Physical Education
Overview
Physical Education Program
The Manville School’s physical education curriculum is based on a combination of the state of Massachusetts Comprehensive Health Curriculum Framework and the National Association for Sport and Physical Education’s National Standards for Physical Education.
Goals
- Provide opportunities for physical, social, and emotional growth in a safe, supportive learning environment
- Teach major concepts of movement, space, and locomotor skills through a variety of skill building activities and games
- Introduce concepts of teamwork and fair play in a variety of individual and team sports
- Teach students to understand and respect differences among people in a physically active setting
- Instill the importance of daily physical activity to maintain a healthy lifestyle
- Instill in students the knowledge, skills, and desire for a lifetime of physical activity
- Help students interact, communicate, and appropriately handle the stresses and frustrations that come with learning new skills
Class Expectations
- Students are expected to attend two classes of physical education weekly unless they are excused by a doctor’s note or are out of class for discipline purposes.
- Students are not required to change but are encouraged to do so and keep good hygiene practices.
- Students must wear appropriate footwear. Sneakers are preferred, but all that is required are close toed, non-marking soled footwear.
- Classes are each 40 minutes with most students attending the entire class time.
- Each class begins with a warm-up and fitness component consisting of light cardiovascular work followed by general muscle stretches and core strengthening.
- Following the warm-up and fitness component, class proceeds with the day’s planned physical education activities which usually follow this format:
- Skill introduction or review
- Skill practice
- Game or activity with a focus on the skills of the day
- Class ends with a full body cool down with students applying deep pressure to large muscle groups to help calm themselves. It also involves breathing techniques to help relax their bodies.
Concepts
- Teamwork
- Fair play
- Communication
- Offense/defense in team sports
- Body awareness:
- Names and locations of body parts
- Body shape
- Possible actions of body parts
- Relationships of body parts when moving
- Space awareness:
- Self-space
- General space
- Direction
- Pathway
- Level
- Range
- Chasing and dodging
- Cooperative learning
- Fitness
- Jumping and landing
- Locomotor and non-locomotor skills