Physical Education

Written By: Mr. Bob Lay, Physical Education Teacher

"Physical education provides cognitive content and instruction designed to develop motor skills, knowledge, and behaviors for physical activity and physical fitness." (CDC.gov) At MELA Charter school, every student receives 30 minutes of physical education and 30 minutes of recess every day. Read more to learn what this looks like at our elementary school!

Students describe the Physical Education classes as being fun and non-threatening.  I'm fortunate to work with all of the students at MELA, and each grade is developmentally different from the others.  

• Pre-K through 1st: There is a significant amount of time spent on large motor skills such as sliding, hopping, galloping, skipping and running with balance.  Mastering these skills provides success and safety during play and organized activities such as Duck Duck Goose, Freeze Tag, Ship Across the Ocean, Wolf Cage and Mr./Ms. Wolf--which is one of their favorites! 
• 2nd through 4th Grade: Show mastery of all of the above previously mentioned skills to their grade level.  Mastery of their large motor skills allows for more team oriented games such as Hot Shot, Pin Guard, Freeze Tag, Rock Paper Scissors Battle. These are games that require focus, teamwork, confidence and grit.
  
• 5th and 6th Grades: These students show athleticism and high functional skills in gym classes and activities. There is emphasis on relaxation during transition into and out of the gym, along with sportsmanship and team play. Physical exercises and personal development have been interests for this group of students. For example, we have met success toward personal goals in conditioning. In doing Jumping Jacks we started with 25 Jacks to 50, 75, 100, 125, 150 and we now have extended our goal to 175 in the very near future.  This has been amazing to see the sense of accomplishment on their faces. Other activities 5th and 6th graders enjoy are Kickball, Baseball, Basketball and also including many of the other previously mentioned activities from prior grades.
  

This has been an amazing school year and I feel very fortunate to have helped my students' growth, confidence,  and skills in Physical Education! 

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