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What?? No Specialist!? As districts continue to pull in the reigns financially, more and more schools opt not to hire physical education specialists. This downturn in the number of specialists in the public schools leaves the burden of meeting state physical education standards on the shoulders of the classroom teacher. Fortunately, there are many creative ways to incorporate physical education into existing lesson plans to enrich both fitness and cognitive learning. One challenge that many teachers face lies in overcoming the mentality that physical education goals can be met on the playground without supervision and instruction. The Utah State Office of Education recommends, "90 minutes of structured physical education per week. Recess, or other free time does not fulfill the educational requirements." There is evidence that some teachers drop PE from the curriculum and simply permit unstructured free play during class time. A study conducted at the University of North Carolina identified students with elevated health risk factors. They implemented a classroom health unit combined with a 3 day per week PE class consisting of a 5 minute warm-up, a 20 minute aerobic group activity, and a 5 minute cool-down. The results indicated a reduction in total cholesterol, body fat and improved aerobic fitness, level of physical activity, and health knowledge. Teaching children to adopt healthy lifestyles can have a positive impact on their overall health and wellness. Many teachers believe that PE takes away from time spent with other important subjects; however, with a little planning, PE can be integrated into these subjects. In fact James Rauschenbach believes that, "many abstract and complex concepts can be clearly understood when they are experienced in a physical setting." He suggests that there are three types of tasks in integrating PE into other curricula: Embedded tasks- those which add a new dimension to enrich the physical education experience. An example of this would be counting by intervals as you exercise. Practice tasks- things that reinforce knowledge in other subject areas through physical activity. For example, using beanbags to work on throwing skills while targeting the letters that spell out the weekly spelling words. Discovery tasks- these are physical tasks that encourage important discoveries. You could focus a physical education lesson plan around discovering Newton’s laws of motion. The opportunities are limitless. Children learn through varied tactile, visual, and auditory experiences and will benefit from learning on all three levels. Physical education can easily be combined to form this kind of multifaceted lesson. When physical education specialists are not available to teach, classroom teachers can convey these critical life skills and attitudes toward exercise and fitness through an integrated curriculum that includes PE. Emily Wing

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Physical Eduction in the Classroom  In the United States, physical activity is the leading health indicator.Although the importance of regular physical activity is well known, most Americans do not realize the health benefits associated with a lifestyle that includes regular physical activity. The recent Healthy People 2010 objectives specifically promote physical activity, fitness and healthy behavior patterns. One Healthy People 2010 goal is to reduce from 40% to 20% the proportion of adults who engage in no leisure-time physical activity. Another goal is to increase from 15% to 30% the proportion of adults who engage regularly, preferably daily, in moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes per day. The benefits of physical activity are well established and include a lower overall rate of mortality, heart disease, colon cancer, hypertension, non-insulin dependent diabetes, osteoporosis, and obesity. Further, physical activity has a positive impact on depression, anxiety, mood, and overall health-related quality of life. Despite the documented benefits, physical activity levels of the U.S. population during the past decade are relatively unchanged. Population-based physical activity interventions that have largely relied upon media and other campaigns have been relatively ineffective. Many researchers believe, and evidence indicates, that physical activity tracks from childhood to adulthood.  Creating opportunities for children to establish patterns of physical activity at an early age may allow them to develop habits that will endure through out their lives.  The public schools provide a medium through which children can become acquainted with the benefits and fun that comes with physical activity participation. In this issue, Emily Wing, an elementary education major shares her thoughts on incorporating physical education into existing lesson plans.  It is her belief that physical education can be used to enhance learning other classroom concepts. Ron Hager Health and Fitness Section Editor

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If you have ideas, comments, letters to share, or questions about particular topics, please email one of the following Section Editors:

	Andy Jenkins
	Darren Dale
	Ron Hager

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Keeping current on nutrition research New ideas for teaching children about nutrition can be hard to find.  The USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Team Nutrition (TN) online resource page contains many valuable downloadable PDF files that can be used in the school environment.  The various kits and pamphlets include information for teachers, school administrators, and family/caregiver persons. Here are just a few of the many that are offered: Community Nutrition Action Kit: This Kit (for use with grades 3-6, their families and community volunteers) was developed with the Cooperative Extension Service. This Kit contains youth activities, family/caregiver activities and community activities, with guidelines for implementation, reproducible handouts, resource information and references. Food, Family and Fun: A Seasonal Guide to Healthy Eating: This resource book is designed to help parents reinforce at home what their children are learning about healthy eating at school. Serving Up Success: This booklet features actual nutrition education activities created by schools across the country.

Resources For Non-Specialists

There are many resources for teachers seeking to create this kind of learning experience. At the home page www site for the Utah State Office of Education, a compilation of articles replete with ideas is accessible under the sub-heading, "Integrated Curriculum Articles." Current publications such as the Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (JOPERD) and Strategies are also great resources. The September/October 2001 issue of Strategies contains an article entitled, "Human Battleship:Integrating Health-Related Fitness and Math." The article outlines a game that teaches children about a grid system—a fun introduction to graphing as we learn to gather statistics. An article titled, "Combining the Arts and Academics," published in a 1989 issue of JOPERD suggests learning verbs, adverbs, and prepositions through movement. These offer a veritable jumping off point for teachers to invent and refine their own teaching strategies. Faucette, Nell & Hillidge, Sharon B. "Research Findings—PE Specialists and Classroom Teachers." Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. Sept 1989. Vol 60. No. 7. p. 51-53. Rauschenbach, James. "Tying it all Together: Integrating Physical Education and other Subject Areas." Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. 1996. Vol 67. No. 2. p. 49-51. Townsend, J. Scott & Jeffrey. "Human Battleship: Integrating Health-Related Fitness and Math." Strategies. Vol. 15, No.1. Sept/Oct 2001. p.12-15. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Utah State Office of Education Physical Education Core Curriculum: Werner, Peter & Simmons, Millicent & Bowling, Tommie. "Combining the Arts and Academics." Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. Sept 1989. Vol 60. No. 7. p. 55-57.