Assignment 3 Summary

    Assignment 3 in our PED 230 class involved professional and popular literature in PE and sport. We were instructed to read two articles that discussed professional literature on physical education for grades K-5, and to visit a site called PE central, which gives activity samples for teachers involving physical education. We were also instructed to read an article about popular literature in coaching. We then had to give a synopsis for each of the articles we read and explain how they would be helpful to us as teachers in the future. The article on popular literature was eye-opening for me and I learned about things that I had not previously known. This assignment was very helpful and informative.

Assignment 2 Summary

    Activity 2 in our PED 230 class focused on the Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators, which is also known as the GACE. This assignment helped us gain insight into the whole testing process through understanding the format of the tests, the content of the tests, and the expectations that are required of teacher education candidates. This assignment allowed us to take a sample test, which was a simulation of what the real tests will be like. We were also able to check our answers. This assignment helped me to grasp what the GACE tests will be like when I take them in the future.

Assignment 1 Summary

    Assignment 1 in our PED 230 class covered a variety of health and physical education related topics in detail. We were instructed to show our comprehension of the topics covered by writing and speaking about what we learned. We perused through several documents that included course plans for a sports study major, and education major, and applications for various organizations that represent educators in the state of Georgia. This activity helped me to understand the processes that I will go through during my education at Reinhardt University and as I become a professional educator in the future.

Artifact 2 Explanation and Summary

    The second artifact I completed in the PED 230 course was called the ABC's of PE. This activity blends a variety of physical activity skills and concepts with language arts. The materials used include bats, balls, bean bags, cones, hoops, jump ropes, bandannas, and several others. The activity takes students through the entire alphabet, with each letter representing a different activity. It is recommended that teachers do this activity over a long period of time, dividing the alphabet into three groups, and having a fourth group for 'alphabet soup', which will incorporate a few stations from each of the other groups. This activity is recommended for grade levels K-2. These activities can coordinate with curriculum that is taught in the classroom throughout the year, while the students learn the letters of the alphabet.
    This activity is somewhat complicated, but it helps students to put a certain activity with a letter. This helps with the different learner styles that include the visual/tactile learner, the spatial learner, and the auditory learner. This activity is a fun way to teach the alphabet and give students a variety of different skills to learn in their PE class throughout the year.

Artifact 1 Explanation and Summary

   The first artifact I completed in the PED 230 course was titled 'Card Suit Aerobics'. This activity is helpful in teaching students a variety of locomotor skills. The materials used include 3-4 decks of playing cards, four cones or hula hoops, and a white board. This activity is recommended for students that are in first grade and up.
    Before beginning the activity, teachers are advised to talk with their students about activities that are good and bad for their hearts. Then, the teacher should explain that the activities they will be performing today are used to help keep their hearts strong. Teachers are then advised to draw the four card suits on the white board and write the specific locomotor skill that each suit represents next to it. An example would be Heart=Run, Spade=Skip, Diamond=Gallop, and Club=Hop. The teachers should place the four hoops or cones in the four corners of the gym and scatter the playing cards inside of them. The teacher should explain to the students how they are going to go to one of the four stations, pick a card, and then travel to the next station performing the locomotor skill that their card represents. This can go on for a set time limit or until the students have picked up all the cards. At the end of the activity, teachers are advised to talk with their students about which activities raised their heart rate the most. If there are students with disabilities, the teacher can ask them to perform non-locomotor skills like swinging, swaying, bending, arm circles, etc.
    I chose this activity because it is simple and straightforward but also teaches the students useful skills that they can perform on their own in order to keep their hearts healthy. The activity also helps to target the different learning styles of a visual/tactile learner, a spatial learner, and an auditory learner. I hope to use this artifact in my own classroom in the future.