Overview
The goal of physical education is to develop healthy, responsible students who have
the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to work together in groups, think critically,
and participate in a variety of activities that lead to a lifelong healthy lifestyle.
Research tells us that students who are physically active for 60 minutes a day have
higher self-confidence and more active synapses in the brain, experience a decrease
in chronic illnesses, and are less likely to be absent from school. Such students
are ready for career and college success. Time given to physical activity in school
must not only be incorporated, but also be of the highest quality.
The Physical Education Core utilizes appropriate instructional practices to develop
competence and confidence in a variety of lifetime activities and movement forms,
including sports, dance, outdoor recreation, and physical fitness. The emphasis is
on providing success and enjoyment for all students. Knowledge of the relationship
between proper nutrition and a consistent fitness regimen is the common thread running
through the core. Students develop life skills through cooperative and competitive
activity participation, and learn the value of a physically active life.
Teacher Spotlight
Please nominate a teacher, or yourself, who is using innovative and exciting methods
to engage students in health and physical education. Each month a teacher will be
chosen as the Spotlight and be featured in the monthly Health and Physical Education
Newsletter. Fill in the Teacher Spotlight for Health and Physical Education(External Web Content) to complete the nomination.
Resources
Active Schools(External Web Content)
Join the movement to increase physical education and physical activity in our nation's
schools. Let's Move Active Schools is a comprehensive program that empowers school
champions-physical education teachers, classroom teachers, principals, administrators,
and parents to create active environments that enable all students to get moving and
reach their full potential.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Division of Adolescent School Health
(DASH)(External Web Content)
CDC promotes the health and well-being of children and adolescents through schools,
enabling them to become healthy and productive adults.
Discovery Education(External Web Content)
Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators: Health, Physical Education, and Fitness.
Human Kinetics(External Web Content)
Books, journals, videos, software, distance education courses, job opportunities,
and more in sports, fitness, physical education, and the sport and exercise sciences.
PE Central(External Web Content)
This website puts the education in physical education. Built by a group of physical
education professors and based at Virginia Tech, the enormous collection of health
and physical education lesson plans make this worth a visit alone.
PE Central Associations(External Web Content)
List of PE Central State, National and District PE Associations.
Physical and Health Education (PHE) America(External Web Content)
During the school year, fresh editions of this site are published every two weeks.
They have links on health, nutrition, fitness, sports, physical education, news, resources,
lesson plans, etc.
Physical Education (Brain Breaks)
(PDF File)Short physical activity brain breaks for elementary classrooms. These activities can
be integrated with other core content or used as stand alone activity breaks for K-6
students.
Presidential Youth Fitness Program (PYFP)(External Web Content)
The national fitness education and assessment program helping schools achieve excellence
in physical education. PYFP is a free program developed to ensure what happens before,
during, and after the fitness assessment is beneficial for students and teachers and
leads to youth who are active for life.
ShapeUpUS: Hip Hop Healthy Heart Program for Children(External Web Content)
This is a curriculum that offers children the chance to prevent obesity and build
the essential foundation for a healthy life. Free materials sample available.
Skate in School(External Web Content)
A commercial website for Roller Blade, and also includes valuable information on funding
and applying for grants. Benefits of in-line skating are listed, and a section on
commonly asked questions is also included. Representatives from this program can provide
in-service as well as a curriculum which is National Association of Sport and Physical
Education (NASPE) approved and meets the national standards.
Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE) America(External Web Content)
Formerly Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD)
A nonprofit, educational organization whose mission is to promote and support creative
and healthy lifestyles through high quality programs in health, physical education,
recreation, dance and sport, and to provide members with professional development
opportunities that increase knowledge, improve skills, and encourage sound professional
practices.
Step Express(External Web Content)
Select Health has created a great free physical education curriculum targeted for
fourth grade classrooms. Step Express tracks students' progress as they journey across
the state of Utah. The curriculum contains three main parts: fitness challenge, lesson
plans, and physical education activities.
Best Practices for Recess
As part of the Utah State Board of Education's Strategic Plan: Safe and Healthy Schools
Strategy B - "Increase adoption of evidence-based student health and wellness practices"
the Utah State Board of Education has created a document for recess best practices.
Recess guidelines are beneficial for informing physical activity and recess components
of local wellness policies. These policies are required to include specific goals
for physical activity especially those that promote student wellness. Recess is a
key component for a preventative policy.
Best Practices for Recess Guidance
(PDF File)Utah State Board of Education Health Education