and held their move until the game was finished (i.e., 3 in a row vertically, horizontally, or diagonally).
Tic-Tac-Toe Yoga Fit





  • Who is your superhero?   Tell why using one of the character building words posted on the wall? Students picked one of the character building words our school community focussed on this year and connected ONE word to their selected superhero and wrote it on mural paper!  Great community building activity!


Who is your superheo: Character Builds...
  • Duck Tape Bracelets!  Each students received a duck tape bracelet inspired by the "Go Girls Day" held by HWDSB in June.  A crew of students help to make 700 bracelets for each student to take home!
Duck Tape Bracelets
Fun Duck Tape!

2.     Mega Target Frisbee Throw:  Just purchased these target mats and they are amazing, durable, and can be used for ultimate frisbee golf (#18)...or as part of any kind of relay such as Mega Target Frisbee Throw.


3.     Bucket Toss: Line up 5 labelled buckets, with number 1 closest to toss line and number 5 furthest away.  Each person receives 5 plastic golf balls or 5 turns.  Have two sets of buckets for both teams.

4.     Sponge Toss: If it is a hot day this is a very popular race. Each team needs two buckets of water and two large sponges. Each team lines up with a bucket of water at the front of the line The team passes the wet sponges over their heads to the end of the line. At the end of the line the last person squeezes the sponge out into the other bucket--and then runs to the front of the line and starts it again. You can have two sponges going at the same time. Give it a time limit 5 min or so and the team at the end who has the most water is the winner.

5.     Obstacle Course: Get creative with your obstacles. Find ladders, garbage cans even old lounge chairs, to crawl over, under, around and through.

6.     “Run for Life and Fun” – Running Buddies (at the track): Students move around the track, collecting popsicle sticks for the “Run For Life” program.  Each class will total up their km or popsicle sticks during the allotted time.

7.     Water Balloon Toss:  Split the class or group of kids into two lines standing across from one another, starting about five feet from one another.  One side tosses their water balloons to the other.  Those whose water balloons don’t drop or burst take two to three steps back and toss again.  Last team left wins!
8.     Egg and spoon race: 2 or even 3 teams, and use different types of objects to carry, try giant marshmallows, ping pong balls, potatoes. Or use chopsticks to carry items.

9.     Over-Under Relay: Have 2 teams line up side by side. Hand 1 beanbag (or even an eraser) to the front person of each team and they are to pass it over their head to the person behind them. That person (person 2) takes the beanbag and passes it between their legs to the next person. It continues in this fashion (over/under all the way to the end of the line. When the last person gets the beanbag, they run to the front of the line and continue over/under. Each time the beanbag reaches the last person, the last person runs to the front of the line and starts again. It continues like this until the 1st person that was at the head of the line in the beginning is back up at the head of the line.

10.  Shoe Pile Race: kids take off one shoe and put it in one big pile, then they have a relay race between classes one at a time. (make sure that no one has the same shoe as another student, last year a few students got mixed up!)

11.  Snow cone relay: take a volleyball and put it on a PE cone up side down. Students run down and around and it looks like a snow cone.

12.  Shoe Kick: Everyone stands in a line and kicks one shoe for distance

13.  Balloon Race: You will need four chairs: Each teammate has a balloon. The first one runs to the chair, sits on the balloon until it pops then runs back for the next teammate to do the same. Play goes on until the team that has popped all the balloons wins.

14.  Tire Rolling Race: With teams, each teammate rolls a tire to the mark and back to the next teammate who then does the same until the last teammate finishes
  
15.  Sponge Race: fill up a baby swimming pool, have 4 5-gallon buckets each, you need 4 large car wash type sponges, the object of the game is each relay team must race to the pool, fill the sponge with as much water as possible run back to the buckets and squeeze out the water, then passing to the next teammate....and so forth until all players have gone. The winner is the team with the most water in the bucket.

16.  Beach Ball Races: In this game for teamwork, make two people partner up to carry a beach ball across a finish line and back to the start without using their hands. (Back to back, side to side, with their elbows, etc.).

17.  Hang out the Laundry: This water game keeps kids cool without them getting drenched. Set up a clothesline or use a net, such as a tennis net. Have two tubs of wet clothing in laundry baskets and two piles of clothespins. Teams of children line up and one at a time run to the net and pin a piece of clothing on it. The child runs back, tags the next person in line, who grabs a piece of clothing and does the same thing. After three minutes, count to see which team has pinned up the most clothing. The kids take the clothing down, place them back in the tubs, and a new race begins.

