FITNESS FOR ALL

2002-12-11T22:39:00.000-05:00

As educators , I believe we should expand and try new ways to incorporate activities through scanning the various webpages in the core subject realm and coordinated/adapt them with physical education . The first thing I did was to visit http://LearnatPlay.net to get ideas. When you get there you will notice downloads and zip files that can be adapted to any lesson. In this case , I chose Christmas Concentration because of the holiday season. Here are the details after accessing the pdf :

Print out one set of cards and glue them to index cards. The objects are angels , stockings , bulbs , and manger.

Color the cards

Turn cards over and mix them up and place unde cones or frisbees

The object is to find pairs

Make it more challenging by printing multiple sets and color them in identical sets.

Arrange the class into 4- 6 groups for more activity . The first person lifts the cone/frisbee and brings it back to their group.

The next person repeats the process until a match occurs

No matches go to the end of the group line

Perform a Holiday locomotor skill such as gallop(reindeer) , skip(elf) , hop(grinch) , run , slide and leap, etc.

Continue until all objects are matched or completed .

Note : With smaller classes( or alternative) , the students can go all at once and give them a designated object(s) to find . Set a time limit and repeat to better the previous score. BUT , beware of the GRINCHES who will try to tag before the task can be completed. If tagged start over from a designated contact line. Chose new taggers each time.

Another activity that is a favorite of the primary classes is Snowball /Clothespins . Give each student a clothespin. Buy(1.99) some cotton balls at a store , like Target , K-Mart or the Dollar Store. Open up the bag and let the cottonballs scatter. On asignal , with the groups behind designated lines , they will run to the cottonballs(snowballs) and pick up and snap the clothespins, bring them back to their (toybox/ containers) and repeat the process. The most snowballs wins or try to beat a previous score. As an alternative have taggers/Grinches to impede the process. Adapt rules for more involvement

2002-12-07T10:08:00.000-05:00

SNOWBALL RUN:

Place the following objects throughout the gym in a scattered formation - frisbees with the bowl side up and adapted "snowballs( wiffleballs , paper wads , etc.) and have half of the snowballs on the frisbee and the other half outside and beside the frisbee. As an alternative use deflated play ball so they don't roll away easily. Divide the class between two groups , the Elves and the Grinches. One group will try to steal the snowball from the frisbee and place it outside , while the othe rgroup places the snowball from the outside into the frisbee . The frisbee may connotate a "toy" or cookie tray for Santa . After a few moments count all thos eout or inside the PLATE/TOY .Switch positions often to try both tasks.
STEAL THE SNOWBALL:

Use the same arangement as the SNOWBALL EXPRESS but his time place all the snowballs on the frisbee(plate). Chose 3-6 Grinches to guard the snowballs . On a signal the ELVES will try to steal the snowballs and bring them back to a designated contact line. Count one score for each snowball but if tagged that person must go back to the contact line and start over. Chose new Grinches each time. As an alternative have the Grinches stay in the middle of the area facing the Elves , who will be standing on a contact line, and will try to retreive Holiday objects placed on another contact line about 30 feet away. Place as many objects on that contact line spaced a safe distance away .Use traffic cones as starting places for each of 5-6 groups. The first person in each line will try to take the Holiday gift ot object and bring it back to their start area. If tagged they will go to the end of the line and the next person goes. But, if an object is stolen they can't be tagged , then they place the object next to the cone( TREE. The progression continues until all objects are taken. Here are some examples of the Holiday fare :

Jersey or pinnie(sweater)
Wiffleball( popcorn ball)
Jump rope (gift)
Beanbag ( food)
Deck ring ( cake)
Frisbee(plate)
Small cone ( glass of milk for Santa)
Softball( ornaments)
The students will be lined up in 5-6 groups in order and when all the objects are gone , the teacher will have slips of paper with all the names of the objects that are to be taken. Chose one slip of paper and that group with that object at their TREE becomes the next GRINCHES. Repeat the process with each group trying to become the new Grinches the most times.

PARACHUTE EXPRESS:

Arrange the class around the parachute and underneath place 4-5 scooters or SLEIGHS. Give numbers from 1-5 to try to leave the parachute , run to the scooter and sit on it. Next , those students will have to make it back to their places before the parachute comes down on them. For more fum have the parachute be the IGLOO and the scooters (sleighs) and the students GRINCHES . Call a new number each time. Practice using the parachute safely with the command " DROP " the only time the class lowers the parachute . It will be more effective if there is a contact circle or line for the students to get back to for a safe trip back to their places.

SLIEGH RIDE:

Use larger tumbling mats as sleighs for the students to transport their team to a designated line. All teams start at another designated line with one student on the mat while the ohers pull him/her to the other line. Once there , switch with another teammate and repeat the process until all had a turn. Time the students and then repeat to try to netter a previous score. Please note that the student on the mat should be in a kneeling position and not laying down . The pulling students should be arranged around the front of the mat and draging safely. Note : any student who falls off the mat receives a 5 second penalty time.

2002-12-05T09:37:00.000-05:00

HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES:
STOPLIGHT

Establish objects as the three road signals with red tagger freezing those tagged , a yellow object makes them walk and a green object makes them be set free. ( the objects may be rip flags , rimmed/colored syrofoam hockey pucks or pinnies). Start by having the students in a scattered formation. On a signal the students move according to the signal when tagged. The green object must always look for thosw who are frozen or walking to be set frre. Chose new taggers after each turn.
SNOWMAN:

Scatter the class into a safe place throughout the area. Give 3-4 students a white wiffleball(snowballs) to tag the students and 3-4 others with a frisbee(this will be the snownman's hat). On a signal the snowballs chase the others(snowmen) while the frisbees(hats) set the tagged students free. If taggged that student pretends to melt to the ground and waits for the hats to be placed above their head - as this sets tem free. Chose new snowballs and hats after each turn.
ELVES AND REINDEER:

Make two teams with one team being the ELVES , who must do the following task - align them on a designated line side by side with a box of toys(balls) in a container.Place another empty container at the other end. The ELVES must pass a toy(ball) one at a time until it ends up in the other container. The Reindeer line up facing a basketball hoop(lowered) and do the following - give each student a beanbag(food) to throw into the chimney(hoop). If the beanbag goes into the b-ball hoop then leave it there. If missed go to the end of the line(pick up beanbag) and wait until the next turn . The object is to have either group finish the task before the others one can. Switch places after each turn to give the opportunity to try both. There should be an equal amount of toys and beanbags .
HOLIDAY GUESS:

Arrange two teams equally on each of designated lines about 30 feet apart . Make another line about 6-8 feet away from one of the lines . One team will stand ona designated line ina side by side formation. The others will gather near the other far line around the teacher(huddle). The teacher will ask them to "act out /mimic" a seasonal activity. These students will then walk down to the running line ( about 6-8 feet away) from the team that must guess the activity. If wrongly guessed , the running team says NO. If correct , they will be chased back to their line . Give 3-4 chances before switching places. Here are some seasonal activities to MIMIC - throw snowballs , shovel show , sled riding , skiing, skating , snow saucer ride , etc. One student choses ata time until all had a turn to guess.
__________________________________(chasers)

______________________________________(runners)

_________________________________________________(contact line)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
SANTAS SLEIGH:

Match up students into partners of two with one student in back of the other. The front student(Rudolph) will have a jump rope around their waist being held by the student in behind(Santa). Practice pathway skills for safety concerns. This will be the 'ROAD" to deliver the gifts as they all move together safely. Chose 2-4 grinches who will try to tag Santa . If tagged that grinch becomes Santa and vice versa. Make sure that everybody gets a turn to be involved in all three positions and switch after each turn .Establish safet rules and add objects to the "ROAD : They may be chimneys( traffic cones) ;boxes(toys) ; trees ( larger traffic cones / chairs) , etc. It is important to practice the pathways for avoidance procedures.

2002-11-01T08:29:00.000-05:00

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT:
REACTING TO MISBEHAVIOR
AND
OTHER PROBLEMS :
The concept of growth or improvement should be stressed. Don't expect a student with a chronic behavior problem to go from "trouble" to "no trouble" overnight. Work for improvement, not perfection.

Deciding when to Intercede. Even though the emphasis should be on avoiding problems, you will still have to react to situations.

You want to avoid overreacting to minor problems. As a beginning teacher, you’ll have the tendency to be a “quick draw” artist (nailing students for minor errors); or, you’ll go to the other extreme, not interceding when you should.

In reacting to off-task behavior, you need to consciously consider when and how you should intercede.

Principle: Give students time to correct their errors of judgment.

Don’t treat students like the enemy. Believe in them, give them enough rein to make mistakes, and give them enough time to recognize their errors and correct them.

Consider the following episode: While a teacher is conducting a lesson on homonyms, Cheryl gets up and starts walking toward the back of the room. The teacher’s immediate reaction is to remind her that she’s supposed to be working at her seat. Cheryl may be going after a paper towel to clean up the ink she accidentally smeared on her desk, she may be going after a pencil she left in her coat, or she may have remembered the note the secretary asked her to deliver to Sara. As a basic rule of thumb, “trust your students.” Hopefully, they’re doing what they think is right under the circumstances. You should monitor them, but allow time to determine why they are doing what they are doing, and provide time for them to correct their errors in judgment.

Consider another situation: Bill is taking his spelling test and he’s forgotten to put his spelling list away. You see the list sitting on his desk. If he’s cheating, you don’t want to accuse him publicly; if he’s not, a direct reminder would be embarrassing. Give him time to realize his error. When he does, it could be a laughing matter instead of a blow against his character. Remembers: give students time to correct their errors.

Principle: Keep your instructional objectives in mind;
don’t overreact to minor discrepancies.

“Steve, what’s the paper doing on the floor?”
“Who left the dictionary on the table?”
“Your math counters should be put away, not on top of your desks.”
Such comments stop the flow of a lesson. They direct the class’s attention away from the task at hand. Keep things in perspective, and don’t immediately react to off-task behavior or mislaid items. The ability to judge the severity of an act and to act accordingly is a sign of professional maturity. Keep your objectives in mind.

Principle: Remember, you’re not the only
reinforcing agent in the classroom.

Many teachers err by trying to ignore misbehavior, hoping it will die from lack of attention. Don’t forget that there are other reinforcing agents in the classroom. With a twinkle of the eye, with a raised eyebrow, or with a sly smile, another student can quietly feed the fire while you are trying to ignore the problem. Remember, you’re not the only reinforcing agent in the classroom.

Picture the following: Mark has discovered that, when he pulls his wet palm across his plastic binder, it sounds like a slight gas emission. Rather than recognize the earthy humor, you choose to ignore it, hoping it will go away. That could happen, if it were not for Gil’s wrinkled nose and Jason’s cherub-like grin. But it won’t go away, because Mark is getting all the support he needs. Remember: When a student acts up, others are probably egging him on. In these cases, ignoring the misbehavior probably won’t work.

When you do intercede in a case like the above, make sure you aim your remarks at all those involved, including the students who are supporting the offender as well as those directly involved. If other students in the class are reinforcing the misbehavior, then they should also bear the responsibility for it. Use the following criteria in determining when to intercede: You should intercede if:
the misbehavior threatens anyone’s health or well-being.
other students begin to join in or encourage the offender (i.e., it becomes contagious).
the misbehavior is distracting other students and interfering with your instructional objectives.
the offender is not meeting a behavior commitment that was previously made.
The misbehavior is interfering with other classes or could lead to PR problems with parents or staff.
Other students observed the misbehavior and are looking at you, waiting to see what you are going to do.

If you have to intercede, your reaction should reflect the severity of the act. If at all possible, postpone any direct confrontation with the student until after the lesson or until you can do so privately.

In the case discussed earlier, when Cheryl got up and started walking to the back of the room, you should have been curiously aware of the situation, but to intercede would have been inappropriate. The other students didn’t seem to be distracted by her movement, she seemed to have an objective in mind, and she hadn’t been out of her seat for a long time. If you intercede you draw the class’s attention away from the lesson. You can hope that each and every student in the class is paying avid attention to your lesson, but chances are, one or two students will be daydreaming or momentarily distracted. Don’t overreact when one or two students are momentarily off-task. Consciously decide when to intervene.

How to Avoid Win/Lose Confrontations with Students.

A basic principle for life and for managing a class is to believe people are basically good. If Felipe is whispering when you think he shouldn’t be, force yourself to believe he may have a good reason for whispering. If Salina and Katrina are passing notes during science, consider that they may have a legitimate reason for doing so. If Junior turns around in line and pushes the boy behind him, it may be a justifiable response under the circumstances (at least Junior may see it as justifiable). Misbehavior has to be situationally defined. Don’t be premature in passing judgment.

Principle: Probe, don’t pass premature judgment.

Don’t immediately condemn a student’s behavior. Probe before you pass judgment. Expect the child to have a good reason for his behavior, at least a good reason from his or her point of view.
“Phil, can I help you?”
“Phil, will you need to talk to Sue for very long?”
“Phil, do you have a problem?”
"Phil, how much more time do you need to solve your problem?"
Trusting your students is the key. If you believe that students act from a positive base, both your verbal and your nonverbal behaviors will communicate this trust. If you believe that the students want to learn and want to do what’s right, they you’ll try to find a reason to explain their apparent misbehavior. If students sense your faith in them, they will react by fulfilling your expectations.

Seek clarification, probe to see if the students have a good reason for what they’re doing. This is consistent with the belief that people are basically good and want to do what’s right. When you probe, you should be honestly seeking information.

Don’t kid yourself by thinking you’re probing when you ask rhetorical questions that accuse or point a guilty finger.

“Jim, should you be doing that?”
“Sally, is this the time to be cleaning your desk?”
“Class, are we supposed to be talking?”
"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being."

Goethe

These are not probes, they don’t seek clarification, and the answers are known and predictable. Questions such as these can be used to shape student behavior, but when used they represent an authoritarian or power-based approach.

“Fair minded teachers who make the basic assumption
that children are trustworthy are more likely to teach them
to have attitudes of dependability and responsibility.” Dreikurs

Avoid using “why” questions when you seek clarification.
“Pete, why are you doing that?”
“Alice, why did you leave the glue bottle out?”
“Toi, why do you have two books on your desk?”
The “why” question is usually interpreted as an accusation, a faultfinding remark. The student will often read a negative message into the question. “Why” questions usually put the student on the defensive. Don’t use “why” questions to get at a student’s motivation. Students seldom know the psychological reasons why they are doing something. “Why” questions are usually unproductive, unless you are seriously asking for clarification.

Principle: Avoid public win/lose confrontations.

When you confront a student publicly, you run a tremendous risk of negative side-effects. In almost every audience situation, you’re going to be the loser. If you come down hard on a child or punish the child in front of the class, some students are going to see you as being unfair or too harsh. Others will see you as being too soft, or an easy mark. Few will think you are being fair. Few will see your reaction as just right, using just the degree of harshness that was needed. Even if students judge your reaction as fair, it will have negative ripple effects because other timid students will indirectly feel threatened – they may be next. Try to avoid public win/lose confrontations.

With young children, you may be able to confront students publicly without running as great a risk, but the power play still unnecessarily invites negative side-effects.

Think about the following situations:
Another student accuses Jim of cheating during a spelling test. Jim evidently wrote his hard words on his fingers.

A paper airplane whizzes across the room. When you turn around, Berta looks guilty.

Boyd is playing in his desk with what looks like a ball of clay. He is supposed to be listening to Lily’s report on rainforest fauna.
In each of the above cases, you have options. How would you handle the situations? If you confront a child in front of the class, you’re inviting the child to deny your accusation. If the child doesn’t try to save face, you end up publicly embarrassing or giving attention to the student. All are bad news! How should you react at the moment?

An all too common example of public embarrassment is the habit of calling on a student who isn’t paying attention. You’re trying to shape his behavior by publicly embarrassing him. You know he probably can’t answer the question. If he can, you have a different problem. You can just as easily shape the student’s behavior by calling on a child sitting next to the culprit. The close call will bring the offender around without public embarrassment.

If, when you publicly confront a child, the child tries to save face and denies the act, then you’ve got another win/lose situation. Whenever you argue with a child in front of the class, you run a tremendous risk of appearing unfair. Such a clash always appears to be a David and Goliath affair. Being right may not make you a winner. If you don’t allow the student to argue his side, or defend himself against your accusation, you appear unfair. Even when you have a strong case, a public win/lose confrontation will probably cause problems of some type.

Principle: Don’t embarrass students or make them lose face
in front of their classmates.

When you confront a child, try to detour the child rather than block the child. If you tell the child to do something, you’re giving the student a direct challenge. I can still remember my third grade teacher telling me I had to sing. A direct challenge. At that point, there was no way she could make me sing. Hitting my knuckles with a double ruler in front of the class only increased my conviction to “win” at any cost.

As the teacher, in a situation of this type, you want to capture rather than coerce. If you try to coerce, you should provide a detour or a way for the child to save face without forcing a win/lose confrontation.

Detour Statements
Blocking Statements

“Sam, this is Jim’s turn. You can have your chance in a minute.” “Quit talking, Sam.”

“Well, Alice, you can either join in now or you can discuss it with me after school today.” “I’m sorry, Alice, you have to go to PE.”
“Sarah, we need it quiet in this area. If you need to talk with Sue, please go to the back of the room.” “Sarah, you can’t talk during reading.”
“Dick, if you are not going to join in, please sit quietly and we’ll talk after class.” “Dick, open that book and sing.”

If and when you decide to intercede, make sure you try to avoid a public confrontation. Remember to detour the student, giving the student a way to save face. Embarrassing a child or exposing the child’s ignorance or lack of ability is abusing your teacher role whether done consciously or out of ignorance.

Possible detouring statements for young children

Name calling: "She likes to be called by her right name, which is _____. If you like, you can make up names for the puppets."
Call outs: "It's your turn to listen now, and my turn to speak Then we'll trade. I'm glad you have something to tell us."
Continued disruptive behavior: "I'll hold you until you feel better and then we will work this out together."
Abuse of materials: "There's a special way to turn the pages so they won't tear or wrinkle. Your fingers have grown long enough to do it this way. If you feel like tearing something, I have some magazines and newspapers over here that you can tear."
(Source: "Guidance and Discipline: Teaching Young Children Appropriate Behavior," Young Children, May 1988, p. 29)

Ways of Correcting without Moralizing and Relying on Your Authority.

