| Once again we
arrive in January. A new start to a new  year,
and we find ourselves making promises to ourselves to exercise more,
eat healthier, or to spend less money. Why not take a different
tactic this year, and promise yourself to try a new activity or
a new approach in your classes? Try to remember when making these
new years resolutions that you need to start small, and don’t
go for drastic change all at once! Take small steps when starting
something new, and you will be more likely to keep those promises.
 Interdisciplinary
teaching is a great approach to implement in your classroom. Studies
have shown that students perform better academically when they are
physically active. If you have never tried an interdisciplinary
lesson or unit, why not make that your new year’s resolution.
As I said earlier, start small, try one lesson, then begin working
toward an entire interdisciplinary unit.
In this month’s issue, I have listed a resource to get you
started when planning an interdisciplinary lesson or unit. In addition,
I have highlighted a variety of activities that coincide with the
winter months and upcoming Winter Olympics.
Laura Petersen
Interdisciplinary Section Editor
|
 |
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." |
This month's
activity is called EMF
Bubble Tag. The activity focuses on teaching children
about the electromagnetic field around each cell of our
body, which extends out to about 3 feet from us. This activity
shows that by using hula-hoops, children are able to understand
the electromagnetic field better and in a fun way.
|
| Find out
more information about Jean Blaydes and Action
Based Learning. |
|
| Interdisciplinary Teaching - Where to Start? |
| Basketball
is a popular activity during the winter months. Below you will find
several lesson plans to incorporate into your basketball units.
BASK”stat”BALL
- Grades 4-5
Connections: physical education, math.
Students will practice the following basketball skills: dribbling,
lay-up, passing and foul shooting. In addition, students will review
the math concepts of plotting graphs, and finding the mean, median,
and mode.
Solar
System Shooters - Grades 2-3
Connections: physical education, science.
Students will practice basketball skills while learning facts about
the different planets of the solar system.
Reading
Basketball - Grades 3-5
Connections: physical education, language arts.
Students will practice dribbling and shooting skills while learning
about homophones, and vowel patterns.
Basketball
for Better Verse - Grades 3-12
In this lesson, students write poems that describe imagery and emotions
related to the game of basketball.
Social
Studies Basketball - Review for a social studies test by playing
basketball. |
|
 |
| I
have recently had my interest in brain-based research sparked,
specifically in its application to movement, fitness, and
physical education. If any of you have some great references
that you are willing to share so that I might continue studying
in this area, I would appreciate it. I know there is a great
deal of information out there. I am looking for some very
concise content to use and share, perhaps in the development
of an in-service for K-8 physical educators. Thanks! Please
post in the forum. |
|
|
Many of us are forced inside as the winter months arrive. The cold
and inclemental weather does not allow us to teach outdoors...or
does it? There are many activities that can be taught outdoors during
the winter months. The following sites offer ideas to use when teaching
outdoor winter activities, while incorporating other areas of the
curriculum. Winter
Feels Good
This site is put together by SnowSports Industries America, as
a campaign to promote winter sporting activities. The website
contains a great
article entitled, "Bring Snowshoes into your Physical
Education Program." In addition, you will find links to a
snowshoe and cross-country skiing curriculum.
Snow
School
This site highlights a winter ecology education program run by
the Winter Wildlands Alliance. SnowSchool offers a field trip
experience in which students learn about winter ecology, while
learning how to snowshoe in various national parks across the
country. Many states across the nation have SnowSchool locations.
Winter
Kids
This site highlights a program in Maine that strives to promote
health, education, and physical fitness through participation
in outdoor winter activities. The site offers for purchase two
comprehensive outdoor education curriculums that incorporate interdisciplinary
teaching.
|
|
In February, the Winter Olympics will be held in Torino, Italy.
Below you will find several activities that can be used to lead-up
to the Winter Olympics, while learning about geography, history,
language arts, and other areas of the curriculum.
Winter
Games Olympic Project: Grades 11-12
This project requires students to follow and report on a particular
event throughout the course of the Winter Olympics. Students must
research the event prior to the Games, and share how the event
evolved at the Games by creating a poster at the conclusion of
the event.
Olympic
Training Table: Grade 6-12
This lesson can be used in a health class to culminate a unit
on nutrition. It combines fitness concepts, nutrition concepts,
and social studies. In this activity, students are required to
choose an Olympic athlete. The student will study the background
and culture of the athlete and determine the nutritional needs
of that athlete based on the culture they live in.
Track
a Sport: Grade 6-12
In this activity, students become sports reporters over the course
of the Olympic Games. Students will choose a sport which they
would like to cover for the duration of the Olympic Games. Each
day, the student reporter will give an update and write a news
article on the sport.
Integrating
the Olympics into your school year
This article presents a variety of activities that you can do
to teach children about the Olympic Games.
Olympic
Lesson Plans
This website offers a number of links to activities and lessons
related to the Olympic Games.
The
Olympics - grades 3-5
Primary Subject - Social Studies
Secondary Subjects - Physical Education
Discover one teacher's implementation of the Olympic games, and
all the countries involved!
Winter
Olympic Ideas
Plenty of ideas that involve history and social studies, the arts,
and science.
A
Day at the Ancient Olympics - Students explore an online resource,
and learn how athletes from different ancient Greek city-states
would behave at the Olympic Games. |
|
|
| Word
Walls are a great way to incorporate reading skills into your
physical education classes. At the same time, students learn relevant
vocabulary words. Word walls are very easy to create. All you have
to do is write words related to the current unit on index cards
and post them on a wall in the gymnasium. Try to refer to these
words throughout your lessons, and review them during the closing
of your class. You will find a lesson
plan article at Education World that discusses the benefits
of word walls and offers a few word wall activities.
You can find other ways Word Walls can
be used at ABCTeach.com,
and some inexpensive books on Word Wall games and activities at
Literacy
Connections. Go to TeachingFirst.net
to get a great list of really fun activities that can be done in
class using Word Walls, even baseball!
This
site has some really great Word Wall cheers! Check out the activities
that are to be done standing up.
|
| Best
of Math 1 - This "Snow Play" activity will identify
students who have a conceptual understanding of combining and grouping
numbers to arrive at a given sum.
Snow
activities for kids - When you and your kids feel cooped up
in the winter, try bundling up and playing in the snow with these
activities.
Blizzard
Attack - In this interactive lesson, grade 7-12 students make
a fictitious journey between two cities during adverse weather conditions,
and learn some of the basic skills needed to stay safe during winter
storms. A teacher's guide is available.
Building
an Igloo - Even if you're not interested in actually building
an igloo, this site will explain how its construction can keep people
warm in severe weather conditions.
Ice
and Snow - Dragonfly Magazine has four articles about snow where
kids can learn about the Antarctica and making an igloo, learn why
ice floats and is slippery, read interesting facts about snow, or
make a virtual flake.
Snow
- Students can learn about the basics of snow, snow art, and how
to build a snow castle. |
| If you have ideas, comments,
letters to share, or questions about particular topics, please
email one of the following Health & Fitness Section Editors:
|
|
|
