Every elementary school like Forest City Elementary School has a five-component physical-education program with a major emphasis on fitness.
The central component is a two-time-per-week, 30-minute class program in which students participate in a variety of activities rhythms, apparatus and stunts, cooperative games, manipulative skills, sports, and movement activities.
This component of the program stresses a balance between the goals of fitness and the goals of skill acquisition.
The other four components of this program take place outside of scheduled physical-education time. The second component of the program is fitness testing at the start and end of the school year using the Health Related Fitness Test of AAHPERD. A computer-based printout of scores and their interpretations is sent home with each child.
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The third component of the program is a two times- per-week, 15-minute session on a fitness trail, administered and monitored by the classroom teacher. Six fitness stations are organized. Students have colour-coded cards explaining the different activities to be performed at the various fitness stations.
Each station has a K-3 activity and a 4-5 activity, and each activity has four levels of difficulty. Students are encouraged to move up levels throughout the school year during the session.
The fourth component of the program is a knowledge- based lifetime fitness series. Students watch audiovisual programs in seven different areas ranging from “Fitness Is Fun” to “Sports Fitness.” The purpose here is to motivate children and to increase their understanding of the components and values of lifetime fitness.
The fifth component of the program is a take home exercise program that directly involves the parents in the child’s overall fitness program. Each month, students are given take-home exercise fact sheets with specific exercises to perform and a calendar on which to mark their progress.
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The parents sign this calendar at the end of the month and return it to the school. Students receive certificates based on completion of each month’s program.
While the Forest City program emphasizes fitness, it also aims to develop movement and sports skills in its regular instructional program. The program combines the direct attention of the specialist physical educator with program components administered by classroom teachers and parents.
Although this school has only 1 hour per week of scheduled physical-education instruction for each student, the total amount of time a student spends in planned physical-education activities is substantially greater.
This provides a good example of how programs can be extended beyond minimum expectations if the motivation and leadership are available.