Teaching Fundamental Motor Skills

A lot of books focus on which motor skills should be taught to elementary school children, but few focus on how to teach those skills. Teaching Fundamental Motor Skills, Third Edition, steps into that gap and provides expert instruction on both, serving as a foundation for successful movement experiences for children.

The book will help you guide your students in mastering the critical elements of 8 locomotor and 17 manipulative skills. The approach offers a perfect balance between sound pedagogy and fun activities that will engage your students and keep them learning.

Skill Chapter Organization

The authors have organized the content in a way that makes it easy to locate and implement a multitude of activities that will help children grasp the fundamental skills. Each skill chapter includes the following:

&; An introduction, which includes a suggested age at which the skill or a portion of the skill should be mastered and, where appropriate, where the skill aligns with the National Standards and Grade-Level Outcomes

&; Four to six critical elements that are necessary for the skill to be correctly performed

&; Cue words to help students remember each critical element

&; Partner skill check assessments that help partners evaluate others&; progress

&; Success Builders to help students correct problems

&; Activities for practicing the entire skill at once

&; Troubleshooting charts for identifying problem areas

&; Lesson plans that guide you through the instructional sequence

New to This Edition

The content is directly tied to the SHAPE America National Standards and Grade-Level Outcomes and is endorsed by SHAPE America, which is including it in their lineup of resources for physical educators.

A web resource contains reproducible forms and checklists. This material is easily accessible and printable from mobile devices. And you&;ll find the fillable PDFs to be a great aid for your record keeping.

Each skill is animated on the web resource. These animations will help children better understand the critical elements of each skill and identify skill techniques that need to be corrected.

All the content is now in print. In the previous edition, much of the content was available only on a CD-ROM.

Additional Features

Teaching Fundamental Motor Skills retains many of the features from its earlier editions that have made the book a favorite among physical educators: outstanding illustrations, cues for you to use in teaching the skills, a troubleshooting chart for spotting and correcting common errors for most skills, assessment sheets, lesson plans, activities, and a wealth of supplementary material.

Maximizing Your Time&;and Your Students&; Experience

The authors provide tried-and-true management and instructional tips to help you prepare your lessons and maximize your teaching time.

Teaching Fundamental Motor Skills will help you capitalize on the natural excitement and eagerness that most elementary-age children bring to physical educattion. The book provides you with motivating methods to keep the children excited as they learn fundamental motor skills and movement patterns through sound, sequential, high-quality instruction that will meet the needs of all children, regardless of skill level.

Vonnie Colvin, EdD, is a professor of physical education pedagogy in Longwood University&;s department of health, athletic training, recreation, and kinesiology. In addition to her teaching duties, she works with student teachers in the schools and was the program coordinator for the physical and health education teacher education program in her department for 10 years. She was the 2013 recipient of the Virginia Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance Outstanding University Physical Educator Award. Before coming to Longwood University in 2004, Colvin was a member of the department of kinesiology and health promotion at the University of Kentucky for 9 years. During her tenure in Kentucky, she received the Outstanding University Physical Educator Award and an Outstanding Service Award from the Kentucky Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance in 2002.

Colvin is a member of both SHAPE America and the Virginia Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. She was vice president of physical education for the Kentucky state organization in 1999, and she is currently vice president of the general division in the Virginia state association. Colvin served on the Strategies editorial board from 1999 to 2002 and was the chair in 2001.

Before moving to higher education in 1995, Colvin taught physical education in Louisa County, Virginia, for 21 years&;8 years at the elementary level, 2 at the middle school level, and 11 at the high school level. During that time, she also worked with student teachers from Norfolk State University and Virginia Tech.

Colvin lives in Farmville, Virginia, and enjoys hiking, gardening, and reading.

Nancy Markos, MEd, is the 2002 National Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year for the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) and the 2003 Outstanding Elementary School Teacher for the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. In 2011, Markos received the Golden Apple Award for the Albemarle County Public School Teachers.

Markos was an elementary physical education and health specialist for the Albemarle County school system in Charlottesville, Virginia, from 1984 until her retirement in 2011. At that time, she became the facilitator of health, physical education, and family life for the Albemarle County Public Schools until June 2014. Markos is now a consultant for Move, Live, Learn and a presenter for US Games.

She was also clinical instructor for the University of Virginia from 1985 until her retirement in 2011. She mentored students in the physical education and adapted physical education programs. Before coming to Virginia, Markos taught physical education at the elementary level for 3 years in Maryland and at the middle school level for 5 years in Maryland and Rhode Island.

Markos is a member of SHAPE America; the Virginia Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance; and the education sorority Delta Kappa Gamma. She is past president of the Albemarle Education Association. Markos was a member of the writing and revision teams for the Standards of Learning for Physical Education and for the Physical Education Resource Guide for the Virginia Department of Education.

Markos lives in Earlysville, Virginia, and enjoys spending time with her family, plaaying golf, and working out.

Pam Walker, MEd, was an elementary physical education and health specialist in the Albemarle County school system in Charlottesville, Virginia, for 30 years until her retirement in 2008. She taught the last 25 years at Red Hill Elementary in North Garden, Virginia. Walker was a clinical instructor at the University of Virginia, where she worked with practicum students and student teachers for 18 years. She was named the 1995 Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year by the Virginia Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. In 2004, she received the Golden Apple Award for teachers in the Albemarle County Public Schools.

The workshops she has led involve teaching movement and fundamental skills, whole-brain learning, classroom management skills, learning styles and strategies, stress management, and teaching for multiple intelligences. Walker was a member of VAHPERD, SHAPE America, the National Education Association, the education sorority Delta Kappa Gamma, and the professional education fraternity Phi Delta Kappa.

Walker lives in Schuyler, Virginia, and enjoys spending time with her family, swimming, golfing, hiking, and camping.