From Balls and Scoops to Hula Hoops: Using Varied Equipment in a Skills-Based Approach to K?3 Physical Education

This book was created for the primary (K?3) physical education teacher. It presents a skills-based approach for teaching physical education using a variety of equipment and teaching strategies. The book provides all the necessary information to plan, organize, and implement a skills-based program. It includes a developmental assessment system and adaptations for children with special needs. The units, games, assessment rubrics, and adaptations contained in this book have been developed and field-tested over the past eighteen years in an elementary physical education program.Key features of the book include:§ Set of systematic instructional units, organized around different types of equipment, that address the development of foundational physical skills though individual, partner, and group activities§ Use of inexpensive, easily obtained equipment§ Identification of motor, concept development, and social competence/academic support goals for each unit§ Simple adaptations to maximize participation of all children for each unit§ Set of non-competitive, complementary games that can be used to reinforce and extend the skills from the units and provide an opportunity for authentic assessment§ Developmental, qualitative assessment rubrics to monitor skills acquisition and progress§ Format that facilitates teacher lesson planning§ Sample lesson plan and assessment grid

Stephen Nealer has over 23 years experience in public school physical education and coaching. For the last 18 years he has been an elementary physical education specialist for the Weedsport Central School District in New York. He has extensive experience in the areas of curriculum design and implementation.Judith Garrett has worked for over 25 years in the fields of early childhood education and early childhood special education. She has provided services to young children and their families and has also served on the faculty of two universities.