What does this year of PE actually cover?

Students build movement skills in activities like team sports, fitness games, and individual workouts. They also learn how their bodies respond to exercise, how to work with others on a team, and how to set personal fitness goals they can stick with outside of class.

How can I support an active lifestyle at home?

Build short bursts of movement into the day. A walk after dinner, shooting hoops in the driveway, or biking to a friend's house all count. The goal is making activity feel normal, not a chore tied only to gym class.

What if a student isn't athletic or hates team sports?

Skill in PE is not about being the best player. Effort, fair play, and trying new activities matter more. Encourage activities outside school that fit the student's interests, like hiking, dance, lifting, yoga, or martial arts.

How should I sequence units across the year?

A common pattern is fitness baseline testing early, then rotating between team activities, individual or lifetime sports, and a fitness or weight-training unit. Revisit goal-setting and self-assessment after each unit so students see growth over time.

What does mastery look like by the end of the year?

Students can perform basic skills in several activities, explain how exercise affects the heart and muscles, work respectfully with classmates of different skill levels, and describe a personal plan for staying active outside of class.

Which skills usually need the most reteaching?

Pacing during sustained activity, applying offense and defense concepts in game play, and giving useful feedback to a partner. Build in small-sided games and structured partner work so students get repetitions on these before larger team play.

How do I help a student who feels self-conscious in PE?

Talk with the teacher about specific worries, like changing clothes or being picked last. At home, practice a skill the student wants to improve, even ten minutes of catch or jogging. Small wins in private build confidence for class.

How much physical activity should students get outside of class?

Aim for about 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity most days, mixing cardio, strength, and flexibility across the week. It doesn't have to happen all at once. Two 30-minute chunks or a few shorter ones add up.

How do I know a student is ready for the next level?

Look for students who can play modified games with correct rules and strategy, track their own fitness progress, cooperate without prompting, and name two or three activities they plan to keep doing on their own time.

What does a student learn in ?

This is the year gym class shifts from learning skills to building habits students can keep for life. Students sharpen movement skills in sports, fitness, and recreation, and they start using fitness ideas like heart rate, strength, and pacing to guide their own workouts. Working in groups, they practice cooperation, fair play, and respect. By spring, students can plan and stick with a simple fitness routine they actually enjoy.

Motor skills
Fitness concepts
Teamwork
Personal wellness
Lifelong activity

Source: New Hampshire New Hampshire College and Career Ready Standards

Year at a glance

How the year usually goes. Every school and district set their own curriculum, so treat this as a guide, not official pacing.

1
Skills and fitness check-in
Students start the year by trying a range of movement skills and checking their current fitness. They learn how to warm up safely and set personal goals for the months ahead.
2
Games and team play
Students put skills to work in team sports and group games. The focus is on passing, moving, and playing fair, plus communicating with teammates during fast-moving activity.
3
Building fitness habits
Students learn how exercise affects the body and try different ways to build strength, endurance, and flexibility. They track effort and notice what kinds of activity they enjoy.
4
Lifelong activity choices
Students explore activities they can keep doing as adults, such as hiking, biking, yoga, or weight training. They make a plan for staying active outside of school.

Mastery Learning Standards

The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 9.

Physical Education

Develop a variety of motor skills, including locomotor, non-locomotor

NH-PE.1.hs-level-1

High School Level 1

Students practice movement skills like running, balancing, and throwing so those skills become reliable enough to use in sports and active hobbies for the rest of their lives.
Apply knowledge related to movement, performance

NH-PE.2.hs-level-1

High School Level 1

Students use what they know about how the body moves and stays fit to make smarter choices during workouts, sports, and other physical activity.
Develop social skills through movement, including respect for self and others…

NH-PE.3.hs-level-1

High School Level 1

Students practice working with classmates during physical activities: listening, taking turns, encouraging others, and making choices that keep everyone safe and included.
Develop personal skills, identify personal benefits of movement

NH-PE.4.hs-level-1

High School Level 1

Students set personal fitness goals, connect regular movement to how they feel and function, and build habits they can realistically keep up after graduation.

