Fourth Grade Physical Education

In this section: Goals and objectives Kindergarten 1st Grade 2nd Grade 3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th Grade 6th Grade 7th Grade 8th Grade

Fourth grade physical education focuses on the attitude and skill benchmarks below.

Attitude Sportspersonship Social interaction Fair play Cooperation Sharing Team work

Skills Locomotor movement and development Motor skills and development Fitness level and improvement Effort during activities Body control and balance Flexibility Rhythym and dance Overall coordination

Fourth graders work hard all year on building their fitness, coordination, locomotor skills, and listening skills. The children work on ball handling fundamentals, striking fundamentals, kicking fundamentals, tossing and throwing fundamentals, rope climbing, tag games, and a variety of games that encourage specific skills and energy. Regular exercises such as daily sit-ups and push-ups, squats and lunges, stretches, and a cardiovascular activity such as running or jumping rope are performed in each class to encourage fitness throughout the year. It is important for everyone to have fun and learn so they will continue to be active throughout their lives. The children need to wear comfortable shoes and clothes so that any activity is possible.

Fourth grade students have sport units that last between three and four weeks. During this time they are developing all the skills necessary to participate and display competency during an actual game. During game play we focus not just on skills but on sportsmanship as well. Once the students move into the upper school, there is more competition involved; we introduce competitive play so that students are ready and able to handle themselves in a competitive setting. The emphasis is not on winning and losing, but on a healthy and fun spirit of competition.

Adapted from the National State Physical Education Standards:
Fourth grade students should be able to demonstrate refined fundamental patterns. They should attain mature motor patterns for the basic locomotor, nonlocomotor, and selected isolated manipulative skills (throwing, catching, striking). Variations of skills and skill combinations are performed in increasingly dynamic and complex environments (e.g., performing manipulative tasks while dodging). In addition, students should be able to acquire some specialized skills basic to a movement form (e.g., basketball chest pass, soccer dribble, fielding a softball with a glove) and to use those skills with a partner.

Fourth grade students should be able to use critical elements to refine personal performance of fundamental and selected specialized motor skills, as well as to provide feedback to others. They should be able to identify and apply concepts that impact the quality of movement performance in increasingly complex movement situations. For example: a ball must be passed in front of a moving player; appropriate practice improves performance; and the lower the center of gravity the more stable the object.