Reflective Connections:

The specific piece of evidence analyzes and reflects on a variety of activities that can be incorporated into a physical education class. It describes each activity that focuses on yoga, mindfulness, spatial awareness and bases of support, fundamental movement skills such as the underhand toss, hand-eye coordination, and fine motor skills. Each activity section includes the students' target for the skill, teaching cues, a summary of the activity, a debriefing question, and a summary of the teaching strategy focus. These activities allow students to grow and develop physically, cognitively, socially, and emotionally. Students at the elementary level are starting to develop their fundamental motor skills, so it’s essential to practice a variety of different skills in physical education, adding in other components from a variety of disciplines such as reading, writing, and mathematics. 
 

The yoga and mindfulness activity allows students to work on calming their mind and body but offers the chance for students to think about how their muscles tighten and relax, and what triggers the tightening and relaxation of the muscles. When students are developmentally ready, the next step or challenge is to introduce metaphors in which students create their metaphors for different body parts. An example of this is, “My mind is wound up like a yo-yo.” This activity allows students to work on relaxation of the body and mind but also works to challenge their thinking in terms of metaphors, building on English skills across disciplines. The second yoga activity within this piece of evidence shows mastery of the outcome because the educator understands that balance and different bases of support are essential for fundamental motor skills. Movement, balancing, cooperation, social interaction, and aspects of English are all incorporated into this activity, building on a variety of skills across different disciplines. The activities “Hoop it Up” and “Ball Drop” work on hand-eye coordination, consistency, correct form, and technique. Additionally, students work together in small groups building on communication skills and mathematics skills such as addition and subtraction. This piece of evidence shows mastery of the outcome associated with this competency. The educator understands the importance of supporting students physically, cognitively, socially, and emotionally as they continue to develop while also challenging students across other academic disciplines.