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Physical Education Course Descriptions

     

 

PHYSICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM

The physical education department within the Sachem Central School District, in accordance with the recommendations of the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (NYSAHPERD), has designed a unique high school curriculum.

The Sachem Physical Education program is dedicated to promoting lifetime fitness and physical activity, and enhancing personal fitness, health and wellness for all students. To that end, the focus of this curriculum is to help all students become informed, independent decision-makers capable of planning for enjoyable lifetime fitness and physical activity and achieving personal fitness and sport activity goals. The objectives of the curriculum are to assist students to:

  • Become physically active and physically fit
  • Acquire knowledge of the benefits of physical activity, health and wellness, and the principles of fitness
  • Become an individual capable of designing his or her own personal fitness program

The physical education program aligns the curriculum and instruction with the New York State Learning Standards and the NASPE Content Standards. The complex motor and sport activities are organized into eight categories (team passing sports, net/wall sports, striking/fielding sports, target sports, dance and aesthetics, outdoor activities, personal performance activities, personal fitness activities). Students will be assigned to classes by grade (9, 10, 11, 12). The sport activities will be assigned by grade from each of the eight sport activity categories. The program is as follows:

Fitness Concepts (9)
One Semester, Alternate Days, ¼ Cr.
This course is designed to assist students in discovering the value and benefits of physical activity for reducing the risk of various diseases and physical conditions, and in promoting health and wellness. They learn the benefits of building the five components of health-related fitness and the principles that will help them build fitness properly. In addition, they learn the principles of overload, progression, and specificity and how to apply them by using the FIT (frequency, intensity and time) formula to determine how much exercise is enough. Students will also learn what types of activities are best for maximizing health and wellness benefits while planning a personal fitness program. The fitness assessment will include the three components of fitness: aerobic capacity (pacer); body composition (height and weight); and muscle strength (push-ups); endurance (curl-ups); and flexibility (sit and reach).

Introduction to Project Adventure (9)
One Semester, Alternate Days, ¼ Cr.
This course is designed to provide students with an opportunity to participate in a series of individual and group activities. Each activity fosters team building, group cohesion, cooperation, leadership, problem-solving and communication skills, as well as, healthy risk-taking and individual commitments. It uses the experiential model to engage students in an active, dynamic learning process that is characterized by “challenge by choice” which emphasizes cooperation rather than competition. Students are able to choose their level of risk, build their level of trust, and increase their level of investment in the class.

 

Sport Activity 10: Semester One (10)
Alternate Days, ¼ Cr.
This course is designed to provide students with an opportunity to participate in four activities: golf, volleyball, fitness assessment, and dance. Students will be asked to demonstrate a combination of skills, knowledge, and behaviors associated with a complex game or other performance. The fitness assessment will include the three components of fitness: aerobic capacity (pacer); body composition (height and weight); and muscle strength (push-ups); endurance (curl-ups); and flexibility (sit and reach).

Sport Activity 10: Semester Two (10)
Alternate Days, ¼ Cr.
This course is designed to provide students with an opportunity to participate in four activities: basketball, swimming, softball and track & field. Students will be asked to demonstrate a combination of skills, knowledge, and behaviors associated with a complex game or other performance.

Sport Activity 11: Semester One (11)
Alternate Days, ¼ Cr.
This course is designed to provide students with an opportunity to participate in four activities: tennis, soccer, water sports, and weight training. Students will be asked to demonstrate a combination of skills, knowledge, and behaviors associated with a complex game or other performance.

Sport Activity 11: Semester Two (11)
Alternate Days, ¼ Cr.
This course is designed to provide students with an opportunity to participate in four activities: cardio-fitness, archery, fitness assessment and cricket. Students will be asked to demonstrate a combination of skills, knowledge, and behaviors associated with a complex game or other performance. The fitness assessment will include the three components of fitness: aerobic capacity (pacer); body composition (height and weight); and muscle strength (push-ups); endurance (curl-ups); and flexibility (sit and reach).

SENIOR ELECTIVES

Elective 1: Project Adventure (12)
Full Year, Alternate Days, ½ Cr.
This course is designed to explore non-competitive games, trust building exercises, group initiatives and problem-solving activities. The students will develop the necessary skills needed to complete the low and high ropes course. These are the principle activities used to help individuals improve self-esteem, develop strategies to enhance decision-making, learn to respect differences within a group, and increase their agility and physical coordination. A journal is a requirement for this course.

