3-5 PE Lesson Ideas

I have about ten stations, four exercise stations and 6 activity stations, based on what have learned over the last few weeks set up in the gym for the students when they come in. We have a short discussion about character. We use the definition that it is who you are when no one is looking. We then discuss its relevance to Standard 5 and then I tell them I will be assessing their fitness character. Usually the students do not ask for clarification about fitness character. I assign partners and send them to a station.

As the students rotate through the stations I observe their behavior at the exercise stations. I look to see if they are doing the exercise correctly the whole time. Do they ask to use the bathroom, do they just watch other students at the other station, or do they just exercise half–heartedly at the station? I assign them a rubric score of 1 to 4 based on their behavior at the stations. After the students go through all the stations we gather for discussion.

I explain to them that fitness character is also who you are when no one is looking. When they get older no one is going to tell them to exercise. What will they do when they have an hour of free time? Will they take a nap, eat some chips, watch television, or exercise. We discuss how if they do not stay fit as they get older they will be able to do less and less of the activity stations they enjoy so much.

I then explain to them that I was observing their exercise character at the four exercise stations. I assign them a score of 1 to 4 based on their behavior at the station. When I discuss their score with them individually most students know what level of fitness character they displayed during class. It is one of my most impactful lessons.