Elementary school physical educators must translate their awareness of the importance of physical fitness to their students. The paper explains how they can get classroom teachers involved in incorporating daily fitness into their classrooms by working to generate interest, support the teachers, stay motivated, measure success, and make a…

Physical education teachers must ensure that students make the connection between skill development and the use of those skills to enhance their personal physical fitness. The article explains how to incorporate fitness concepts and movement activities throughout the lesson plan to develop students' fundamental skills. (SM)

When classroom and physical educators work together, their students benefit, and so do the educators. Collaboration can expand students' fitness opportunities so there is quality, daily physical education for all. The article explains how to interest classroom teachers in such collaboration and describes successful collaboration in California…

A school-based walking program is an inexpensive and amusing way to get young students physically active. The article presents a program that can be adapted for students of any age and implemented as a physical education class unit, after school activity, or recess program. (SM)

Physical educators can help students set goals to achieve maximum physical fitness. Educators should continually assess students' progress toward their goals, repeatedly updating goals and activities for reaching the goals. The article explains how to determine students' fitness levels and includes a fitness components activity sheet and class…

Lists several common physical fitness exercises that may cause more harm than good (both physically and emotionally). Physical educators must be aware of the dangers of certain exercises and activities. The article examines problems with inappropriate warmups, peer team selection, exercise as punishment, elimination games, and standing in line.…

This article describes successful efforts by physical education teachers at Elberton Elementary School (GA) to construct an affordable pull-up board that could be used to help improve students' arm and upper body strength. An explanation is given of how to use the machine, and the benefits to students are briefly discussed. (IAH)

A rationale for adding health-related physical fitness to the learning domains of physical education is presented, with suggested instructional strategies for including this domain in the physical education curriculum. (IAH)

Many physical education teachers have difficulty finding ways to purchase wellness assessment equipment. The article provides strategies to help them find the money for needed equipment, highlighting the physical education budget, the computer equipment budget, grants, local businesses, statewide organizations, universities, and national…

Data collection and analysis helps coaches ensure that they conduct practices and make decisions based on objective and consistently recorded information. The article discusses how, where, and when coaches should collect data on athletes, noting data collection should emphasize include training loads, body weight, sleep, health, and injuries. (SM)

Describes how to include a parents' fitness night in fitness education courses in order to gain parents' support of comprehensive fitness education and fitness for life, outlining one such program that has been successfully employed in Texas junior high schools which has helped parents understand fitness programs and become more involved in their…

Describes a weight training program, suitable for the general student population and the student-athlete, which is designed to produce improvement in specific, measurable areas including bench press (upper body), leg press (lower body), vertical jump (explosiveness); and 40-yard dash (speed). Two detailed charts are included, with notes on their…

Swimming teachers and coaches can improve their feedback to swimmers, when correcting or refining swim movements, by applying some basic biomechanical concepts relevant to swimming. This article focuses on the biomechanical considerations used in analyzing swimming performance. Techniques for spotting and correcting problems that impede…

"Jog around the World" is an interdisciplinary, schoolwide activity. Each class collaborates to jog the equivalent of the earth's circumference during the school year, learning about the different areas as they go. The program develops cardiovascular fitness, builds responsibility, and is a unifying force within the school. (SM)

Increasing the aerobic nature of tennis drills in the physical education class may be necessary if tennis is to remain a part of the public school curriculum. This article gives two examples of drills that can be modified by teachers to increase activity level. (IAH)