Can you walk farther than a 4th grader?

Approximately 2,000 steps on a pedometer equals one mile. Select a location that is reasonable for your students to walk to in a month or two. (For example, our students walked from Colorado Springs, CO to Fort Collins, CO which is about 268,000 steps).

Every PE day select students to wear the pedometers. Not every student needs to wear one every class. At the end of class record student scores, and at the end of the week add up all of the 3rd graders steps versus the 4th graders steps.

Track the steps along the map, or along a chart on the wall. Challenge your students to have the most steps as a class group at the end of the week. At the end of the race the grade level with the most steps might recieve the golden foot award for walking the quickest to the destination.

Variations:

Add more grades if you teach different levels.
Have students race against teachers too to encourage staff to stay active at work.

Teaching Suggestions/Tips:

Use easy to read pedometers, remember to stress being honest when recording scores.
Rotate through students. If a student doesn't get to use a pedometer every PE class then he or she is extra excited to move when it is his or her turn.

Adaptations for Students with Disabilities:

Students may be paired up with a partner to encourage them to take more steps.

A student in a wheelchair might be paired up with a student who can walk the same distance the student moved in the wheelchair.

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