Use I messages. When a student is distracting you or causing you concern, try to own the problem. Notice the difference in emphasis in the statements below:

I Message
Negative You Message

“When you change names and pretend to be someone else with a substitute, I’m really discouraged. The sub must wonder about our class. She may think we are so selfish that we like to have fun at someone else’s expense? I really worry about what kind of impression the sub has of our class.” “You know you shouldn’t do that. What’s the matter with you?”
“You may never spill that bottle of paint on the edge of your desk, but I worry about it. It distracts me because I’m afraid it will get spilled.” “You should move the paint. You’re going to spill it if you leave it there.”
“Please clear your desk. You may not be distracted by the things on your desk, but I worry about them. It is a problem for me.” “Please clear your desk. You should not be playing with anything on your desk.”

The theory behind "I" messages is that the student can’t deny your feelings and will more than likely be responsive to you. But a student can deny your prediction that he or she is going to do something wrong. He/she can feel you’re too picky if you tell him/her there’s a better way. And the student can feel you’re being unfair if you put the blame on the student before something happens. Remember to acknowledge your ownership of the concern. You’re the one with the problem.

In sharing your feelings, it’s also important to provide a rationale for why something bothers you. Young children will cooperate because they want to please the teacher, but this isn’t always the case in upper grades.

In terms of social behavior, the goal is rational decision making. You want the students to cooperate for the right reasons.

Principle: Be task-oriented, not person-oriented.

Clarity is the number one teacher trait in terms of a positive and consistent relationship with student achievement (Rosenshine and Furst). Clarity has also been found to be the most important variable in terms of successfully responding to misbehavior (Kounin). Kounin has indicated that teachers who are specific in their reactions get more conformity to class standards and have fewer class disruptions when compared with teachers who are general or don’t give reasons for their reactions.

High Clarity
Low Clarity

“Felix, put that clay away. It distracts me.” “Felix, you know better than that.”
“Felix, you can read after you finish your math.” “Felix, put that away.”
“Felix, please sit down. With all this material on our desks, we can’t risk so much movement.” “Felix, please get in your seat.”
Task Oriented
Person Oriented

“Felix, it’s distracting when you throw wads of paper like that at the garbage can.” “Felix, you’re causing problems again. Don’t do that.”
“Felix, clicking your pen distracts me, I worry it could distract others.” “Felix, are you nervous or something? Quit clicking your pen.”
“Felix, you can play with the clay during free time. Put it away now, you should be working on your math.” “What’s the matter with you, Felix? You know you’re not suppose to be working on your math.”

The following two questions can be effective in responding to a student who is off-task:

“Felix, what are you doing?”
“What should you be doing?”

Use humor to defuse a problem. A little humor can turn a “would be” discipline case into a lighthearted situation. The message can be communicated without a confrontation. At the same time, you may have to deliver the message that it was funny the first time, but it shouldn’t happen again.

Give up power when a child is escalating a public win/lose situation. When you correct a child in class, some students will respond by saying something like, "Why you picking on me? You're always picking on me! Bart did the same thing, he didn't have......" According to Dreikurs, this type of response signals that the student's goal is power. They want to prove they are somebody. They will escalate the argument, try to bait you into a verbal, public argument. A good technique when you sense this happening is to give up power. Consider the following responses:

"Kyle, I can see you're upset. We'll discuss this later."
"Kyle, you can take a break if you need to."
"Kyle, it's your choice. You can either just sit and not disturb others or you can step out into the hall and wait until I can come out to discuss this with you."

Some students will escalate a situation by refusing to work or participate. This refusal to participate is easily personalized. Don't interpret it as a personal attack against you. It is wiser to assume this is a learned defensive mechanism. It is not a purposeful or willful attack against you and your methods, it is their long-learned method of dealing with conflicts.

References on Oppositional Defiant Behavior (EBSCOhost) (This is a search engine, you need to click on "enter" and then fill in "Oppositional Defiant" to reach the reference materials. You may be asked for a password to use this search engine, as a UI student, your social security number should serve as the password).

Too many teachers will say that the student has the ability to do the work. Remember, there are many abilities. They may have the academic ability, but they do not have the ability to cooperate when they are desperately seeking control. So, you may need to alter the task or the environment. Don't try to just change the child. You may need to change your expectations in terms of how much work has to be completed at a given time, you may have to give choices as to when the students works on a given assignment or how the work is actually completed. At the same time, you have to have consequences and the student has to realize what they are.

When a child is desperately seeking control by resisting or being oppositional, the use of praise and reward system (the use of authority to control behavior) will often backfire, especially if the praise is given publicly. You want to emphasize that the student is in control. They can make good and bad choices ("trouble" or "no trouble").

In dealing with a student with a history of oppositional behavior, it is important that you have clear logical consequences for inappropriate behavior. That you emphasize it was their choice. Their tendency to refuse or choose not to participate may explain their current behavior, but it does not excuse them. There should be logical consequences administered in a non-emotional manner. They chose the consequences by their behavior.

This is a case where consistency (consistency with a given child) is very important. The child needs limits, they need to be enforced in a matter-of-fact manner, and they need to be enforced immediately in a very consistent manner (consistent with the given child).

What if your first desist doesn’t work? There is no surefire technique to which all children will respond. The effective teacher has a number of alternatives. There will be times when your first response doesn’t get the desired results. What do you do next? What does a mechanic do when the wrench he has won’t budge a bolt? Get a bigger wrench? That’s not the only solution. Tapping the end of the bolt with a hammer might help, or applying some solvent might do the trick. So it goes with a teacher. If the first technique doesn’t work, you don’t necessarily have to apply more pressure; you might try a different attack. If have two boys who constantly race to see who will be first in his desk after recess and you ask them to stop, but they continue the next period, what do you do?

Assign the boys permanent places in line.
Move one of their desks closer to the door to eliminate the contest.
Give one of the boys a responsibility (e.g., hold the door open).
Explain your concerns to the boys in more detail (e.g., It gives the appearance that you have an unruly room; if everyone did it you would have absolute bedlam, there are safety concerns that make you worry and thus you can’t allow it).
Make sure you get back to your class by the end of recess and position yourself in a conspicuous spot to help the boys “remember” not to run.
The key is flexibility. Don’t just get a bigger wrench. If you rely on power alone, you’ll soon find yourself in an adversarial relationship with your class. Once that happens, your life could be very miserable. The students out number you, they can be very creative, and their ethics are not always well developed. Think of a continuum of responses. You want to use the least punitive method; you want to avoid embarrassing or drawing attention to the student; you do not want to divert the class’s attention away from your instructional objectives; and, you want to avoid a public win/lose confrontation.

As a trained professional, you should have many techniques to try. A mark of an ineffective teacher would be one that tries a technique and when it doesn’t work, sends the student out into the hall or down to the principal’s office.

EFFECTIVE USE OF PUNISHMENT

Even though you want to use the least punitive technique, there are times when punishment is recommended. Punishment is a legitimate teaching technique. However, it is often used ineffectively and often used too frequently with the wrong students.

Part of the problem is that the term punishment is underconceptualized by many people. Professional terms are designed to clarify concepts and eliminate unnecessary descriptions; however, they can provide a short-circuit as well as a short-cut. Punishment is one of those words that can muddle our thinking because it covers a whole array of reactions. To clarify and hopefully sharpen thinking, three separate categories of punishment are discussed in this reading.

TYPES
Changing Perceptions
Logical Consequences
Arbitrary Punishments

Changing Perceptions. If you talk with students and try to help them understand why they shouldn't behave in a given way, you're trying to change their perceptions. If you keep students after school to talk with them about a problem, you're trying to clarify the problem and change perceptions. Here the stress is on talking with the students versus keeping the students after school to "put in time".

PRINCIPLE #1: Confer with students;
avoid other punitive measures.

In a comprehensive study, Brophy and Evertson reported:

The most effective forms of punishments were not really punishments at all. Instead they were actions such as keeping the child after school or arranging for an individual conference with him/her in order to discuss his/her misbehavior and come to some kind of agreement about how the problem should be solved.

A private conference is an effective technique for working with individual students in trying to change their perceptions. It is important that the conference be private. Audience situations should be avoided. Conferences should involve only the students having a problem. You should not dominate the talking in such a conference. If you do, chances are you’ll be moralizing. Telling is not helping to the chronic offender.
"If our goal is to help them with a learning problem (discipline), then we must be stronger than they are."

"When I tried to view him as someone who needed help in learning the value of following rules and procedures, I didn't get as angry and disgusted every time he screwed up."

Rafini

THE EASIEST WAY
TO CHANGE BEHAVIOR IS TO
CHANGE PERCEPTIONS

Encourage the student to actively participate.

Conference Techniques to Involve Students

Ask the student to describe how he sees the situation. Don't contradict his views or imply that they are inaccurate. They are his views.

Ask the student to hypothesize how the others involved might view the situation.

Encourage the student to describe how he feels about the situation. Use a perception check.
"Did that make you want revenge?"
"You sound like you felt cheated?"

Ask the child to hypothesize about how the others feel now.

Ask the student to suggest other ways in which the problem could have been settled.

If the student is reluctant to respond, suggest how the others could have felt, how they could have perceived the situation. As you explain to the student, ask the student to repeat what you have said.

Ask the student if he has any ideas about what should happen next.

Ask the student to predict what will happen next if the same course of action is followed.

Ask whether he thinks the others want that to happen.
In these conferences, it is important to recognize the student's emotions and the fact that we all have different perspectives of a situation and its consequences. Remember, as a teacher, you may not feel that being called "bird legs" or "hummingbird chest" is anything worth fighting over, but to the student it probably is a different matter.

"Each of us tends to think we see things as they are, that we are objective. But this is not the case. We see the world, not as it is, but as we are conditioned to see it."
Steven Covey

It's important to remember that in most cases students have reasons for what they do. They may see the situation very differently than you do.

In making an "I" statement, you should tell the student how you feel and why you are bothered by his actions. Concretely explain the type of problems the behavior creates for you.

Stress the fact that the problem arises out of different views of the situation. Have the student try to see the other student’s or your position. Work on alternative reactions and make sure the conference ends with a plan of action, even if that plan is merely to meet again and discuss the problem some more.

In terms of punishment, a private conference after school, during recess, or during class does not force the adversarial role inherent in more arbitrary punitive measures (like detention, writing sentences, etc.).

Logical Consequences. Suffering a logical consequence is the second form of punishment. If a child abuses a privilege, it is a logical consequence that she loses that privilege. For example, if a child can't go by herself to the library without goofing around, it is logical that she only go to the library under direct supervision. If she is playing with clay when she's supposed to be reading, being forced to put the clay away or having it taken away is a logical consequence. If her friends and she are pushing and shoving in line, it's a logical consequence that they be separated and assigned other spots in line.

PRINCIPLE #2: Besides taking time to try and change perceptions, limit your punitive reactions to logical consequences.

In most cases, when the punitive reactions you use follow logically from the misbehavior, most students will think it is fair.

Arbitrary Punishments. If you use arbitrary punishments, many students will see you as being unfair. If this occurs repeatedly, you'll develop an adversarial relationship and become fair game for cheating and other types of student retaliation.

If, as a consequence of talking in class, a child has to write 50 sentences ("I will not talk in class.") this is an arbitrary punishment. If the child loses his art period because he didn't complete his math assignment, this is an arbitrary punishment. The three categories (changing perceptions, logical consequences, and arbitrary punishments) overlap considerably. If a student sharpened a crayon in the pencil sharpener, you might keep the student after school to help the custodian clean the sharpener. This is a logical consequence because he messed up the sharpener. You're also working on perceptions by showing what a crayon does to the inside of a sharpener.

Some examples:

If you paddle a child, you are definitely using an arbitrary punishment. It is never a logical consequence. Note: it is also illegal in many states.

If you make a child sit with his head on the desk for five minutes, it is usually an arbitrary punishment. Why five minutes?

If two students are talking and you decide to move their seats to separate them, that's a logical consequence.

If a child is using a jump rope at recess as a whip, and chasing other children, taking the rope away would be a logical consequence.

If a child loses the privilege of taking a rope out at recess because the child was talking in class, that's an arbitrary punishment. If the child is sent out so that the teacher can talk the child privately, this would fall under the category of trying to change perceptions; however, if the child is set out in the hall for 10 minutes, then it would be an arbitrary punishment.
As a general rule of thumb, the use of logical consequences and the attempt to change perceptions are more desirable than the use of arbitrary punishments. This is particularly true with older elementary students.

In this section, stress was placed on reacting to undesirable behavior by trying to change perceptions. A distinction was made between punitive acts that follow as a logical consequence, and those that are selected arbitrarily. If you have to use punitive measures, try to use logical consequences. Avoid arbitrary punishments as students will see you as unfair. If they see you as unfair, this will help develop an adversarial relationship. In every case, use the least punitive desist (reaction to misbehavior) possible.

IMPORTANT DO'S AND DON'TS REGARDING THE USE OF PUNISHMENT .

PRINCIPLE #3: Punishment is a legitimate teaching device.

Taking a privilege away, being "benched", and other punishments are legitimate teaching devices. They have their place when a change of behavior is needed immediately or when someone's well-being is threatened.

I can remember giving my two-year-old son a key case to keep him occupied while my wife and I shopped for a refrigerator. It wasn't long before I found him trying to put a key into an electrical outlet. My reaction was swift and to the point. I gave him a good slap on the hand, knocking the key away from the outlet. The message was clear: "No! That's dangerous. Don't ever do it again." This was one of those cases where learning had to be immediate.

PRINCIPLE #4: Punishment is appropriate when the learning has to be immediate.

Punishment puts you in an adversarial relationship and should be used only when time is of the essence. When you force an adversarial role, you effectively close the door for cooperative problem solving. You also place students in a defensive posture, and any change in perceptions becomes highly unlikely. Furthermore, when you force an adversarial role, you increase the likelihood that students will see you as unfair; thus, you become a target for revenge.

Punishment has its place but should be used sparingly. It should never become the standard reaction to misbehavior.

PRINCIPLE #5: Avoid harsh punishment.

With confident and able students, mild criticism is correlated positively with student achievement. With all types of students, harsh punishment has a consistent negative relationship with achievement. Telling a child that his answer is wrong or correcting the way a student holds a pencil are necessary parts of teaching. Mild criticism is needed, but harsh punishment is a problem.

You can be firm without being harsh. Kounin used the following characteristics to define firmness:
A clear break in the ongoing classroom activity: the teacher changes his location in the room, using a tone of voice which clearly conveys that the activity is undesirable. The teacher lowers his/her voice.

Establishing eye contact with the offender: the teacher looks right at the misbehaving student and maintains eye contact while correcting the youngster. The teacher also maintains eye contact for a short time after the child has been reprimanded. Note: some cultures see eye contact when you are in trouble as rude. Be sure you understand the cultural norms of your students.

Movement toward the offender.

Physically assisting the offender. The teacher moves a chair or leads the student by the arm.
It is important to stress again that Kounin's findings indicate that effective classroom management is not determined by the skillful meting out of punishment or the skillful reaction to misbehavior. Instead, the key is how successful you are in avoiding misbehavior. Try to be in control. Engineer, don't just react. We don't see our students as they are, we see them as they react to our program.

Engineer rather than react. More ideas (Florida Dept. of Ed)

Locate activity areas out of the main stream of traffic in the classroom.(Source: 1)

Offer the same sequence of events each day, alternating livelier and quieter activities.(Source: 1).

Maintain predictable classroom routines and rituals. Allow adequate time for transitions between activities. Let the children know when an activity will be ending and that a new activity will begin. (Viadero, 1989, referenced in Source 2)

Provide for repetition and practice of functional tasks. Teach skills in natural clusters and in the environment where they will be needed. This allows students to rely on the context of the entire action and accompanying environmental cues (Westling, 1989, referenced in Source 2)

Divide children into small groups for stories, discussions, and activities.(Source: 1)

Plan for individual differences within each activity. Children need challenges, but not serious educational frustrations.(Source: 1)

Provide opportunities for success. When it comes to following procedures, keep tasks simple, and break them down step by step. For example provide activity lists taped to their desks, and have them check off their own lists as work is completed (Curwin & Mendler, 1988, referenced in Source 2).

Use social contracts (agreements between teachers and students regarding rules and consequences for classroom behavior). To be effective, consequences must: preserve the student's dignity; be non-punitive; strengthen the student's internal locus of control; increase motivation; and relate to the student's life as directly as possible. (Source #2)

Sources:
1. "Guidance and Discipline: Teaching Young Children Appropriate Behavior," Young Children, May 1988, p. 30)
2. "Drug-exposed Infants," (source of article unknown)

PRINCIPLE #6: Punishment does not solve the child's problem.

If a negative consequence is powerful enough, it will subdue the behavior. The roots of the behavior still exist even though the student is kept at bay. Students in a quiet class ruled by fear are seldom well disciplined, they are just intimidated. As Hymes has indicated, the mark of a good teacher is not how quiet you keep the pond, it is what you do with the ripples.

When you use punishment in bringing order to a class, you're solving a problem, your need for a quiet class. You're not dealing with the cause of these students' unrest or misbehavior.

PRINCIPLE #7: Always explain why you use a punishment.

The student should be told specifically why he is being punished. Too frequently, students see the punishment as a personal rejection rather than as the logical consequences of misconduct. You should make a personal contact with the student as soon as possible after the punishment has been administered. It is important to show your concern for the student while rejecting his misbehavior.

PRINCIPLE #8: Avoid delayed or long-term punishment.

With punishment, time is important. Punishment should be swift and to the point. Extended punishments allow bad feelings to fester. We all have selective memories and we each perceive situations differently. During an extended punishment, students have a tendency to generate many negative feelings about you, the situation, and/or themselves.

PRINCIPLE #9: Don't use mass punishment
unless the group is either condoning or supporting
the misbehavior.

If the other students are laughing at a child's antics or are in some way reinforcing his misbehavior, the group should be addressed. Work on their perceptions. Help them see why the misbehavior is undesirable. If the group is reinforcing the misbehavior, you need to address the problem with the whole class.