Standard	Definition	Code
Develop a variety of motor skills, including locomotor, non-locomotor High School Level 1	Students practice movement skills like running, balancing, and throwing so those skills become reliable enough to use in sports and active hobbies for the rest of their lives.	NH-PE.1.hs-level-1
Apply knowledge related to movement, performance High School Level 1	Students use what they know about how the body moves and stays fit to make smarter choices during workouts, sports, and other physical activity.	NH-PE.2.hs-level-1
Develop social skills through movement, including respect for self and others… High School Level 1	Students practice working with classmates during physical activities: listening, taking turns, encouraging others, and making choices that keep everyone safe and included.	NH-PE.3.hs-level-1
Develop personal skills, identify personal benefits of movement High School Level 1	Students set personal fitness goals, connect regular movement to how they feel and function, and build habits they can realistically keep up after graduation.	NH-PE.4.hs-level-1

Physical Education

Develop a variety of motor skills, including locomotor, non-locomotor

NH-PE.1.hs-level-1

High School Level 1

Students practice movement skills like running, balancing, and throwing so those skills become reliable enough to use in sports and active hobbies for the rest of their lives.
Apply knowledge related to movement, performance

NH-PE.2.hs-level-1

High School Level 1

Students use what they know about how the body moves and stays fit to make smarter choices during workouts, sports, and other physical activity.
Develop social skills through movement, including respect for self and others…

NH-PE.3.hs-level-1

High School Level 1

Students practice working with classmates during physical activities: listening, taking turns, encouraging others, and making choices that keep everyone safe and included.
Develop personal skills, identify personal benefits of movement

NH-PE.4.hs-level-1

High School Level 1

Students set personal fitness goals, connect regular movement to how they feel and function, and build habits they can realistically keep up after graduation.

Standard	Definition	Code
Develop a variety of motor skills, including locomotor, non-locomotor High School Level 1	Students practice movement skills like running, balancing, and throwing so those skills become reliable enough to use in sports and active hobbies for the rest of their lives.	NH-PE.1.hs-level-1
Apply knowledge related to movement, performance High School Level 1	Students use what they know about how the body moves and stays fit to make smarter choices during workouts, sports, and other physical activity.	NH-PE.2.hs-level-1
Develop social skills through movement, including respect for self and others… High School Level 1	Students practice working with classmates during physical activities: listening, taking turns, encouraging others, and making choices that keep everyone safe and included.	NH-PE.3.hs-level-1
Develop personal skills, identify personal benefits of movement High School Level 1	Students set personal fitness goals, connect regular movement to how they feel and function, and build habits they can realistically keep up after graduation.	NH-PE.4.hs-level-1

Common Questions

What does this year of PE actually cover?
Students build movement skills in activities like team sports, fitness games, and individual workouts. They also learn how their bodies respond to exercise, how to work with others on a team, and how to set personal fitness goals they can stick with outside of class.
How can I support an active lifestyle at home?
Build short bursts of movement into the day. A walk after dinner, shooting hoops in the driveway, or biking to a friend's house all count. The goal is making activity feel normal, not a chore tied only to gym class.
What if a student isn't athletic or hates team sports?
Skill in PE is not about being the best player. Effort, fair play, and trying new activities matter more. Encourage activities outside school that fit the student's interests, like hiking, dance, lifting, yoga, or martial arts.
How should I sequence units across the year?
A common pattern is fitness baseline testing early, then rotating between team activities, individual or lifetime sports, and a fitness or weight-training unit. Revisit goal-setting and self-assessment after each unit so students see growth over time.
What does mastery look like by the end of the year?
Students can perform basic skills in several activities, explain how exercise affects the heart and muscles, work respectfully with classmates of different skill levels, and describe a personal plan for staying active outside of class.
Which skills usually need the most reteaching?
Pacing during sustained activity, applying offense and defense concepts in game play, and giving useful feedback to a partner. Build in small-sided games and structured partner work so students get repetitions on these before larger team play.
How do I help a student who feels self-conscious in PE?
Talk with the teacher about specific worries, like changing clothes or being picked last. At home, practice a skill the student wants to improve, even ten minutes of catch or jogging. Small wins in private build confidence for class.
How much physical activity should students get outside of class?
Aim for about 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity most days, mixing cardio, strength, and flexibility across the week. It doesn't have to happen all at once. Two 30-minute chunks or a few shorter ones add up.
How do I know a student is ready for the next level?
Look for students who can play modified games with correct rules and strategy, track their own fitness progress, cooperate without prompting, and name two or three activities they plan to keep doing on their own time.