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How do lesson plans fit within a physical education curriculum?

This is an excerpt from Introduction to Teaching Physical Education 3rd Edition With HKPropel Access by Jane M. Shimon.

Creating Lesson Plans

Lesson plans are specific guidelines that teachers follow and are developed from the units or teaching strands found within the curriculum. They outline an organized scope and sequence of learning experiences based on the general objectives of the unit and the specific learning outcomes of the lesson. Lesson plans are often continuations or expansions of previous lessons that help students progressively develop the skills and knowledge to participate successfully and achieve overall unit and curriculum goals.

How do lesson plans fit within the design of a physical education curriculum? In the global scheme of a school year, physical education teachers usually follow a curriculum guide. This guide outlines overall program goals, activities, and outcomes students will learn and achieve during the semester or year that align with district, state, or national physical education standards. Teachers often create unit plans for each activity found within the curriculum. Unit plans describe the unit objectives, content to be covered, and assessments to implement. Teachers then develop specific lesson plans and learning outcomes for each day of a unit. In figure 8.1, the scope and sequence of this curriculum example indicates the activities that will be taught during the fall, winter, and spring. The tennis unit plan illustrates a refined scope and sequence of skills and concepts that will be taught during a 10-day tennis unit within the curriculum. Finally, teachers develop lesson plans for each day of the unit describing specific progressions and learning tasks.

Lesson plans are not only an important tool for teachers to use during the lesson but also serve as a form of legal written evidence of instruction. Some school administrators require teachers to submit weekly lesson plans or keep copies of their lesson plans for periodic review.

Lesson plans can be difficult to develop, especially the first time. Initially, you will have to make assumptions about your students’ skill levels, background, or knowledge and plan learning tasks and activities based on those assumptions. Sometimes your assumptions will pay off and your lesson plan will work; other times, you will have to adjust the plan during the lesson if it is not working as anticipated. It is important that you reflect on the effectiveness of each lesson you teach and make necessary changes for future use.

Components of a Lesson Plan

Although there are many ways to format a lesson plan, they all contain the same basic information. Lesson plans include descriptive information for equipment needs, safety precautions, and special gym setup instructions. Of course, lesson plans include learning outcomes. The plan also outlines assessment strategies the teacher will use to determine whether learning outcomes have been met. Chapter 9 addresses student assessment in detail. The instructional component of a lesson plan includes a specified description of the scope and sequence of teaching and learning tasks.

Some physical education teachers divide the instructional component of a lesson plan into parts: a warm-up, main instruction, and a lesson closure.

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Teachers Talking Teaching

Tips from a Former National Physical Education Teacher of the Year

Lesson Planning

Patty Kestell

Thorson Elementary School, Cedarburg, Wisconsin

Early in your career, describe your approach to lesson planning.

Early in my career, the main emphasis in lesson planning involved covering the psychomotor, cognitive, and affective domains and making sure that my lessons addressed what students would learn in each of those areas. Providing a safe learning environment was a high priority for me as well, along with planning for effective classroom setup and management.

Describe how effective planning has contributed to your successful lessons.

A lesson that is thoughtfully developed and is representative of a high-quality physical education program ensures that appropriate learning targets and physical education standards are addressed, equipment and transition needs are considered, and effective time management is used so that students are physically active during their physical education class.

My current lesson plans continue to address the three learning domains and safety considerations and also ensure that students will receive optimal opportunities to develop their physical literacy and social and emotional learning skills. In today’s world, lesson planning has become a much more rich and integrated process of considering enduring understanding and essential questions of a lesson, connecting student learning to state or national standards and grade-level outcomes, incorporating formative assessments to guide teaching, and planning how to differentiate activities to meet the needs of all students.

I pay close attention to the details in my lesson plans, including lesson activities and delivery, learning targets, and physical education standards, equipment needs, student grouping and classroom management skills, assessments, and differentiating activities to meet all my students’ needs. This has helped my students achieve greater success and made it easier for me to make small adjustments in my lessons when needed. Students are more highly engaged in quality, well-planned lessons.

What advice do you have for future physical educators to help them develop effective lesson plans?

The best advice I can give to future physical educators is to look at the big picture and understand what you want to accomplish with your students within your program and within the lesson. Knowing the state or national standards and grade-level outcomes and how to establish a developmentally appropriate physical education lesson will help guide your instructional practice and provide quality student learning experiences. In addition to developing clear lesson objectives, learning targets, and safety measures, consider the following questions when planning physical education lessons:

• What instant activity or warm-up activity will be an effective method to get class started?
• Plan how the main lesson is developed and delivered: What innovative techniques or teaching strategies will you use to help maximize student engagement? Will you use technology? How will you group students to maximize student participation, and how will you address transitions and time management? What visual supports (i.e., posters, YouTube videos, QR codes, word walls) will you use to help students understand lesson concepts and activities? How will you differentiate learning opportunities to meet the wide range of student needs?
• Does the lesson encourage moderate and vigorous physical activities for at least half the lesson?
• What social and emotional learning components will students practice or develop during this lesson?
• What formative or summative assessments will you use to gauge students’ skill development and understanding?
• Finally, take time to reflect on how your lesson went. What did you learn? What went well? What would you change? You can refer to the lesson planning questions to guide your reflective practice.

More Excerpts From Introduction to Teaching Physical Education 3rd Edition With HKPropel Access

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