When the class is supporting or reinforcing misbehavior, be slow to discipline the offenders. With class support, it could be possible that the student who is clowning around is acting as the agent of the class. He is providing a release of tension that may be building between the class and you, or between the class and some part of your program. If you sense that this is the case, try to initiate dialogue with the class to see where the problem lies. Try to do this at a time of your choice, not as an immediate knee-jerk reaction to the situation.

Be sure to stress changing perceptions, avoid more severe mass punishments. Using mass punishment is one of the quickest ways to get students to see you as being unfair.

PRINCIPLE #10: Don't use exclusion from learning experiences as a punishment.

Don't exclude children from exciting learning experiences unless there is a logical reason for doing so. Your children have an unconditional right to learn. They're your students. Providing exciting learning experiences should not be a reward for good behavior but should be an unconditional part of their schooling experience.

With some children you will want to use an exciting experience as a contingency to motivate. In these cases, if a student doesn't perform as agreed, he doesn't get the reward. But this is an individual contract, and you are not excluding a student from a learning experience as an arbitrary punishment.

PRINCIPLE #11: Punishing a socially remedial child
confirms his feelings of failure and inadequacy.

Punishment works best with children who are socially healthy, not those who are remedial in terms of maturity. When you react with punishment, you reinforce or confirm the student's negative feelings of failure and inadequacy. The child with severe behavior problems needs the most help. Punishment does not help, it does not provide direction toward solving the problem. Chronic problems really need support. Most of the chronic difficulties are not willful disobedience. In some cases, students have bad habits that need to be changed. However, often the problems stem from physiological problems complicated by environmental conditions (poor parenting, stressful lives, etc.). With remedial cases, changing behaviors takes considerable time and skill. The ability to do this is one of the key differences between the skilled professional educator and the intelligent warm body off the street. "Adults who blithely insist that children choose to misbehave are rather like politicians who declare that people have only themselves to blame for being poor. In both cases, potentially relevant factors other than personal responsibility are ignored. A young child in particular may not have a fully developed capacity for rational decision making or impulse control that is implicit in suggesting he made a choice. Teachers who think in terms of a lack of skills would be inclined to respond by trying to help the child develop these facilities, rather than be punishing and blaming. Indeed, two researchers recently discovered that the more teachers resorted to saying that a child simply 'chose' to act inappropriately, the more likely they were to use punishment and other power-based interventions." (Kohn, 1996, p. 17)

PRINCIPLE #12: Do not lower a student's academic grade as a punishment for unrelated misbehavior.

The courts have clearly ruled, it is illegal to lower a student' academic grade for any reason other than that directly related to the stated grading criteria. Students who talk back to a teacher should not have their math grade reduced. The math grade should reflect the student’s academic ability in mathematics, not his social graces.

PRINCIPLE #13: Aggression teaches aggression.

In classrooms where teachers frequently exhibit anger and punitiveness, students react by exhibiting more disruptive, restless, off-task behavior. When you punish a child, you present a real threat to the other children. The increased anxiety often surfaces in more disruptive behavior. Aggression teaches aggression. When you punish, you model the type of behavior you want to stop.

PRINCIPLE #14: Many negative side-effects are associated
with the use of punishment.

When you administer punishment, there will be negative ripple affects on other students. Some students will wonder, "Who will be next?"

Whether you use logical consequences or arbitrary punishments, many students will see you as being unfair. The students will have a different picture of the situation. They will view the consequences of the undesirable behavior in a different light, and they will have a different view of your reaction. Some students will see your punishment as too light and will think that you're an easy mark. Others will see you as too harsh and will judge you to be unfair. If students view a teacher as unfair, they tend to misbehave more and cooperate less. For these reasons, you should try to use the least punitive technique possible.
In this section, a distinction was made between punitive acts which follow as a logical consequence of a student's behavior and those selected arbitrarily. Under most conditions, the use of logical consequences is more desirable. Fourteen principles for using punishment were presented. Stress was placed on avoiding harsh punitive responses. Use the least punitive technique possible. A case was made for merely conferring with students and trying to change perceptions, rather than forcing an adversarial relationship by using punitive measures.

The use of isolation and systematic exclusion.
There will be days when some students are so difficult to handle that they need to be isolated for the well-being of the teacher, the rest of the class, or the child him or herself.

Removing the student may be defeating your purposes in terms of trying to keep the youngster at work and progressing toward desired behavioral goals, but trying to deal with the student under the given conditions may be like knocking your head against the wall. The end result of trying to stay with the child and trying to keep her involved in the activity may find the child, you, and the rest of the class worse for the wear. Any learning that results will probably be negative learning.

When a child is taxing your patience to the limit, some type of isolation may be needed. Note: the reason for isolation is the welfare of the rest of the class. Isolation is not being recommended as a punishment.

PRINCIPLE #15: Isolation may be used to protect the welfare of the students and not as a punishment.

We have a professional problem in that several terms are used synonymously: isolation, time-out, in-school suspension. They are not the same. A few notes of clarification:
Time-out should be used prior to a problem developing. When a child is losing control, you use time-out to provide a chance for the student to calm down. Time-out should never last for more than a couple of minutes (less than five).

Historically, time-out was seen as a positive alternative to scolding or spanking a child. But, today, it is often overused. There should be alternatives to time-out. Alternatives that do not send a message of rejection or run the risk of embarrassing a child or giving the child attention for being out of line. Remember, the goal is to teach, not to punish. Make sure the use of time-out is helping the student, not just helping the teacher cope. As stated by Ann Clewett: "Rather than removing the child from the learning situation when she makes mistakes, we should stop the inappropriate behavior, coach her in some alternative behavior, and send her back into the situation to practice the new behavior. (Source: "Guidance and Discipline: Teaching Young Children Appropriate Behavior," Young Children, May 1988, p. 28)

Isolating a problem child may be needed. The group's right to learn outweighs the individual's rights, even constitutional rights of free speech. Federal courts have ruled we can isolate a student who is disrupting a class. In this case, isolation is a logical consequence. It is a punishment used after the fact, after the student has become disruptive.

Think about the ramifications of isolation. Reflect on Dishon and O'Leary's quote:
Remember! You don't say, "OK, that's it! No more math for you kids. I'm sick and tired of your mistakes. When you show me that you can do math, then I'll give you some and not until!"

Isolation should provide time for the student to calm down and time for the teacher to gather his wits and come up with a better strategy for handling the situation. In most cases of in-class isolation, the child can return if he feels he can do so without creating further problems.

When you punish a child by using isolation, you're using an extended punishment. If a child has to sit in the corner for ten minutes, the child has a lot of time to generate negative thoughts about you, other students, and/or himself or herself. When "putting in time" is not protecting the welfare of other students but is being used as a negative contingency to try to shape the student's behavior, it is a very questionable practice due to the potential for negative side-effects.

Time-out Areas. Room arrangements should provide various ways to partially or completely isolate a student. These areas can be used when you anticipate difficulty, rather than as a reaction to misbehavior. Consider the following in developing a variety of isolation areas:

Hanging streamers from the ceiling.

Use individual carpet squares to identify an area.

If you can get a supply of small boxes, these can be painted, decorated, and used to store interest centers. They can be stacked to make portable walls that can isolate a desk or student office.

Pegboard or lattice work of some type can be attached to a three-drawer file and used as a partition.
Steps to follow in isolating a child or sending a child to time-out:

Warn the child. Let the child know that he is reaching the limits of your tolerance and that if his behavior continues he'll be asked to go to the time-out area.

When you send the child to time-out, explain your reasons explicitly. Be brief and to the point. Do not feed the child's need for attention. Do not argue with the child. Going to time-out is not to be negotiated.

Tell the student exactly how long he/she will have to stay in the area and give him/her the alternative to return earlier if he can do so without disturbing the others. If you merely tell the child that he/she can return when he or she is ready, you open the door for a battle of wills. The student may decide to see just how long you'll let him/her stay, forcing you to play your hand. This kind of adversarial relationship should be avoided.

Whenever a child is sent to an isolation area, follow his return to the class with a private conference. In that conference, have the child verbalize why he/she went to the area and discuss alternative ways in which the problem could have been resolved. Try to be as encouraging and supportive as possible.

DEALING WITH OTHER PROBLEMS

The College of Education has prepared a web site containing links to topics and information about helping children cope with the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks. This site was designed to serve as a resource for educators, school counselors and psychologists, school administrators, mental health providers, and parents.

http://www.education.uiowa.edu/help/

Other Resources
on
Selected Topics Frequently asked management questions

Peer mediation programs. A number of schools have developed peer mediation programs. Some key elements of these programs can be adopted and used even if your whole school has not adopted such a program.

Teach the value of conflict.
"focuses attention on problems and increases the energy to solve them"
"strengthens relationships by increasing one's confidence that disagreements can be resolved, keeping the relationship clear of irritations and resentments.."
"increases the use of high-level cognitive and moral reasoning"
"clarify identity, commitments, and values"
(Source: "Teaching Student to be Peacemakers," by David and Roger Johnson, Research Practice, University of Minnesota, Fall 1996, p. 10)

Teach students to verbalize what is happening and how they feel about it. Johnson and Johnson initially have students mediate in pairs. "This ensures that shy or nonverbal students get the same amount of experience as more extroverted, verbally fluent students." (Source: "Teaching Student to be Peacemakers," by David and Roger Johnson, Research Practice, University of Minnesota, Fall 1996, p. 18)

"describe what you want, 'I want to use the book now.'"
"describe how you feel, 'I'm frustrated."
"describe the reasons for your wants and feelings, :"You have been using the book for the past hour. If I don't get to use the book soon my report will not be done on time. It's frustrating to wait so long."
(Source: "Teaching Student to be Peacemakers," by David and Roger Johnson, Research Practice, University of Minnesota, Fall 1996, p. 10)

Teach conflict management strategies (Source: adapted from Classroom Management, Elementary School Edition, Rialto Unified School District, p. 80)
taking turns
be generous because you are able to be ("you can go first, because I get to a lot")
chance (flip a coin)
share
compromise/negotiate ("OK, I get to cut it in half, you get first pick." "You can pick the channel this time, I get to pick it at.....")
seek a third party (get someone to arbitrate or give an opinion)
abandon/postpone
admit some guilt ("It's not all your fault, I could have....")
humor (make sure students are laughing with and not at each other)
identify assumptions

Strategies to avoid

violence - "The confidence and trust one person feels for another can be ruined by violence. Violence also results in more violence. What begins as a push, results in retaliation as a shove which escalates to a slug and then an all-out fight. Children are often surprised to find how quickly violence escalates and how easily they are drawn into fighting. Also, violence seldom clarifies just what the conflict was all about. Neither party has learned how to avoid similar conflicts or learned a positive way of dealing with them." (Source: adapted from Classroom Management, Elementary School Edition, Rialto Unified School District, p. 86)
Teach Students to Disagree without Being Disagreeable

No name calling
Stick to the immediate conflict, don't refer to past problems
Identify points of agreement

flight - "We're all aware of copping out. When people are faced with a conflict situation, often they will become silent and seek refuge inside themselves instead of dealing with the problem head-on.

Children, of course, do the same. When confronted with a conflict, the child may quietly internalize it, where it may fester and boil into something much greater than it was initially. Often if boils into a destructive form of expression.

The escape strategy is one that can be used as a means of coping with conflict, and can be used alone, without the necessity of another's cooperation. But it has tremendous negative side effects. It leads to a slow deterioration of self-esteem and doesn't resolve the conflict issues. A man, for instance, works under a boss who constantly berates him, yet he continues to take it and take it, keeping his resentment and fears inside. This kind of situation can only end in an explosion. Yet if the man had confronted the boss earlier in the game, the end results might have been different.

A child who can't confront conflict becomes a patsy for the group. Called 'sissy' and 'crybaby' and mistreated by the group, the child draws more and more inward as retreat becomes a habitual means of handling conflict.

There are other kinds of escape. One is physical. People who go from job to job, mate to mate, town to town, running when the going gets tough, never face up to conflict. Children do this too. When they can't deal with the conflict, the classroom, the peer group, the family, or whatever is overwhelming in their life, they play alone or withdraw to another corner. It's all a part of the same flight syndrome: one simple moves one's mind or one's body away from the source of conflict.

Either way, this kind of strategy leaves the conflict issues completely unresolved. There is no growth or maturing." (Source: adapted from Classroom Management, Elementary School Edition, Rialto Unified School District, p. 87)

tattling - "The problem with tattling is that it doesn't provide those involved in the conflict with an opportunity to examine or manage the conflict for themselves." (Source: adapted from Classroom Management, Elementary School Edition, Rialto Unified School District, p. 87)

You want to build an internal locus of control. You want the student to learn to cope or solve problems on their own. Some good responses to use with a student who is tattling on another include:
"Are you trying to help ______ or get _____ in trouble? If you are trying to help _____, what else could you have done?"
"Well, I'm glad you don't act that way." (In this case you confirm that the student is different then the person who is causing a problem for the student, but you don't talk to the other student or solve the conflict, you merely confirm that the student who is tattling is different.)

Tattling is a normal developmental stage for primary students. Students are growing out of the ego centric point of view, realizing that others act differently than they do. Don't get angry with students who tattle; however, don't reinforce this behavior either. Help the student learn to deal with the problem on their own.

The Talking Bench is an idea that makes use of some of the principles of peer mediation. With this technique, the teacher identifies a particular spot in the classroom or in the cafeteria or on the playground that will be identified as the talking bench. When students are having a disagreement, they are given the choice of dropping the issue or going to the Talking Bench to solve the problem. At the Talking Bench they are to (1) each tell what is happening and how they feel about it; (2) each suggest what should be done next (they are not to decide who is to blame or who started it); and (3) decide what should be done next. Their solution should be reported to the teacher. If they cannot resolve the conflict, they the teacher will have to mediate the problem solving session. This will have to be done when the teacher has time. That time is usually not very convenient.

Suicide. This is a topic that usually is not a problem in an elementary school. However, it can be and students can identify with celebrities or others whose suicide may be highlighted in the media.

"For schools to deal effectively with the impact of the suicide of a student or faculty member, they need a postvention plan to guide their actions. The impact of a suicide is devastating. Fear, panic, and anger can be anticipated together with sorrow and other signs of grief. There is a real danger that other vulnerable young people will choose to imitate the suicide act. Although the dynamics of contagion are not fully understood, cluster suicides are a reality. School and community must work together to provide reassurance and a sense of security after a suicide. Timely and appropriate efforts can alleviate the intensity of the crisis, help protect other at-risk students and facilitate the process of recovery. Such a plan should be established before a suicide, not after.: (Source: "Suicide Postvention Guidelines," American Association of Suicidology.)

Selected Counseling Guidelines. Note: Usually when a school is directly affected, a crisis team will provide a plan for dealing with the situation and will assume the responsibility of dealing directly with troubled students. These guidelines are presented to provide a general knowledge of what is recommended to counselors, not to suggest that an untrained classroom teacher should provide direct classroom intervention.

Explain, encourage and normalize expression of feelings such as shock, fear, sadness, guilt, anger at others or at the victim, etc. Assure students that these painful feelings can and will be alleviated through discussion, counseling and emotional support and will become less intense over time.

Do not describe the suicide in positive terms or glamorize the act. Suicide is neither romantic nor heroic. It does bring attention, which may be appealing for those seeking attention. The focus needs to be on ways to get attention from significant others without threatening or attempting suicide.

Ask the students or survivors to describe their memories about their friend. These memories may be happy, sad or angry. They can talk about how long they have known the victim, what they did together, what he or she was like, etc. Ask them to describe the last time they say the victim and what they said or wish they had said if they knew this was to be the last time they saw him or her.

2002-10-28T19:46:00.000-05:00

OCTOBER GAMES :Frankenstein Tag:
Arrange the class into a scattered formation with 2-3 taggers or Frankensteins.They will walk arms straight out in front with a walk similar to that character. The other students are the trick or treaters who must escape the taggers. IF tagged that person joins the taggers and the game continues until there is only 2-3 students remaining and repeat the process. Make boundries to keep the stduents in a safe area.
HALLOWEEN RUN:
Make boundry lines on half the gym floor area in a square formation in which the four teams will be standing side by side. Give each line a Halloween name such as witches , ghosts , skeletons and goblins. Chose one group to be taggers in the middle. Any name called will try to run to the other direct side . If tagged go back to the starting line. If not tagged wait over the other side. After all have been called , call a new tagging team and repeat the process.

BOO:
Start the activity with all the students on a starting line . Make a folded gym mat on the other side area about 20-30 feet away. This will be the ghosts house where a taggger will be waiting . The students proceed to the Haunted House with these words - Moonlight , starlight , boggie man come out tonight. On the word(BOO) , the ghost arises from the House and chases them back to the starting line. Chos enew ghosts each time until all had a turn.
TOUCH TAG BASKETBALL:
Arrange the class with two partners facing each other with one basketball. After practicing passing skills(bounce , chest , overhead) have them pass the ball back and forth and on a signal (stop,whistle , music, etc.), the person with the basketball must try to dribble away without losing the ball or committing a violation. The other person(within 10 seconds) must try to stay within arms distance of the dribbler(DEFENSE SKILL). Repeat the process and change the type of pass . Score one point for no violation , and defense .
NO DRIBBLE B-BALL:
Make zones on the floor with tape , cones , etc. or the lines on the court. Assign players to each zone from each of the teams - may use pinnies for easier detection of teammates. The ball must be passes to each zone for a basket to count. The ball can't be dribbled and only people in zones can shoot the ball. Rotate them from zone to zone to play a different position.

2002-09-30T08:06:00.000-04:00

GAME of the WEEK:SOCCER GHOSTBUSTERS:
Place one soccerball in each of four hoops that are placed in the four corners of the b-ball court either half or full court. Chose 2-3 taggers with soft play balls to chase after the rest of the class. If tagged , that person must wait until another person gets tagged comes to their hoop. At that time , each person must pas the ball five time s, in which they cam both re-enter the game . After each time , chose a new soccer skill such as heading , dribbling , or juggling. Chose new taggers each time.

