In-school administrators and teachers, when planning Wellness 10, need to take into consideration the fact that some parts of the course will occur in the school gym and in other physical activity settings, while other parts of the course will be carried out in a classroom. In addition to location, planning also involves providing students with a balanced menu of physical activity and striving to accommodate the needs of all students.
Of the 100 hours allotted to Wellness 10, 60-75 hours involve some form of physical activity. While the majority of these 60-75 hours will be spent in the school gymnasium or on adjacent playing fields, some physical activities may occur in locations and facilities away from school such as arenas/rinks (skating, curling), courts (racquetball, tennis), pools (swimming), and outdoor settings (canoeing, hiking, cycling). The remaining 25-40 hours do not involve physical activity and students will, for the most part, spend them in a regular classroom.
The sample semester schedule for Teacher B that appears in Appendix B of this information bulletin (and on pages 90-91 of the Wellness 10 curriculum guide) shows that a classroom has been reserved for the days marked (Classroom).
In Wellness 10, a wide variety of physical activities are grouped into activity areas. Of the 60-75 hours devoted to physical activity during Wellness 10 class time, a certain percentage should be allotted to each activity area in order to provide students with a “balanced menu” of physical activity. The recommended percentages of time appear in the chart below.
Activity Areas (and Physical Fitness) |
Percentages of the 60-75 hours |
Games |
25-40% |
Alternative environment activities |
15-30% |
Individual and dual activities |
15-30% |
Gymnastics |
10-25% |
Rhythmics and dance |
10-25% |
Physical fitness |
10-25% |
Total |
100% |
The activities listed on the next page are suggestions only and are not intended to be completed or closed systems. Many new activities may be added, provided that they meet the criterion of leading to sound educational outcomes.
This notion of a balanced menu is similar to that found in the Canada Food Guide. Foods are grouped into categories according to the nutrients provided by the foods in each group. Thus, by eating foods from each food group and keeping with the recommended daily amounts, students are more likely to obtain all the nutrients they need for optimal growth and development. Similarly, by participating in activities related to each of the activity areas, students are more likely to develop their ability to perform all the basic movement patterns. They are also more likely to improve or maintain each component of physical fitness. In addition, through such participation, students will have more opportunities for cognitive, affective, and social development.
Alternative Environnent |
Rhythmics and Dance |
Games |
Gymnastics
|
Individual and Dual |
Aquatics
Outdoor Pursuits Land-based
Water-based
Classroom Hallway Home Community
|
Rhythmics
Dance
|
Basic Movement
Innovative
Fielding (bat and ball)
Invasion (territorial)
Net and Wall
Multicultural
|
Perform Gymnastics Basic Movement Patterns Using: Small Equipment
Large Equipment
Other Persons
|
Athletics (Track and Field)
Combatives
Individual Manipulatives
Target
Training Programs
Other
|
In order to accommodate the needs of all students and support their achievement of curriculum objectives, teachers adapt their instruction, the learning environment, and curriculum materials. When addressing the Adaptive Dimension, it may be helpful for teachers and administrators to consider the guidelines provided on page 23 of the curriculum guide.
Identifying the need and designing the adaptation may be adequately handled by the classroom teacher or may require the expertise of other support specialists such as the school’s resource teacher or a student’s health care professional such as a physiotherapist. Teachers need to be aware of and use the support services that are available, both within and beyond the school.
The Wellness 10 bibliography includes resources that provide ideas regarding the inclusion of students with special needs. Using a variety of resource materials (e.g., items listed in the bibliography, school or community personnel), along with some creativity, enables teachers to accommodate a wide range of student abilities and needs.
Physical activity is an important part of Wellness 10. When making decisions about course selection, students, teachers, parents, and administrators sometimes wonder whether a particular student, who lives with a condition or disability that limits physical mobility, can be accommodated in Wellness 10. These types of special needs can be accommodated in units 2, 4, and 5. There is no need to plan for accommodations related to physical activity in either of units 1 or 3.
Specific examples of adapting physical activities to support student achievement of objectives are presented in the curriculum guide on pages 137-138. In addition to these examples, and the print and video resources annotated in the bibliography, teachers can access evaluated web sites such as www.pecentral.org.
This web site provides the following information and services: