Pages

I just published a page about our bowling unit.  I will try to add a new page for each unit that we go through during the year.  I took some videos during our bowling unit and pictures of the bowling trip.  I can't promise a ton of videos and pictures throughout the year because it is difficult to be behind the camera and still manage the class.

Enjoy!

Exercise should be fun

My main focus as a PE teacher at East Oakview is to help students enjoy exercise.  If we want students to grow up to have a healthy lifestyle, exercise must be something they enjoy doing.  Personally, I feel that exercising in a group or a team makes it more enjoyable because of the social benefits.  When we are young, exercise almost always comes in the form of being on a sports team, club or school PE class.  When we get older, for most of us, sports teams and PE classes are no longer an option.  A good way to stay fit and be part of a club or group is to find a gym that offers group fitness classes.

Below is a link to an article about a gentleman who was extremely overweight and joined a CrossFit gym.  I personally like CrossFit because I have been part of a CrossFit gym for almost 6 years.  I would encourage anyone who is looking to create a healthier lifestyle to check out a local CrossFit gym or any fitness center that offers a group classes.

...And Fitness For All 

Sincerely,

Jordan Wallin

PE footwear and sledding contest!

It is always a challenge to get students to remember to bring and wear their gym shoes on PE days.  In an effort to try and increase shoe responsibility, I am offering a sledding class as a prize for classes that have 100% of students wearing gym shoes.  Class progress will be visible on the whiteboard in the gym.  If a class has 100% shoes, the class will earn a "Smiley Face".  At the end of January, the class in each grade level that has the most smiley faces will earn a special PE sledding class on the first week of February.  Notes will be sent home to the students in the winning classes.

-Jordan Wallin

Integrated Fridays

At East Oakview we have a rotating Friday "specials" schedule.  The year is split up into four blocks and each day of the week is repeated on Friday once each block.  At the beginning of the year, the Friday specials schedule is exactly the same as Monday.  During the second block, the Tuesday schedule is repeated on Friday.  This format continues for Wednesday and eventually Thursday at the end of the year.  This means that on every week, half of the school gets an extra day of PE.

Instead of continuing on with the weekly theme on Friday and allowing half of the school to get ahead of the other half, we have instead been having "Integrated Fridays."  Integration is about pairing movement and fitness activities with literacy and math skills.  Below are examples of some of the Integrated Friday activities that I have captured on camera so far this year.


4th grade keyboard vocab words

4th grade keyboard part 2

1st grade keyboard

3rd grade dice and dots

Many students have trouble maintaining focus while sitting in desks in classrooms.  I think adding movement to literacy and math practice helps students stay interested and excited about learning.

Thanks for reading.  I can't wait to get back to work on Monday.

Happy New Year!

Jordan Wallin