Elective 2: Team Passing and Net and Wall Activities (12)
Full Year, Alternate Days, ½ Cr.
This course is designed to explore the following team passing (football, lacrosse, basketball, and team handball) and net and wall activities: (fitness assessment, badminton, volleyball and tennis). Students will be asked to demonstrate a combination of skills, knowledge, and behaviors associated with a complex game or other performance. The fitness assessment will include the three components of fitness: aerobic capacity (pacer); body composition (height and weight); and muscle strength (push-ups); endurance (curl-ups); and flexibility (sit and reach).

Elective 3: Life guarding and First Aid/AED/CPR for the Professional Rescuer American Red Cross Certification Courses and Project Adventure (12)
Full Year, Single Period, Everyday, ½ Cr.
The Life guarding and First Aid/AED/CPR courses will meet everyday during semester one and the Project Adventure course will meet everyday during semester two. This course will satisfy the physical education requirement for their senior year.

Lifeguarding Pre-requisite: Teacher recommendation, which is based on the following swimming pre-test items:

  1. Swim 300 yards continuously, using these strokes in the following order:
    • 100 yards of front crawl using rhythmic breathing and a stabilizing, propellant kick. Rhythmic breathing can be performed either by breathing to the side or to the front.
    • 100 yards of breaststroke using a pull, breathe, kick and glide sequence.
    • 100 yards of either the front crawl or breaststroke. The 100 yards may be a combination of front crawl and breaststroke.
  2. Starting in the water, swim 20 yards using front crawl or breaststroke, surface dive to a depth of 7-10 feet, retrieve a 10-pound object, return to the surface, swim 20 yards back to the starting point with the object and exit the water without using a ladder or steps, within 1 minute, 40 seconds.

Lifeguard/First Aid Certifications: Upon successful completion of this course, a lifeguard/first-aid card will be issued for a period of three years. This will certify the holder in the lifeguarding profession for private pools and beaches in Suffolk County. In order to receive local certification as a (Town of Brookhaven, Town of Islip, Suffolk County, etc.) lifeguard, a Town Lifeguard test must be passed. The primary purpose of the American Red Cross Lifeguarding program is to provide entry-level lifeguards with skills and knowledge.

AED/CPR for the Professional Rescuer Certification: Upon completion of this course, the student will receive a one-year certification from the American Red Cross. Students will learn adult, child, infant, and two-person CPR. The use of different breathing devices and the proper use of an AED will be covered. There will be a fee for books and a pocket mask to be paid directly to the American Red Cross.

Project Adventure: This course is designed to explore non-competitive games, trust building exercises, group initiatives and problem-solving activities. The students will develop the necessary skills needed to complete the low and high ropes course. These are the principle activities used to help individuals improve self-esteem, develop strategies to enhance decision-making, learn to respect differences within a group, and increase their agility and physical coordination.

Elective 4: Sportsfolio (9, 10, 11, 12)
Two semesters, Alternate Days, ¼ Cr.
Pre-requisite: A physician’s note excusing a student from activity for three weeks or longer.
Those students classified as non-participants because of a physician’s verified medical exclusion will be assigned to a health and sport-related reading and writing course called “Sportsfolio”. These students who are medically excluded from regular participation in physical education will receive a grade for their physical education requirement based on the daily “Sportsfolio” assignments.

Elective 5: CrossFit (11,12)

Credit: 1/2 credit (one of the senior physical education electives mandatory for graduation)

Pre-requisite: No pre-requisite

Course Description: This course is designed to assist students in discovering the value and benefits of intense physical activity to enhance competency in all physical tasks. The goal of this course is to introduce students to CrossFit, commonly known as the “Sport of Fitness”. The CrossFit prescription is “constantly varied, high intensity, functional movement”. By creating a positive environment—commonly associated with teams or close groups—camaraderie, natural competition and fun will be present, resulting in a healthy intensity that cannot be matched by other means. Students will be given a forum where they can push their own limits and celebrate their successes as well as the successes of their classmates. This course will increase work capacity across broad time and modal domains.

Course Objectives:

  • Students will optimize physical competence in each of the ten recognized fitness domains: cardiovascular and respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, balance and accuracy.
  • Students will demonstrate competency in CrossFit’s “9 Foundational Movements”: squat, front squat, overhead squat, deadlift, sumo-deadlift high pull, shoulder press, push press, push jerk and medicine ball clean.
  • Students will be able to identify and perform Olympic Lifts: clean & jerk and snatch.
  • Student will track and recognize progression through the use of a daily log book/journal