The Westwood elementary physical education program is designed to teach students movement concepts and motor skills that provide a solid foundation for children to live healthy and active lives. Developmentally appropriate skills and concepts are taught and ample opportunities are provided over time to learn and practice skills in an enjoyable and supportive environment. The Physical Education program is comprised of the following four areas of study:
Educational Games: The approach in an Educational Games model is to provide many opportunities for students to practice skills in an environment and “traditional rules” are altered to accommodate the learning experience. Educational Games are further broken down into four different classifications of game play:
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Movement Games- the primary goal is to provide opportunities for children to practice skills within a game setting and reinforce basic skills and concepts.
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Net and Wall games- this primarily includes striking skills such as volleying with body parts and/or equipment.
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Batting and Fielding games- the primary goal is to strike, throw, and catch.
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Target games- the primary goal is to send an object/ball towards a target.
Educational Gymnastics: Educational Gymnastics provides unique opportunities and challenges for children to become proficient movers. Educational Gymnastics promotes flexibility, muscular strength and endurance. Moreover it provides opportunities for children to express themselves through movement, problem solve, be creative, and move from simple to the complex movements. Students develop gymnastics sequences that consist of these basic movements in Educational Gymnastics:
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Traveling- weight transferring from one body to another
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Rotation- rolling
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Suspension- hanging
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Flight- loss of contact with the supporting surface
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Balance- Position of stillness
Educational Dance: Educational Dance also provides wonderful opportunities for children to improve their muscular strength and endurance, cardio-vascular endurance, and flexibility. It provides students with the opportunities to express themselves through movement, problem solve, be creative, and move from simple to the complex movements.
Educational Fitness: It is the philosophy of the Westwood Public Schools to integrate fitness concepts, skills, and principles into all activity and lessons. The ultimate purpose of physical education is to guide children into being physically active for a lifetime. Therefore, we have developed Fitness units K-5 that specifically focus on this aspect of children’s development. The emphasis of this unit of study is to help students understand what it means to be physically fit, the benefits of regular exercise, and how they can get physically fit within physical education and outside of school.
Social Skills: Cooperative and social skills are implemented and woven throughout the curriculum. When students leave elementary school, they understand what it takes to be a good sport and teammate and have an appreciation for the satisfaction that results from involvement in physical activity.
