“Spark is a researched based public health organization.”(Sparkpe.org) When you buy their lesson plans and equipment you are also buying the outstanding service that comes with Spark. You also get a spark team that comes to your specific school and helps with all of the lesson plans. They also help interact with kids and get them up and moving, all in all they are a good motivation tool to have. For a school that has a poor budget it can be hard to get Spark out to you, but you’re able to call them up ask for advice and move forward as a program. Spark doesn’t just strive to kill obesity within children; they also strive to educate adults so they know the right steps to help their students become healthy individuals. In a nut shell each Spark program “fosters environmental and behavioral change by providing a coordinated package of a highly thought through curriculum, onsite teacher training, extensive follow-up support, and content matching equipment.”(Sparkpe.org) Since Spark is still a relatively new organization they are still growing, learning and striving for success every day. They first started studying Elementary education in 1989. Sense then they have created a full K-12 curriculum. They have made a dieting curriculum for growing children. They produce their own equipment and lastly they back up their lesson plans with real people that not only teach the kids but teach the teachers. This curriculum sounds very difficult and complex; yes, but they help by breaking it down into five core messages.
Clever enough the five core messages actually spell out the word Spark. They did this so you as a student or a teacher wouldn’t forget them. If you did you would be able to think back to Spark and bam, you remember just li...
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...cores will increase dramatically. Everyone gains when Spark is involved.
Bibliography
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2. McKenzie, T. L., Alcaraz, J. E., Sallis, J. F., & Faucette, F. N. (1998). Effects of a physical education program on children's manipulative skills. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 17, 327-341.
3. McKenzie, T. L., Alcaraz, J., & Sallis, J. F. (1994) Assessing children's liking for activity units in an elementary school physical education curriculum. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 13, 206-215.
4. Team, Spark. "SPARK." What is spark. N.p.. Web. 25 Sep 2013. .
Hellmich, Nanci. "Report: More PE, Activity Programs Needed in Schools." USA Today. Gannett, 23 May 2013. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.
... physical education (J. Sproule, Ed.). Retrieved February 25, 2014, from Sage Journal website: http://epe.sagepub.com/content/11/3/257.short#cited-by
Adams, J. and White, M. (2005). Why don't stage-based activity promotion interventions work? Health Education Research, 20(2), 237-243.
Sluijs, E. M. F. v., McMinn, A. M., & Griffin., S. J. (2006). Effectiveness of interventions topromote physical activity in children and adolescents: systematic review of controlled trials. doi:10.1136/bmj.39320.843947.BE
Physical activity helps boost cognitive abilities in children. Recess generally involves a lot of running, playing, and games involving exercise. In fact, recent research has found a direct correlation between intelligence and physical fitness, especially in children under 16 years old and elderly persons (Pica 64). In a study conducted by F. L. Martens, academic scores, attitudes, and fitness were improved when a third of the school day was dedicated to recess. Another study study found that at least five hours of physical activity resulted in substantially higher academic achievement in the core subjects (Pica 63).
...romoting Physical Activity and a Healthful Diet Among Children: Results of a School-Based Intervention Study. American Journal of Public Health, 81(8), 986-991.
Lastly, the textbook states that “A high-quality physical-education program parallels whole-child education. While the main focus is on physical development (psychomotor), it also addresses the knowledge (cognitive) and social (affective) aspects of the child”
Lesson Plan 1 Standards: 5-2.4 Identify the five components of health-related physical fitness and describe activities that correspond to each component....
