This edition of Elementary Physical Education takes a closer look at good sportsmanship and character building. Lessons to build good sportsmanship and character begin at an early age. By default, character traits are often built within children by observing their parents or other adults they spend significant time with, so that many of the "codes of conduct" children use in competition are already in place when they enter school.

Elementary physical educators have a unique opportunity to work on the lessons of good sportsmanship and character by either showing children alternative, positive forms of these concepts in situations where they are lacking, or reinforcing positive demonstrations of good sportsmanship and character. Starting these practices early, and being consistent, will benefit your students greatly.

Listed within this section are a number of articles, lessons, and suggestions for promoting good sportsmanship and character building.

From the Institute of International Sports, we've included an overview of the "Right-vs.-Right" method for discussing the topic of sportsmanship. "The Epidemic of Poor Sportsmanship and its Impact in our Communities," reviews the rise of poor sportsmanship in competitive sports for children, and introduces the STAR (Stop Think Act Replay) approach as a way to combat this problem. See the section on STAR for more information on this teaching tool.

We've also included information on a number of programs, activities, and other resources designed to help develop sportsmanship, good character, and team building skills.

Leon Letson
Guest Section Editor

Tuesday, March 6th is the 17th anniversary of National Sportsmanship Day. It is estimated that 80 million individuals have actively participated in NSD through their schools, clubs, or leagues, and that this year over 13,500 people around the world will participate.

The origin of this day came from Dan Doyle after watching a high school basketball game in which the coach used questionable ethics. Age-based discussion is a big part of the day, along with presenting and discussing this year's two themes which are: "Don't Punch Back, Play Harder," and "Defeat Gamesmanship."

This is a great opportunity for older kids in communities to lead discussions through their Team Sportsmanship program. Additionally, student athletes are trained on how to lead successful discussions for other students. There is also an essay contest in which students may choose to participate. This is a very exciting program. Find out more.

STAR Sportsmanship, by Learning Through Sports, is a program that was originally created to fulfill the need for a character and sportsmanship program to teach students the proper ethical behavior. This program has been proven to work in many schools around the country.

The elementary program uses real-life sports situations, student choices and consequences, and practicing of appropriate behavior to motivate learning. The elementary program is made up of 65 online instructional minutes that are broken up into five modules that include individual lessons, and eight activities integrated into each module. There are also many offline activities that can be used as well.

Sportsmanship and character are two highly important skills that do need to be taught, especially in younger children. This program is age appropriate, and is sure to hold a child's attention. Also included in this section are two research articles: "The Epidemic of Poor Sportsmanship and its Impact in our Communities," an independent report by Patrica Kinney, Ed.D and "Research Basis for Star Sportsmanship."

As mentioned in the Editorial above, the lessons of good sportsmanship and character are often learned through observation, particularly of those individuals most present in a child's life. Below are a couple of Web sites that specialize in information about mentoring, and mentor programs for students.

The Big Brothers-Big Sisters (BBBS) program matches children ages 6 through 18 with mentors in professionally supported one-to-one relationships. Traditionally a community-based mentoring program where the mentor and the student (or "Bigs" and "Littles" as they're referred) meet on their own time, BBBS has also developed a site-based mentoring program for use in school settings. According to BBBS, of the students who participate in these programs:

	58% improved their school performance.
	65% showed higher levels of self-confidence.
	55% had a better attitude toward school.

Amazing Kids is a non-profit education program focused on helping children unlock their amazing potentials. A major aspect of this program is its focus on cross-age peer tutoring, peer role models, and other mentor-based methods for teaching and inspiring excellence in children. In particular, the Amazing Mentors program has a wide variety of tools and suggestions, as well as an excellent mission statement, for people interested in getting involved. Listed below is an excerpt from the journal of David Korbin, a member of the Amazing Mentor program since 1994. This is from a thirteen-part series I highly recommend reading.

