LAB 5: February 6, 2012

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1. Turtles are four legged reptiles that breath air but lay their eggs underwater. The eggs are slightly soft and leathery. They are the most ancient of all reptile groups, older than. Most turtles live around water but the largest turtles are completely aquatic. Something that is unique about the turtle is it's hard shell. The top part of it's shell is called the 'carapace' and the bottom part is called the 'plastron'.
2. The fitness components that were addressed in squad fitness squares were: muscular endurance, cardio vascular endurance. These components are located in the Elementary level of the Conceptual Framework: Mastery of fundamental motor/movement skills.
3. If a students is afraid of catching a ball I would choose activities that keep the ball in a small area. For example, the "water fall" activity would be excellent because it involved a partner and it has the students toss the beanbag or other object to each other very gently and in a small space. It would be helpful to use objects that are not as intimidating, such as: scarves, bean bags, balloons and Koosh balls.
4.  I would choose to pair off students by height (possibly), but most importantly,  skill level. There is some positive benefits to having a students help another student progress at throwing/catching but for children this young it would be best if they were partnered with someone of their own skill level so that they are able to develop at a more similar rate.
5. In order to help a special needs child learn to catch I would employ the help of objects that stay in the air longer than a normal playground ball or bean bag. Also, I would choose objects for manipulation that are larger in size. I would use things such as balloons, scarves or yarn balls to make easier for the child to understand the basic components of catching before we moved on to more difficult objects.

Field Experience Day 2: February 8, 2012

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 On day two, our host teacher had the children play "Mighty Nice to Meet you" tag, as a warm up so that the students would get to learn our names and we could start to learn some of theirs. This tag game was a great example of a very good tag game because it was a great way to get to know the students in a quick and fun way. The children got warmed up and we were able to be involved and participate.

1. Reflection on the Lesson:

Today in our kindergarten class, the students worked on balancing, throwing and catching. The students used bean bags as the object that they were asked to manipulate. The instructor began with a quick "clean up game" using the bean bags so that the students could run around, get warmed up, and handle the bean bags. After, that, the instructor ran through basic balancing acts. The students we asked to balance the bean bag on their head, elbow, shoulder and foot. If the task was too easy, they were asked to switch to the non-dominant side, or walk while doing it. This variation allowed those students who excelled to have a new challenge and those students who struggled to have more time to practice. Next, the instructor did a few activities where the students were asked to throw the bean bag at different levels to themselves (there were no partners involved). The same variation that occurred in the balancing occurred in the throwing/catching. Those students who excelled were given new challenges and those who did not were given time to practice the basic skill. There were some issues regarding the students holding on to their bean bags. The instructor always told them to "squeeze them tight" when he was talking. It may have been more efficient to have the children place the bean bags at their feet or under their arm.

Field Experience Day 1: February 3, 2012

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As I walked into the Elementary school on day one, the first thing I noticed was all of the colors. Colors in the classrooms, in the hallways and in the gymnasium. The second thing that I noticed was that everyone was dressed in pajamas! It was the end of their spirit week and all of the children were dressed in their finest sleep wear. My partner and I were introduced to the secretaries, principal and our host teacher. He was eager to explain the procedures of the class we would be observing and gave us some ideas of what to do with the children. This particular physical education class was for kindergartners and they were allowed to play with whatever they liked. The instructor brought out a lot of equipment and let them have free time. We were encouraged to play with and interact with the students. Although this was not a lesson, it was a good chance for us to get to know the students a bit.

2. Knowledge of Students:

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As I was able to interact with the students I was able to pick up on some of their strengths and weaknesses. Student 1 was able to throw a ball with high velocity, but poor aim. Student 2 was only able to catch a ball if it bounced first. There were a few girls who chose to spend the whole time on the climbing nets against the wall. They were able to climb up very high, but needed encouragement and some direction on the way back down. The knowledge of students abilities is very important for any instructor. This knowledge will allow them to construct a curriculum that will benefit all students and accommodate all needs. As we continue on throughout the field experience, we will continue to observe, interact and learn the names and abilities of all of the students.

Lab 4: February 1, 2012

1.   A unit based on lessons of this nature would be excellent foundation for acquiring throwing and catching skills because the bean bags are a good baseline to work off of. The bean bags allow for manipulation while remaining a safe and controlled object. This type of unit also covers a variety of different ways to throw and catch. With partners they can practice short light passes and catches or individually they can throw the bean bag in the air as high as they can. The individual and partner aspects are a good combination.