2002-09-06T22:20:00.000-04:00

Heartsaver/ Pediatric CPR Review Guide

*Updated to Include the New 2000 Guidelines

Workers risk occupational exposure to diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis B viruses through contact with blood and body fluids. OSHA'S "Universal Precautions" policy states that if workers have exposure to blood or body fluids, they should use personal protection such as latex gloves for hands, protective eye wear and use barriers if they have to perform rescue breathing.

"Good Samaritan" legislation helps minimize the fear of litigation so rescuers will feel comfortable helping a victim.

Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease - Several factors increase a person's chances of having a heart attack or stroke. The more risk factors a person has the greater the likelihood that he will have a heart attack or stroke.

Risk factors that cannot be changed - heredity, male gender and increasing age.

Risk factors that can be changed or managed - cigarette smoking, blood cholesterol, diabetes, physical inactivity, obesity, stress and high blood pressure. Making positive changes like eating foods low in fat, salt and cholesterol such as fish, fresh fruits and vegetables, exercising more, quitting smoking and getting treatment for high blood pressure and diabetes will help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Chain of Survival- steps to save a victim in cardiac arrest which include: Early Access (call 911), Early CPR, Early Defibrillation (shock to the heart) and Early Advanced Care

Coronary artery disease (CAD) - affects the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle. Narrowing of the arteries in the heart can lead to a heart attack. CAD may show up as:

Angina pectoris- temporary chest pain or pressure brought on by physical activity. The pain usually lasts between 2-15 minutes and is relieved by rest and nitroglycerin. If rest and nitroglycerin do not relieve chest pain in 15 minutes, 911 should be called and the patient should be evaluated at the hospital for possible heart attack.
Heart attack- usually occurs when a blood clot completely blocks a coronary artery and kills heart tissue. Symptoms of a heart attack include chest pain that can be described as pressure, fullness or a squeezing sensation located in the center of the chest behind the breastbone. The pain may spread to the jaw, shoulder, neck, and upper back or down one or both arms and usually lasts more than 15 minutes. Other symptoms of a heart attack are fainting, cold clammy skin, nausea, shortness of breath and denial about having a heart attack. This denial behavior is usually what causes the victim to delay getting medical treatment in a timely manner. As a person waits to get treatment, heart muscle dies and the risk of complications or death increases. If a person who is experiencing heart attack symptoms tries to deny there is a problem and is having symptoms of a heart attack, the rescuer should go ahead and activate EMS and monitor the patient until they arrive.
Stroke - results from the blockage or rupture of an artery in the brain. Symptoms include: intense headache of sudden onset, facial, arm or leg weakness or numbness, double vision or loss of vision, especially in one eye, difficulty walking, talking, swallowing or loss of consciousness. Treatment is the same as for heart attack. If symptoms persist for more than 15 minutes, activate EMS and stay with the patient until they arrive. High blood pressure is the number one risk factor for stroke.

Infant and Child Safety - the most common causes of fatal injuries in infants, children and adolescents include motor vehicle crashes, bicycle-related head injuries, burns or smoke inhalation, falls, toy injuries and drowning. No environment is totally safe. Prevention is the key to protecting children from accidents and injuries. Never leave children unattended.

Motor Vehicle & Traffic Safety - Motor vehicle accidents are the number 1 preventable cause of death in children. The back seat is the best seat for children 12 years or younger. No infants or children in car seats should be placed in the front seat of a car with a passenger-side air bag. Guidelines for proper restraint of children in cars are: Infants less than 20 lbs.- use rear-facing car seats in the back seat. Infants more than 20lbs-4year old children-use car seats in the back seat. Children over 4yrs-adults-Use lap and shoulder belts. Booster seats may be needed for 4-7 yr. olds. Call Auto safety hotline at 1-800-424-9393 if you have questions about children and airbag safety. Children riding bicycles should always wear helmets to protect from head injuries.
Burns & Smoke Inhalation - Most indoor burns are caused by scalding from hot liquids. Hot water heaters should be between 120F-130F. Each level of the building should have a smoke detector. Never leave a child unattended while cooking, bathing or ironing.
Falls - The most frequent cause of injuries in children under 6. Falls occur out of cribs, on stairs, and from falling out of windows. Check cribs to make sure they meet government standards for safety. Provide lighting, remove toys, tack down loose carpet & use gates to protect children from falling on stairs or out of windows.
Toy injuries - Most injuries from toys occur when children fall over, choke on pieces or get hit with the toy. Be sure the toy is age appropriate. Don't leave toys lying on ground. And again, supervise children as they play with toys.
General rules of CPR are:

The rescuer never does anything that the victim can do for himself such as breathing etc.
The rescuer always checks each step such as airway, breathing and circulation before administering CPR.
If a rescuer needs to perform CPR on an adult and he is alone, he should activate the EMS before starting CPR. If the victim is a child or infant, the rescuer should perform approximately 1 minute of CPR first to deliver some oxygen and then activate the EMS system, because respiratory failure usually causes circulatory failure in children. According to AHA guidelines, infants are newborn-1yr., children are 1-8yrs and adults are persons over the age of 8.

Sequence of CPR - This sequence is the same for adults, children and infants except where stated. When a person collapses, the following steps should be done in this order:

Check the scene to be sure it is safe for the rescuer to enter- if scene is not safe, do not enter. Call 911.
Put on barriers to protect against blood /body fluids exposure
Check for responsiveness- this is the way to prevent a rescuer from performing CPR on someone who has only fainted.
Call for help-send someone to activate EMS.
Perform ABC Check:

ABC CHECK
A=Airway Open airway with the head tilt/chin lift maneuever if the rescuer does not suspect head, neck or back injury. Put one hand on the forehead and place two fingers under the bony part of the chin and lift up. This lifts the tongue off the airway and allows air to pass unobstructed.

If head, neck or back injury is suspected, do the simultaneous jaw thrust with cervical spine immobilization. Place one hand on the forehead to stabilize the head. Without lifting the head back, lift the chin up. This movement lifts the tongue off the airway without moving the head, neck or back, which could cause damage. The most common cause of airway obstruction in unconscious victims of all ages is improper opening of the airway, which leaves the tongue sitting on the airway.

B=Breathing- involves two steps.

1. To check breathing, the rescuer needs to look, listen and feel for breathing. He should turn his head and look at the victim's chest to see if the chest is rising and falling, listen to see if he can hear breathing and feel for breath on his cheek. All three steps should be done simultaneously.

2. If no breathing is detected, the rescuer should pinch the victim's nose and deliver 2 slow, full breaths over a period of 2 seconds. The rescuer should look at the chest and deliver only enough breath to expand the chest adequately. If the rescuer breathes too fast or too forcefully, gastric distention occurs which force air into the abdomen and increases the likelihood that the victim will vomit.

A special breathing situation is drowning. If the victim has been in cold water submersion, his metabolism slows. Recovery may be complete even after 10-40 minutes of submersion; so CPR and life support should continue for that amount of time. After a victim has been rescued form the water, if the victim is not breathing, rescue breathing should be done (1 breath every 5 seconds for adults, 1 breath every 3 seconds for infants and children.) These rates are to be delivered in any situation where a victim is not breathing but has a heartbeat.

C=Circulation-involves 2 steps:

1. To check circulation, the rescuer checks for return of color (no blueness), signs of movement, coughing or breathing in response to the 2 breaths given. Do not check for more than 10 seconds. If there are no signs of circulation, the victim needs chest compressions as well as rescue breathing.

2. To perform chest compressions for an adult:

Kneel next to the victim's chest and place the heel of one hand on the lower half of the breastbone right between the nipples. Place the heel of the second hand on top of the first hand and clasp the fingers together. Lean forward so your shoulders are above your straightened arms and hands. You should be able to look directly down on your hands.
Compress 1.5-2 inches for adults. For children, use the heel of 1 hand and compress 1-1.5 inches on the lower 1/2 of the sternum. For infants, use 2 fingers (1 finger below the nipple line) and compress 1/2-1 inch. Another practical way to compress hard enough to do effective compressions is to look at the width of the victim's chest and compress 1/3-1/2 the width of the chest. Assessing depth in this manner works for all ages and body sizes.
The compression rate for adults is 15 compressions/2breaths (4 cycles/minute) and 5-compressions/1 breath for infants and children (20 cycles/minute). The compressions should be delivered at a rate of about 100 compressions /minute (slightly faster than 1 compression per second) for adults, children and infants.
After performing CPR for a minute (and every few minutes after that), the rescuer should recheck the ABCs to see if anything has changed in the patient's condition and provide whatever care the patient still needs.
If the victim is breathing , has a pulse and there is no worry about a head, neck or back injury, roll him on his side to protect the airway in case he vomits. Stay with the patient and continue to recheck ABCs until the ambulance arrives. Restart CPR if the victim's condition warrants.
Once a rescuer starts CPR, he should not stop unless the patient revives, someone of equal or greater training comes to relieve him, he is too exhausted to continue, or a signed "Do Not Resuscitate" order is presented. If the rescuer loses track of how may cycles have been completed he should stop compressions, go back to the victim's head, perform another ABC check and start a new cycle, continuing to do for the victim what he cannot do for himself.

Care should be taken to place hands and fingers in the correct position to avoid injury to the patient as CPR is performed. However, rib fractures, laceration of the liver or other internal complications can be minimized but not totally eliminated by effective technique. If the rescuer feels like he has fractured a rib, he should stop long enough to ensure proper hand placement on the chest and then continue with CPR. Fractured ribs can be treated at the hospital- Dead brain tissue cannot be treated anywhere! All victims should be evaluated by a medical professional for complications, even if they seem fine.

Entrance of 2nd Rescuer to replace 1st Rescuer- 2nd rescuer appears and says, "I know CPR. Can I help?" then asks if EMS has been called and checks the pulse. If there is no pulse, the 2nd rescuer starts 1 rescuer CPR while the 1st rescuer checks the pulse and watches the chest rise and fall to make sure compressions and breathing are adequate. Rescuers should alternate roles until EMS arrives.

Foreign Body Airway Obstruction-Care should be taken to try to prevent choking emergencies from occurring. Supervising children when they eat, cutting up food properly and checking floors and cribs for small objects that can obstruct tiny airways are some ways that choking emergencies can be prevented. It is common for an adult or older child victim to grasp at his throat when choking. This sign is known as the universal distress signal for choking.

When the rescuer recognizes this signal, he should go to the victim and ask "Are you choking?" If the victim shakes his head yes, the rescuer should ask, "Can you speak?" If the victim cannot speak, breathe, cannot cough, is turning blue or making high pitched weak sounds, the rescuer should intervene.

The rescuer should say, "I can help you" or "I know the Heimlich Maneuver" to the victim because the victim is usually panicked. This statement will help the victim remain calm so the rescuer can assist him.

To perform the Heimlich Maneuver on a responsive child or adult:
1. Stand behind the victim and make a fist with one hand.
2. Place the thumb side of the fist on the victim's abdomen, slightly above the navel and below the breastbone( Xyphoid Process).
3. Grasp the fist with the other hand and provide quick upward thrusts into the victim's abdomen
4. Continue to deliver thrusts until the victim goes unconscious or the obstruction is relieved. If the victim loses consciousness, ease him to the floor protecting the head, neck and back, activate 911 and start CPR. Each time the airway is opened to attempt rescue breaths, look in the mouth and remove any foreign body that is seen. DO NOT PERFORM BLIND FINGER SWEEPS ON A CHILD OR INFANT BECAUSE THEIR AIRWAYS ARE TOO SMALL.

If the choking victim is an infant (newborn-1Yr), the rescuer should check to see if the child can cough or breathe. Infants turn blue quickly. An infant will not speak or give the rescuer the universal distress signal so the rescuer must listen for high pitched weak sounds or no sounds at all. In addition to being silent or making high pitched weak noises, if the infant is turning blue, cannot breathe or cough, the rescuer must intervene.

To perform the Heimlich Manuever on a responsive infant:
1. Pick up the infant supporting the head and neck by placing one finger under each ear on the jaw and position the infant face down on the rescuers arm. The rescuer's hand should support the head and face. Keep the infant's face down to allow gravity to work with the rescue effort.
2. Deliver up to 5 back blows with the heel of the rescuers' free hand in the center of the chest in between the shoulder blades of the victim.
3. Next, turn the infant onto his back while supporting the head onto the rescuer's other arm- face up. Keep the rescuer's arm down to allow gravity to assist in the effort.
4. Give up to 5 chest thrusts using 2-3 fingers positioned over the lower half of the breastbone ( in the same place as chest compressions are performed for CPR)
5. Alternate 5 back blows and 5 chest thrusts until the object is dislodged or the infant becomes unresponsive.
6. If the infant becomes unresponsive, attempt CPR. During CPR, each time the rescuer opens the airway to provide rescue breaths, he should look in the airway and remove any foreign body seen. DO NOT PERFORM BLIND FINGER SWEEPS ON CHILDREN AND INFANTS BECAUSE THEIR AIRWAYS ARE TOO SMALL.
7. Phone 911 after approximately 1 minute of CPR if alone. Have someone else activate 911 when the victim loses consciousness if there is someone available.

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2002-09-06T22:18:00.000-04:00

CPR: REVIEW
ADULT
(over 8) CHILD
(1-8) INFANT
Birth-1
Position of airway Head tilted back Head neutral or slightly extended Head neutral or slightly extended
Time for each ventilation 2 seconds 1 1/2 to 2 seconds 1 1/2 to 2 seconds
Rescue breathing rate Once on every 5 seconds (12 / minute) Once on every 3 seconds (20 / minute) Once on every 3 seconds (20 / minute)
Location of pulse Neck (carotid) Neck (carotid) arm (brachial)
Length of time for first pulse check 5 to 10 seconds 5 seconds 5 seconds
Location of compressions Lower 1/2 of stermum Lower 1/2 of sternum Lower 1/2 of sternum
Compression Hand Heel of both hands Heel of one hand 2 fingers placed one finger width below the nipple line
Depth of Compressions 1 1/2 to 2 inches
(1/3 to 1/2 chests total width) 1 to 1 1/2 inches
(1/3 to 1/2 chests total height) 1/2 to 1 inch
(1/3 to 1/2 chests total height)
Rate of compressions 100 / minute 100 / minute 100 / minute
One Rescuer
Compression rate / ventilation rate 15:2 5:1 5:1
When to call 911 When unresponsive After one minute of CPR (20 cycles) After one minute of CPR (20 cycles)

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2 RESCUER CPR
ADULT
(over 8) CHILD
(1-8) INFANT
Birth-1
Position of 2 Rescuers 1st Rescuer @ Head of victim:
Performs ABC Checks
Performs rescue breathing with mask and bag apparatus
2nd Rescuer @ chest of victim:
Performs compressions
Signals change in position of rescuers when tired
Same as adult Same as adult
Technique used to open airway 1. Head/neck/back injury:
Jaw to the chest with cervical spine immobility
2. No head/neck/back injury:
Head tilt - Chin lift Same as adult Same as adult
Time for each ventilation 2 seconds 1 1/2 to 2 seconds 1 1/2 to 2 seconds
Volume of air for each ventilation Enough to make the chest rise Same as adult Same as adult
Rescue breathing rate Once every 5 seconds (12 / minute Once every 3 seconds (20 / minute) Once every 3 seconds (20 / minute)
Location of compressions Lower 1/2 of stermum Lower 1/2 of sternum Lower 1/2 of sternum
Hand placement for compressions Heel of both hands Heel of 1 hand 2 Thumb technique -
Both thumbs side by side over the lower 1/2 of sternum - 1 finger's width below the nipple line
Depth of Compressions 1 1/2 to 2 inches
(1/3 to 1/2 chests total width) 1 to 1 1/2 inches
(1/3 to 1/2 chests total width) 1/2 to 1 inch
(1/3 to 1/2 chests total width)
Rate of compressions 100 / minute (slightly faster than 1 compression/second 100 / minute (slightly faster than 1 compression/second 100 / minute (slightly faster than 1 compression/second
2 Rescuer Compression Rate/Inhalation Rate 15:2 5:1 5:1
When to recheck ABC's once CPR has started After 1 minute of CPR & every time rescuers switch positions After 1 minute of CPR & every time rescuers switch positions After 1 minute of CPR & every time rescuers switch positions

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BLOCKED AIRWAYS: REVIEW
ADULT
(over 8) CHILD
(1-8) INFANT
Birth-1
Conscious 5 Abdominal thrusts,
if not successful, check hand placement and repeat procedure until object is expelled or victim loses consciousness. 5 Abdominal thrusts,
if not successful, check hand placement and repeat procedure until object is expelled or victim loses consciousness. Do continuously
5 back blows
5 chest thrusts
Becomes unconscious Do continuously
- Sweep Mouth
- Breathe
If blocked,
reposition head
- Breathe again
If still blocked,
do continuously:
- 5 abdominal thrusts
- Sweep Mouth
- Breathe - reposition head - breathe Do continuously
- Look into mouth
- Breathe
If blocked,
reposition head
- Breathe again
If still blocked
do continuously:
- 5 abdominal thrusts
- Look into mouth
- Breathe - reposition head- breathe Do continuously
- Look into mouth
- Breathe
If blocked,
reposition head
- Breathe again
If still blocked
- 5 back blows
- 5 chest thrusts
Found Unconscious Open Airway
LOOK, LISTEN, FEEL
- Breathe
If blocked,
reposition head
- Breathe again
If still blocked
do continuously:
- 5 abdominal thrusts
- Sweep mouth
- Breathe - reposition - breathe Open Airway
LOOK, LISTEN, FEEL
- Breathe
If blocked,
reposition head
- Breathe again
If still blocked
do continuously:
- 5 abdominal thrusts
- Look into mouth
- Breathe - reposition - breathe Open Airway
LOOK, LISTEN, FEEL
- Breathe
If blocked,
reposition head
- Breathe again
If still blocked
do continuously:
- 5 back blows
- 5 chest thrusts
- Look into mouth
- Breathe - reposition - breathe
Location of thrusts above navel Above navel One finger width below the nipple line in center of chest
Thrust Hand on Unconscious victim Heels of both hands Heels of both hands 2 fingers
When to call 911 When becomes unconscious After one minute of rescue attempt on unconscious child After one minute of rescue attempt on unconscious child

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2002-08-30T14:39:00.000-04:00

Make sure to click on the archives each time you visit to view all the lead up activities and Games.
GAME of the MONTH for September:
BOAT RACES - place scooter boards(4) underneath a folded tumbling mat . Place 3-5 students on the mat to be pushed to a contact line . Chose another person to be the pusher/ driver/ captain . The driver pushes the boat to the contact line and then one person must exchange places with the driver. Continue the process until all have had a turn to be a driver. As an extra incentive place cones (icebergs) or any objects to traverse for more fun. Any ice berg that is touched consists of a penalty. Time the class how long it takes to complete the boat race and repeat to better a previous score .

