Kurt Thomas :: Blog :: Beginning of the School Year

Comments

•  Posted by Kyle Lindblom | # |

  Kurt-

  Hey thanks and no problem at all, if at all I can help, more than willing, I also teach elementary so we can learn from eachother!! My email is eklindblom@gmail.com 

   The start of the year is the most important as you are laying the ground work!! Listing the rules and consequences and if you don't stick to them, you will have problems!! Most teachers want the students to like them and this is a problem!! Stick to the rules and things will be better in class!! Those who had problems with sportsmanship, explain how thats important to you and if someoen displays poor sportsmanship, there will be consequences!! But as they are good you should reard them with perhaps if thy get so many points, they will get to pick an activity they would like to do!! As far as when they come intot he class, what will you do first?  are they going to run? if so line them up how they will run, will they stretch, spread them out!  Ialways ran them first so I lined them up on a line when they walked in, but ths year using a new curriculum, they will come in quiet and spread out throughout the gym as the first activity calls for it!! 

•  Posted by Coach C | # |

  Kurt,

   

  This is Coach Cisneros from Chartwell School over in Seaside, CA.  What has worked for me, and I have been teaching P.E. at this school for the past 4 years (1st through 8th grade), is consistency.  First day of school, sit them down and have them pay attention to your expectations of them in your class.  Go over rules, games that will be played, how they will be graded, distractions, talking out of turn, conflict resolutions, bathroom breaks, water breaks...basically all your rules.  You have them feel like they are part of the discussion by asking them what types of games would they like to play, what games they do not enjoy, and so on.  Let them know you will reward them with free time towards the end of your announcements if they listen and follow instructions.  The tone of my class usually is set up by the next two things, which are "assigned spots" on the basketball court and "team building games."  I use plastic spots and I place them on the court spread out evenly in rows, do this before they arrive in class.  After your down with your announcements, announce to the kids that they will have assigned spots for the most part of the year, there is no switching or room for discussion of why they are at a certain spot.  You will have them line up for practice after you have made them stand on their spot. Have them sit down and do it again, of course do this as many times until they get their spot down.  I usually place them depending on their character.  Loud ones surrounded by the quiet ones, the ones that need attention spread out, in the back usually so no one sees what they are doing.  Towards the end of the year, you can award points and they can use their points to trade with another students spot.  At these spots, I usually have them stretch and do exercises for 10 to 15 minutes, everytime I see them for P.E.  Then we will move on to a unit or field game.  

   

  What has worked for me also, is in the first few classes, I have them perform team building games so they can trust one another and work together before they start any kind of competitive style games.  Do this for a week or so, and then move on to what they like.  Its a suggestion, it has worked for me so far.  I hope this will work for you.

•  Posted by Keith | # |

  I like to start off the year with my Middle School students by sharing my expectations with them and then I give them a Homework assignment the very first day of class that at first SHOCKS them because most are not ever use to HW in PE.  I tell them that they can text message, use myspace, facebook, etc as long as their parents allow it or the traditional 'ol mouth to talk with other students and come up with two expectations they have of me as there PE teacher for the year.  The second day we spend time in team building activities with hoola hoops, basketballs, etc etc etc.  Pe central has some great lessons for that stuff, then after I put them in their squads, I have them share those expectation with me and we talk about them.  I alwasy tell them in the beginning, that I may not agree with all of their expectations, but I will respect their opinions.  I find this gives me a chance to know what my students expect from me and gives them a sense of ownership in class.  After about the third or fourth day, I use an activity I call Hooping It Up where I TEST myself in front of the kids and line them up by names behind certain Hoola Hoops and then I try to name off everyone in their group.  If I miss a name in the squad, that squad gets to give me an exercise we have learned and I perform 3 sets of it in front of all of them.  I normall miss a few on purpose :-)  The kids love it, because theyu see that I am willing to do everything I expect out of them and then some.