Guidelines for Planning

Planning the Year or Semester

A well thought out "game plan" for the year or semester will help teachers get a sense of "the big picture." A clear view of "the big picture" will help with planning and organizing. It will also help guide students towards the aim and goals of the physical education program.

Following is a suggestion about planning for success over the course of the year or semester:

1. Have a clear sense of the aim and goals of Physical Education 20 and 30. This will help the program "stay on track" with regards to planning lessons, assignments, and so on. Remember that lesson and unit objectives will develop from the aim and goals and, ultimately, so will assessments and evaluations.
2. Consider how to plan to reach each of the goals of the program. Questions to ask might be:
   • Have I developed foundational objectives which will help link the aim and goals of my program to my learning objectives and, eventually, to my assessment and evaluation strategies?

   Foundational objectives are outcomes which are achieved over a fairly long period of time such as one or two months, a semester, or a year. They are different from learning objectives in that they are broader and less specific in nature. They describe the skills and understandings to be acquired by students.

   Specific learning objectives describe what students do to come to an understanding or how they will acquire that ability. Foundational objectives form the basis for curriculum assessment and student evaluation. No matter what strategies are used, foundational objectives should be the main focus of evaluation.

   • How can I encourage students to take ownership of the class by involving them in choosing, planning and assessing or evaluating activities, assignments and so on?
   • How am I going to ensure that positive attitudes are developed? How will I assess my own development in that area plus that of my students? Which C.E.L.s could be incorporated?
   • How can I tell if my students are making lifestyle changes as a result of participation in my class?
3. Develop learning objectives that tie directly into the foundational objectives. Learning objectives should clearly connect to the foundational objectives. The instructional approaches used and the assessment and evaluation techniques chosen are direct results of what the foundational and learning objectives state. That is why it is so very important for planning to begin with the steps stated above.

   Refer to the section called Foundational Objectives and Learning Objectives for the Activity Areas for recommended foundational and learning objectives. Teachers will also wish to add their own. Foundational and learning objectives for the C.E.L.s are found in the section called Components and Initiatives of Core Curriculum.

4. Plan for activities and assignments that will help students meet the desired aim, goals and objectives. It is easiest to hit a target that is standing still! Once again, teachers might ask some important questions:
   • What about student involvement in the decision-making process?
   • Will the chosen assessment and evaluation techniques help students?
   • Is everything directed towards increasing the chances that students will become lifelong participants in regular physical activity?

Planning Activities

Every activity planned for students, every mark assigned for "participation," every assessment done for cooperative skills must directly reflect the aim, goals, foundational and learning objectives of the program. It is from this type of information that planning of lessons, units and the year or semester will begin.

On the following page is a very useful template which might help in the planning of the activity portion of the program. It can act as a guide when planning activities, assignments, etc. for any unit in Physical Education 20 or 30.

At the top of the page is a blank line. Here the name of the unit or activity is entered. Examples would be canoeing, walking, tennis. Next is stated the aim of Physical Education K-12 and the goals. Note that each of the goals relates directly to the aim. In other words, if these goals are met, then the aim will be met.

For each of the goals there is one corresponding foundational objective. For each foundational objective, there are one or more learning objectives. If the learning objectives are met, then the foundational objectives will be met. If the foundational objectives are met, then so are the goals and the aim.

A sample for golf has been provided on the following pages to show how the page "reads" after the blanks have been filled in. Also provided is a more detailed breakdown of how a thoughtfully planned golf unit would look.

Sample planning sheets for canoeing and fitness walking are also included. This section ends with a template planning sheet for teachers to use in planning any activity.

Template for Planning an Activity

Unit:

Aim of Physical Education K-12: lifelong participation

Goals of Physical Education K-12:

• concept-based skill development
• development of positive attitudes
• a lifestyle oriented to overall well-being

Foundational Objective:

• Students will identify and demonstrate basic movement patterns and performance cues and explain how they relate to the development of sports skills.

Learning Objectives:

• Students will be able to apply their knowledge about __________________ (and ________________) learned during the unit to ___________________.

Foundational Objective:

• Students will examine how the behaviour of one individual can affect the quality of an experience for others.

Learning Objectives:

• Students will be able to work cooperatively and contribute positively in group learning experiences.
• Students will display an understanding of the etiquette of ______________ and how it influences participants' behaviour.
• Students will be able to justify the rationale for specified rules relating to _____________________.

Foundational Objective:

• Students will extend the movement pattern(s) of ___________________ (and _____________________) to include other lifetime activities.

Learning Objectives:

• Students will categorize sports which involve similar movement patterns and performance cues.
• Students will illustrate the similarities among the categorized sports.
• Students will evaluate the categorized sports according to personal abilities and needs.

Sample Unit: Golf

Aim of Physical Education K-12: lifelong participation

Goals of Physical Education K-12:

• concept-based skill development
• development of positive attitudes
• a lifestyle oriented to overall well-being

Foundational Objective:

• Students will identify and demonstrate basic movement patterns and performance cues and explain how they relate to the development of sports skills.

Learning Objectives:

• Students will be able to apply their knowledge about golf learned during the unit to tennis .

Foundational Objective:

• Students will examine how the behaviour of one individual can affect the quality of an experience for others.

Learning Objectives:

• Students will be able to work cooperatively and contribute positively in group learning experiences.
• Students will display an understanding of the etiquette of golf and how it influences participants' behaviour.
• Students will be able to justify the rationale for specified rules relating to golf .

Foundational Objective:

• Students will extend the movement pattern of sending to include other lifetime activities.

Learning Objectives:

• Students will categorize sports which involve similar movement patterns and performance cues.
• Students will illustrate the similarities among the categorized sports.
• Students will evaluate the categorized sports according to personal abilities and needs.

The following documents are in PDF format and require Acrobat Reader

Sample Planning Sheet - Golf
Linkages - Grade 11 Golf
Sample Planning Sheet - Canoeing
Sample Planning Sheet - Fitness Walking
Planning Sheet
Linkages