P-E (K-8)

Physical education is an integral part of the educational program for all students. It teaches students how their bodies move, how to perform a variety of physical activities, the health-related benefits of regular physical activity, and specific skills that will allow them to adopt a physically active, healthy lifestyle. It also provides learning experiences that meet the developmental needs of students. With physical education, students become confident, independent, self-controlled and resilient; develop positive social skills; learn to set and strive for personal, achievable goals; learn to assume leadership, cooperate with others, and accept responsibility for their own behavior; and improve their academic performance.

There are five overall model content standards for elementary and middle school children. They are:

• Standard 1: Demonstrate motor skills and movement patterns needed to perform a variety of physical activities.

• Standard 2: Demonstrate knowledge of movement concepts, principles, and strategies as they apply to learning and performance of physical activities.

• Standard 3: Assess and maintain a level of physical fitness to improve health and performance.

• Standard 4: Demonstrate knowledge of physical fitness concepts, principles, and strategies to improve health and performance.

• Standard 5: Demonstrate and utilize knowledge of psychological and sociological concepts, principles, and strategies as applied to learning and performance of physical activity.

In the elementary grades, the specific content standards emphasize how students move in their environment, moving through space and time, how they (student and a partner) move in space together, continuity and change in movement, manipulating objects in time and through space, and manipulating objects with accuracy and speed. In middle school, the specific content standards emphasize working cooperatively to achieve a common goal, meeting challenges and making decisions, and working as a team to solve problems.