Chapter 8
Planning
Chapter 8 Key Points
Effective Lesson Planning requires careful consideration
of:
– Class size
– Frequency
– Personal characteristics of the children
– Children’s skill levels and interests
The Skill Theme Approach organizes the content
around skill themes and concepts (movement, fitness
and wellness)
The Four-Step Plan to develop a program
Step 1: Develop a curriculum scope and sequence for all
the elementary years
Step 2: Develop a yearly plan for the scope and sequence
Step 3: Decide on focus skill themes, movement and
fitness concepts including cues to be emphasized
Step 4: Develop daily lesson plans
Chapter 8 Key Points
Planning Considerations
Step 1: Scope and Sequence: defines WHAT is included in
the curriculum, in what order and at what grade level the
content will be taught
Step 2: Devise the yearly overview which indicates how much
time (how many days) to allocate to teaching the skills
and concepts to various grade levels
Lower Elementary emphasis on concepts and Upper
Elementary emphasis on skill themes.
Next, transfer yearly overview to a yearly calendar,
indicating projected days for content to be covered
throughout the school year
Chapter 8 Key Points
Planning Considerations (cont)
Yearly outlines serve only as guide –reflective teachers
will make changes during the year to reflect progress
and interests of children
Step 3: Establish benchmarks once the scope, sequence and
yearly overview are determined. These can be used as
guides to what the students are expected to learn
throughout your program
Step 4: Daily Lesson Planning – required for beginning
teachers to:
1) Understand how to teach the skill theme content
2) Accommodate individual variations
Chapter 8 Key Points
Some additional points about planning
Is difficult but necessary task – set aside appropriate
amounts of time for planning, trying out new ideas and
attempts to make lesson exciting
Goal is to help children become skillful movers; they need
opportunities to practice skills in meaningful, enjoyable
contexts which maximizes their participation in successful
and challenging situations
Questions Teachers Must Ask
1. What do I want to include in my curriculum and at what grade
levels will I emphasize the various concepts and skills?
2. How many days a year will I be able to allocate to teaching
each concept and skill theme?
3. What are the benchmarks or checkpoints that I will use to
assess the progress my students are making?
4. What tasks and cues will I teach each day in my lessons?