Happy New Year!

Welcome back for the 3rd Quarter! I hope that everyone had an enjoyable Winter Break. The cold and rainy weather seemed to have extended the break an extra week (wishful thinking). It has taken us a little bit longer in P.E. to get warmed up for our activities but we're very excited to be back at it!

We finished up basketball at the end of the 2nd Quarter. The students were able to use skills learned in team handball to put together pieces of basketball. We reviewed dribbling, passing and moving without the ball as well as learning proper techniques for shooting. The students improved their abilities quickly and we changed our focus to defense. Keeping our hands up, shuffling our feet and following the ball were key points. The classes were able to play full court basketball games by the end of the lessons as they challenged each other to make baskets, rebound and play defense.

This week we begin soccer! Like many of our units, we have started with the basics: learning to dribble, pass, stop the ball properly and move without the ball. A key point of emphasis will be moving to find open space and not crowd around the ball. Next week we will go over holding positions on the "soccer field" and finding open players to pass to. Learning defense and strategies to attack the goal will follow that. By the end of January our P.E. classes will be playing indoor soccer games using these skills and strategies.

More information and pictures to follow. Stay warm!