2002-08-15T11:47:00.000-04:00

50 Opportunities to say "You're Terrific!"

Praise students for:

entering the classroom quietly

arriving to class on time

cooperating while teacher takes attendance

returning permission slips and school forms on time

transitioning into an activity

following directions

saying "please" and "thank you"

listening attentively

helping a classmate

bringing necessary materials to class

handing in homework

being a polite audience at an assembly

beginning work right away

asking questions when unsure

good behavior during a test

participating in a class discussion

walking appropriately in the halls

working cooperatively with a partner

a performance in a play or presentation

cleaning up

good effort on an assignment

assisting a new students

sharing school experiences with parents

making up missed assignments

making a new friend

good effort on a long-term project

sharing

being sensitive to others' feelings

learning a new skill

appropriate use of school property

returning borrowed books and materials

showing enthusiasm

being responsible for a classroom job

offering help without being asked

not wasting paper and supplies

staying on task

telling the truth

accepting a new challenge

behaving when a guest is in the room

reading at home

participating in school functions

demonstrating a positive attitude

giving one's best effort

participating in a community improvement project

participating in a group activity

remaining calm during a problem situation

showing creativity

keeping busy when work is finished

taking turns

working cooperatively with an aide or volunteer
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Rewards and punishers should be selected that match the significance or meaningfulness of the exhibited action. The following examples were gleaned from materials developed in the RCLT Project at the University of Texas.
Minor /////Smile
Compliment
Cheery note on assignment
Small amount of tokens traded for small reward
Eye contact
Have student state rule broken
Change seats
Isolation
Confiscation of forbidden objects or notes

Moderate///// Posting good work
Positive note to parents
Special privileges
Moderate amount of tokens traded for moderate reward
Staying after school
Loss of privileges
Call to parents
Isolation in special room

Extensive//// Field trips
Large amount of tokens traded for large reward
Trip to principal's office
Loss of special class event (e.g., field trip)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Sixteen Tips for Dealing with Aggressive Behavior:

1. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
2. Teacher tension can often agitate crisis behavior.
3. Always remain calm.
4. Lower your voice.
5. Slow your rate of speech.
6. Arrange the environment to minimize risks.
7. Stand 1 1/2 to 3 feet from a student who is acting out - give the student space.
8. Be aware of your body stance.
9. Dress in a manner that minimizes risk of injury.
10. Remind misbehaving students of the consequences of their behavior.
11. Allow verbal venting.
12. Ignore irrelevant comments; redirect the student back to the problem at hand.
13. Provide choices.
14. Set limits.
15. Use physical restraint techniques as a last resort.
16. Once the student is calm, use the incident to teach alternative, appropriate ways to deal with aggression.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

2002-08-06T15:06:00.000-04:00

GAME of the MONTH : BACKYARD TAG
* Give every team one water ballon between two partners
* Stand about 3 feet apart and toss the balloon underhand style
* On a given signal , the person with the balloon must run away
* The pperson without the balloon chases
* Make two contact lines about 30 eet from the start on each side
* Repeat the process with new partners
* Score one point for a tag or escape

2002-08-06T14:53:00.000-04:00

MAKING P.E. MORE PHYSICAL: Post-Gazette Article :
* Changing P.E. so students spend more time in motion
* The study appears in The Journal of Adolescent Youth(August)
* Students will become more fit after 8 weeks of a new exercise regimen
* An earlier study showed early stages of high blood pressure
* Researchers found four experimental schools used 6-10 minutes of aerobic exercise*
* Classes were then modified by tripling ampount of time of activity
* After 8 weeks - lower blood pressure and lower levels of body fat
NOTE: From New York Times

2002-08-02T12:15:00.000-04:00

TIPS and DRILLS

THROWING and HITTING TECHNIQUE IN SLIDES !

DIFFERENT SLIDES FROM THE REAL PLAYER SLIDESHOW 2.0 by STUDENTS in ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AGE:

http://members.tripod.com/cernicky.g/throwcatch.htm

http://members.tripod.com/cernicky.g/hitting.htm

DEFENSIVE STANCE

The best way to work on the defensive stance is to practice. Get as much practice on the field as you can, and work on fielding both high and low balls with a friend. Be sure to get into an athletic, game-like defensive position, even in practice.

When practicing fielding slow rollers, use as much hand and as little glove as you can without hurting yourself. The line between using two hands and just your bare hand is a fine one. Save the bare hand for balls hit slowly enough that you can avoid hurting your hand and can easily field the play. When the ball is traveling more quickly, use your glove

Practice fielding slow rollers with a partner. Toss slow rollers back and forth,

and remember to charge the balls and release the throw quickly.

Have a teammate or coach hit balls to your left and right at ever increasing

distances. Work on getting in front of the ball so you can avoid using the

backhand. Balls hit at a distance requiring the backhand become that

much easier, since you gain experience getting close to the ball.

Ground ball backhand

Skills Drills

Distance drill

Have a teammate or coach hit balls to your left and right at ever increasing

distances. Work on getting in front of the ball so you can avoid using the

backhand. Balls hit at a distance requiring the backhand become that

much easier, since you gain experience getting close to the ball.

Position drill

Get into the actual fielding position for a backhand-knees bent, your dominant side foot slightly in front of your non-dominant side foot, glove turned over, palm-side down and low to the ground. Have a teammate throw some short hops and field them with your glove, staying in the backhand fielding position.

Quick grip drill To make great throws every time, you need to use the right grip. Practice by tossing the ball a few feet in the air. As soon as the ball hits your glove take it out in the proper grip. Your grip should be the same every time: with your index and middle finger over the wide part of the seams (the four-seam grip).

Distance drill Play catch with a teammate to improve your throwing ability. Vary the throwing distances.

Field a pop-up

Practice solo

Practice! Practice! Practice! You have probably heard it before, but nothing beats practice when it comes to getting good at catching pop-ups. When you are practicing alone, just toss the ball high into the air. Think about approaching the ball quickly, catching it smoothly, and making a quick transition to the throw.

Ground ball jump step

Skills Drills

Hundred foot drill

Practice the jump step with a partner. Stand 100 feet apart and throw long ground balls to each other. Field the balls and take a jump step to throw the ball back to your partner.

Stationary drill Try practicing the jump step simply by running up to a stationary ball, fielding

it and taking a jump step. You do not need to release the ball to practice the

basic motion.

You can practice the jump step simply by lofting the ball high into the air, catching it and taking a jump step. You do not need to release the ball to practice the basic motion.

The crow hop

Skills Drills

Distance drill

Practicing with a friend, stand at gradually increasing distances and throw

grounders back and forth. When you throw, take a crow hop Just shift your weight

back the same way as you do after fielding a ground ball. IT's just a little step and hop before you throw the ball .

Standard grip

Skills Drills

Balance the bat

Practice holding the bat just above the knob with a proper grip and get used to the length, weight and balance of your bat. A bat you can swing comfortably is better than a heavier bat that will force you to choke up.

The standard square stance

Skills Drills

Adjustment drill

Start with the basic stance, then adjust it to what feels most comfortable to

you as you get some experience in the batter's box. Develop a feel for what

works for you.

Accuracy and timing drill

Practice getting into the stance over and over again. Focus on accuracy and

timing. When you hear the words "Batter up!" you want to look smooth, like

a pro.

The linear swing

Skills Drills

Batting tee

Practicing with a batting tee allows you to break down the motions. Once you get the feel for the perfect swing, progress to full speed swinging until you are swinging at "game" bat speed.

Mirror drill Watching yourself in a mirror while you swing helps. Slow it down to see

each part of the motion. Always concentrate on the mechanics of your

swing...and stand far back from the mirror!

Pivot stance sacrifice bunt

Skills Drills

Strike zone

Only bunt pitches in the strike zone.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE HITTING TECHNIQUE CHECK OUT THE FOLLOWING URL :

http://www.batspeed.com/mechanics.html

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Helping students to plan before the lesson so that they:

• are aware of any known medical conditions

• consult relevant school policies such as accident procedure, guidelines on kit, jewellery, long hair etc.

• involved in taking responsibility for checking all apparatus, equipment and the condition of the hall, e.g. after it has been used at dinner times

Helping students to plan for the lesson so that they

• plan tasks appropriate to the age and ability of your pupils

• plan a good structure to the lesson; warm-up, floorwork, apparatus work and cool-down;

• plan for differentiation;

• ensure that apparatus layout is safe, including; check landing areas, storage of apparatus and safe techniques for lifting and transporting apparatus; intended heights from which children will be descending; linking mechanisms for combined apparatus; spacing; suitability for age and ability range;

• plan apparatus layout, key questions will include;

• - how many 'stations' are needed? consider the number of pupils and the amount of apparatus available;

• - where will the apparatus be placed? consider size and shape of the hall

• - is the apparatus appropriate to the age and ability of the pupils? consider if it is challenging, if it promotes the

• development of children's skills, confidence and movement competence

• - how will the groups be rotated around the apparatus? consider the variety of work from one station to another,

• avoid repetition on successive stations; children should walk from one station to another;

• - are the landing areas safe? consider if there is enough room; avoid walls, radiators, tables, chairs, the piano etc.;

• are pupils landing from different directions likely to collide?

• - is the apparatus specifically designed for gymnastics? avoid improvising with chairs etc.

• - have the stations been safely assembled? teacher with student must check this before any child starts work;

• ensure no child starts working until all are ready

• helping students during the lesson so that they;

• - extend pupils knowledge of health-related exercise whenever possible

• - knowledge and understanding of strength

• - flexibility

• - different major muscle groups

• - body tension

• - posture

• -

• - develop pupils' social skills

• - safe practice

• - shared responsibilities

• - moving, assembling/disassembling apparatus

• - sharing space and apparatus

• - planning apparatus layout

• - supporting each other's body weight

• - creating sequences with a partner and small groups

• learn about teacher positioning throughout the lesson and can see all the pupils at all times

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

How Pole Vaulting Works

Pole-vaulting is an incredible sport to watch. The vaulter's technique can be so fluid and graceful, the result of a highly studied technique designed to optimize energy conversion.

In this edition of How Stuff Works we will learn a little bit about the history of pole-vaulting, and then we will explore the physics of pole-vaulting.

History of Pole-Vaulting

The pole vault originated in Europe, where men used the pole to cross canals filled with water. The goal of this type of vaulting was distance rather than height.

In the late 1800s, colleges started competing in the pole vault. Originally the vaulters used bamboo poles with a sharp point at the bottom. They competed on grass, planting the point in the grass (because holes were not allowed back then), vaulting over a pole and landing back on the grass. In the 1896 Olympics, the record, set with a bamboo pole, was 10 ft 6 in (about 3.2 m).

As heights started to increase because of improvements in technique and materials, mats started to be used for landing. Now the modern pole vault takes place on an all-weather track surface, with a box for planting the pole in, and plenty of padding in the landing pit. Modern poles are made of advanced composite materials like carbon fiber. The world record today is over 20 feet!

Vaulting Pole

The vaulting pole is a very advanced piece of equipment. It is constructed from carbon fiber and fiberglass composite materials in several layers. The pole must be able to absorb all of the vaulter's energy while bending, and then return all of that energy as it straightens out. These advanced composite materials waste very little energy when they bend, and have a good strength-to-weight ratio.

A 200-lb (90.72 kg) pole-vaulter needs to put about twice as much energy into the vaulting pole as a 100-lb (45.35 kg) vaulter. But the vaulting pole has to bend about the same amount, this means that the heavier vaulter needs a stiffer vaulting pole than the lighter vaulter. So, the stiffness of the vaulting pole must be carefully tuned to match the weight of the vaulter.

Anything that helps the vaulter run faster on his approach will help him go higher. Reducing the weight of the vaulting pole is an obvious way to help the runner go faster. The carbon fiber poles used today are much lighter than the wood, bamboo or metal vaulting poles sometimes used in the past.

Physics of Pole-Vaulting

First, we'll figure out his kinetic energy when he is running at full speed, and then we'll calculate how high he could vault if he used all of that KE to increase his height and, therefore, his potential energy (PE) without wasting any of it. If he converted all of his KE to PE, then we can solve the equation by setting them equal to each other:

1/2 m v2 = m g h

Since mass is on both sides of the equation, we can eliminate this term. This makes sense because both KE and PE increase with increasing mass, so if the runner is heavier, his PE and KE both increase. So we'll eliminate the mass term and rearrange things a little to solve for h:

1/2 v2 / g = h

Let's say our pole-vaulter can run as fast as anyone in the world. Right now, the world record for running 100 m is just under 10 seconds. That gives a velocity of 10 m/s. We also know that the acceleration due to gravity is 9.8 m/s2. So now we can solve for the height:

1/2 x (102 / 9.8) = 5.1 m

So 5.1 meters is the height that a pole-vaulter could raise his center of mass if he converted all of his KE into PE. But his center of mass is not on the ground; it is in the middle of his body, about 3 ft (1 m) off the ground. So the best height a pole-vaulter could achieve is in fact about 20 ft (6.1 m). He may be able to gain a little more height by using special techniques, like pushing off from the top of the pole, or getting a really good jump before takeoff.

Figure 1. Animation of pole vault

In Figure 1, you can see how the pole-vaulter's energy changes as he makes the vault. When he starts out, both his potential and kinetic energy are zero. As he starts to run, he increases his kinetic energy. Then, as he plants the pole and starts his vault, he trades his kinetic energy for potential energy. As the pole bends, it absorbs a lot of his kinetic energy, just like compressing a spring. He then uses the potential energy stored in the pole to raise his body over the bar. At the top of his vault, he has converted most of his kinetic energy into potential energy.

Our calculation compares pretty well with the current world record of 20 ft 1-3/4 in (6.15 m), set by Sergey Bubka in 1993.

Now that we've done this calculation, let's look at what a vaulter can do to try to break the record. They have two main ways to increase the height of his vault. One is to increase his running speed, which increases the amount of kinetic energy he can use. The other is to make more efficient use of the energy, perfecting his technique so that absolutely no energy is wasted.

2002-07-20T08:41:00.000-04:00

Physical Education News
New PE teachers are faced with many roadblocks that may contribute to Wash_out. Here are some problems and characteristics that are responsible :

Reality Shock- distress experienced due to inadequate preparation during teacher training.

Isolation- geographic and /or professional seclusion

Marginalization- negative perseptions associated with physical education and PE teachers

Workload- duties and responsibilities in addition to teaching load

Deprofessionalization-returning to unproven teaching practices and not staying current in the PE profession

STRATGIES for SUCCESS;

Formal mentoring program
Use current curriculum and tools
Workshops/conferences
Advanced teaching degrees
Action research
Self and peer evaluations
Organize collaborative events within and between schools

2002-07-20T07:43:00.000-04:00

GAME of the MONTH:

POP CAN RUN:

Get six used soda pop can for each team
Make six teams
Place the cans about 30 feet away
Shape them in a pyramid with 3 on the bottom , then stack two , then one on top
Insert one(opposite) team member behind each set of cans
The first person in line rolls a ball to knock over cans
The "setter"must hurry and re-fix the cans
The "roller " must run to a contact line in front of the can and back
If there is a miss(no cans) , next person goes in order
Play stops when all the cans are set back up
A new " setter " is chosen each time
Score one point for each can down and the # of contact lines touched

2002-07-20T07:33:00.000-04:00

SEVEN HABITS of HIGHLY EFFECTIVE P.E. TEACHERS:

Establish an efficient learning environment
Create rules and consequences
Develop acceptable behavior
Set high achievable expectations
Be attentive
Develop effective lessons
Reflect

2002-07-19T14:46:00.000-04:00

Don't forget to check my homepage at the following:

http://members.tripod.com/cernicky.g/resources/index.html

2002-07-18T15:58:00.000-04:00

CHECK BACK EACH WEEK FOR NEW REPORTS AND RESOURCES

WEBSITE of the WEEK :( http://www.sportscampsonline.com )- a vision to provide a community for youth interested in expanding their athletic horizons

TIPS to PREVENT BIKE INJURIES :

stretch and warm up before you ride
condition back muscles by doing sit ups and pelvic bridges
Make gradual increases on a weekly basis regarding distance
know your limitations and stay within skill level
Drink plenty of fluids

2002-07-02T08:08:00.000-04:00

Homemade Equipment:
During the summer break make sure to look for ways to add basic homemade equipment for your curriuculum use such as:
Dryer sheet tubes - use for relay sticks
Dryer sheets(used) - for juggling -like scarves
Golf tubes - javelin or place over traffic cones for hurdling skills
Ditto paper wads- use with tape for a safe throwing and catching piece with younger students
Balloons- write words or numbers on them for integration activities
Film canisters - place paper clips , money or any object for your office
Paper plates - frisbees or bases(write words/questions on the opposite side and if there is an out - answer a question to be "safe"
Shoe boxes- use as skates for a hockey or Olympic unit
Cardboard slats- use as skiis
Carpet squares- use as skates or movement exploration
Plungers- use as ski poles while sitting on a scooter for slolom races in the winter unit
Duct tape - refer to my homepage at http://members.tripod.com/cernicky.g/resources/index.html

2002-06-25T23:35:00.000-04:00

Soccer games

SOCCER LEAD UP SKILLS :

• Toe taps

• Sole trap

• Side of foot trap

• Thigh trap

• Double leg trap

• Heading(soft ball)

• Dribbling

• Passing

• Small sided games using offense /defense schemes

• Goalie play

CIRCLE/LINE/Square Soccer:

Arrange the class into numbers from 1-5 in a square , circle or line formation . Call one number to leave the assigned positions and use scooter boards in the center area. Use more than one ball in a larger space. The number called most try to kick the ball through the remaining players who will act as goalies and to keep the ball away from the players. make sure to have extra soccer balls ready so there is no stop in play. The goalies may not catch the ball but slap it away from the players. Call a new number each time .