Movement is one of the most highly debated topics among teachers today, as every individual has his/her own opinions in their teaching philosophy. Teachers must get around barriers caused by the high priorities of standardized testing and low effort to include movement in their classroom; therefore, it puts too much stress on the general education teachers. There are insufficient amounts of space to complete activities requiring movement when in a classroom; therefore, the teachers are incapable of safely navigating students around the room. Some students will refuse to participate in different physical activities, causing frustration when teachers are trying to plan full class activities, and this takes away from academic instruction. It is often that educators exclude these physical activities from the classroom due to stress that is put on the schools to perform higher academically; however, studies show exercise may be a large factor in the student’s performance. There are so many ways to incorporate movement into the lessons that increase the students’ academic achievements while motivating them. As space is limited in the classroom, during the warmer months, teachers can use the outdoors as an engaging experience to refresh the students’ minds and prepare them for new lessons. Physical activities can also be used to reinforce information that was previously taught during lessons to increase the student’s knowledge of the topic. Opinions vary from one person to another, but there is only one way to find the effects that exercise has on the student’s abilities. Physical activity should be incorporated into the classroom because it promotes cognition and academic achievement, improves student behavior and attitud...
Marcus BH, Williams DM, Dubbert PM, et al. Physical activity intervention studies: what we know
Physical activity enhances children’s quantitative development within middle childhood, supporting growth toward healthy strong people, physically and psychology. Middle childhood is documented as being between the ages of six to ten years old. A lack of physical activity affects children across all areas of development; it is not restricted within the domain of physical development. Discussed within are the expectations of motor development within middle childhood, the benefits of physical activity and the consequences of prolonged inactivity. Along with how a student’s physical development facilitates or restricts development in other areas and how the learning environment can accommodate and support the physical needs of students.
Opponents of physical education in schools state that gym is not the best way to utilize students’ time. Students’ should be given the choice to participate in gym class or not because many students aren’t as athletic and don’t enjoy it enough to want to do it in school. Despite this downfall, PE is important in students’ life and even though some don’t enjoy it as much, they need it in order to be successful in life. If not, diseases and health risks could come up and it wouldn’t be robust. Ultimately, physical education provides superior benefits.
Include a physical fitness assessment such as the “The President’s Challenge,” or the “Fitnessgram” to all students and report results to parents twice a year. Track the physical fitness assessments yearly to ensure wellness benefits are being met.
Some activity clubs we provide include, dancing, running, jump roping, basketball and soccer clubs, just to name a few. These clubs encourage kids to stay active. Our PE program also sends out monthly newsletters to the parents that give them ways to help their child live a healthy lifestyle. The National Association for Sport and Physical Education states, “Regular physical activity improves functional status and limits disability during the middle and later adult years. Physical activity contributes to quality of life, psychological health, and the ability to meet physical work demands. Physical education can serve as a vehicle for helping students to develop the knowledge, attitudes, motor skills, behavioral skills, and confidence needed to adopt and maintain physically active lifestyles. The outcomes of a quality physical education program include the development of students’ physical competence, health-related fitness, self-esteem, and overall enjoyment of physical activity. These outcomes enable students to make informed decisions and choices about leading a physically active lifestyle. In early years children derive pleasure from movement sensations and experience challenge and joy as they sense a growing competence in their movement ability. Evidence suggests that the level of participation, the degree of skill, and the number of activities mastered as a child directly influences the extent to which children will continue to participate in physical activity as an
“Children who exercise regularly have higher levels of self-esteem.” (Brown, W.J. & Brown P.R., 1996, p19). Teaching Physical Education can have immediate health benefits as it helps normalise body weight and body composition. Physical activity also promotes positive mental health. Both immediate outcomes may be useful in motivating physical activity practices so that they have long term benefits. One of the main benefits of physical activity is that “it keeps children involved and that it invariably makes you feel good.” (Brown, W.J. & Brown P.R., 1996, p19). Getting the correct amount of Physical activity in school hours will decrease the rates of obesity and will reduce the risk of diabetes, asthma, heart disease and other health related illness’. Regular exercise for children also helps their cardiovascular health and bone development. There is also evidence that Physical Activity has a positive effect on mental health in children, including reducing anxiety and depression and improving their mood. However, there is some evidence that for children who don’t enjoy Physical Education it can have a negative impact on their self-esteem and