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

Be a positive role model

Bad choices are often easy to make.  Sleeping in or watching another show on TV is easier than going for a run or working out at the gym.  A can of pop or 500 calorie "coffee" at Starbucks is tastier than a glass of water.  Hitting the drive thru on the way home or throwing a TV dinner in the microwave is easier than planning, shopping and cooking meals ahead of time at home.  But if we as adult role models don't show the next generation how to make the difficult choices, we will be setting them up for failure.

A lot of people will be making New Year's resolutions this week.  Why not make your resolution to be a healthy role model.  Start small.  Make time for family exercise on the weekends.  Buy fresh groceries instead of boxed or frozen meals.  Buy a filtered water pitcher and drink water with your kids instead of high sugar juices or pop.  If we can establish healthy behaviors with our kids when they are young, it's more likely that they will continue those behaviors when they face those decisions on their own later in life.

Have a great holiday break!

Jordan Wallin

First blog post

Welcome to Mr. Wallin's PE blog.  I will use this site to share information that relates to Physical Education at East Oakview Elementary.  Physical Education has come a long way since the days when we were kids.  Gone are the days when the teacher would just roll out the kickball or dodgeballs and sit on the bench to referee.  At East Oakview we focus on creating a safe and fun environment that allows students to enjoy being active.

We just wrapped up a long and fun volleyball unit before winter break.  Kindergarteners had a lot of fun using balloons to serve over the net and pass to a partner or a small group.  1st graders started with balloon activities and moved on into beach ball passing with small groups.  2nd through 4th grade worked on serving and passing drills early and eventually moved on into 6 on 6 beachball volleyball games.  This is one of my favorite units each year which is why I like to plan it between Thanksgiving and Winter break.

We will come back from break and start in on a 2-3 week bowling unit culminating in the 3rd grade bowling field trip to Westgate Lanes on January 22nd.  The kids and I look forward to this unit and field trip every winter.

I will take some time over break to add some new blog entries with links to pictures or videos that I have from this year's various activities.  I'm very new at this so it might take me some time to master. Thanks for reading and I look forward to keeping you more informed as the year goes on.

Sincerely,

Jordan Wallin