18.  Frisbee Golf: This game is set up with hula hoops, cones, and a small swimming pool. Set the cones on a course in the grass and lay a hula hoop next to each cone. The swimming pool is a water hazard. Give each student a pencil and small piece of tagboard paper to keep score. Children toss their Frisbees to the first hoop. The score is how many tosses it takes to get the Frisbee in the hoop. If the Frisbee lands in the pool, it adds three points to the score. Lowest score wins.

19.  Chicken Stix Relay:  Grab a rubber chicken from a bucket using drum sticks and run it across the field and deposit it in a different bucket.  Pass the stix to your team mate and they bring it back.

20.  PizzaBox Race (click on link): Start with a stack of 10 empty pizza boxes for each team and teams of 10 kids.   Two kids at a time run the pizza boxes to a finish line and stack them, first one box at a time, then two, then three then four. There must be 4 hands on the box(es) at all time (2 kids).  When all 10 boxes make it to the finish line, the team elects two kids to bring the entire stack back – as fast as possible.  OR stack one more each time a student comes back to the line.
 
21.  Plunger Challenge: Start with 4-8 plungers.  Kids pass a ball back-and forth as many times as possible.  Younger kids do this while standing in a circle, older kids while running toward a finish line. Kids compete for lowest score - one point is awarded each time the ball hits the ground.

22.  Water Shoot Out Relay: Using a high-power water gun, kids try to knock a foam ball off a cone some distance away. For older kids, have teachers or a parent squirting a stream of water back at the kids – they’ll try to squirt the adults defensively and will have a harder time completing their task. Start with the filled water blaster some distance from the starting point in a hoop on the ground.  Kids have to run to get their ‘weapon’ and then replace it in the same hoop – refilling before putting it back.

23.  Soaking Wet Sweatpants Relay: Prepare two pairs of adult sweatpants and two buckets of water. Divide into two teams, first person up, dips the sweatpants into the bucket completely drenching them. Then puts them on and runs to a designated marker and back. Takes the pants off and hands them to the next kid who also dunks the pants and puts them on. And so on till the last kid on the team makes it back.

24.  Parachute Game: Popcorn: Toss multiple small rubber balls on the fabric while held taut, see how long your team can keep them popping!

25.  Tug-o-war: Find a soft rope and tie several knots in each side. Divide into teams and place a large puddle of water in between the teams.  First team to touch the water Loses.

26.    Angry Birds Theme :
















27.   Bulls-Eye













Circle Games:
28.  Drip-Drip-Drop:  Sitting in a circle, students select one "it" who has a sponge.  The "it" move around the circle gently squeezing a little drop of water while chanting, "drip, drip, drip...." When the "it" yells drop, they squeeze as much water out of the sponge, both run in opposite directions and try to get back to "drops" sitting spot.  Whomever doesn't make it back, is then the "it".

29.  Hula-Hoop Group Pass:  Standing in a circle holding hands, the group receives a hula hoop.  Two group members let go of hands and allows the hula-hoop to hang on their arms...they re-attach.  Without letting go, group members pass the hula-hoop around the circle without letting go of each others hands.  The hula-hoop moves around the circle and back to the start.  Have two circle teams of equal numbers see who can get the hula-hoop around the fastest.

30. Pass the Action:  The group sits in a circle.  1 person is selected to be the "detective" and exits the circle and turns their back (or covers his/her eyes).  The teacher/student leader selects one person to be the "action leader" by touching him/her the head.  The action leader starts a movement for the rest of the group to follow (while staying seated).   The group is encouraged to NOT look at the action leader if possible.  The action leader changes his action at any time s/he wants to.  The detective is called back to the circle and has three guesses to find the action leader.  Once he guesses correctly or fails to do so in three turns, a new detective is selected.  Repeat.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Ga Ga Ball - Great L.O.G.!

Video of my 5/6 class playing!  Yes, first YouTube Video  of Ga Ga Ball uploaded!

