Over the winter months, daily activity slows down as result of shorter daylight hours and colder outdoor temperatures. I am always asking myself, "How do I make sure my students get an hour a day of physical activity?"
Our school is part of a district.
We have five, elementary schools that attend one middle and high school. We do receive state funding but that has been shrinking each year. 74% of our school is reading on grade level. As we work so hard in the area of literacy, other areas for students suffer. One area is physical fitness. In the past our second graders had two recesses a day and now, they have one recess. We have one P.E. class a week. Some students participate in after school activities but some students just go home with limited physical activities.
My Project
Students need to increase their physical activity during the school year. Students will have the opportunity to wear a pedometer daily and self monitor their activity level at school. Students will chart steps daily. By charting steps daily, participants can watch their activity level increase over time and set goals for healthy living. I will provide additional opportunities to get physical activity throughout the day at school through motor breaks. Daily steps will be converted into miles (2000 steps=1 mile) and then we can chart miles on maps and walk from state capital to state capital and see how far we can travel around the country as a whole class. Students will be involved in math activities through calculating steps and miles. Students will learn about states and capitals by "walking" to them as a whole class. Students will see the value in physical activity on a daily basis.
My wish is for young students to see the value of physical activity during these precious years in their lives.
The excitement of wearing a pedometer helps to increase physical activity during transition times during the school day. With their new pedometers, students will have many opportunities to move their bodies during their school days. This project will benefit students for many years.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Kish and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.