Mr. Dienstmann
Physical education teacher
Steward Elementary School
E-mail: [email protected]
Dear Parents:
I would like to welcome the new kindergartners and students in all grades who will be joining our yearlong trip toward a full exploration of movement capabilities.
Physical education at Steward is aimed at providing the children with a myriad of movement experiences to enhance their fundamental movement skills, and also to foster a passion for physical activity in general.
Our PE program is not based on sports. I do not believe that children necessarily need to practice a regular sport, nor be a part of an organized team in order to be active. I believe that children should play.
They should be assured that their motor skills - at any particular level - suffices to allow them to be active, play with friends, freely run around exploring their physical capabilities, ride a bicycle, swim, hike, and yes, climb trees!
The level of young children’s and youth’s physical activity has been declining considerably throughout the last decades, at the point that a new concerning factor has been identified, namely, “nature deficit disorder.” I would actually expand the issue to include an overall “motor skills deficit disorder” readily identifiable in a considerable percentage of children demonstrating discomfort during physical activities and peer-play.
At Steward School we are fortunate to have two periods of physical education a week - although I strongly believe children should have daily PE - and a wonderful playground where the children are exposed to a large variety of movement experiences, as well as periods of free outdoor play.
The following is an overview of a daily lesson:
Warm up: 2 minutes in each corner
Jumping Corner = 2 kinds of jump-ropes; hippity hops; skip-its; hopscotch
Strength Corner = push ups; sit-ups; crouch downs.
Dribbling Corner = free dribbling and shooting.
Hand/Eye Skills Corner = bean bags juggling; catapult; cone/ball catch; keep it up with beach ball; etc.
Main Section = games and drills to learn and improve motor skills
Conclusion
A fun/active non-competitive game or activity to foster the love of playing with friends.
As it’s obvious from the overview above, the focus of my program is on making sure that children are taught all the primary skills - called Fundamental Movement Skills - which are necessary for the vast majority of sports and leisure activities that they may engage later in life. I try to accomplish that through skill-time and lots of fun games.
It is important to note that those skills are not “maturational” - meaning, they do not appear and develop on their own, nor do they refine without guidance. Several recent studies have identified a direct link between young children’s fundamental skills, and their participation in physical activities as adults, hence the need to teach them.
I place myself available to provide parents with more detailed explanation of the physical education program and daily lessons. Email me at [email protected] or call the school at 978-887-1538.
General notes
• Please, make sure that on gym day your child is sent to school wearing attire that will maximize his/her participation in gym.
• Nylon and other synthetic material shoelaces simply do not stay tied up, making children waste a lot of gym time on their shoes. Cotton shoelaces seem to work better.
• Girls with long hair are advised to wear a headband or ponytail for safety.
Physical education teacher
Steward Elementary School
E-mail: [email protected]
Dear Parents:
I would like to welcome the new kindergartners and students in all grades who will be joining our yearlong trip toward a full exploration of movement capabilities.
Physical education at Steward is aimed at providing the children with a myriad of movement experiences to enhance their fundamental movement skills, and also to foster a passion for physical activity in general.
Our PE program is not based on sports. I do not believe that children necessarily need to practice a regular sport, nor be a part of an organized team in order to be active. I believe that children should play.
They should be assured that their motor skills - at any particular level - suffices to allow them to be active, play with friends, freely run around exploring their physical capabilities, ride a bicycle, swim, hike, and yes, climb trees!
The level of young children’s and youth’s physical activity has been declining considerably throughout the last decades, at the point that a new concerning factor has been identified, namely, “nature deficit disorder.” I would actually expand the issue to include an overall “motor skills deficit disorder” readily identifiable in a considerable percentage of children demonstrating discomfort during physical activities and peer-play.
At Steward School we are fortunate to have two periods of physical education a week - although I strongly believe children should have daily PE - and a wonderful playground where the children are exposed to a large variety of movement experiences, as well as periods of free outdoor play.
The following is an overview of a daily lesson:
Warm up: 2 minutes in each corner
Jumping Corner = 2 kinds of jump-ropes; hippity hops; skip-its; hopscotch
Strength Corner = push ups; sit-ups; crouch downs.
Dribbling Corner = free dribbling and shooting.
Hand/Eye Skills Corner = bean bags juggling; catapult; cone/ball catch; keep it up with beach ball; etc.
Main Section = games and drills to learn and improve motor skills
- First week - Running Skills
- Second week - Throwing Skills
- Third week - Kicking Skills
- Fourth Week - Jumping Skills
- Fifth Week - Catching Skills
- Sixth Week - Hitting/Batting Skills
- Seventh Week - Miscellaneous Skills/Fun Week
Conclusion
A fun/active non-competitive game or activity to foster the love of playing with friends.
As it’s obvious from the overview above, the focus of my program is on making sure that children are taught all the primary skills - called Fundamental Movement Skills - which are necessary for the vast majority of sports and leisure activities that they may engage later in life. I try to accomplish that through skill-time and lots of fun games.
It is important to note that those skills are not “maturational” - meaning, they do not appear and develop on their own, nor do they refine without guidance. Several recent studies have identified a direct link between young children’s fundamental skills, and their participation in physical activities as adults, hence the need to teach them.
I place myself available to provide parents with more detailed explanation of the physical education program and daily lessons. Email me at [email protected] or call the school at 978-887-1538.
General notes
• Please, make sure that on gym day your child is sent to school wearing attire that will maximize his/her participation in gym.
• Nylon and other synthetic material shoelaces simply do not stay tied up, making children waste a lot of gym time on their shoes. Cotton shoelaces seem to work better.
• Girls with long hair are advised to wear a headband or ponytail for safety.
January
Making Up New Games - Students develop and teach their classmates games that may be used on Field Day in June. During the course of two weeks a large variety of different physical education equipment will be brought to the center of the gym. Each class is divided in four groups, and each group has four gym periods to develop a game according to standards of safety, participation and fun explained by the teacher.
The following two weeks are used for each group to teach their classmates the game they developed.
This project has been a tremendous success for years at Steward.