Steal the Bacon fried from PE?!

The game, Steal the Bacon is in the physical education hall of shame.  As a student I loved playing steal the bacon mainly because I was fast and good at the game.  When your young you don't really realize how the game singles out students and could really hurt someones self esteem each time their number is called and they lose.  This game essentially singles out students to see who is the fastest in the class.  Steal the bacon is in the hall of shame for many reasons.  Student who numbers aren't called are sitting on the side not doing anything physically active, when your number is called you are singled out in front of the entire class and somebody wins and loses each round in the game.  I believe steal the bacon should be in the hall of shame for that reason. 

However you could always alter the rules and change the name of the game as the teacher, and I believe "steal the bacon" could be acceptable in class.  For example, all the students on the sideline could be doing jumping jacks, pushups, or even crunches then once their numbers are called they could run into the middle and grab whatever object the teacher decides to use as the bacon but they do not necessarily receive a point for bringing the object back without being tagged, instead they have to answer a question the teacher has and then they will get the point.  For instance if I call out numbers two and four and team one gets the pin and runs back to their side without being tagged I would then ask them a question, only the two students who just went can answer the question.  I as the teacher then have the ability to make the question as hard or as easy as I want and if I know my students well enough I could ask a question to a students strength or weakness.  I feel that the question part is a good idea because then as a teacher you are controlling the score of the game and you are also able to get everyone to involved in the game more. Steal the bacon just doesn't cut it when it comes to NYS and NASPE standards of teaching, singling students out and having more than half the class sitting on the sideline just doesn't make sense. I feel that my idea for that different version of steal the bacon could meet the standards, all the students were active and as the teacher I controlled the outcome of the game over the students.  

Another game that could be played in-place of steal the bacon could be "Everybody's It Tag".  In everybody's it tag all students are "it," when a student gets tagged they step out of the playing area and do an exercise for example jumping jacks, pushups, sit-ups etc.  If two students tag each other at the same time they both have to step out and do an exercise in order to get back in.  This game doesn't single any student out and the entire class is involved in the game. I believe everybody's it tag meets all three NYS and NASPE standards for education. The game can be altered in so many ways, you could have students hoping, jumping, leaping in order to test students on certain skills.   

As a physical educator it is your job to get your students to be as active as possible in a safe comfortable atmosphere. Singling students out is not a proper teaching technique and should be avoided at all costs. As a teacher you have to realize you will learn along with your students, if one version of a game doesn't work, change it up!  You are not being a good teacher if you play the same games year after year, variety is important and adapting games to students needs and wants is very important.  Physical education has a bad reputation in schools and it is our job to change that!

Valentine's Day PE Style!

I was in the gym group this week at St. Mary's.  We had the challenge of creating games for kindergarden to first grade students to participate in relating to Valentine's day and basic locomotive skills.  Overall I thought our group did a good job, being the first group to go.  I started off the activities and I think it's safe to say my game didn't go as planed.  I only had about eight students participate out of about 20 students.  Retaining their attention span was probably the hardest part.  I felt that my game was based more towards older students and i have learned from my mistake.  Ryan and Mallory's games seem to have run smoothly.  After we were finished in the gym we went to the cafeteria for snack time and to play heads up seven up!  After heads up seven up we went outside to the play ground because it was such a nice day out.  I'm looking forward to redeeming myself next week at St. Mary's!

Check out my lab two!

The Sommersaults first lip sync!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ho-0m3AlFY

Virtus Blog

Sister Harriet sent a very powerful message to our class.  We watched a video about sexual predators and victims of sexual assault.  It was very sad to hear the stories from the children who were abused and also very scary to hear from the abusers, and their train of thought of luring in children to trust them.  She also told us how as an educator in New York state, you are obligated to report any suspicions of abuse for the students in your school.  We should call the hotline number before the police because you are anonymous through the hotline.  It is always better to be safe than sorry, I couldn't imagine living with a guilty conscious over something i didn't report.  With the recent scandals at Penn State and Syracuse University the media has shown child sexual abuse related to athletics.  As a future physical educator and coach, locker room procedures have to be done properly to assure the safety of yourself as the teacher/coach and your students.  Teaching is a very rewarding field, students safety in school is a districts number one priority. As a teacher never put yourself in a situation where it is your word verse a students word because it will be very difficult to defend yourself as the adult.

Chapter one

"Effective physical education can positively influence both the cognitive and affective development of children."  A student learns more than basic sports games in his/her physical education class.  Students learn a variety of physical activities, learn how to be fit, and how to live a healthy and active lifestyle.  Physical activity has a great impact on affective growth.  The definition of affective growth is learning that increases the ability of children to act, interact and react effectively with other people as well as with themselves.  Affective growth is also known as "social-emotional development."  Children participating in physical activities will learn socialization skills and their emotions will vary.  Students depending on what they are learning in class can experience being happy, sad, mad, confused, stressed etc.  Students who are introduced to a strong physical education program at a young age will be positively influenced to keep active throughout their life.

First Day at St. Mary's

I was very excited for my first day at St. Mary's, I didn't know what to expect.  When we first arrived we watched the TA's do a relay with the students going over locomotive skills (hoping, skipping, jumping, walking and running).  We were then allowed to join in on the parachute activities and actually get involved playing with the students.  When we broke up into groups we played with building blocks, legos, coloring books and more!  It was nice working with the students outside a physical education setting. The staff was very friendly and I enjoyed helping out. I am already looking forward to our next visit!!!

Lab One Write Up

First Day of class

Our first day of class was very informative.  We received a lot of information at once.  I am very excited to see my progression as a student and educator.  I feel that blogging is a great way to get information about yourself out into the professional world.  After this class I feel that I am now officially a physical education major and I am excited for my future in the class rooms!