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2. A good theme for "health hopping" for children would be "Aladdin". This movie has a lot of characters that are easily recognizable for children (both boys and girls) and many songs that most children recognize (Whole New World, Friend like Me, etc). Example: The bicep curls station could have a picture of the palace guards because they have big muscles.

3. Locomotor Movement: Gallop
-Face forward
-Lead foot first
-Back foot contacts lead foot

4. (1) One possible bean bag activity that could be done would have to do with balancing. In a general space the students would have to walk around. The instructor would indicate a certain body part such as head, hand, foot etc. and the students would have to place the bean bag on the indicated body part and try to continue moving. This will encourage the students to be creative and test their cognitive learning by naming different body parts. (2) Another bean bag activity that includes balance and body part identification could have the students be in groups of 2. One partner is the tosser and the other partner is the catcher (they will switch each time). The teacher will call out a body part (head, hand, foot, back etc.) and the catcher will have to try and catch the bean bag with that body part. It will exhibit maximum participation and creativity.

Lab 3: January 30, 2012

1. The locomotor movement I chose was the leap or air split. I would encourage the students to pretend to jump across a river or creek. It would be something that could be fun for the kids to use their imagination they have to leap clear across a river. You could ask them what types of animals or monsters are in their river.

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2. The three pathways are: straight, circular and zig zag. The straight pathway is exhibited in the "Fire Chief" game. In this game the students are running in a straight line only (out to get the fire hose and back to put out the fire). The "Forest Ranger" game utilizes a circular pathway because the students are running in a circular fashion around the inner circle. There are very few straight lines involved. Lastly, the zig zag pathway is demonstrated in the "Spelling Master" game. This game emphasizes dodging and changing direction quickly because it is a tag game where you must work your way around other objects ("trees").

3. The topic of my class talk is Teamwork. What is "teamwork"? Why is teamwork important? Why can it be hard to be on a team sometimes? What can happen if you don't work together?

4. Locomotor Movement: Skip. For the skip I would like to see: 1. High knees 2. Arms to the sky (high arms) 3. Step-HOP

Lab 2: January 25, 2012

1. Exercises such as sit-ups and push-ups should be modified for kindergarten and first grade students. Being that they are so young, starting them doing these types of exercises right away could lead them to dislike them in the future. Also, the students are not likely to do them properly which will just lead to bad habits. Modified versions can be a great lead up to the actual activity and they will have fun doing it.

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2. A rhythmic activity allows teachers to incorporate music into their lessons. The rhythmic activity can also provide a good structure for any managerial activity. This is because the students will be encouraged to move with a beat, it allows them to all participate in sync with their classmates. It helps them to develop an internal beat which can be beneficial for all movement.

3.  Laterality is the thought that people prefer using one side of their body over another when performing movements and activities. Tracing giant letters works in the cognitive domain because it incorporates knowledge with creativity. The students are asked to recall how to write their alphabet but they get to decide how big they want them to be. They can be long, skinny, tall or short etc.

4. Educators are concerned about young children developing and being able to keep an internal beat because that "internal beat" is related to a large number of movements. If the students has trouble developing this skill then it may be an indication that there are some learning disabilities that should be addressed.

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5. Homo-lateral movements is the asymmetrical movement of one upper limb and the lower limb on the same side (e.g. a reptile crawl). Cross-lateral movements occur when arm and leg movements that cross over from one side of the body to the other (e.g. motions that cross the mid line of the body). These movements allow both sides of the brain to be accessed.

Managerial Games

1. Keep your Caboose:

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This game is used for teaching the students how to walk down the hall correctly. Students will line up and the student at the end is deemed the "caboose." If any student breaks a rule while walking down the hallway they must walk behind the caboose. The goal is to have the smallest number of people behind the caboose by the time they reach their destination (walking to a field or back to the gymnasium).    Keep Your Caboose

2. Teamwork Hill
 This game is used to encourage the students to follow the classroom rules. There will be large pictures of fruits or foods all around the gym. Every class is represented by a cartoon ant and as the students follow the rules (e.g. coming in quietly) they will earn points. As the students earn points their ant will move from food to food until they reach "Teamwork Hill." The first class to reach teamwork hill gets a prize. Teamwork Hill

3. Super Stars
This is a quick and simple activity that can be used while the students are waiting for their classroom teacher. Two students are the "superstars" and they count out "1-2-3-superstars!" While they are counting, all other students in line dance and when they say "superstars" all of the students freeze in a "superstar pose".  Superstars