Physical education is taught to students in grades 1-10. In grades 1-5 students receive physical education from a certified physical education teacher two times per week.
The physical education program for elementary students in Chesapeake is a developmental program that focuses on building a solid psychomotor foundation. Physical education is designed to help students acquire the knowledge, processes, skills, and confidence needed to engage in meaningful physical activity in the present and for a lifetime. Our program aligns with the Virginia Department of Education’s Standards of Learning for Physical Education. As a result of physical education instruction, the student will be able to:
• Acquire, apply, and evaluate movement concepts and strategies to respond confidently, competently, and creatively in a variety of physical activity settings.
• Access, evaluate, and synthesize health-related information to protect, enhance, and advocate for health, well-being, safety, and participation in physical activity across a lifespan.
• Enjoy and engage in regular movement-based learning experiences and understand and appreciate their significance to personal, social, cultural, and environmental health practices and outcomes.
The content of the Standards of Learning for physical education is organized around the following five essential strands of health and physical development and application:
1. Motor Skill Development – Demonstrate competence in motor skills and movement patterns needed to perform a variety of physical activities. In the elementary years, students develop maturity and adaptability in the use of fundamental motor skills and patterns that are then further refined and combined during the middle school years.
2. Anatomical Basis of Movement – Apply knowledge of the structures and functions of the body and how they relate to and are affected by human movement to learning and developing motor skills and specialized movement forms. Elementary students establish basic musculoskeletal vocabulary and use simple concepts as they develop their movements.
3. Fitness Planning – Achieve and maintain a health-enhancing level of personal fitness. Recommended criterion-referenced wellness testing (grade 4 & 5) includes Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER), cadence push-ups, cadence curl-ups, back-saver sit and reach, and trunk lift. Elementary students become aware of health-related fitness components (aerobic capacity, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and body composition), and engage in a variety of physical activities, and develop a basic fitness plan.
4. Social Development – Demonstrate the aptitude, attitude, and skills to lead responsible, fulfilling, and respectful lives. Elementary students recognize and use rules and procedures, focus on safety, respect similarities and dissimilarities, and cooperate with others.
5. Energy Balance – Explain the importance of energy balance and nutritional needs of the body to maintain optimal health and prevent chronic disease. Elementary students understand the basic nutrition and fitness concepts of energy balance.
Physical education is one of the most brain compatible disciplines in schools today. For more than fifty years, pioneers in behavioral optometry and sensorimotor training have provided statistical research showing the positive link between health and exercise in relation to student learning and achievement.
In other words, the brain is only as healthy as the body that carries it; therefore, health and physical education are an integral part of the learning process. Chesapeake’s elementary school physical education programs allow students to explore, experiment, and experience a wide range of physical education activities in a safe environment. The curriculum features a broad variety of concepts and skills designed so that students can establish personal competencies and an appreciation for life-long physical activity.
Quote: “Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.” – John F. Kennedy