|  March
is National Sportsmanship Month. What does that mean to us? To our
students? To their parents? To youth coaches? How do we rationalize
the frequent brawls occurring in professional sports? How do we
instill sportsmanship values in our students?
According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, sportsmanship
is “conduct (as fairness, respect for one’s opponent,
and graciousness in winning or losing) becoming to one participating
in a sport.”
The Institute
for International Sport declared March 1st National Sportsmanship
Day. This year’s theme is “Defeat Gamesmanship.”
According to the Institute, gamesmanship is defined as “The
art or practice of winning games by questionable expedients without
actually violating the rules - or the use of ethically dubious methods
to gain an objective." “The Institute defines gamesmanship
as the method or art of winning a game or contest by means of unsportsmanlike
behavior, or other conduct, which does not actually break rules
but breaks the spirit of the rules.”
How can we, as teachers, encourage students to internalize the
values inherit in good sportsmanship? How do we help children understand
the “meaning of gamesmanship, and why it contradicts the tenets
of sportsmanship and fair play?”
Shaunna
McGhie
Interdisciplinary Section Editor
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by
Jean Blaydes
This section within the Interdisciplinary page is updated
each month with a new idea from Jean Blayde's book "Thinking
on Your Feet." |
The activity
for March is "Blind Man's
Soccer." Students will practice giving and following
directions as they experience the loss of the sense of sight.
Trust will be important in this interesting activity.
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| Find out more information about
Jean Blaydes and Action
Based Learning. |
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| Teaching
with Movies
This site provides you with movies that you could use in reinforcing
the ideas of Sportsmanship, as well as other areas.
What
is Good Sportsmanship?
Emphasizing
Sportsmanship in Youth Sports
Article from Education World. This article talks about sportsmanship,
and gives tips on how to create this interest in our youth.
Basic
Rules for Parents
According to the National Alliance for Sports, of the 20 million
kids who sign up, 70 percent quit playing league sports by the age
of 13 and never play again. The media points to enraged parents
and bad sportsmanship as the biggest problem in youth sports.
But, obviously, 70 percent of these kids’ parents aren’t
assaulting each other or attacking the referees. So, there must
be other reasons why kids drop out of sports. In many cases, it’s
the well-intentioned moms and dads that take the fun out of sports
for their young athletes. Read the
rest.
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| If you have ideas, comments,
letters to share, or questions about particular topics, please
email one of the following Health & Fitness Section Editors:
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| What
are some of your methods for making physical education cross-curricular,
incorporating PE with subjects such as English, Math, Spelling,
etc., in your classroom? Please share
with others how you combine these topics. |
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| Sportsmanship Resource Sites |
| Kindness
Counts
Featuring: Kids Come First, a free sportsmanship video.
“The Kindness Counts Foundation, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3)
organization, is a resource for leagues, recreation departments,
and others wishing to promote good sportsmanship. We seek to help
adults help kids in youth sports and in life by promoting positive
behavior that helps children have fun and feel good about themselves.”
GetPsychedSports
This website will show what children could be learning in sports,
and what we should be teaching them. The real struggle in sports,
as in life, is not against our opponents, but is within ourselves.
- source: site
Get Psyched Sports is a website that promotes “building
self-worth for good mental health, calming the atmosphere around
organized sport, & enhancing personal performance in all areas
of life” to students from grade school through high school.
They feel that with all the negative news such as hazing, gun
and domestic violence, etc. that surrounds our lives, the sports
infrastructure that exists in schools can help students to become
successful. Reinforcement of one’s self worth and battle
against these negativities is also stressed. The site is filled
with information such as team models, a plan for action, &
resources. Check it out!
The
Citizenship Through Sports Alliance
The Citizenship Through Sports Alliance is the largest coalition
of professional and amateur athletics organizations in the United
States, focused on character in sport. CTSA promotes fair play
at all levels - youth leagues to professional sport - to reinforce
the value of sport as a test of character. Since 1997, CTSA has
been building a sports culture that encourages respect for self,
respect for others, and respect for the game. -
source: site
National Sportsmanship Day and Team Sportsmanship “how
to” packets available.
