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A physically educated person is one who has mastered the necessary movement skills to participate confidently in many different forms of physical activity, values physical fitness, and understands that both are related to health and well-being. The most basic element of a child’s development is learning to move. Even before birth children begin learning to move and learning through movement. The process continues throughout childhood and into adolescence.

In the primary grades, children are learning the fundamentals of physical education, becoming more skillful, and deriving pleasure from learning new skills. At this level, development of physical and motor fitness attributes is emphasized, including agility, flexibility, and coordination. This level emphasizes such basic skills as walking, running, hopping, jumping, sliding, galloping, skipping, throwing, kicking, balancing, bending, and stretching. Also important are such fitness attributes as cardiovascular fitness and muscular strength and endurance.

Children in kindergarten are solo learners. They focus primarily on moving within space, including general space around them and their own personal space. Non-locomotor skills (remaining in place and maintaining balance while moving parts of the body) include how the body moves on its axis and locomotor skills (moving the body from one place to another) include moving in open space. Once the children are able to move effectively in their space, they focus on objects, for instance, equipment, supplies, and materials. They also learn about and interpret their environment through play. They should move in a safe environment that helps them look forward to positive experiences in physical education.

A program of physical education should provide developmentally appropriate activities to students using a variety of teaching methods based on each student’s individual needs. Teachers must plan programs for all students regardless of race, gender, home language, disability, or cultural or economic backgrounds. Adaptations or modification of the program, activities, or types of equipment can be beneficial to all students. In addition, a variety of assessment tools should be used to determine each student’s level of performance.

The vision is for all students to be physically educated and have fun while moving. Students who participate in quality physical education programs receive a variety of benefits including the development of 1) a variety of motor skills and abilities related to lifetime leisure activities, 2) improved understanding of the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, 3) improved understanding of movement and the human body, 4) improved knowledge of rules and strategies of particular games and sports, and, 5) self-confidence and self-worth as these relate to physical education and recreation programs.

(See PE Scope and Sequence for K - 5)

CONTENT STANDARD 1

1. Movement Skills and Movement Knowledge

• The student in grade four will be competent in many movement activities.

Performance Indicators

1.4.1 Throw, catch, strike, and kick , use mature form

1.4.2 Dribble and pass a basketball

1.4.3 Balance with control on a variety of objects (balance board, large apparatus, skates)

1.4.5 Develop and refine a tumbling sequence demonstrating smooth transitions

1.4.6 Develop and refine a creative dance sequence into a repeatable pattern

1.4.7 Jump and land for height/distance using mature form

1.4.8 Transfer weight from feet to hands at fast and slow speeds using large extensions (e.g., mule kick, handstand, cartwheel)

Examples of specific activities or tasks that give students the opportunity to demonstrate that they can meet the standard:

• demonstrate receiving and sending a ball to a stationary partner. The teacher observes the passing and uses a checklist to annotate the performance. Students must demonstrate receiving the pass and sending it in one motion.

CONTENT STANDARD 2

2. MOVEMENT SKILLS AND MOVEMENT KNOWLEDGE

• The student in grade four will understand how and why they move in a variety of situations and use this information to enhance their own skills.

Performance Indicators

2.4.1 Accurately recognize the critical elements of a throw made by a fellow student and provide feedback to that student

2.4.2 Understand that appropriate practice improves performance

Examples of specific activities or tasks that give students the opportunity to demonstrate that they can meet the standard:

• have students record in a log the results of a specific skill ( e.g., the number of shots made) during a 10 minute daily practice period of two weeks. At the end of that time period, the data from the log is used to develop a learning curve on a graph. On the horizontal axis, students can plot the days and on the vertical axis plot the number of successful shots. Students can then apply data to the graph and connect the entries to show the overall learning trend. Have students analyze the information shown on their graphs to determine progress over time. Instruct students to appropriately prepare the graph from the log information and correctly assess progress as a result of practice.

CONTENT STANDARD 3

3. Movement Skills and Movement Knowledge

• The student in grade four will achieve and maintain a health-enhancing level of physical fitness

Performance Indicators

3.4.1 Engage in appropriate activity that results in the development of muscular strength and endurance

3.4.2 Maintain continuous aerobic activity for a specified time and/or activity

3.4.3 Support, lift, and control body weight in a variety of activities

3.4.4 Regularly participate in physical activity for the purpose of improving physical fitness

Examples of specific activities or tasks that give students the opportunity to demonstrate that they can meet the standard:

• have students record their after-school activities that are vigorous in nature and identify the fitness component related to the different activities. Parent or guardian is to sign the log each day. After recording their activities, they can identify and discuss the appropriate fitness component related to each activity

CONTENT STANDARD 4

4. Self-Image and Personal Development

• The student in grade four will exhibit a physically active lifestyle and will understand that physical activity provides opportunities for enjoyment, challenge, and self-expression.

Performance Indicators

4.4.1 Regularly participate in physical activity for the purpose of developing a healthy lifestyle

4.4.2 Identify at least one activity they enjoy that they participate in on a regular basis ( formal or informal)

4.4.3 Describe opportunities for more formal participation in physical activities in the community

4.4.4 Describe opportunities for more formal participation in physical activities in the community

4.4.5 Design games, gymnastics, and dance sequences that are personally interesting.

Examples of specific activities or tasks that give students the opportunity to demonstrate that they can meet the standard:

• have students identify each component of fitness and describe both an exercise and activity that has the potential to develop that component.

CONTENT STANDARD 5

5. Self-Image and Personal Development

• The student in grade four will demonstrate responsible personal behavior while participating in movement activities

Performance Indicators

5.4.1. Assess their own performance problems without blaming others

5.4.2 Accept decisions regarding a rule infraction without displaying a negative reaction

5.4.3 Act in a safe manner during physical activity

5.4.4 Work independently and on-task for short periods of time

Examples of specific activities or tasks that give students the opportunity to demonstrate that they can meet the standard:

• teacher monitors on -task and off- task activity for each student several times during a unit and records the extent of on-task activity. Each student is observed at least once in four intervals of one minute set aside for this purpose. The goals is for students to stay on task 90 % of the time.

CONTENT STANDARD 6

6. SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

• The student in grade four will demonstrates responsible social behavior while participating in movement activities. The student will understand the importance of respect for all others

Performance Indicators

6.4.1 Work cooperatively with a partner or small group

6.4.2 Recognize the fundamental strategies in simple games

6.4.3 Recognize the attributes that individual differences can bring to group activities

Examples of specific activities or tasks that give students the opportunity to demonstrate that they can meet the standard:

• students are divided into groups of three or four in order to work on pitching, batting, and catching a whiffle ball. After an explanation of the importance of getting equipment set up, give every member of the group an opportunity to practice each skill, working together to help each other get better at the various skills. Give students the opportunity to practice the drills for a specified length of time. Then, instruct the students to move quickly to get organized and start practice within a short time and assure that each member of the group gets about the same amount of practice on each skill. Members of each group will work to help one another get better at the skills involved and the group will stay focused on the task for the time allocated for the practice.

CONTENT STANDARD 7

7. Social Development

• The student in grade four will understand the relationship between history and culture and games, sports, play, and dance

Performance Indicators

7.4.1 Describe physical education experience for students during the last one hundred years and how their current physical education experience is different

7.4.2 Describe and participate in activities of national, cultural, and ethnic origins

Examples of specific activities or tasks that give students the opportunity to demonstrate that they can meet the standard:

• After a class discussion about the origins of folk and square dances, have students describe and discuss how gold miners originated square dance and demonstrate how they used dance as a form of recreation.

Revised January 2001

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