Section I - Educational Technology Clearinghouse

Instructional Resource Guide for
Integrating Physical Education into Language Arts:
Kindergarten through Fifth Grades John R. Todorovich, Ph.D.
University of West Florida Spring 2007
TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION I: Understanding the Curriculum Integration Process 2
Chapter1: Introduction 3
What is the purpose of this book? 3
Who is this book for? 3
How is this book organized? 4
How do I use this book? 4
Chapter 2: Perspectives on Curriculum Integration 5
Introduction 5
Defining Integrated Curricula 5
Integrated Curricula Perspectives 6
a. Fragmented Perspective 6
b. Connected Perspective 6
c. Nested Perspective 7
d. Sequenced 7
e. Shared 7
f. Integrated 8
g. Webbed 8
h. Immersed 9
i. Threaded Perspective 9
Balanced Implementation Model for Integrated Curricula
(BIMIC) 9
Implications for K-5 Teachers Integrating Physical Education
and Language Arts
14
Summary 14
SECTION II: Learning to Move 15
Introduction 16
Chapter 3: Concepts of Motor Learning 17
Defining "Physical Education" 17
The Brain, DNA, and Human Development 18
Genetic Issues and Development 19
The Brain Connection 20
The Neuron and Information Transmission 20
Early Neuronal Development 21
Chapter 4: A Developmental Perspective on Motor Skill Acquisition
23
Stages of Human Development 23
Critical Periods of Development 24
Quality Physical Education in the 21st Century
25
Describing the Physically Educated Person
25
National Physical Education Standards 26
Sunshine State Standards for Physical Education
27
Elementary Physical Education Content 27 SECTION III: Integrating Physical Education into Language Arts: A
Developmental Perspective 30
Introduction 31
Chapter 5: Kindergarten 32
Developmental Stage and Description 32
Integration Focus 32
Sample Activities 33
Chapter 6: First Grade 41
Developmental Stage and Description 41
Integration Focus 41
Sample Activities 41
Chapter 7: Second Grade 48
Developmental Stage and Description 48
Integration Focus 48
Sample Activities 49
Chapter 8: Third Grade 54
Developmental Stage and Description 54
Integration Focus 54
Sample Activities 55
Chapter 9: Fourth Grade 60
Developmental Stage and Description 60
Integration Focus 60
Sample Activities 60
Chapter 10: Fifth Grade 60
Developmental Stage and Description 66
Integration Focus 66
Sample Activities 66
Appendix A: Sunshine State Standards (K-2 and 3-5) 72
Appendix B: Fundamental Motor Skill Description
77
Appendix C: Integrated Activities to Integrate Physical Education into
Language Arts K-5 95 Section I
"Understanding the Curriculum Integration Process" Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Perspectives on Curriculum Integration Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION Teachers approach their profession with different perspectives on
their role as a teacher. For example, teachers may say "I am a math
teacher," "I am a kindergarten teacher," or "I am a physical education
teacher." These personal descriptions are often accompanied with a
perceived set of characteristics that define that teaching role. Although
teachers may define their roles as a teacher in narrow terms based on the
academic discipline in which they specialize, all teachers are on common
ground because, ultimately, their role is not to teach subject matter but
to teach children. Effective teachers facilitate children's acquisition of
skills, knowledge and abilities that they did not have when they entered
their teachers' classrooms, regardless of the subject matter taught. It is
this common ground that joins the seemingly disparate academic disciplines
of language arts and physical education. What is the purpose of this book? This book was written to assist teachers in their endeavors to
successfully teach their students. Specifically, the purpose of this book
is to provide kindergarten through fifth grade classroom teachers with a
framework, perspective, developmental knowledge, and examples of activities
that integrate the teaching of physical education and language arts to
children. What is the rationale for a book like this? Educators are interested in helping children reach their potential;
yet, teachers are often constrained by such factors as little instructional
time, limited resources, and narrow perspectives. When teachers have the
opportunity to meet multiple objectives simultaneously, it improves their
effectiveness. Integrated learning achieves this objective. Moreover,
integrated learning is more meaningful and authentic because the subject
matter of academic disciplines is rarely used in isolation outside the
academic classroom. Integrating the psychomotor domain into learning
acknowledges the fact that we, as humans, are designed to move and to
interact with the environment. That is, we think and then we move in
response to those thoughts. It is the physical interaction with the world
that sustains and drives our ability to influence our environment and the
world beyond. Finally, in light of a growing obesity epidemic, a
preventable life-threatening problem, within the United States, it is
important that children acquire the skills knowledge, and abilities to
engage in physically active lifestyles. This book helps teachers to address
that problem while simultaneously teaching their students to utilize the
English language effectively. Who is this book for? This book was written for classroom teachers who do not have an
extensive background teaching physical education yet wish to enhance their
students learning by integrating physical education into their language
arts teaching. As a result, this book will introduce teachers to
integration perspectives, provide them with knowledge of the developmental
perspective of physical education, and guide them through the approaches
they should take to successfully integrate physical education into the K-5
language arts classroom How is this book organized? This book is organized into three sections. The first section was written to answer the question - "What is
integration?" In this section, teachers will be introduced to definitions
of integration, different perspectives on integrated curricula, and learn a
conceptual integration model for implementing integrated lessons. Section two was written to answer the question - "Why is physical education
important?" For many classroom teachers already burdened with a complex
array of expectations, the addition of more subject matter into the
classroom is problematic. In addition, physical education teaching is a
highly complex discipline with specialists who receive hundreds of hours of
training in human development, teaching methods, human physiology, etc. As
a result, classroom teachers may feel unprepared or find the integration of
physical education into their classroom difficult. While the knowledge of
teaching physical education could fill volumes of written work, section was
written to provide the classroom teacher with a perspec