PE Connections : Helping Kids Succeed Through Physical Activity

-Develop new instructional strategies that lead to positive growth in young people.

-Blend instruction options to take the physical activity experience to another level.

-Move toward a coordinated school health approach.

-Provide 136 teacher-tested, developmentally appropriate, fun, and creative activities to foster a love of physical activity.

Teachers want their students to be successful—not just in the classroom, but throughout their lives as well. Through PE Connections: Helping Kids Succeed Through Physical Activity, teachers can provide the experiences that help students succeed in a much broader sense than is usually associated with a physical education class.

PE Connections accomplishes this by offering teachers and after-school care providers three instructional approaches that expand the definition of student success: teaching quality physical education, building social and personal competencies through developmental assets, and creating the foundation for a coordinated school health program. The activities in the book are the integration of physical activity, development of social competencies, and health strategies.

This multifaceted text

-offers traditional teaching of movement patterns, fitness concepts, and social interaction skills;

-provides 136 fun physical activities that meet the movement skill, fitness, and social competency objectives as outlined in NASPE standards 5 and 6; and

-goes beyond the standards by exposing students to success-building strategies not normally offered in physical education classes.

Some of the activities offer suggestions to encourage the partnering of parents, schools, and community organizations to provide the supportive environment that children need for healthy development. Others provide asset-building tools that either reinforce or build a particular asset or life skill, such as peaceful conflict resolution, personal power, and self-esteem.

The result is a unique book that fosters a love of physical activity and spurs personal growth. PE Connections also

-groups activities by equipment type and suggests creative ideas for using existing equipment,

-offers modifications for the activities; and

-provides an appendix that helps teachers modify lessons for students with physical disabilities.

PE Connections comes with easy-to-reproduce flash card masters and exercise pictures, an activity finder chart, and tips and guidelines for developing or improving coordinated school health programming. In addition, for each activity it lists specific developmental assets or teaching tips for developing the whole child.

With its fresh approach, creative activities, and focus on building successful experiences, PE Connections sheds new light on what it means to be successful in physical activity settings.

Thomas M. Fleming, PhD, taught health education for 13 years at the University of Montevallo in Montevallo, Alabama, and Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches, Texas. He worked at the Texas Education Agency for 12 years, serving as the director of health and physical education for 9 of those years. During that time he directed the health and PE writing teams and established the HPE Center for Educator Development with statewide workshops. He has conducted numerous health and physical education workshops for teachers, and in doing so he became interested in character development and developmental assets, which is a primary focus of this book.

Dr. Fleming earned a BS and MS in health and physical education at Stephen F. Austin University and earned his PhD in health education at Texas A&M. He played professional baseball in the New York Yankees' minor league system from 1961 to 1964 and currently enjoys hiking, fishing, and kayaking in his leisure time.

Lisa Bunting, MS, has been an elementary physical education teacher and coach for 28 years. She has honed her ability to manage large numbers of students by using a variety of techniques and creative activities, the best of which come to the fore in this book. Ms. Bunting has received several awards, including Texas AHPERD Teacher of the Year. She has presented at Texas Education Agency workshops and has served as a member of the physical education committee, as a curriculum writer, and as district physical education trainer, Designing for Learning: Structures and Strategies for the Katy (Texas) Independent School District. She was named as her school's 2006 Teacher of the Year.

Ms. Bunting, who earned her BS and MS in health and physical education from the University of Houston, is a CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child Health) trainer and was named a CATCH Champion for her coordinated school health efforts in 2005. She was named her school's teacher of the year for 2006. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, going to the beach, and cooking.