How to play Ga Ga Ball (click here for word doc):

EQUIPMENT:  6-8 Benches; Utility ball

PARTICIPANTS: Depends on size of bench area or “Pit Area” (10-25players).
Ga Ga Ball - Pit area is formed by benches lying on sides

OBJECT OF THE GAME: The game of gaga is usually played in an octagonal-shaped “pit.” It combines the motor skills of dodging, striking, running and jumping. The object of the game is to hit opponents with a ball below the waist while avoiding being hit. 

HISTORY: In the 1950’s, the game was believed to have been invented by John Crosley at his summer camp and introduced in Israel when Israeli counsellors from Crosley’s camp returned home. The Israeli translation for “hit” is “gaga”.

SAFETY:  NO standing, sitting on benches; stay on feet; be aware of personal space and boundary area (benches); proper footwear etc (refer to Ophea Safety Guidelines for further safety instructions).

LIVING SKILLS: Fair play, team co-operation, strategic critical thinking.

RULES:
1.    Start the game by allowing the ball to bounce 3 times, chanting “Ga Ga Ball” with each bounce.
2.    Ways to be eliminated
a.    A player leaves the gaga pit if they are hit from the waist down (for primary/junior); Intermediate students, I allow any part of the body to be hit except from the shoulder to hand.
b.    A player leaves the gaga pit if they hit the ball over the “pit wall” (benches) without hitting a player on the way out.
c.    A player leaves the gaga pit if players touches the ball two times in a row (gives a variety of players a change to hit/touch the ball).
d.    If the ball leaves the gaga pit, the last player to touch it is out and must leave the gaga pit.  If no one touches the ball, the player who hit the ball out exits the gaga pit.
3.    Hitting the ball:  You can hit the ball with two hands or one hand (fist or open hand).
4.    The game is over when there is one player remaining.  If the game is taking an extended period of time, a 10-second countdown is used, and there are multiple winners!  I prefer multiple winners!

MODIFICATIONS
a.    Primary Students, I give a “free life” before being eliminated.
b.    Players can hit the ball repeatedly, provided that between hits they rebound it off the wall.
c.    Have students strike the ball only with one hand (open or closed).

REFEREE:  The game is ‘self-referred’ but can have players someone who left the gaga pit become a ref and assist with the game.  The can also throw the ball into the gaga pit if it exits the playing area.  They toss the ball back into the gaga pit with back spit and the players chant “ga ga ball”.






Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Tic-Tac-Toe Yoga

A little duck tape and Physical Literacy Cards from Thompson Publishing make a great Tic-Tac-Toe board.  
Active Tic-Tac-Toe Yoga
Use two different coloured pylons, poly spots, or bean bags (i.e., blue / orange). 
  • Divide students up into two teams (max 8 players for 9 spots on the board).  
  • Start of with rock-paper-scissors to see which colour goes first.
  • Team 1 moves onto the tic-tac-toe board placing their pylon down and then holding / performing the yoga / active start activity card.
  • Team 2 moves onto the tic-tac-toe board placing their pylon down and then holding / performing the yoga / active start activity card.
  • Alternate taking turns until one team gets a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal line of same coloured players.
  • Which ever team wins, will go first the next round.   Any players who didn't go in the first round, go first in the next round.
  • If it's a tie and all 9 positions are played, play R-P-S to see who will go first.
  • Play as partners (player 1 makes a move placing a pylon down and holds yoga pose, while player makes a move placing a pylon down...alternating turns)
I used this game during our whole school play day!!! ACTIVE PICTURES OF MY STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN THE PLAY DAY STILL TO COME

Friday, June 14, 2013

Primary Self-Evaluation Exit Cards

Let's make our students' learning visible!  If your learning goal for the day is to participate at a moderate to vigorous level, have students tell you what active participation looks and sounds like.


Daily Learning Goal:  We are learning to be active participants.
Success Criteria: (Grade 1's came up with these)
I can hear my self breathing.
I can feel hot.
I can see sweat.
I can make my feet move.
I can feel my heart beating faster.
I can move around the space safe.

Have students select the levelled paper they thought they were for that day. They fill out this exit card by putting their name at the top and draw a picture of what they did well according to the success criteria (using pictures and words).

Daily Learning GoalsWhat do each of these look like in your class on a daily basis (based on your Unit Learning Goal)? 

 Allow students to co-construct SUCCESS CRITERIA.