Parent's Guide - Physical Education

Health-enhancing knowledge and skills prepare children for a lifetime of fitness


Physical education provides an environment where movement is the medium for health, enjoyment, challenge, self-expression, and social interaction. Physical education at Beecher Road School offers students multiple opportunities to physically experience and expand their world through a cohesive, coordinated, and developmentally appropriate activity based program.
The 21st Century student must have access to the tools to begin to develop an understanding of how to achieve and maintain health-enhancing levels of physical fitness through daily physical activity, now and throughout life. The tools of physical education are the many skills and knowledge to be gained by working in a broad spectrum of individual, dual, team, cooperative, fitness, rhythmic, dance and gymnastics activities. As the child becomes an efficient mover in a variety of physical activities, daily physical activity will become a more reasonable, attainable, and sustainable goal.
In addition, the child will learn to apply movement concepts and principles to the learning and development of new motor skills. Thus empowered, the child will confidently seek out enjoyable and fulfilling activities or sports to participate in outside of school. In short, education through the physical becomes a life-long process.
Finally the student learns practice and exhibits responsible personal and social behaviors while demonstrating empathy and respect for individual differences in ability, performance, and understanding in a physical activity setting. Sensitivity to others and to the environment in which we all play is crucial to the child, now and in the future.
The curriculum and instruction in the Woodbridge School District supports national and Connecticut standards that identify what students should know and be able to do as a result of their K-6 physical education experience. These standards are aligned with the expectations of the Amity Regional School District.

 

Family physical activity promotes life-long fitness

 

 

 

What you can do to promote physical
well-being and fitness

  • Be sure your child engages in physical activity every day. Running, jumping, riding
    bikes, swimming, hiking, walking, dancing, and playing sports, are just a few examples.
    Excessive television watching, computer work, and video game playing are no substitute for physical activity.
  • Encourage your child to become competent in a variety of physical activities.
  • Help your child develop motor skills that assist in physical activity.
  • Value physical fitnees. Model it yourself in the choices you make in diet and exercise.
  • Insist on safe behaviors when your child engages in physical activities.
  • Like all abilities and talents, recognize the differences children have in physical activity settings. Physical fitness and well-being is not based on the ability to "hit the ball out of the park."
  • For reluctant children, help them discover physical activities they like and want to do by making it a family affair. Skiing, skating, bicycling, walking, hiking, swimming, and playing badminton are a few examples.
  • Shape-up. A national epidemic of childhood obesity plagues America. As a family, make healthy choices and learn about the foods you eat, the snacks you consume, and the physical activities you engage in. Physical activity provides personal enjoyment, challenge, self-expression, and social interaction. It adds to the quality of life.

 

 

 

Grade

Demonstrate
Competency or
Proficiency in Physical Activities

Understand &
Apply Movement
Principles

Learn and Use
Fitness Concepts

Behave
Responsibly
and Work
Cooperatively

Understand and
Appreciate
Physical Activity 

Demonstrate
Competency or
Proficiency in Basic
Swimming Skills and Safety

K• Performs fundamental
skills (running,
jumping, hopping, etc.
• Self testing activities
• Works with bean bags,
balls, hoops, jump rope, tennis racket,
baseball bat  etc.
• Exploration of movement factors of
time, force, speed
• Performs simple games, dances
• Utilizes different
body shapes.
•Demonstrates
limits of personal space.
• Moves in a variety of directions.
• Travels in a variety
of speeds.

• Simple games and
locomotor work.
• Self Testing
activities and dance.
• Participates regularly
in some form of physical activity.
• Employs teacher
direction to stay
on task
• Follows teacher
direction to solve
problems.		• Use imagination
and curiosity to
enjoy exercise.
• Uses Longfellow's
Whale Tales to teach
safety skills and how
to put a life jacket

