written by Jeff
Tiedeman, Diamond Canyon School, Anthem, AZ
We
call this the "Cars" Warm-up. This is a pretty simple
warm up that I use for elementary students, usually in 1st-4th
grade. Most of the students are familiar with the Cars
movies. I took pictures from the movies and put them on
this Powerpoint.
On each of the slides I put a different locomotor movement
that the students are to perform as they move around the "Diamond
Canyon Motor Speedway." That is what we named our race
track (gym), since our school is called Diamond Canyon.
At my school, we have a big, portable
Smartboard that we use for this activity. I have also used
a portable projector, and put the Powerpoint up on the wall
or our pull down screen.
Once I start the slideshow, I also
put on the song from the Cars movie, “Life is a Highway.”
Every time the students complete a lap around the track they
look at the screen and perform the locomotor movement that
is shown.
The song is only about 4 minutes long
(video displayed on the right, here), so it works as a good
warm up. The students really seem to have fun moving around
the track, and it seems to keep them interested.
I manually change the slides on this
activity. I watch the students' energy level and I change
the slides when I think it's time. This activity has been
a nice way to get their heart rate up and get them ready for
the lesson. It is just a different way to get the students
to do locomotor movements without getting bored. I have found
it is an easy way to assess students who might be having a
hard time with a particular movement. As they come around
the track, I can help them if it is needed.
written by Jeff
Tiedeman, Diamond Canyon School, Anthem, AZ
I am always trying to find new ways
to keep the students active and moving. I feel that if I keep
trying to come up with new ideas the students stay engaged
and don't get bored. The Olympic Warm-up is a different way
to do some of the same stuff we have been doing every day
in our classes. For whatever reason, the kids really love
doing it even though it is tough.
The Olympic Warm-up uses
a 22 slide Powerpoint presentation. I found different pictures
from the 2012 Olympics that I thought the kids would like.
On each slide I put a locomotor movement, a strength exercise,
or a cardio exercise. With some of the slides the students
are asked to move around the outside of the gym, while other
slides ask them to stop and perform an exercise in place.
During the entire Powerpoint I play good workout music that
the kids like. The music is the key to the whole thing. Without
it, it would probably get boring, but the music really keeps
them moving.
I created the slideshow to change
slides at pre-determined times. With some of the slides the
students will finish a little early. I did that on purpose
so they will have a chance to get a little rest before the
next exercise. We have a portable Smartboard in our gym that
we use on a daily basis. I connect my laptop to it, and put
it in a visible place. I have also used a projector and put
the presentation on our big screen. The students know to keep
their eye on the Smartboard for changes in the slideshow.
So far I have used this for 1st-8th
grade students. They all seem to really enjoy it and try hard.
I encourage them to do their best, but most kids don't do
the whole workout perfectly. I don't worry too much about
that as long as it looks like they are trying hard. The only
prior knowledge that the students need is how to perform the
exercises or locomotor movements. Before I had the students
perform the warm-up, I reviewed some of the movements that
I thought would give them trouble. Most of them caught on
right away.
Anyone who uses this idea can change
it however they see fit. The exercises and movements that
I chose work well for our school, and I have found that the
students are really engaged. They are also pretty tired and
sweaty after they complete this activity, but they keep requesting
to do the Olympic Warm-up so it must be fun.
This idea just popped into my head
while watching the Olympics this summer. I wanted to integrate
the Olympics into my classes, and I thought this was a great
way to do that and get the students moving and exercising
at the same time.
Biography: Jeff Tiedeman graduated from CWU in 1997. He moved
to Arizona in 2002 and has been teaching Physical Education
in the Deer Valley Unified School District for the past 10
years. He enjoys playing basketball with his friends and hanging
out with his family.
We
call this the "Cars" Warm-up. This is a pretty simple
warm up that I use for elementary students, usually in 1st-4th
grade. Most of the students are familiar with the 