PROGRAM INSIGHT

 

 

No longer is a physical Education Program considered just a period of recreation which is made up of sports and games with the objective mainly being to give a change of pace in the school day and to prepare students for the many extracurricular activities. 

 

The Physical Education Curriculum at St. Dorothy School maintains the long established goals such as physical (skills and fitness) and neuromuscular (proficient movement) development, cognitive (awareness) growth, and affective (social and emotional) development.  In addition it also concentrates on providing for more activities to enrich the above listed traditional objectives.  This comprehensive curriculum offers the students:

1. An opportunity to feel a sense of achievement and consequently a positive self-image and concept.
2. A chance for inquiry and exploration.
3. An environment so students can create, share, and cooperative.
4. Information and activities to create a more active and healthier life style.
5. A range of knowledge and movement experiences so each pupil gains competencies that are adaptable and versatile.
6. The opportunity to develop movement ability where they feel a personal satisfaction which allows them to participate with their peers.
7. The chance to achieve individual levels of flexibility, endurance and strength according to their needs and interests.
8. The concept of responsibility to self and peers in conducting movements safely.
9. An opportunity to express understanding of self and their environment through movement.
10. The chance to use movement for non-verbal communication and expression.
11. And opportunity to work at their own level and to achieve success.

 

CURRICULUM ACTIVITIES

 

Activities, games, drills and sports are selected to fit into the various grade levels to meet the needs of those students.  Just as math is taught from grades K through 8 with each year concentrating on increased levels of performance and achievement; so it is within the physical education program.  As an example, a commonly well known game activity such as Steal the Bacon is adaptable all the way through the curriculum.  It can b used at the lower level to concentrate on teaching everything from loco-motor movements to transfer skills from the classroom such as reaction time using up addition and subtraction of number, etc.  The activity may be geared up at the intermediate areas to develop techniques used in various sports along with cooperative skills.  At a more advanced level, competition is increased with team concepts being stressed highly.

 

The physical education program therefore is characterized by the use of a large variety of activities, games, and sports completely unique to each of the instructional levels, as well as many which continue throughout the curriculum with adaptations built in to increase the level of performance and to meet the objectives being taught.  The following is a general outline of the physical education program.  Specific concepts are too vast to include in a synopsis of this type.

 

Grades Pre-K - 2

 

• Loco-motor movements:  walk, run, hop, skip, gallop, slide, animal imitation, etc.
• Activities:

 

Stop-look-listen	Call all cars
Steal the bacon	Run for your supper
Hoop scramble	Class formations
Hound and fox	Circle relays
Line mazes	Etc.

 

• Non-locomotors movements:  object hanging (manipulation, body shaping; exercises; total body movements; etc.
• Activities:

 

Hula hoop varieties	Daily stretching routine
Scooter games	Jump rope skills
Parachute	Bean bag activities
activities	Soccer manipulations
Over under relay	Ball handling routines
	Etc.

 

• Hand-eye skills:  toss, catch, aiming, etc.
• Activities:

 

Balloon and beach ball work	Barrel basketball
Circle toss out	Circle toss relays
Bowling games	Variety of ball skill activities
Corner Spry	Newcomb concept
	Etc.

 

 

 

Grade 3 - 5

 

• Basketball techniques:  dribbling, passing, shooting, spacing, defensive tips, etc.
• Activities

 

Static dribbling	Hoop target bounce
Stagger dribble drills	Directional drills
Dribble tag	Barrel basketball
Shoot Outs	Four corner passing
Partner activities	Relays
Bean bag push	Etc.

 

·        Volleyball techniques:  serving, setting, bumping, digging, spiking.

·        Activities;

 

Beach ball activities	Wall activities
Individual keep up	Partner setting
Elementary Newcomb	Rode over
Sit down volleyball	Etc.

 

• Soccer skills:  dribbling, trapping, passing, heading, kicking throwing, etc.
• Activities:

 

Dribble keep away	Partner passing and trapping
Line drills	Circle kick out
Beach ball heading drills	Stagger dribble drills
Wall kicking drills	Kick baseball
Line soccer	Crab soccer
	Etc.

 

Additional activities:

 

Daily class exercise routine	Hula Hoop games
Tug of war	Bowling games
Parachute	Physical fitness test
Basic tumbling skills	Variety of relays
Jump rope skills	Scooter skills
Football game oriented activities	Reaction activities
Frisbee skills	Student creative game committees
Floor hockey skills	Etc.

 

Grade 6 – 8

 

Emphasis at this level is concentrated on taking techniques previously learned and implementing them into basic individual, dual, and team sports activities in addition to fitness, recreational games, and alternative activities.

 

Sports oriented activities:
Basketball	Whiffle ball
Volleyball	Track
Soccer	Floor hockey
Football	Tumbling
Kick Baseball	Bowling

 

Recreational Activities
Daily class exercise routine	Tug of war
Four square races	Physical fitness prep plus test
Jump roping

 

 

 

Recreational Activities
Relay varieties	Parachute
Scooters	Frisbee games
Etc.