GOALS: Elementary Physical Education & Movement 2011 - 2012

1. Provide students with a wide range of fun and challenging activities to inspire them to choose of lifetime of healthy activity.

2. Create a safe and nurturing environment, providing students with necessary tools to navigate social and emotional issues that arise.

3. Be guided by California PE Standards and California Dance Standards.

4. Contribute to student’s overall physical fitness, self-confidence and integration of mind and body.

Philosophy: A Thematic Approach

Elementary Physical Education and Movement will continue to build on the concept of thematic building blocks - core curriculum that is revisited and built on throughout the year. In this way, we will help students acquire ability and capacity with fundamental movement skills from distinctly different access points. In Kindergarten, 1^st and 2^nd grades, the core themes will be:

A. Ball skills & fitness

B. yoga/stretching

C. Creative dance

D. Circus arts.

In the 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th grades, the core curriculum will be:

A. Fitness

B. Creative dance

C. Yoga/stretching.

Yogic stretching will be introduced in the 1^st trimester, and will continue to be used weekly throughout the year as a transition from warm-up activity to lesson (not as a separate unit) This is in recognition of the fact that full flexibility and suppleness in the muscles and joints comes from repeated practice.

In addition, students will be learning a variety of cooperative and sports-related games. We work to help students compete in healthy and positive ways, while exploring a wide range of games that engage different ways and strategies of using the body.

Please see annual curricular maps for reference (coming soon!).