SIX BALL SOCCER :

Arrange the class into two separate teams with half the group as goalies on the endline of the b-ball court and the other half at the midcourt line . Give a ball to each player on one side of the line while the opponents place a foot on the ball . The players may roam thecourt and try to score a goal and continue until all scores(6) have been made. Switch places between the players and goalies. Any score must be placed in a box or container to keep that ball out of play.

4 CIRCLE SOCCER :

Align the students into four different circles with one ball at each place. Each player must straddle their legs with no kneeling , squeezing and bending permitted. Chos eone player from each circle to go to another one and try to smack the ball between the legs or two players from the head down. The players will try to keep the ball away from the circle player . After 30 seconds switch to a new player to go inside the circle. The object is to be the group with the fewest gaols allowed. Each player should have an opportunity to go inside an opponents circle .

Earth Ball :

Place a kinball or large beach ball (36") in the center of a large square lined by the students on the sidelines, endline and midcourt line of the b-ball court. Give every other player a nerf ball to kick at the ball . The object is to force the ball over another teams line .Make sure to mention that another player may have a better angle for good teamwork .

Cone ball soccer ;

Place traffic cones at four different places equidistant apart on the endline , sideline and midcourt line. Number the students off from 1-5 , who will be standing in between the cones . Call one number from each team to leave their positions and try to kick the ball through the cones for a score.(below head level) . Have an allotment of extra balls for stray shots . The goalies will try to keep the ball away from the players by rolling the ball to another group of goalies . Call a new number after a few minutes and repeat the process . As an alternative have the teams in between the cones on the same team and the least amount of goals scored wins the score . They will try to score against the three other teams.

Steal the ball soccer :

Arrange the class on each side of the midcourt line with numbers (1-3) and each stdent is equoipped with a game jersey in back pocket or rip tags. Place traffic cones on the midcourtline in the following order:

X ( 1 point) X ( 2 points) X (3 points) X ( 2 pts) X (1 pt) X

The players are scattered and three soccer ball are placed behind each endline in a hula hoop. Call a number to run into the other teams zone and steal the ball . If they are ripped off they must go back to their zone and start again. If a ball is stolen then they place the ball on the floor and try to kick it between any of the traffic cones and the points are rewarded from the grahic above . The first team that scores gets the points . Any ball that is outside the cones counts as no score and that ball is not played. The

two numbers not called have two jobs( rip off and then turn around and try to block the kick into the cones . The number called must( steal the ball and kick) . Nobody is permitted over the endline except the number called. Use the sidelines as out of bounds and that player must return to their zone and start over. Call a new number each time.

PINBALL SOCCER :

Make four different bowling areas with three bowling pins in a triangle configuraion about 12-26 inches apart. Chose one person from each of four squads to stand behind the pins as a setter . The remaining players will line up behind a starting line with the first person equipped with a soccer ball . At each squad place a clipboard and pen to write in the scores for their respective groups. There will be scoring for one point for every pin knocked down. The ball must be kicked with the side of the foot or instep. After a few moments switch setters until all have had a turn . As an integrative project with MATH - have the students computer their percentages of attempts versus knockdowns.

FOUR GOAL SOCCER : Place a goal at each end of the floor and two more at the midcourt lines. Place as many wiffleballs as possible into the center area. Divide the students into four teams of different game jersey colors.

Place a goalie for each team in the net and after a score has been made thta ball remains there until all have been scored. They will try to score at any of the three other goals. Give a point value for the wiffleballs to use as an integrative activity . (red ball - 1 point ; blue ball - two points ; yellow ball - 3 points ; green ball - 4 points ; orange ball - 5 points ) . Change goalies often . The remaining players will start at the goal area and be placed between two traffic cones. Give each player a number and call all new nunmbers after a few moments . Keep a tally after each turn and as an alternative change the point totals to fractions for the older students.

TAG SOCCER :

Furnish one line /squad with pinnies - these are the taggers . The rest of the class is scattered around the gym . PLace 6-8 soccer balls on the floor-these soccer balls will be used to free all the tagged students. If a student is tagged they sit or kneel down on the floor and wait for a soccer pass by any other student who is not tagged. Then that tagged student may re-enter the game. Give a 30 second time limit before you change to new taggers. Mention that the more students who are set free with good passes the less points(for a a tag) the taggers will score. Repeat the process to better the previous score for an alternative approach to the game.

SOCCER/SPEEDBALL :

Arrange the class into three separate lines for each team. The goalie will be at the endline in a goal. The rest of the goalies will be placed between two traffic cones thta are placed 8-10 feet from the goal net. The sideline players are standing at each sideline. The players will roam the floor but start at their own side of the midcourt line. First , you must practice some speedball skills:

• FLIP UP - place ball between feet , jump , and catch the ball

• FOOT SLIDE - place the foot under a rolling ball and it slides up the leg and catch the ball

• JUGGLE UP - from a bounce , juggle the ball off any body part(except "hands") and catch the ball

RULES :

1. Any ball on the floor can't be picked up - play soccer rules

2. Running with the ball is permitted until tagged - at that point the tagger kicks the ball - tagee must move away 3 paces

3. The sideline players pass the ball to their players(soccer kick)

4. The goalies may throw the ball to their players

5. Players may throw , catch , kick and score

SCORING :

• 1 point for a kick between the cones

• 2 points for a run ( only after 3 consecutive throws) outsdie the cones and past the endline

• 3 points for a soccer kick into the net

The game starts with a jump ball as in b-ball and play continues using soccer , volleyball(slapping , hitting) , basketball and speedball skills . The goalie may be removed when there is a score . That person will move between the cones. After a score , the goalies throw the ball to a player. When there is a new line change , the game starts again with a jump ball . The players exchange with the sidelines , the sidelines go to goalies and the goalies go to the players.

NOTE : Remember a ball may be lifted anytime off the fllor using speedball skills .

Y (cone) X (goal net ) X Y( cone)

S

S

(P- PLAYERS)

P P P P P

S

S

S

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< MIDCOURT LINE)<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

S

S

S

S

KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

HOOP SKILL SOCCER :

Arrange the hula hoops around the gym (7-10) and place a ball in each hoop to be used as a safe haven for runners who will stay there until they practice a skill . Choose 4-5 taggers with deck rings to chase the runners. If a runner decides to enter the hoop , they will have to perform one of the following skills in the hoop :

• 5 soccer toe taps

• 5 side taps

• 3 juggles

• 5 tosses to self

After that is performed then they will have to leave the hoop. Any runner that is tagged must give the ring to the tagged person. Establish a 30 second time limit each time. The object is not to perform all four skills before the time limit or nevr to be tagged .

PARACHUTE SOCCER :

Arrange the class around a large parachute numbered off from 1-4 . Place 4-5 soccerballs on the parachute that they will try to pop off by waving the chute up and down at shoulder level(no lifting above head). Call one number to go around the chute in all directions. When the ball pops off the chute onto the floor that ball is taken out of the game. But the number called students must try to either head the ball from a no bounce or juggle the ball back onto the chute. After a time limit a score is kept on how many soccerballs remain on the parachute. Call a new number each time or repeat the process trying to beat the previous record .

KINBALL SOCCER :

Arrange the class into two teams on the jump circle of the b-ball court. The teams will be sitting on the floor and in a crab kick position. Make a dividing line at two places with a traffic cone to differentiate the teams. Assign 2-3 players to stand up behind their respective teams. These will bw the catchers , or the ones who must stop the ball before it lands on the floor by a kick from the other team(crab soccer?). After a few moments switch to new catchers until all had a turn. After a catch that player gived it to the closest teammate.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Basketball Activities

DRIBBLE TAG :

Arrange the class in a scattered formation with each student equipped with a b-ball . Make a boundry that is large at the start(b-ball out of bounds) . The object is to dribble with one hand and steal the ball with the other. A penalty(5 dribbles) occurs if they go over the boundry , lose control or it is stolen . The next time make the area smaller(half court) , then smaller (foul line) .

PAC MAN :

Assemble the class on all the lines on the gym floor , including the 3 point arc and volleyball lines . Chose 2-3 PAC-MEN with a different colored b-ball while all others have a b-ball . All students must stay on the lines and if tagged trade b-balls with the PAC MEN. During the activity have them change directions at the teachers calling. If a student loses the dribble , they must walk off the line and wait until they are set free from another player. Add more PAC-MEN from time to time.

CONE BALL :

Place 12-15 traffic cones around the area while all students have a b-ball . Knock down about half the cones and leave the others up. Chos ewhich team has to knock over the cones while the others pick up while dribbling the b-ball . Most cones up or down wins .

CHAMPION BALL :

Place the students at 4-6 baskets with two b-ball at each place . The first two students in line must dribble (3) times and then touch b-balls . The first basket in wins and then challengs the next person in order. If any student wins (3) in a row , they challenge the next students at another basket . The object is to challenge as many new students and win (3) in arow at each place.

***(basket)

X(player#1) X(player #2)

X X

X X

X X

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ARC BALL :

Place the students on the two arc circles /3 point lines on frisbees or poly spots. In between the teams place a traffic cone to differentiate the teams. There should be about 5-6 poly spots on each side of the cone . There will be two games played at once , thta is , one on each end of the court . To make it easier to check for teammates have two differnt colors of frisbees or spots . Start the game with a two on two set up. Give the ball to any poly spot person who will pass the ball to a teammate . Any shot that is missed and is rebounded must be passed to the closest poly spot player. There will be no stealing a dribbled ball and only three dribbles are permitted . A passed ball may be stolen , then passed to a teammate on the spots. A score goes to the opposite team to start the next play. After a few moments , the players move to the far spots and the two players closest to the cone continue play. The outside players must stay behind the arc .

LINE BALL :

Divide the class into 2 or four teams depending on the class number of students . Start a ball at one end of the a line of students . The first person must hand-off the ball and the passing continues until the person on the other end receives the ball . That person goes to a designated basket and shoots the ball into the hoop before the other person can do so. Exchange new shooters each time. For younger students change the size of the ball and place a hula hoop over the basket to shoot into instead of the regular basket. They may chose either appliance according to their ability .

ALL STAR ACTION :

Divide the class into two teams with one team near the b-ball hoops. If there are six baskets then that will have more chances to score and shoot . The other team stands on a line and must run around the three designated bases in order (first , third and home). When the entire team runs around the bases a stop signal signifies the shooting team to count there number of total baskets. Switch positions and compare the number of baskets made. Repeat the process but for the second time have the runners dribble a b-ball instead.

THREE PASS :

Line up each of two teams on the sidlelines of the b-ball court . Chose the first four players from each team to face each other at the midcourt line. Throw two basketballs toward their designated baskets . After receiving the rolled ball , they take designated spots on the four corners of the foul line -one each on the end of the foul line and the other two at the foul blocks . The person who gets the ball passes to a teammate and the process continues until there are four passes with the last pass the shooter. If that person misses then another person shoots from there position until a shoot is made. At this point those four go to the end of the sidleline and the next four players play.

X X

X X

MONSTER BALL :

Place one group each at the four corners of the b-ball court with all players in each corner in a single file(one behind the other) . The two groups on teams are diagonal and facing each other. Give the two corners a b-ball in which they will try to knock over a bowling pin that is placed in the middle of the floor on the center jump circle. Assign baskets for shooting for each team. If the pin is knocked over those two teamd will go to their baskets and shoot until the other team knocks over the pin .( it is replaced ). At that point the shooting stops and the baskets are counted. Repeat the process .

HIT THE COIN :

Place a coin(quarter) between two teams facing each other. There will be 4-6 teams . They must bounce pass the b-ball and move the coin from a marked square with tape. The objesct is to knock the coin out of the square or farthest from the center of the square. Mark off two lines with tape about 6-8 feet from the taped square .

FREE THROW RODEO :

Assign the students to six baskets(or 4) with a basketball for each group at the foul line area. Place a cone or poly spot along side the free throw line . The object is to make one free throw at each basket. At this point the whole team moves to the next basket in a clockwise order. The person who makes the free throw is the rebounder for the next basket. The reason for the poly spots/cones is that there may be a clogging up with a new group moving around in order. In this case , there may be three groups at a foul line but not likely. If that happens then have one group skip to the next basket and go back later . AS an alternative have them make a foul shot plus a lay up before they proceed to the next basket OR establish a shot clock and time them how long it takes to complete the circuit and repeat for a better score .

BOX BALL :

Arrange the class into two parallel lines about( 20-30)feet apart on designated lines(midcourt and endline). At one end of each line place a hula hoop or box with 4 basketballs. The first person picks up one ball at a time until all 4 balls are passed to the end person. That person will shoot the last ball into a designated basket . First basket scores one point . Change new end people until all have had a turn to shoot .

All of the b-balls must be handed to each person in order and placed in the hula hoop before a shot can be taken .

DEFENSE : At each of six baskets place four poly spots or markers at the foul line corners and under the hoop and equidistant apart. On each spot , place a student and one basketball per hoop. Chose one player to go to the center area while the othe rthree players try to pass the ball(bounce pass , chect pass , overhead pass). The center player must try to steal the ball or in touch it and the person who made the error replaces the center player. make sure to let all players try to play the DEFENSIVE position.

FOUR CORNERS : Arrange the class in the same positions as the defense game except there will be no position in the center. Start the ball at the marker closest to the hoop on the right side . That student takes a shot(lay-up or short shot) . If the shot is made then that person moves to any of the other three positions and all players switch. If there is a miss any closest rebounder will shot from their spot and continue the switch process . The object is for all players to make a shot from all four positions. The first student to complete the courese will be the rebounder. All players will shoot together at their respective baskets. As an alternative have the students pass the ball for a few moments and when "shoot" is called that person takes a shot . A miss will determine another shooter with no switches. The first team that scores wins the point.

X X

X X ( Game set up )

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

HOT SPOT :

Arrange the class at each basket from 4-6 players . Chose one player from each team to start the game. The other players will be standing on poly spots and facing each other around the foul line area. The object is to score a basket before your opponent . Any ball that is rebounded must be thrown to a sideline (poly spot) player. There will be in place dribbling only and a ball may be stolen from a sideline pass. After a score the ball goes to the other team to start over. After a few moments have the players move up one place with the two starting players under the basket. As an alternative change players often for more variety to cahllenge other teams.

X 0

X 0

X 0

X 0

(Starting players)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
GYMNASTIC ACTIVITIES

Before starting the gymnastic unit start at the easiest level and progress in a sequential manner and then stop to adapt the skills to each grade level and ability. Add other domains such as track and field , rhythm gymanstics , skateboarding and an obstacle course/ circuit .

GAMES/ACTIVITIES

FREEZE FRAME

Set up the class in a circuit of five activities that are arranged side by side. Theywill be the following activities:

•

Jump over folded mats in a hurdling position

•

Hop scotch through 9 hula hoops

•

Jump on and off a vault horse

•

Crawl through a series of obstacles

•

Jump to each side of a balance beam

While the students are performing the skills play some upbeat music and then turn it off trying to freeze them at their last position . Repeat often and the protocol is for each student to go to the next line to their left until all have had a turn at each place .

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

SWITCEROO :

Place 12-20 cones in a circular arrangement on one half of the gym at midcourt . The students will start at each cone with some extra students in the center. On the signal "Blast off" they have to exchange to a new cone but there can be no more than two at a cone . For a variation practice the mimetics learned in class or add locomotor skills to perform as they switch to the new cones .

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MAT ATTACK :

Distribute 4-6 mats around the gym area with one student kneeling on the mat and his/her teammates pulling around the gym. The object is for one of e kneeling mat students to tag/touch another mat . At that point that team must wait until a different group can set them free by just bumping against that mat. The object is to set the most teams free or not to be tagged at all . Change new students on the mat often. As a variation the mats may be times in a race to the other end of the gym and then repeat to improve on a previous score.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

MAT PUSH :

Arrange the mats in an upright folded position while the students are paired in groups of four leaning their backs and sitting on the floor . Each group will try to push anothe rgroup to a contact line . Switch groups often for more variety . NOTE : The mats aren't upright standing but folded just enough to assure that the students backs touch the top .

EXAMPLE : V V V V

YOU MUST CHECK OUT THIS WEB SITE FOR AN EXHAUSTING DISPLAY of LEAD UP GAMES /SPORTS and ACTIVITIES. IT IS A VAST PLETHORA OF RULES < DIAGRAMS AND INFORMATION OF OVER TEN DIFFERENT SPORTS and GAMES . CLICK BELOW:

http://www.vcsu.nodak.edu/offices/HPE/faculty/Sharon_McCarriar/Instructional_Guide/Index.html

NEWSPAPER CHALLENGES : give each student a newspaper(24) and have them place it on the floor in a safe area. This will be a good time to review locomotor and non-locomotor skills along with an integration of language arts(reading). By using the written word along with the skills the students will perform the activities such as:

•

S- slide , skip

•

R- run around the paper

•

H- hop

•

G- gallop

•

L- leap

•

W- walk

•

A- around

•

O - over

•

B- between

Also , have them balance the paper on body parts(arm , head , knee , etc.) and have them run with the paper keeping ot pressed againsy their body. The students may perform the skills but trade places with another paper.

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SNEAK OVER : Divide the class into two groups with one on a contact line and the other in the middle . Chose a mimetic(snake , crab , bear , etc.) for the group in the middle to bein as they attempt to tag the running group before they get to the other contact line. If tagged they must join the taggers or have thetagged students return and start over. Make boundries at the sides for safety . Switch places and mimetics each time for more of a variation .