Sportsmanship
Challenge
Are you up to this Challenge? ... "to behave with grace and
honor, and show respect for fellow participants and officials,
no matter if your fortunes are good or bad in the competition."
What is a SPORTSMAN?
"A person who can take loss or defeat without complaint,
or victory without gloating, and who treats his opponents with
fairness, generosity, courtesy" -
Webster's Dictionary
This site has a section dedicated to
sportsmanship. It includes articles, scholarships, do’s
& don’ts for parents, & a book recommendation. They
encourage coaches and parents to become involve with promoting
sportsmanship in a child’s or student’s life.
Character
Counts!
The Character Counts! coalition is “A diverse, nonpartisan
alliance of leading human-service and educational organizations
working together to strengthen the character of young people today
- and safeguard tomorrow for all.
With hundreds of members around the U.S.,
the Coalition has the potential of reaching millions of young
people and their families, advocating core ethical values that
transcend political, religious, class and ethnic divisions. These
values, called the “Six
Pillars of Character,” are trustworthiness, respect,
responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.”
Their site includes free materials, teaching seminars, research
based studies, news, awards, etc.
The
Random Acts of Kindness Foundation™
Established in 1995 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, The
Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is a resource for people committed
to spreading kindness. We provide a wide variety of materials
on our website, including activity ideas, lesson plans, project
plans, teacher's guide, project planning guide, publicity guide,
and workplace resources on our website at www.actsofkindness.org
- all free of charge.
Their mission: The Random Acts of Kindness
Foundation inspires people to practice kindness and to “pass
it on” to others. They provide free educational and community
ideas, guidance, and other resources to kindness participants
through their website. - source: site
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| Social
Studies Connections
The
Olympics: This lesson on the Olympics includes a look at the
countries' backgrounds.
Science Connections
Discovery
- Bouncing high, bouncing low: Here is a fun physics idea for
predicting and comparing the bounce of various sports balls.
The
Breathing Machine: A lesson on Lungs.
Lungs
in rib cage: This is a user submitted revision of "The
Breathing Machine."
Music Connections
Music
Tag: This is an idea for a music version of "Tag"
to help learn instruments and their types.
Step
Clap Kick: In this "delightfully fun" but challenging
lesson, students "Step-Clap-Kick" quarter note/rest rhythms.
Math Connections
Boxed
Ball Throw: This fun idea involves throwing balls into divided
boxes to determine numbers to add (integrates PE).
Hopping
Equations: This idea has students hopping to answer math problems.
Jump-O-Math
is a game idea that combines hopscotch, counting, and addition.
Math
Tag: This is a simple, but fun, PE Math Game.
Singing
While Dancing To Learn Basic Math
This 23 page ebook for pre-kindergarten through 3rd grade contains
9 lessons with musical scores and songs for teaching basic math
skills kinesthetically, plus the rhythmic dance steps used are illustrated
and explained! Price: $2.99 - source: site
Language Arts Connections
Teamwork
Poetry Presentation: This lesson is on Poetry and Teamwork,
using a Poem from Chicken Soup for the Child's Soul.
Spelling
Games: This Spelling Relay Game could be used in PE and a variety
of grade levels.
Here's a lesson
that gets your students to "Jump"
into a story.
Here's a fun game idea called "Vocabulary
Steal The Bacon."
Kinesthetic learning is used in this lesson to build reading comprehension
through Kickball.
Instead of "write the spelling words 10 times each",
why not try this Jumping
Jack Spelling Bee idea?
Art Connections
Here's a craft idea to create neat Juggling
Balls for use in PE!
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| Physical
Education Joins the Ranks of Interdisciplinary Instruction,
January 29, 2004. A highly informative article on interdisciplinary
physical education, the grant that is funding the project, and the
importance of physical education in today's schools.
Coach
Knope, Home of the Belair Cougars: I couldn't be more impressed
with this site! This is a site you should really check out! Students
receive two grades - one for achievement, based on written assignments
and teachers observations - and one for citizenship, based on the
6
pillars of character. PE is cross-curricular with reading and
writing, and the student is expected to always do their best, and
practice GREAT sportsmanship.
Not only does this coach sound like an excellent teacher, but he's
got a wonderful web site which I'm sure his middle school &
high school students appreciate!
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