1
&
2

• Performs fundamental skills (running, jumping, hopping, etc.
• Self testing activities
• Works with bean bags, balls, hoops, jump rope, tennis racket, baseball bat etc.
• Exploration of movement factors of time, force, speed
• Performs simple games, dances
• Ball handling activities with multiple objects		• Utilizes different body shapes.
• Demonstrates limits of personal space.
• Moves in a variety of directions.
• Travels in a variety of speeds.
• Manipulates different objects
• Travels and stops upon signal.
• Simple games and locomotor work.
• Self Testing activities and dance.
• Participates regularly in some form of physical activity.
• Identifies body parts and their role in exercise.
• Supports body weight for hanging, and climbling.
• Sustains moderate exercise for a certain period of time.		• Employs teacher direction to stay on task
• Follows teacher direction to solve problems.
• Utilizes teacher help to solve conflicts.		• Use imagination and curiosity to enjoy exercise
• Practices new skills under supervision of Teacher.
 
3
&
4		• Refine fundamental movement skills and uses them in more complex games
• Learn specific sport skills
• Manipulate objects in games and sports lead ups		• Move in dance, rhythms, gymnastics, and simple games demonstrating changes in force, flow, level, speed and direction
• Manipulate objects in dance, rhythms, gymnastics and simple games with varied amounts of force, flow, level, speed and direction
• Analyze personal movement patterns
• Learn and use basic offensive and defensive strategies in simple games and sports		• Practice (grade 3) and participate in (grade 4) mandated Connecticut Fitness Assessment
• Explain the meaning of Fitness and work, at the beginning stages, on components of health related fitness
• Apply some principals of training to one’s own health related fitness		• Play independently and remain on task
• Function cooperatively and productively in groups mixed by gender, ability and/or cultural background
• Participate in competitive and cooperative activities using Responsive Classroom practices		• Use exercise for social interaction
• Try new activities and challenges with a positive attitude
• Use exercise and activity for enjoyment and self-expression
• Practice new skills with family or friends
• Enjoy physical activity outside of school		• Learn strokes to swim over a distance and/or time
• Learn basic survival/ self-help skills in the water
• Learn how to use the aquatics environment for fitness and enjoyment 40

 

5
&
6		• Learn and use movement skills and sports skills in complex games and sports lead up activities
• Develop interest in particular activities or sports and seek additional opportunities to do them		• Move in dance, rhythms, gymnastics, complex games and sports lead up activities demonstrating more advanced changes in force, flow, level, speed and direction
• Manipulate objects in dance, rhythms, gymnastics, complex games and sports lead up activities with varied amounts of force, flow, level, speed and direction
• Analyze personal as well as others' movement patterns
• Learn and use basic offensive and defensive strategies in more advanced games and sports
• Observe and evaluate strategies/ tactics being used in more advanced games and sports		• Practice and participate in mandated Connecticut Fitness Assessment
• Refine and expand knowledge and practice of components of health-related fitness
• Apply principals of training in conjunction with physiological indicators of exercise to maintain or improve personal fitness level		• Continue to function cooperatively and productively in groups mixed by gender, ability and/or cultural background
• Use Responsive Classroom practices in competitive, cooperative and academic choice activities
• Understand the need for, as well as take on, different roles in group activities		• Use exercise for social interaction
• Try new activities and challenges with a positive attitude
• Use exercise and activity for enjoyment and self- expression
• Practice new skills independently
• Identify and use community resources for physical activity outside of school		• Refine and learn strokes to swim over a prolonged distance and/or time
• Refine and learn survival/self-help skills in the water for use over an extended period of time
• Learn how to help others in the aquatics environment
• Refine and expand ability to use the aquatics environment for fitness and enjoyment
• Learn about competitive swimming

 

 

 

The State of Connecticut requires us to test all fourth and sixth grade students to determine their level of physical fitness. The Connecticut Physical Fitness Assessment, administered by trained physical education teachers, includes testing in the following areas:

  1. modified sit and reach - measures flexibility of the lowervback and hamstrings
  2. partial curl-ups - measures abdominal strength andvendurance
  3. right-angle push-ups - measures upper-body strength andvendurance
  4. one mile walk/run - measures cardiorespiratory or aerobicvendurance
  5. body mass index - body mass index (BMI) provides anvindication of the appropriateness of a child’s weightvrelative to height

 

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