Sunday, December 9, 2012

The Best Parts of My Week - 12/3/12--12/7/12

Hi everyone,
     It was a busy week as we move closer to the holidays.......

....Every once in awhile an idea pops into my head unexpectedly, and usually at 3:00 am!  This week an idea I am calling the "PE Password" made it's debut.  I have been trying to find the best way to incorporate more vocabulary into our PE program without sacrificing activity time and the "PE Password" seems to be just the thing!  I introduced the "PE Password" this week to my students in grades three through five and it has been a hit!  Students were told the word and the definition and were also told that I would be asking them randomly throughout PE class to tell me the "PE Password".  They were correct every time!  I decided to take it a step further and asked students in the hallway and on the way to the busses and one class even told me in unison without being asked!  After introducing the password, I created spaces in the hallway where students could "peek" at the password.   Students coming to PE class later in the week were aware of these areas before I even got a chance to tell them!  It has been fun and the best part is that students are learning the word and it's definition!  Do you know what the "PE Password" is?  You can "peek" by clicking on this link:
North Park PE Password

.....Our school runs on a six day cycle - Days A-F.  I always tell my primary students that on A day we learn a new warm-up.  One of my first graders walked in on A day and said:  "It's A day so we must have a new warm-up right?"  I guess he was listening!

......Another new idea I tried this week involved number dominoes, odd and even numbers, and exercise.  I called it "Domino Fitness" and students were asked to run to an area full of dominoes, bring the domino back to their group, add the numbers, decide if it was odd or even, and based on that, complete a particular exercise using the total.  Students did a great job and several said:  "This was fun, can we do it again?"  I am always happy when students find an activity as much fun as I think it is going to be!  They were also practicing Math facts and did not mind at all!

.....Students in the primary grades have been participating in a unit about balance.  I had 11-12 stations set up using a variety of equipment so that students could practice balance.  They were so excited when they walked into the gymnasium!  One of the stations for second grade included an assessment task to be included in their portfolio.  I was pleased to see that when the students were done with the task but it was not time to go to the next station yet, several students took it upon themselves to do jumping jacks while they waited!

.....I am tremendously proud to be at North Park school for many reasons, but one reason in particular is the collaboration that happens so easily and positively.  This week a third grade teacher and I worked on a project together called the "3rd Grade Pedometer Project.  Students have been working hard to learn how to use pedometers responsibly and this week they were allowed to wear the pedometers for two full school days after making a prediction as to how many steps they would take.  It was great to work with the students and teacher on this project.  Students had a great time wearing the pedometers and made great conclusions as to the benefit of exercise!  Click on this link to view the data from this project:  3rd Grade Pedometer Project


I hope you enjoyed the "Best Parts of My Week!"  To find out more about the PE program at North Park, visit my website:  http://classrooms.hydeparkschools.org/webpages/MRobelee/

See you next week!



Sunday, December 2, 2012

The Best Parts of My Week - 11/26/12--11/30/12

Hi everyone,
     We began the week remembering that every day is a gift.......

....I was greeted on Monday morning by a first grader who wanted to know if I enjoyed my Thanksgiving!  It was so thoughtful!

.....As fourth and fifth grade students were finishing a unit on cooperation, students were using buddy walkers.  One group decided to make up a pattern to help them with their goal of working together!

.....Other students in fourth and fifth grade were taking their turns on our traverse rock wall.  I noticed a partnership giving each other a high five when they made it to the end!

.....I asked several of my upper elementary students to self reflect on their cooperative effort during our cooperative unit.  Students worked in pairs and discussed their responses to some self-reflection questions.  I was proud of their honesty!

.....Physical Eddie and Healthy Hannah began the week in new classrooms.  The students in each class were so excited to have their turn to host Physical Eddie and Healthy Hannah!

.....We celebrated the 50th Day of School this week!  Some of our primary classrooms celebrate with a 1950's themed day!  We dressed up as if we were in school in the 1950's and there were many poodle skirts, rolled up jeans and white t-shirts!  Everyone looked terrific and we finished the day with a 1950's style sock hop!  It was great fun!  We danced the Hand Jive, the Stroll, and the Twist!

.....At the end of the week I invited some third grade classes to the gymnasium for a Fitness Friday activity.  I have not been able to do that as much as I would like this year due to changes in our schedule.  We had a great time with some fitness activities and dancing!  Healthy Hannah came along too!  I always appreciate the willingness of the classroom teachers to support our Fitness Friday activities!  North Park is truly a school of dedicated professionals making every minute count!


I hope you enjoyed the "Best Parts of My Week!"  To find out more about the PE program at North Park, visit my website:  http://classrooms.hydeparkschools.org/webpages/MRobelee/

See you next week!