Teaching Teams > Physical Education

    Physical Education

    Physical Education is an academic class that is defined under Special Education in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004. As so, it is a required component of Special Education and a direct service. It is specially designed if necessary, must be made available to every child with a disability receiving a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). Each child with a disability must be afforded the opportunity to participate in the regular physical education program available to non disabled children unless, the child is enrolled full time in a separate facility or the child needs specially designed physical education, as prescribed in the child's IEP.

    School Age

    Student ages 5 to 21 have physical education class once a week for fifty minutes. During each class, the students are challenged with different activities that incorporate skills that are emphasized in traditional physical education classes that work on building mobility and manipulation of objects in order to participate in movement based activities. In collaboration with the Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech Therapists, Vision Teacher, Orientation and Mobility Specialist, and the other educational team members, the students work towards enhancing their independence for leading an active healthy lifestyle in the community.

    The staff have high expectations for the students and are working hard to make sure that each student has the best chances possible to shine!

    The students work on building skills aligned with the MCPS curriculum that are individually appropriate for each students' development.

    • Elementary Age Curricular Skills:

      Range of Motion, Grasp/Release, Visual Tracking, Body Awareness, Spatial Awareness, Mobility, Object Manipulation, Balance, and Posture. These are foundational skills that work towards Walking, Running, Jumping, Leaping, Sliding, Galloping, Skipping, Rolling, Throwing, Catching, Kicking, Bouncing, Striking with an implement.

    • Middle School Curricular Skills:

      The students combine the foundational skills learned in elementary school and begin to utilize them. They are also learning basic anatomy and physiology concepts related to their muscular system, circulatory system, respiratory system, skeletal system, and the connection with the health-related fitness components (muscular strength, muscular endurance, cardiorespiratory endurance, and flexibility).

    • Secondary Age Curricular Skills:

      These students will utilize the skills used in middle school for incorporation into lifetime physical and recreational activities such as: Bocce, Croquet, Fitness, Rhythms and Dance, Miniature Golf, Skeeball, Button Baseball, and Yoga.

    Preschool

    The preschool students receive physical education once a week for 25 minutes. The preschool physical education program aligns with the "Big Day for PreK" curricular themes. The lessons related to skills in the areas of movement exploration, sensory integration, social-emotional skills, body awareness, spatial awareness, balance, basic locomotor skills, and manipulative skills. The theme based lessons incorporate skills related to mathematics, language, science, and letter identification. The lessons are developed with individualized expectations for the students to excel from their personal present levels they enter the room with each class. The class uses a transdiciplainary model which is a collaborative approach with the Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech Therapists, Vision Teachers, Orientation and Mobility Specialists, and the other educational team members (teachers and para professionals).

    Contact

    Kyle Grossett
    Stephen Knolls Physical Education Teacher

    E-mail: Kyle_Grossett@mcpsmd.org