PE Q&A
From time to time we receive questions around the grading system in our Physical Education classes at Hamilton Middle. Below is a short Q&A from our PE teachers that addresses some of the common questions that we are asked. Before we get started, keep in mind that physical education is a State required class, and comes with a set of standards to guide instruction and assessment.
Q: How are the units for the year chosen?
A:
We choose units that are current in today’s world. We offer both individual and team sports opportunities. We choose units that are experienced globally, considering our diverse international population. Our choices are at times limited by classes size, space, safety, cost and equipment needs. Our ultimate goal is to be able to adapt to the wide range of needs of our students’ skills, physical abilities, and social-emotional competencies, all while keeping students engaged, active, and safe.
Q: My child is very athletic, why do they not consistently get an A in PE?
A:
PE grading is based on 3 Power Standards that students must demonstrate consistently in class. The first standard is
Skills and Techniques
, which, in our curriculum, consists of fitness stations and lead-up activities/skills. In the fitness stations, students need to demonstrate the objectives in each of the stations. The stations include balance, agility, strength, flexibility, bi-lateral coordination, core stability, and hand-eye coordination. The various stations are modeled by the PE teachers, reviewed, and have posters with pictures and a written description of expectations posted.
The 2nd standard is
Knowledge
. Knowledge is demonstrated with a written assessment of the content covered in our class. The test is taken once per quarter, is often rigourous, and requires students to study and prepare if they want to do well. To help students prepare there are ‘check for understanding’ activities, review sheets uploaded to the Hamilton Physical Education Google Classroom, and a class review.
The 3rd standard is
Application
. This standard includes demonstrating skills, strategies and rules of the specific units or activities. A major component of this standard is participation and engagement.
In summary, getting an A requires students to demonstrate the target skill sets/fitness activities, exhibit an advanced level of knowledge, and show age level appropriate application in individual and group gaming activities.
Q: My child is not very athletic, so how can they do well in PE?
A:
Because the PE grading is based on 3 Power Standards, students with limited athletic experience can still demonstrate the class objectives through
improvement
on the skills, techniques, and application in the various units. For example, starting with a plank pose baseline of 20 seconds and increasing the time throughout the unit would demonstrate
improvement
.
Q: Why is it an expectation for my child to change into gym clothes?
A:
The middle schooler’s body is going through many changes both hygienically and physically. They need appropriate clothes to be able to move easily, non-restricted, and without limitations with things in pockets, etc. There is also the expectation that by doing activities in class, students will get hot/sweaty, which makes it uncomfortable to wear the same clothes the rest of the day. There are also times when the outside grass is wet or clothes get dirty. We build 5 minutes at the beginning and end of class time to allow for changing clothes. Some students feel uncomfortable changing in front of other students and choose to use bathroom stalls, unused shower areas, locker room alcoves, and a gender neutral restroom to change.
Q: My child struggles in less structured classes, how can they be successful in PE?
A:
Knowing that many middle school students thrive in routines, we work to keep our classes in a consistent order of: attendance, fitness stations, jogging, instructional time, then activities. Our PE classes are large, but structured in a way that allows students to interact with each other in a way that cannot be achieved in a typical classroom. This interaction can be difficult for some students, but with consistent and high expectations, we feel each student can be successful and grow into a mature, well-rounded middle school student.
