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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

The typical school day in my school district is based on a 6.5 hour schedule, which

includes 45 minutes of “unstructured” lunch and recess. While my students are fortunate to have

at least 30 minutes a day of special classes (music, physical education, library, art/health), the

majority of their day is spent in the classroom working with academic content. The objective of

my time with my students is to utilize my instructional time effectively, and I am continuously

asking myself how to best support my students in an engaging and academically challenging

manner. My PE Infused Language Arts Lesson demonstrates how I integrate academic challenge

with physical activity, and that these two objectives need not be separate endeavors within the

classroom environment. With the incorporation of physical activity, I also bring engagement and

relevance to my students, which inspires motivation and encourages on-task behaviors.

There is much data that shows a positive correlation between physical activity in the

classroom and improvement in academic endeavors. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

conducted an analysis of several studies that found “positive associations between classroom-

based physical activity and indicators of cognitive skills and attitudes, academic behavior, and

academic achievement” (CDC, 2010). In addition, physically active lessons have shown short

term improvement (measured by time-on-task) and longer term improvements (measured by

concept retention) in academic achievement (Tomporowski et al., 2011, Bartholomew & Jowers,

2011). Research shows that just 10 minutes of physical activity incorporated into the classroom

has an increase in on-task behavior (Mahar et al., 2006). The quality of instructional time, where

academic objectives are met and students are on-task, is important. There is a balance to be

found in planning academic tasks that align student’s developmental readiness to focus with the
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length of instructional presentation and practice. In my classroom, I strike this balance by

providing frequent, yet meaningful breaks from the “listen, then practice at your desk” model.

The lesson’s objective is to incorporate physical activity into grammar instruction.

Students have a variety of means to represent their understanding of nouns and verbs, including

oral reading, writing, and physical representation. Providing this varying means of

representation aligns with Universal Design for Learning objectives where students have the

opportunity to practice and demonstrate their learning through a number of modalities (Brand

and Dalton, 2012). In addition, students work cooperatively to achieve the objectives.

Cooperative learning experiences can be positively correlated with intrinsic motivation, student

enjoyment, and positive feelings of community (acceptance and support of peers and teachers)

(Johnson, Johnson, Johnson, & Anderson, 1976)

As teachers, we know that this never feels like enough time to get through the lessons we

need to accomplish. As students, we recall that the best parts of the school day were those that

were unstructured, where play, physical activity, and social interaction were paramount. In this

space, I strive for relevance, where my students do work that is meaningful and important to their

development. The incorporation of physical activity into this lesson brings a level of relevance to

my student’s learning. In their day-to-day (outside of the classroom) lives, students (especially

primary students) have little application for identifying nouns and verbs. Rather, students utilize

physical stamina, balance, flexibility, and social interaction as they play with their peers. This

lesson capitalizes on the development of these skills. The active element to the lesson provides

students the opportunity to move, balance, stretch, and play. They can talk with their peers to

solve problems. In this space, students can relate to their instruction in a way that is relevant to

them through exercise, yoga, and cooperative problem solving.

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REFERENCES

Bartholomew, E., Jowers, M. (2011) Physically active academic lessons in elementary children.

Preventative Medicine. 52 S51-S54

Brand, Susan M., Dalton, Elizabeth M., (2012) Universal Design for Learning: Cognitive

Theory into Practice for Facilitating Comprehension in Early Literacy. Forum on

Public Policy Online, v2012 n1. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ979433 on

November 21, 2014.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2010). The association between school based

physical activity, including physical education, and academic performance. Atlanta, GA:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Johnson, DW., Johnson, RT., Johnson, J., Anderson, D. (1976) Effects of cooperative versus

individualized instruction on student prosocial behavior, attitudes toward learning, and

achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 68(4), 446-452.

Mahar, M., Murphy, S., Rowe, D., Golden, J., Shields, A., Raedeke, T., (2006) Effects of a

Classroom-Based Program on Physical Activity and On-Task Behavior. Medicine and

Science in Sports and Exercise. 38(12) 2086-94

Tomporowski, P., Lambourne, K., Okumura, M. (2011). Physical activity interventions and

children's mental function: An introduction and overview. Preventive Medicine 52. S3–

S9.