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VOLLEY-PUNCH BALL : After the class participates in one of the PE CENTRAL CHALLENGES(volley hit) divide them into two games on each side of the midcourt line . Chose goalies with one in the net and the others between trafic cones(3-5 feet from net) .The players will try to volley hit the ball to other teammates or hit the ball into the net for (2 pts.) and between the cone(1 point). No player may catch the ball only volleyball hits permitted. The goalies may catch the ball then set it up to a teammate . Start the game with a jump ball . Switch places often and repeat the process. IF space is limited make a square formation with numbers(1-4) . Call one number to enter the middle and try to hit the ball between the other four line goalies. The same rules apply except give the entry players one minute to score as many as they can. Goalies are not permitted to catch the ball and try to keep the ball from the players.

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STATUES :

Arrange the class into partners of two or three students . Before the activity , practice the various balances , twists and turns associated with the tumbling unit such as:

•

Balance on one body part , two , three , four , etc.

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One leg balance(arabesque)

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"v" balance on bottom , straight legs

•

Straddle balance( on floor , legs apart , lift body off floor)

•

Half turn , full turn

Have the partners grasp wrists and swing their partners in a circular plane. On the signal "freeze" , they let go and must be a statue using the above skills. Chose the best statue each time or try not to be the last group freezing. Try new positions in a creative way each time .

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ANIMAL TAG :

Practice mimetics before the main activity such as:

•

Frog , log , dog

•

Snake , crab , bear

•

Crane , kangaroo , mule kick

Place a picture or the word of the animal on cones that are scattered around the area. Each time the students get to a cone they must perform that skill and then go on to the next one. Chose a few "ITS" to try to tag them as they move to the next cone. If tagged they must exchange places . Establish a time limit or wait until all get to a cone before starting again.

SNAKES :

Chose 2-3 students who will crawl like snakes inside the half court area of the gym. make all endlines and sidelines out of bounds. All other students must do a locomotor skill that was practiced to escape from the snakes. If tagged they become a snake and help the other snakes . Play until there is only one snake remaining . Repeat the process and change locomotor skills each time .

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TITANIC RIDE: PLACE TUMBLING MATS IN FRONT OF EACH OF SIX TEAMS/GROUPS. PLACE ONE STUDENT ON THE MAT WHO WILL BE IN A KNEELING/CROUCHED POSITION WITH HEAD DOWN. THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE GROUP STAND AT ONE END OF THE MAT. THEY WILL HOLD THE MAT AND DRAG IT TO A CONTACT LINE.AT THIS TIME , ANOTHER PERSON SWITCHES PLACES AND PLAY CONTINUES UNTIL ALL HAVE HAD A TURN . THE RIDE WILL CONTINUE BETWEEN TWO MARKED CONTACT LINES. STRESS SAFETY AND A CO-OPERATIVE EFFORT. AS A VARIATION , THERE MAY BE ARTICLES FLOATING ON THE CONTACT LINES TO BE PLACED ON THE TITANIC MAT(BOAT). SUCH AS:

DECK RINGS- LIFE PRESERVERS

BOWLING PINS- BUOYS

GAME JERSEYS - CLOTHES/ARTICLES

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I will have information posted on my web page for the next four weeks on

my web site that will cover gymnastics and related activities .

But , for now , I will give some brief comments on some ways to develop

a feasible addition to the gymnastics unit . Don't forget about adding

rhythmical gymnastics in your program. Also , within each class you

must adapt the skills to real life situations . By adding an obstacle

course/station progression increases the interest of all the students.

An example may be to fold the mats that it looks like a hurdle. In this

case , the students will jump over each hurdle(track and field) ;

practice take off and landings(gymnastics) , develop turns and spins in

the air , execute various aerial skills(skateboarding) , and participate

in challenging activities that involve climbing , pushing , critical

thinking and plyometrics(co-operative activities). Make posters with

digital pictures for skill progression work and/or station activities

that include upbeat music . Of course , it would help to have acceptable

equipment but by making adaptations , you can vary the choices such as :

place a mat over the bars(elephant vaulting/climbing) ; place a ruether

board(beat board) in front of a crash mat and do various aerial

skills/kinesthetic moves(safely) , cargo nets , traverse climbing boards

, peg boards , rope climb(safety first with mat and for strength not

speed at a very low height) , and ladders. The rhythmical gymnastics

includes work with ropes , hoops and rhythm ball with/without music. The

most important factors for success will be SAFETY FIRST and including

appropriate activities for all students .

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This activity will be apropriate for the grades 1- 3rd level. Place half the class on a contact line and the other in the middle of an area of the half court . The other contact line is 30 feet away . The" Its" or Taggers will be in a mimetic position that is designated by the teacher. These skills should be practiced by the class before the activity commenses. On a given signal the entire contact line runs to the other side while the taggers chase them in the designed position( crab , bear , snake , frog , crane , etc.) Make boundries at the sides for a safe area not to go past such as each sideline. If tagged they start over but they must make it over in a 15-20 second time limit. Change to a new mimetic on the next turn. Switch places often and mimetics each turn.

: TUMBLING and LEAD UP ACTIVITIES

Skill Progression

Log roll

Shoulder roll

Incline roll

Forward roll , squat , straddle , pike

Egg roll backwards

Back candle

Shoulder roll

Backward roll , squat , straddle , pike

Frog balance , head and no head on mat

Headstand

Forearm stand

Mule kick

Short kick handstand

Handstand

Back roll to handstand

Cartwheel

Round off

Handsprings , front and backward

Check out the website below for information about my gymnastic/ tumbling unit . This is also a good site to establish your own BLOG .

http://www.pe4life.blogspot.com

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Here are some MIMETICS and LEAD UP TUMBLING SKILLS:

CRAB WALK

CRANE WALK

FROG JUMP

KNEE WALK

LEAD UP SKILLS

HANDSTAND

CARTWHEEL

ROLL PROGRESSION

START with CRAB JUMP- kick feet

STAY TIGHT - curled up/duck head way under

OPEN UP FROM TIGHT POSITION

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HERE ARE SOME CIRCUIT EXAMPLES

JUMPING over an OBJECT

CRAWLING under the CAVE

WALKING the PLANK !

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GAME of the WEEK

EARTHQUAKE - align the class on a contact line the length of the volleyball boundry line(30 feet) . Place mats at different intervals starting with a short distance to ensure success. The first person will start by leaping from mat to mat while the others follow in a safe distance . After each successful turn spread the mats apart to challenge the students to attain a longer distance. The space in between the mats(gym floor) is where the earthquake spreads. If the floor is touched a QUAKE POINT is counted against that person . For more variation add obstacles such as :

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A folded mat - mountain

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A traffic cone on top of the folded mat - fire or flames

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A hoop - quicksand

Note that noboby is eliminated - just for fun and later they will all forget about quake points.

Fitness Lab

Subject:

Exercise and Movement

Grade:

K-2, 3-5

Brief Description

This lab is used to show children the benefits of exercise through active participation.

Objectives

The learner will complete several stations set up throughout the room. In completing the stations, the learner will identify the activities that brought her/his heart rate up from a resting level.

The learner will experience the benefits of stretching before completing exercise. In doing so, the student will understand the benefits of flexibility and of stretching on a daily basis.

Keywords

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Measurement

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Exercise

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Heart Rate

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Stretching

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Measuring

Materials Needed

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Stations:

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A station for jumping jacks (or just jumping if the child is too young for jacks)

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A station for sit-ups

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A station for running in place

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A station for stretching into a pretzel position (mats if possible, carpet for sure)

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A station for measuring body fat (if your students can do the calculations, some may not, this is not an essential part of the lab)

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Paper sheets to record the learner's heart rate

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Ruler

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Pencils

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A timer that rings loud enough that all students will be able to hear it when it rings

Lesson Plan

This lesson perfectly ends a unit on nutrition and fitness.

Set up the stations around the room and place the students in small groups to complete the stations. I have found that it is best to mix the younger students and separate, by age, the older ones. Begin the lesson by reading the instructions for each station out loud to the entire group. Then, as a group, stretch, beginning with the large muscle groups of the body (the legs) and end with the small groups (the head, neck and arms). Depending on your group you may want to start out each station at 30 seconds. My group of second graders was so excited after two weeks of learning about the benefits of exercise that we started at 1 minute. Set the timer and monitor the groups. When the timer goes off, tell them to walk in place as they count their heart rate (Tell them to start, watch the clock for 10 seconds, then tell them to write down their heart rate by the station number that they are currently at). Rotate all of the students through the stations. If you are on block time you may be able to do this twice and increase the time amount for each station. End with the same stretching routine that you began the class with. Keep the body fat measurements personal but ask the students which stations accelerated their heart rates the most and why that was so. Take some time to discuss the difficulty of each station and also if they think they would be able to do it every day. Some of these exercises may develop into your morning circle activities! The students love them and they are great for them.

Assessment

If you journal, ask your students to write about the exercise activity in their journal. Look for correlations between the students' activity level and their satisfaction with the experience. This should help them develop the desire to make lifestyle changes and demonstrate to them the need for exercise in everyone's life.

•

ALPHABET SKILL LIST/ACTIVITY

•

This idea comes in the form of an integrated activity that shows pracice in previously learned skills and also gives an opportunity to those students who may have difficulty with the GYMNASTIC UNIT . In this way there is not only a great aerobic workout but integration , practice and skills. Each student will receive a laminated alphabet sheet and a particular letter to begin the activity. Play music to enhance enthusiasm and interest and after completion of their letter , they move to the next skill in alpabetical order until all "26" letters are done.

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A- Alligator crawl around the jump circle

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B- Bounce a ball 10 times

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C- Catch a wiffleball off a wall 10 times

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D- Dribble abasketball 5 times in place

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E- Exercise of your choice 10 times

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F- Football throw through a suspended hula hoop

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G- Gallop five paces forward

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I- Inch worm 10 hand steps

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J- Jump rope 20 times

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K- Kangaroo hop 10 times

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L- Leap over any two cones

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M- Roll sideward on the MATS

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N- Write your( name )on the bulletin board

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O- On and off a vaultuing buck one time into a crash mat

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P- Pass a ball to another person 3 times

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Q- Quiet for 5 seconds

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R- Run around the gym one time

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S- Shoot a basket 3 times

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T- (any) Tumbling skill learned in class one time

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U- Underhand toss a beanbag into the hula hoop from the line(10 feet away)

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V- "V" sit balance on the floor for 5 seconds

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W- Walk on an out of bounds line bacwards 5 steps

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X- Throw a ball on the wall marked with an "X"

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Y- Touch 3 yellow objects in the gym

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Z- Zig-zag to each side of the balance beam

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SKILL PROGRESSION:

•

Forward roll

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Log roll

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Frog jump

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Shoulder roll

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Spotting near neck and lower back

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Inclined mat set up

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Backward roll

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Squat position roll to seat , tight body , hands hit floor near ears

•

Repeat but place feet in air(candle)

•

Back shoulder roll(egg roll)

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Rocking back and forth

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Inclined mat with spotting

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Handstand

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Push up position kick up one leg at a time

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Mule kick while moving(kick both feet)

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Stand- place hands on floor and kick to short handstand(45 degrees)

•

Practice against wall(back) or with spotting

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Headstand

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Frog head balance(tripod)

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Spotting at feet and neck(partners)

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Against wall(back/feet)-spotting

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Cartwheel

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Start with a semi-squat into circular plane on a line

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4 point command(foot,hand, foot , hand)

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Spot into side handstand

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Finish 2nd half with spot(waist-cross hands in an "x")

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VAULTING PROGRESSION

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Practice a medium type run for 20-30 feet

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Place a jump/reuther board in front of a crash mat

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Start with a hurdle approach

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Place one foot about 2-3 feet from board/folded mat

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Jump to two feet on board/folded mat

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Knees bent on board - spring off board

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Practice jump and landing skills

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Introduce twists, turns, squats, straddle positions

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Place a short "buck/sidehorse" in front of crash mat

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Jump on and off , landings

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BALANCE BEAM PROGRESSIONS

•

Practice all skills on the floor first

•

Low balance beam- spoting an object for balance(wall, etc.)

•

Vary the heights(line on floor, low beam , high beam)

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Practice non-locomotor skills

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Practice locomotor skills

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HANDSTAND DRILLS

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Lay flat on floor with in a straight body line

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Buttocks squeezed , stomach pulled in, toes pointed

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Partner lifts legs off floor(stright)

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Short kick handstand

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Spot with a partner

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Against a wall

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Kick to handstand-balanced by partner- STRETCH-

Here are some ideas for Rhythmic Gymnastics that may be used for those students who aren't capable of perfroming ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS:

ROPE EXERCISE: Maintain rope in "U" shape., arms and rope swing to forward middle...step backwards , swing rope to each side , arch back with both arms and rope to execute a large horizontal circle . Exicute two forward runs while jumping , half turn to jumping backward. Do a shoulder roll to a kneeling position with rope over head.

HOOP EXERCISE : Hold hoop in frontal plane and swing the hoop to each side. Shift weight to both feet and do a full turn . Slide step to the right and toss the hoop to the other hand. Slide and repeat the toss to the other side. Toss the hoop and repeat on each side. Do a shoulder roll and reverse spin the hoop and catch to a kneeling position.

BALL EXERCISE : Stand on toes and toss the ball into the air , catch and do a front shoulder roll . Leap , toss , leap , toss. Lunge forward and rotate the ball around one leg . Repeat to the other side. Slide and bounce , catch to each side. Bend body forward and do free roll (no hands) to a kneeling position.

RIBBON EXERCISE: Conrtract body(bend) and swing ribbon around the head . Make small circular (360) arm swings through an oval position of the arms/ribbon. Make two short runs with the ribbon waving at the wrist and on the final short run , toss the ribbon to the other hand. Roll back with legs upward(candle) and execute a small wrist circle. Stand and lunge to the right and make a crossing action with the ribbon to front of body. Pose finish looking downward/sideward.
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H0CKEY ACTIVITIES

FLOOR HOCKEY INTRODUCTION

The floor hockey unit has been arranged in a progression of skills such that they are presented from the simple to the complex. Each lesson should be taught with the ability of each student as a guideline.The concept of progression is inherent within the ideas mentioned , provided the students is helped to understand himslf/herself in relation to their movement potential .

VOCABULARY

FACE OFF: Play used to start the game between to players of the opposite team

CHECK : Play used to attempt to take the ball/puck from an opponent with the STICK and not the BODY.

DODGE: Play used to avoid an opponent while maintaining control of the ball/puck

DRIBBLE :Series of short strokes to move the ball in all directions under control

DRIVE : Hard stroke with a backswing

FLICK: Wrist shot having no backswing for close shooting or passing

MARKING : Defensive position when the player mirrors an opponent

PUSH-PASS : Quick wrist stoke having no backswing

STICKING(HIGH): Raising stick above the shoulder

< TECNIQUES AND FUNDAMENTALS>

Holding the stick

grip easily

hands together

left hand still

right hand 12" down

Dribble

Keep ball close

Right hand lower than left

Armes relaxed, away from body

Hands near top of handle

Drive

Hands close together

Pendulum like motion in direction of ball

Body weight follow through with stick in direction of pass

Don't bend wrists

Push-pass/flick

Crouch body with no backswing , stick face direction of pass , sweep stick along the ground, use stick as lever

FLICK: wrist stoke, stick starts with contact of ball

Top of hands swing with greater arc than the blade

Follow through , arm straight and flick wrist

FIELDING & PASSING

Ball must be controlled before passed or played

POINT , POSSESS, PLACE AND PASS

POINT : ...the stick at the ball . lower stick , blade meets squarely, hands apart

POSSESS :.....Blade gives slightly , top of handle will be ahead of the blade=don't shift grip or bend wrist

PLACE :.....the ball before playing it , body weight behind the pass - stroke the ball

PASS :...... keep the ball close to floor - field or stop a ball with feet together

STOP:.....Give with the ball to stop on stick- no rebound

CHECK....meet stick to stick , keep eye on opponebts stick , anticipate= timing and control body weught , alert to change direction ; left hand lunge = two hands on stick , not too close to opponent , draw stick across body and reach toward the ball as stick meets ball in lunge position. Player must be ahead of the opponent with ball

FOULS:

1. Raise the stick above the shoulder

2. Hit he ball dangerously into another player

3. Stick must always stay in the hands

4. Pushing , shoving , charging , tripping

5. Strike , hook an opponents stick

6. Run in front of an opponent to break their stride

7. Allow feet , shoulder, body to interfere with opponent

HELPFUL HINTS:

* Keep stick at waist level

* Use flat side of stick

* Field the ball before hitting

* To field the ball - face direction of attack

* Go to meet a pass

* Move away from an opponent to create an open space

* Pass to an open teammate rather than wait to draw an opponent

LEAD UP GAMES/ACTIVITIES

GOALIE HOCKEY:

Place the class into four groups in a square formation with all the students with a hockey stick and as many pucks , rings , bean bags, etc. as available. Start the activity with the equipment on the floor and remind them that all shots are to be taken from their contact line. Any equipment in the middle area must be brought back or passed to an outside teammate . By lining up on the volleyball lines of the floor plus the middle-court line of the b-ball court works best. In this way , the basketball endlines and out of bounds will be used as the scoring lines for ease of not making other lines. Any puck , etc, that passes those lines is a score and must be left there(can't be played). The team that permits the least amount of scores wins each time. The object is to block and score at the samr time. There is alot of scoring and equipment so action should be at a high level. Play until a time limit or all equipment has been scored.

HOCKEY DODGE:

Arrange the clas into two groups- one team facing each other scross the sidelines of the b-ball court or on the volleyball lines. They will be armed with hockey sticks and styrofoam pucks , deck rings, beanbags, etc. The other two groups will be on a contact line about 30 feet from the other line to run to. On a signal , the runners will have to make it to the other line before they are hit on the SHOES/FEET by the sideline players. After two tries switch teams and repaet the process.

