What is a skill theme? In one of my PE curriculum resources, Children Moving: A Reflective Approach to Teaching Physical Education by Graham, Holt/Hale & Parker, skill themes are the physical skills necessary to successfully participate and enjoy various activities. With the skill theme of instruction approach teachers design experiences that encourages students of all ability levels to actively and successfully participate in class. These experiences take place within the eight Unit Themes students participate during the school year.

Students in grades 3-5 will be exposed to, experience, and develop skills necessary for recreation and sport activities, educational dance, and educational gymnastics. I present these skill themes within the individual units in hopes to 1)provide a purpose for the student to participate and develop the skill(s) of focus, and 2)once these skills have been developed would then promote the possibility of a student feeling confident enough to participate in these and other related activities.

For each of the 18 skill themes presented below I have included a brief learning outcomes description of the skill theme, and the Unit Themes of focus for developing the particular skill theme.

Each skill theme relates with both the state standard Health and Fitness - Essential Academic Learning Requirements (Benchmark 1 -Fourth Grade) and the national standard NASPE content standards for a physically educated person:

EALR1: The student acquires the knowledge and skills necessary to maintain an active life: Movement, physical fitness, and nutrition. 1.1: Develop fundamental and complex movement skills, as developmentally appropriate. Benchmark 1: Demonstrate physical skills (locomotor, non-locomotor, and manipulative) that contribute to movement proficiency.

NASPE1: Demonstrates competency in motor skills and movement patterns needed to perform a variety of physical activities

NASPE2: Demonstrates understanding of movement concepts, principles, strategies, and tactics as they apply to the learning and performance of physical activities

Program Learning Outcomes for Skill Themes 1.0

1.1 · throwing

Students will be able to develop and demonstrate the proper mature form (underhand and overhand) as it relates to throwing a variety of balls within various activities.

Unit Themes: soccer, basketball, Womba-ball

1.2 · catching

Students will be able to develop and demonstrate the proper mature form as it relates to catching (and fielding) a variety of balls within various activities.

Unit Themes: soccer, basketball, Womba-ball

1.3 · kicking

Students will be able to demonstrate kicking with accuracy, body control, point of contact, force and direction.

Unit Themes: soccer

1.4 · punting

Students will be able to demonstrate proper technique for dropping and kicking a ball before it touches the ground.

Unit Themes: soccer

1.5 · traveling

The student will be able to physically execute, on verbal command, the locomotor skill of walking, running, galloping, hopping, skipping, sliding in combination with other skill themes.

Unit Themes: soccer, basketball, tumbling, volleyball, dance, Womba-ball

1.6 · rolling

The student will be able to develop and demonstrate a sequence of correctly performed gymnastic movements (integrating the skills of traveling, jumping and landing, balancing, and weight transfer utilizing the concepts of space awareness, effort, and relationships) to include various rolling and tumbling skills.

Unit Themes: tumbling

1.7 · balancing

The student will be able to demonstrate various static and dynamic balance challenges during various activities (weight transferences, jumping, throwing, catching, and all forms of traveling) and sequences (routines).

Unit Themes: soccer, basketball, traverse rock climbing, tumbling, volleyball, dance, Womba-ball

1.8 · chasing, dodging and fleeing

The student will be able to demonstrate how to overtake or tag a fleeing student, travel quickly away from a pursuing student / object, and maneuver quickly by moving the body in a direction other than the original line of movement during various activities.

Unit Themes: soccer, basketball, Womba-ball

1.9 · jumping and landing

The student will be able to demonstrate in various activates jumping and landing for height and distance using a mature form.

Unit Themes: soccer, basketball, tumbling, volleyball, dance

1.10 · dribbling (for basketball)

The student will be able to demonstrate dribbling a ball with control at various heights in various body positions while stationary and moving, and pass the ball off the dribble to a reliever.

Unit Themes: basketball

1.11 · dribbling (for soccer)

The student will be able to demonstrate starting and stopping, and changing directions with the soccer dribble both independently and in various group activities.

Unit Theme: soccer

1.12 · volleying

The student will be able to strike or give impetus to an object by using a variety of body parts and manipulative.

Unit Themes: soccer, volleyball

1.13 · rhythmic activities

The student will be able to develop and demonstrate the ability to interpret and move to different rhythms while be exposed to a variety of rhythmic experiences.

Unit Theme: dance

1.14 · striking (with bats)

The student will develop and demonstrate the horizontal strike pattern of batting at an object, and consistently make contact with the object while using proper technique.

Unit Theme: Womba-ball

Goal Areas & Standards Addressed	EALR1	EALR2	EALR3	EALR4	NASPE 1	NASPE 2	NASPE 3	NASPE 4	NASPE 5	NASPE 6
1.0: Skill Themes	EALR1				NASPE1	NASPE2
1.1 Throwing	1.1				X	X
1.2 Catching	1.1				X	X
1.3 Kicking	1.1				X
1.4 Punting	1.1				X
1.5 Traveling	1.1				X	X
1.6 Rolling	1.1				X
1.7 Balancing	1.1				X
1.8 Chasing, Dodging and Fleeing	1.1				X	X
1.9 Jumping and Landing	1.1				X	X
1.10 Dribbling (for Basketball)	1.1				X	X
1.11 Dribbling (for Soccer)	1.1				X	X
1.12 Volleying	1.1				X
1.13 Rhythmic Activities	1.1				X	X
1.14 Striking (with bats)	1.1				X

Goal Areas & Standards Addressed	EALR1	EALR2	EALR3	EALR4	NASPE1	NASPE2	NASPE3	NASPE4	NASPE5	NASPE6
1.0: Skill Themes	EALR1				NASPE1	NASPE2
1.1 Throwing	1.1				X	X
1.2 Catching	1.1				X	X
1.3 Kicking	1.1				X
1.4 Punting	1.1				X
1.5 Traveling	1.1				X	X
1.6 Rolling	1.1				X
1.7 Balancing	1.1				X
1.8 Chasing, Dodging and Fleeing	1.1				X	X
1.9 Jumping and Landing	1.1				X	X
1.10 Dribbling (for Basketball)	1.1				X	X
1.11 Dribbling (for Soccer)	1.1				X	X
1.12 Volleying	1.1				X
1.13 Rhythmic Activities	1.1				X	X
1.14 Striking (with bats)	1.1				X