His name was Carl Harris and there was no smile on his face. He had lost his mother two years earlier in a hit and run accident. Trouble followed him around school and in his class. I decided to do some origami with him since I enjoy creating things out of paper and giving them to kids ... I fashioned a bird whose wings move when you pull the tail. I presented it to Carl and for a couple of minutes he smiled from ear to ear. Whatever heartbreaking stuff he was dealing with went away for those few seconds and he looked like a happy ten year old. Read more.

Orienteering is a map-navigation sport that is infinitely adaptable and lots of fun. And yet for decades, orienteering has been mistakenly taught as compass and pace counting games that deprive orienteering's of it's true nature. Played as a map-reading treasure hunt, it provides countless ways to integrate subject matter into the format of a game, all while teaching a lifetime activity that matches anyone's ability and ambition.

If the goal is to find a specific feature on a map where the "treasure" is, how can you prove you have found it? Any question, information, activity, or observation that you find only at that site can prove you were there. So, however you want to utilize orienteering, the only limit is your imagination.

Ed Hicks and Bob Burg of Orienteering Unlimited have developed exciting ways to get students outside, exercising not only their bodies but also their brains. Orienteering Unlimited has worked with hundreds of schools customizing orienteering programs specific to students' needs and interests. Follow the pdf link at the end of the article for an introduction to the basics of orienteering.

Mastering the compass, maintaining a bearing, understanding magnetic fields and declination, and learning pace-counting to measure distances can be useful scientific exercises. But getting your eyes off the compass and into the surrounding terrain builds self-confidence and rapt attunement to nature. Reading and navigating with a map while on the move, orienteering is a sport where your brain is at least as important as your athletic prowess, where the race goes not always to the swiftest, but to the smartest, most accurate, and aware.

Many orienteers enjoy the sport as a leisurely family recreation along trails, a hike with a purpose, or a fun way to stay fit in stunning natural settings. Orienteering can be done on skis, bikes, horseback, in canoes and kayaks, even wheelchairs, at night, and in 24-hour endurance competitions, with preschoolers or seniors, individually or in teams, in classrooms and school grounds, corporate centers and city parks.

Orienteering as a map sport develops so many skills you will use for the rest of your life. Orienteering requires that you become acutely aware of your environment, build competence progressively, that you anticipate and weigh choices before you even reach them, problem solve on the fly, choose a course of action that suits your particular skills, quickly recognize errors of judgment and find your way back on course. Done in teams, orienteering builds teamwork and cooperative pooling of skills. The list of applications and benefits goes on and on.

Here for some simple navigational guidelines for beginner orienteering.

What's a great by-product of learning the art of orienteering? Spending time outdoors.

Below are a number of resources for physical educators, parents, or other interested parties to get students and children outdoors, working their bodies and using their minds.

Project Adventure, an adventure-based experiential education organization which began in the U.S. in 1971, offers a broad variety of teaching tools for educators interested in getting their students outdoors and helping them develop good character. Project Adventure is based on a few basic learning principles: 1) personal control is important for the student because it allows them to determine their level of participation in the activities, 2) a safe and supportive group atmosphere is important, therefore careful attempts are made to develop a group contract, and 3) Project Adventure programs utilize experiential learning principles (learning by doing).

Read their article, "Project Adventure Launches Nation's First Adventure Curriculum for Physical Education," for more information on how to get your students and school involved.

Canada has a similar program in the form of Fireside Adventures, an outdoor company specializing in experiential-learning programs aimed at helping children develop leadership and outdoor recreational skills, as well as provide opportunities for personal growth. Located in British Columbia, Fireside Adventures offers multi-day wilderness programs for hiking, kayaking, and other activities. Here is a list of 2007 Fireside Programs.

An affiliate program of Fireside Adventures is Urban Adventures, which offers day camps full of activities such as trekking, swimming, sailing, and bike riding. Urban Adventures continues with the lessons of leadership found in Fireside Adventures, but works to integrate communal sensitivity into the experience as well.

Here you will find a K - 12 Outdoor Skills Online Curriculum Guide for schools, scouts, nature centers, and families. This program is interdisciplinary in nature, combining physical activity with scientific observation and reasoning. This is a great resource for physical educators looking to create fun, well-rounded experiences for their students.