Teaching P.E.

P.E. is a great subject to teach but sometimes it fills me with fear.  Bringing the children out of the classroom to a hall where there is no seats or structured seating plans could be disastrous and therefore requires excellent classroom management and organisation.

Before going to the hall/outside area for P.E.
Discuss how to get to the hall (the way to walk down the corridor/outside)
Use positives – We walk quietly in 2’s to the hall
(If children are not behaving appropriately – return to class and start again.)

First thing to do in hall/outside area 
This should be set in stone from the start of the school year. When we get to the hall we stand on the yellow line/ sit on the bench/ stand against the wall/ sit in a circle.

Whistle/Time Out Signal
Noise levels can get quite high during a P.E. lesson especially when outside. A whistle works well. Otherwise I use a hand in the air which means freeze.

Curriculum
Strands and Strand Units

• Athletics (Running, Jumping, Throwing, Understanding and Appreciation of Athletics)
• Dance (Exploration, creation and performance of dance, Understanding and Appreciation of dance)
• Gymnastics (Movement, Understanding and Appreciation of Gymnastics)
• Games (Sending, receiving and travelling, creating and playing games, Understanding and Appreciation of Games)
• Outdoor and Adventure (Walking, cycling and camping activities, orienteering, outdoor challenges, water-based activities, understanding and appreciation of outdoor and adventure)
• Aquatics (hygiene, water safety, entry to and exit from the water, buoyancy and propulsion, stroke development, water based ball games, understanding and appreciation of aquatics).

• Rats and Rabbits (Split the class into 2. Children stand on a line and face a partner on the opposite line. One side are rats the other rabbits. Teacher calls rats – rats turn and run to a target. Rabbits chase them. Teacher calls rabbits – rabbits turn and run to a target and rats chase them.)
• Colours (link with Gaeilge) – each colour has a different action. Children move around the hall, teacher calls a colour (as Gaeilge) children do action and continue movement. (Glas – jump high, Corcra – touch the floor, Dearg – stop, Gorm – run etc.)
• Numbers – Children jog around the room, teacher calls a number and children form groups of that number.
• Numbers balance – children jog around the room, teacher calls a number and children balance on that many body parts.

• Cups and saucers – divide the class into 2 groups. You will need 30 or more cones (see above) half of which should be normal and the other half upside down. Depending on whether they are cups/saucers the children turn the cones. The game lasts 2 minutes and the winning team is the one with the most cones turned over.
• Late for the bus – teacher gives a brief scenario (you’re tired and don’t want to go to school, you’ve left your phone on the bus, you’re late for school) children move in that way. (Link with drama)