Resources for Teaching Gymnastic Movements

Hello HPEC nation! In the spirit of the mantra "teamwork makes the dream work" this is a short blog to share resources with fellow Health and Physical Education champions.

In delivering the Gymnastics dimension of the Physical Education Program of Studies, I have been a member of HPE teams that have taken a variety of approaches. I would like to share one of these approaches that has been successful, engaging and purposeful.

To specifically target and ensure all students covered gymnastics based movements a Physical Education Module was designed in which all units offered were gymnastic movement based. This provided students with choice, while also ensuring every student received gymnastics based movement instruction. In creating the units offered in this module the guiding question asked was, "What type of activities would engage our diverse student population in a meaningful way while targeting gymnastics movement skill and knowledge acquisition?" This team brainstorm resulted in the creation of a Tough Mudder Obstacle Course unit and a Stuntnastics unit.

Here are resources that were created to support these Modules:

• Gymnastics Grade 4-9 Scope and Sequence & Basic Concepts Resource
• Movement Education Visuals
• Stuntnastics Unit
• Stuntnastics Routine Creation & Presentation
• Tough Mudder Unit
• Tough Mudder Station Signs

Visuals are a great way to provide students with accessible information and aid in the consistency in instruction as a team. Here are examples created from content in the Unit resources.

A closing unit activity that is engaging and highlights the student's awareness (body awareness, space awareness, effort, and relationships) while executing locomotor skills for assessment is a Pirates Pursuit Game. This high energy activity is one of the few times that elimination is a part of Physical Education class activity. In my experience, the benefits outweigh the elimination because:

• The level of intensity that is put forth by students in this game, they need regular breaks.
• A student who has had more rest has an advantage in the next round.
• The games are quick and there are many opportunities to try again.
• In the time when not playing the students are asked to reflect on what could be done differently next time, and make a plan to increase their success.

Some helpful hints in delivering this activity:

• When setting up the equipment pathways for pirates differentiation is kept in mind to ensure all students have an opportunity to find success (variety of potential pathways with varying levels of difficulty).
• When Pirate teams are created during the activity, teacher facilitation of teams can promote inclusion and student success.

Thank you for all that you do to create quality Health and Physical Education programs.

Submitted by: Elisha O'Lain, HPEC Past President