What are standards and why are they a critical component of physical education? Standards establish well-defined and measurable objectives that encompass the skills and knowledge that students need in order to maintain a healthy and physically-active lifestyle. Standards provide consistency and guidance to teachers in developing programs, and when assessing grade-level outcomes, provide evidence of effective instruction. Standards-based assessment communicates evidence of student progress to students and parents, and provides accountability and transparency to administrators on program efficacy.
Standards-based instruction is the way teachers design, plan, deliver, and assess content that is aligned to standards and grade-level outcomes. SPARK provides a comprehensive curriculum that is standards-referenced, providing teachers with the design, the plan, the delivery model, and assessment tools. Decisions on which SPARK lessons are used to address specific content standards are best left up to the educators, and should be based on student needs and interests. Lessons are the vehicles used to travel toward proficiency in a particular grade-level outcome. The specific vehicle chosen is interchangeable, as long as the instruction is purposeful and meaningful, and the lesson content effectively addresses the stated outcome. There are several lessons within the SPARK curriculum that can be selected to reach the same goal. For example, grade-level outcome 3F in TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) grade 5 (students demonstrate correct technique when striking an object with a hand or short- or long-handled implement in dynamic activities and lead-up games) can be addressed through a variety of different lessons within several units in the 3-6 curriculum, including Hockey, Racquets and Paddles, Softball, and Volleyball. Which unit or specific lessons are selected to address this standard may be impacted by factors such as available equipment, facilities, time/teaching schedules, weather, and community/cultural interests. Each individual SPARK program includes a recommended sequence for specific content to be taught. This is meant as a guide and can be adapted to meet each school’s needs.
How a specific standard or grade-level outcome is addressed may not always be readily apparent within the body of a lesson. However, the outcome can be easily addressed through use of Reflection Questions or the SPARK It Up! variations that provide activity modifications and challenges to each lesson. One example can be seen in the Hearty Hoopla lesson in the Aerobic Games unit in the 3-6 curriculum. Grade-level outcome 10A for grade 3 in TEKS (differentiate between healthy and unhealthy foods and their impact on sustainable energy for physical activity) is addressed via a teacher-led discussion in the Healthy Choice SPARK It Up! that differentiates HDL (good) cholesterol from LDL (bad) cholesterol.
Some lessons within the SPARK curriculum provide enhanced value, as they can address many standards within one particular lesson. One example is “Touch 10” from the ASAP unit in the 3-6 Curriculum. Seven different grade-level outcomes within the Movement Patterns and Movement Skills-Manipulative Skills over-arching TEKS standard can be addressed simply by selecting specific Content Skill Cards that are available in the corresponding SPARKfolio or on SPARKfamily.org.
Presented below are four SPARK lessons, one from each curriculum, that address multiple grade-level outcomes within a single lesson. The over-arching TEKS standards are provided here for reference, and specific grade-level outcomes are listed that are addressed within each lesson.
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills Elementary Standards:
1) Movement patterns and movement skills—locomotor skills.
2) Movement patterns and movement skills—non-locomotor skills.
3) Movement patterns and movement skills—manipulative skills.
4) Movement patterns and movement skills—spatial and body awareness.
5) Movement patterns and movement skills—rhythmic activities.
6) Performance strategies—games and activities.
7) Performance strategies—outdoor and recreational pursuits.
8) Health, physical activity, and fitness—fitness principles.
9) Health, physical activity, and fitness—analyze data.
10) Health, physical activity, and fitness—nutrition and hydration.
11) Health, physical activity, and fitness—environmental awareness and safety practices.
12) Social and emotional health—personal responsibility and self-management.
13) Social and emotional health—resolving conflict and social interaction.
14) Social and emotional health—perseverance.
15) Social and emotional health—accepting and providing constructive feedback.
16) Lifetime wellness—application of lifetime wellness.
Unit: Manipulatives
Lesson: Partner Hoop Rolling
Standards/grade-level outcomes addressed: 1B, 1C, 1D, 2B, 3A, 3B, 4A, 6A, 6C, 8B, 8C, 10A, 10B, 11A, 11B,12A,12B, 12C, 13A, 13B, 14, 15, 16A, 16B
Unit: Jump Rope
Lesson: Choices Count (Pedometer Activity)
Standards/Grade-level outcomes addressed: 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 2B, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 3F, 3H, 4A, 4B, 4C, 5, 6B, 6C, 8A, 8B, 8C, 9B, 11A, 11B, 12A, 12B, 12C, 13A, 13B, 14, 15, 16A, 16B
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills Middle School Standards:
1) Movement patterns and movement skills—locomotor skills.
2) Movement patterns and movement skills—non-locomotor skills.
3) Movement patterns and movement skills—manipulative skills.
4) Movement patterns and movement skills—spatial and body awareness.
5) Movement patterns and movement skills—rhythmic activities.
6) Performance strategies—games and activities.
7) Performance strategies—outdoor and recreational pursuits.
8) Health, physical activity, and fitness—fitness principles.
9) Health, physical activity, and fitness—analyze data.
10) Health, physical activity, and fitness—nutrition and hydration.
11) Health, physical activity, and fitness—environmental awareness and safety practices.
12) Social and emotional health—personal responsibility and self-management.
13) Social and emotional health—resolving conflict and social interaction.
14) Social and emotional health—perseverance.
15) Social and emotional health—accepting and providing constructive feedback.
16) Lifetime wellness—application of lifetime wellness.
Unit: Flying Disc
Lesson: Zone and Player-to-Player Defenses
Standards/Grade-level outcomes addressed: 1A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 4A, 4B, 6A, 6B, 6C, 7, 8A, 8B, 8C, 10A, 11A, 11B, 12A, 12B, 12C, 13A, 13B, 14, 15, 16A, 16B
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills High School Standards:
1) Movement patterns and movement skills
2) Performance Strategies
3) Health, physical activity, and fitness
4) Social and emotional health
5) Lifetime wellness
Unit: iGames
Lesson: iStrike/Field
Standards/Grade-level outcomes addressed: 1A, 1B, 1C, 1E, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 3E, 3F, 3G, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, 5A, 5B, 5C, 5E, 5F, 5G
A few TEKS standards are very specific and not readily addressed within many lessons like the four listed above. But they can be addressed if you know where to look. For example, the standard for analyzing data within health, physical activity, and fitness is addressed whenever a SPARK It Up! pedometer activity is presented, or within Personal Best lessons that are available in many units. Performance strategies in outdoor and recreational pursuits are addressed in the lessons found in the K-2 and 3-6 Recess Activities units, the MS World Games unit, and the HS Orienteering unit. A detailed alignment is available for all TEKS standards/grade-level outcomes with every lesson from each SPARK curriculum here.