BILLIARD HOCKEY:

Arrange some tumbling mats in a square formation(four of them placed with a small opening at each of the corners to be used as pockets. Chose a colored wiffleball to use as the cue ball. The object is to hit the cue ball into the other wiffleballs(colored) into the small openings . Use more than one set-up/games for more participation. This can be played within individual or partners depending on the number of tumbling mats. Each person takes turns taking a shot. The activity starts with a break like in the game-BILLIARDS- and play continues. This can be used like in a golf game , too , with the holes being the opening areas at the corners . It any event , use the proper grip, stance and techniques in previous lessons.
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WIFFLEBALL ACTIVITIES

TWO BALL: Arrange the class with partners about 6-8 feet apart . Scatter as many tennis balls/wiffleballs in the gym area. On a signal the partners must go to as many different balls in a 30 second time limit. After two catches they move to the next ball. Chose different types of throw each time and try to beat the previous score(rollers, one bounce , no bounce)

TWO BALL ALTERNATIVE: Arrange the class into each side of the midcourt area in a scattered formation. Use 2-4 wifffleballs on each side. The object is to have the opposite team "stuck" with more wiffleballs. The game starts with a thrower who must toss it to another person on their team.That person then throws to another person(2 throws). The second catch person then rolls the ball to the other side of the midcourt line . After a certain time limit -count the balls on each side.

TWO BASE: Divide the class into groups of four with two poly spot bases and two traffic cones. The ply spots should be about 20-30 feet apart and the cones about 15-20 feet apart. Start a runner at each poly spot and thowers at each cone. The throwers will toss back and forth and runners back and forth. After the time limit , compare the tosses with the running bases and try to beat what the other group did . Repeat for a better score.

WALL BALL: Arrange the teams between traffic cones(3) that are placed about 8 feet apart. The first cone should be about 4-5 feet away from the wall . There will be two players on offense who will bounce the ball off the floor and then rebound against the wall . After a toss the next player has a turn. The players in the field will try to catch the ball before it hits the floor and when there are 3 outs , switch teams and repeat the process . Here are some ideas for more play and less arguements:

1. Any ball outside the cones is an out.

2. Any ball that doesn't pass the first cone is an out.

3. A ball hitting the wall first is an out.

4. Make 7-8 courts for more action .

5. Switch teams after 3-4 minutes

6. Next thrower should wait between the cones

7. Any interference is a replay

NELLIE BALL: Use the same alignment but this time use a bigger ball like a volleyball/playball. Throw it above a designated line(8 feet on wall) and another player must catch it before it hits the floor. The ball must be thrown from where it is caught and may be thrown to a partner who may be closer to the wall. Points are scored with every ball on the floor or when a partner drops the ball from a teammate. As before make 7-8 courts , usually , this means that there will be four courts facinfgeast-west or north -south . Practice which ball best suits each class . The smaller the ball the harder it will be or the harder the ball , too.

FOUR BASE RUN/THROW:

Divide the class into 6-8 different areas in the following set-up: Place two bases about 25-30 feet apart. Next , and parallel to the bases are two cones about 15-20 feet apart . Arrange two players to throw the ball back and forth next to the cones. Place one runner to traverse the bases for 30 seconds. Count the number of throws and the number of runs to the bases . After the 30 seconds switch partners and try to beat the throws and runs each time. Repeat the process to improve on the previous score.

CRICKET BALL

Arrange the class into 2-3 courts with traffic cones dividing the games . Place two bases on each court -home and second . Put a hula hoop about 6-8 feet away from home and in foul ground. A catcher must stand in the hoop at all times. The players are arranged in positions on each court with 4-5 batters waitindg in a designated safe/dugout area. A batting tee may be used in some classes instead of the pitched ball(one or no bounce). After the ball is hit , the runner runs to second base first . The next batter does the same but the runner on second must come home. At any time the runners will go to the next base at their peril. When the ball is fielded , it must be thrown to second or home. If they are caught between the base(es) then it is an out . The catcher must stay in the hoop and an errant throw must be made by another player . Switch after 3 minutes and repeat the process .

ANYTHING GOES

Place tumbling mats at the origonal base positions. After the ball is hit , kicked , punched or from a stationary tee , the runner may run to any base as all the runners can BUT all bases must be touched before coming home. There is no limit to the number at each base . Have a pitcher stand in a hula hoop to receive the ball from the fielders . If a runner is caught in between the bases it can either be an out or return to the base area they just left. Switch after a few minutes and repaet the process.

BOMBARDMENT

Divide the class into two groups separated by the midcourt line of the b-ball court. Give each team 4-5 wiffleballs or beanbags that either must be sliding on the floor(bean bag) or rolled(wiffleball). The players are scattered throughout their half court. They must either block the oncoming tosses or throw the bal/beanbag themselves. They will try to hit the back wall on the opposite side of the floor. Any ball/beanbag that is scored is out of play and the team with the least amount on their side is deemed the winner . As a variation with the wiffleballs is to place teammates behind the endline and they will place the balls in a box . The beanbags will easily stay on the floor . NO player may take the ball from the scoring area - it must be kept there .

FOUR LINE THROW

Arrange the class into four parallel lines with the front line of each team abput 20 feet from their teams backline players. Make a free space or neutral area about 10-12 feet between the teams. Give 2-3 players a soft ball to each front line. They must only roll the ball or a one bounce toss for a score. The object is to get the ball past the front line and also the backline players for a score from head level. Place cones at each ends back line for boundries. The front line are blockers and tossers. The back line is a blocker and toss the ball to their own front line. Back line players may not score. After a few moments have the lines switch from front to back.

ANYTHING GOES PART II

Arrange the teams in baseball/softball position with the batting team given the opportunity to use any type of euipment they chose. They may be as follows : Paddle ball , racquet ball , wifflebat(stationary tee , too), tennis racquet or hockey stick. No upcoming batter may use the equipment of the previous batter. The next time at bat they must never use the implement twice during the activity. The fielding team may only tag the runners as there are no force outs. A ball that is caught in mid-air is also an out. The whole team bats and then switch places. As a variation have no outs but must freeze at the last position when the ball is received by the pitcher.

CONEBALL

Divide the areas into three sections with a batting team placed at each section(three batters from the same team hit similutaneously). Place a hula hoop(different color and the same color wiffleball for each section.(blue hoop/blue wiffleball). The teams are numbered 1,2,3 with (one's) at bat and (two/three) in the field at each section. Place traffic cones at designated distances. The batter must run around any number of cones that he/she thinks they can make safely. The furthest cone is 3 points , then two and then one. If the ball is retreived by the fielder and thrown to the catcher by the hoop , it is an out if that runner is caught in between the arranged cones. The catcher must catch the ball , boune it in the hoop once and catch it off the rebound. When the whole team bats , then call a new number to bat.
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VOLLEYBALL

BALLOON BALL : Give each person a balloon of various colors. Practice the skills that follow :

• Set up

• Bump

• Dig

• Serve

• Partner pass

Call out the names of the skills in rapid order . The students must change on your command...set , set , bump , dig , set , dig ,bump and do so without catching the balloon . Next , place one balloon on the floor and volley the balloon while reciting the alphabet. The object is to go as far as possible without the balloon touching the floor . As an alternative have the students hit the balloon off recited(you designate) body parts without error.

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BALLOON BASEBALL :

Match up the students with two balloons between partners.One student tosses the balloon to the partner . The other partner hits the balloon (with his/her? balloon) while the "fielder/pitcher" tries to catch it before it hits the floor. Switch positions often , or change to new partners .

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BALLOON RACE :

Line up all the students on a contact line with a balloon . On a signal they must hit the balloon to another line about 20-30 feeet away without losing possession . Change the type of hit each new turn .

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VOLLEY -LOON :

Arrange as many traffic cones around the gym with a broken hula hoop inside for a net. The rainbow adaption serves as a guide to hit the balloon over and the cones are a boundry. The arrangement is played on the knees or tumbling mats. It may be arranged for one on one or small groups by attaching more cones beside each other. Change to new partners often .

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FALLING STAR:

Place an equal amount of players on each side of the net . Near a sideline place a box or container. Have the players toss or hit the ball over the net while the opposing side will try to catch it before it hits the floor. If caught the ball is placed in the box . The object is to catch more balls then the other side. Use about 8-10 different type balls for variety .Repeat the prcocess.

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ANYTHING GOES :

Set up the net and include two more nets that are attached to the center and on the b-ball rim(or standards) on each side of the court. The set up will resemble a 4 square arrangment or quadrant . Give each quadrant an article to toss over the net( game jersey , deck ring , v-ball , paper wads , balzac

ball , frisbbee , etc.) the object is to have the least amount equipment in their quadrant . Repeat the process .

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PARACHUTE V-BALL :

Use small 6-8 feet parachutes on each side of the net with 5-6 partners holding the chute at waist level . Place a ball on each chute and try to flip it over the net . The opposing side will try to catch it before the ball hits the floor.

A large blanket can be used as the parachute . A pre-requite to the activity is to practice tossing the ball off the parachute . Give each student a number and call it as the others try to flip the ball of f the chute .The number called must catch the ball before it hits the floor .

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HOOP V-BALL :

Place one hula hoop on the floor on each side of the net . The serving team starts with a toss or serve over the net . The receiving team has 3 hits to get the ball to their partner in the hoop . That person must catch the ball for a score. Repeat with the other team serving. Change hoopplayers often.

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KINBALL V-BALL :

Divide the teams into a boys and girls group with one of those playing and the other on the sideline . Start with a toss up at center court with the Kin Ball or large beach ball . The object is to hit the backboard or rim of the opposing teams side. Any ball that hits the floor goes to the other team with a free serve. If the Kin ball hits the board/rim and is caught by an opposing player before the ball hits the floor - negates the score . A player on the scoring team may not interfere with the negation. Switch positions often. The sideline must hit he ball to their teammates and stay behind a contact sideline.

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CHECK OUT THE VOLLEYBALL SLIDESHOW(REAL PLAYER)

http://members.tripod.com/cernicky.g/vball.htm
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2002-06-25T23:30:00.000-04:00

SEASONAL ACTIVITIES

FLAG FOOTBALL :

• Nerf footballs

• Pinnies / game vests

• Rip tags

• Traffic cones

• Kicking tee

SKILLS :

• Throwing and catching technique

• (check out the tips and drills from the start page)

• http://members.tripod.com/cernicky.g/throwcatch.htm

• Place kicking and punting

• Defensive technique - mirroring and rip off skills

• Pass patterns

• Centering or snapping

• Pathways - moving in safe directions using agility and coordination skills

RULES :

• Adjust rules to equipment and spatial configuration

• Adapt skills to each classes ability

• Participate in small sided games

NOTE : Practice skills utilizing one ball between two partners

ASSESSMENT :

• Use a rubric or task sheet for individual improvement

• http://www.pecentral.org

LEAD UP GAMES :

TWO PASS : Assemble the class into a scattered formation with one football between two students. After practicing throwing and catching skills have them toss the ball back and forth from about 6-8 feet away from their partner. On a signal , or designated upbeat music , the person who catches the ball last must run away from their partner within 10 seconds. On the stop signal , the points are scored as follows:

• If the chaser tags the runner then score one point

• If the runner can't be tagged or ripped off score one point

• Any bumping into another group subtracts one point (pathway practice)

As an alternative switch partners after a short time or decrease/increase the distance between partners.

TWO PASS and RUN : Place 10-14 footballs on the floor in a scattered position on the gym floor. Match up any two designated partners. On a signal , the class with their partners must run to any football and complete two successful passes. Next , they place that ball on the floor and go to another ball . Establish a 30 second time limit each time and try to beat the previous score . Exchange partners often and check to see if they are doing the proper techniques of throwing and catching .

FOOTBASEBALL : Arrange the class into two fifferent teams on each side of the midcourt line. The players are in a scattered position with one team at bat and the other in the field. Number the players equally on each side . That is , the #1 pitcher will face the #1 batter . The batter catches the ball from the pitcher . If caught , the "Batter" may place the ball on the floor or punt it and then run the bases in order. The fielders must throw the ball to the pitcher or relay the ball between players. When the ball is received by the pitcher , the runner(s) must freeze at their last place of running. Each team bats for 2-3 minutes and continue until all have pitched . Switch places every time limit.

STEAL THE BALL : Place 24 + footballs in the center area between 4-8 teams. At each area place a box or hula hoop for the footballs to be placed after it is taken from the middle area. Each player goes one at a time , places the ball in the hoop and tags the next person. The object is to take as many footballs until all are gone. As an alternative , the next time , when all the footballs are gone , then take one ball from any of the other teams. After a designated time limit count the footballs .

THREE LINE RUN : Establish three separate running lines about 15-20 feet apart . The starting , middle and finish lines are the running lines to be called in random order. The object is not to be the last person or group to the last line after a designated time limit. For example ? Call finish , start , middle , start , start , middle.........then wait and no call . The last line called will be the final line to trick the runners. This agility drill will prepare them for pass patters and defensive maneuvers.

SHADOW DRILL : The play will be different inside and out . On a sunny or partly cloudy day have the students try to step on the other players shadows shadows . Keep an individual total each time and then repeat for a better score. Inside play will be played with partners . Establish one asa runner and the other the chaser . Give a 15 second time limit to have the chaser be able to stray with the runner . After awhilw stop the action and see if the chaser can be within an arms distance with the runner . Change places and partners often.

PARTNER TOSS : Arrange the class into two separate groups on each side of the midcourt line. Place 2-3 footballs on the floor to start the activity . On the signal to start , the students pick up the ball and toss it over to the other side within the boundries , which are the sidelines of the b-ball court. Any ball that goes past that line is let out of play . The endlines are in play which has a a wall as a boundry. After the ball is received , that person must throw it to a teammate , who then throws or rolls the ball to the other side. The object is to be the group witout the most footballs .

STEAL THE BALL : The class is scattered on each side of the midcourt line with rip tags or pinnies tucked in the back. Place 3 footballs beyond each teams endline inside a hoola hoop or box. Give the class numbers from 1-3 . Call a number to leave their zone and try to steal the ball from the hoop . The othe two numbers will try to rip off the tags . IF ripped that person must go back to their zone and start over again .No person is permitted over the endline except the number called. After a ball is stolen , the passer(stolen ball) must try to throw the ball to a teammate in their zone. Any ball that is dropped stays out of the game. The first team to complete a pass wins the score point. Call new numbers each time . The sidelines are also out and that constitutes a return to the zone to start over. As an alternative replace the ball and the first team to complete al three catches wins the points.

SCOOTER-FOOTBALL : Chose two teams with equal numbers with one in the field and the other at bat and on scooters. The scooter team starts from one sidline to the other after the football is either punted or place kicked into the field. At this point all scooter players take off back and forth. Anybody from the fielding team may receive the ball and start a passing rotation. To ensure proper distances place poly spots or frisbees in a scattered position. After the ball is caught that person sits down and the rotation continues until all have caught the ball ans sit down. If the scooter team comes back first they will win. If the fielding team completes their rotation and sit down first then they win. Switch places after each turn and the activity is completed when all have a turn to kick the ball .

NEW ACTIVITY FOR THIS WEEK

KICK and RIP;

Place two equally numbered teams in the following order and positions :

• One team in the field in a scattered formation

• One team at bat under the b-ball hoop on the endline

Chose 2-4 players to place kick the ball into the field as there are no foul balls. The outfield team is equipped with rip tags or anything that hangs from the back pockets. When the ball is received that player can't be ripped off until the ball is tossed to a teammate . The other outfield players are free to be tagged by the kickers . Any ball that is thrown to the four designated players deems that ball out of play . When the ball is caught place it inside the hoop . The kickers may try to knock down or intercept the ball , too . Any person that is ripped off will stop play and the "kickers" team scores as many points as rip offs. Any interception will also count for a score. Establish a time limit for each kicking/ripping turn . Switch places often or until all have kicked and had a turn to be a receiver inside the hoop .NOTE : After the ball is received that player with the ball may not be ripped off and can't move but after the toss , that person must also run away from the kickers. Any remaining players will try to pick up a lose ball and try to toss it to their teammates in the hoops . Score an extra point for the fielders if all four (2-4) footballs can be received by the designated hoop catchers.

ACTIVITY FOR THE WEEK

Divide the class into six different and evenly numbered teams . Place all the footballs in the center area inside hoola hoops . All the students are lined up behind the hoops on one side of the midcourt lines equidistant apart. Give hte groups rip tags or vests of different colors. Place the vests in the back pocket area. Chose one person from each team to be a "ripper" who tries to rip off the vest before anothe rcolor can steal the ball . If that person is ripped off then return to the start place and the ball is reset to the hoop . If the ball is stolen then the next person in order goes , also , if any person is ripped off , too. Change new rippers each 30 seconds and the team with the least footballs loses a point each time while all other teams gain one point.

NEW ACTIVITY FOR TRHE WEEK

Arrange the class into a scattered formation equppied with gamw jerseys in pockets or rip tags of different colors( 4) . Place all the available footballs in the jump circle and then chose one person to be the quarterback from each color . The object is to throw the ball to a teammate who is outside a marked area ( cones , b-ball lines ). No ball may be caught inside that area. Any ball that is dropped is out of the game . The first teammate to catch the ball joins the origonal QB to continue the process until all have entered the jump circle . mention to the remaining players that they may intercept or knock down a pass from another team color. Also , they may rip off that person who is trying to get to the jump circle and help all the other QB'S . The last team to enter the jump circle loses one point while all others gain one. Chose a new QB each time and repeat the process .

2002-06-25T10:06:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the first edition of the FITNESS for ALL series of reports , resources and tips for all health and physical education issues. Check back often to keep up to date on trends and interesting articles to enhance your curriculum , technology and activities.
SEEING THEMSELVES IN A NEW LIGHT:
Kids with vision problems learn to run , jump amd play at a new camp. The camp is called Sports Vision and its held at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylavania. The program enlightens PE instructors to the fact that some PE programs at schools make the students watch from the sidelines.Camp Sports Vision is an extension of Sports Vision to provide competitive or leisure activities for the visually impaired.
The lessons covered track and field , bowling , wrestling , and soccer. Those with the disability have commented that it feels good to run and jump like a normal person. The skills highlight normal , regular running while trying to get a smoother run with the object being just to run better.For more information on Camp Sports Vision , call 412-441-4990 or check outhttp://www.mysportsvision.org
EDITORS NOTE: This is just another way to incorporate ways to include all students in our PE classes. This will entice all students to receive an education of the whole child. Sometime in our teaching tenure , we will have special needs studnets in our classes ; so, why not be prepared to be informed and not bury our heads in the sand. Meet the problem and adjust accordingly to understand and design lessons with all the students in mind.