Movement skills and warm-ups
Students start the year refreshing the basics of moving well, from running and jumping to throwing, catching, and balancing. Expect them to come home talking about new games and activities they tried in class.
What does a student learn in
This is the year movement skills turn into habits students can use for life. Students sharpen the basics of running, throwing, and balance while learning how fitness actually works: heart rate, strength, flexibility, and why each one matters. They practice teamwork in games and activities, handling wins, losses, and feedback without drama. By spring, students can plan and stick to a simple fitness routine they enjoy outside of class.
- Motor skills
- Fitness concepts
- Teamwork
- Personal wellness
- Lifelong activity
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
- 2
Fitness concepts in action
Students learn what makes a workout actually work, including warming up, raising the heart rate, building strength, and stretching. They start to notice how their bodies respond to different kinds of activity.
- 3
Teamwork and fair play
Students practice working with classmates through team sports and group challenges. They learn to communicate on the field, handle wins and losses, and respect teammates and opponents.
- 4
Building a personal fitness plan
Students set their own goals and try out activities they could stick with outside of school, such as walking, lifting, yoga, or pickup games. The aim is to find a few things they actually enjoy doing.
Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 9.
Physical Education
Physical Education
- High School Level 1
Develop a variety of motor skills, including locomotor, non-locomotor
Students practice moving their bodies in different ways: running, jumping, throwing, catching, and balancing. Building these skills makes it easier to stay active for life.
- High School Level 1
Apply knowledge related to movement, performance
Students use what they know about how the body moves and stays healthy to make better choices during exercise and physical activity.
- High School Level 1
Develop social skills through movement, including respect for self and others…
Students practice working with others during physical activities, taking turns, listening, and handling wins and losses with respect. The focus is on how students treat teammates and opponents, not just how well they move.
- High School Level 1
Develop personal skills, identify personal benefits of movement
Students identify what they personally enjoy about being active and start building a habit of regular movement that holds up beyond graduation.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Develop a variety of motor skills, including locomotor, non-locomotor High School Level 1 | Students practice moving their bodies in different ways: running, jumping, throwing, catching, and balancing. Building these skills makes it easier to stay active for life. | RI-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 healthy to make better choices during exercise and physical activity. | RI-PE.2.hs-level-1 |
| Develop social skills through movement, including respect for self and others… High School Level 1 | Students practice working with others during physical activities, taking turns, listening, and handling wins and losses with respect. The focus is on how students treat teammates and opponents, not just how well they move. | RI-PE.3.hs-level-1 |
| Develop personal skills, identify personal benefits of movement High School Level 1 | Students identify what they personally enjoy about being active and start building a habit of regular movement that holds up beyond graduation. | RI-PE.4.hs-level-1 |
Common Questions
What does Level 1 PE actually cover?
Students build movement skills they can use for life, like throwing, catching, balance, and footwork across a range of activities. They also learn the why behind fitness, work on teamwork, and start figuring out which activities they want to keep doing outside of class.
How can I help my child stay active at home?
Pick something they already like, such as biking, hiking, shooting hoops, or dancing, and do it with them a few times a week. Twenty to thirty minutes is plenty. The goal is finding activities they want to come back to, not pushing a workout plan.
What if my child says they are bad at sports?
Skill-based PE is not just about team sports. Hiking, yoga, weight training, swimming, and biking all count. Help them try a few different activities and notice what feels good. Most students find at least one thing they can stick with once they stop comparing themselves to athletes.
How should the year be sequenced?
Most teachers rotate through activity units across the year so students get exposure to team sports, individual activities, and fitness-based work. Build in fitness concepts and goal-setting as recurring threads rather than a single unit, so students keep applying them across every activity.
Which part of the standards usually needs the most attention?
The personal wellness piece. Students can often perform the skills, but connecting fitness choices to their own lives takes longer. Plan time for self-assessment, goal-setting, and reflection on what activities they actually want to do after high school.
Does my child need to be in shape to do well in PE?
No. The class is about effort, skill growth, and learning how fitness works, not about who is fastest or strongest. Students who show up, participate, and try to improve from where they started tend to do well.
How do I grade something as open-ended as participation and skill?
Use a rubric that separates skill performance, fitness knowledge, and personal and social behavior. Short skill checks and brief written reflections give better evidence than a participation tally. It also makes feedback to students much more specific.
How do I know students are ready for the next level of PE?
By the end of the year, students should perform basic skills in several activities, explain how fitness components connect to those activities, work well with classmates, and set a simple personal fitness or activity goal. If those four pieces are solid, they are ready.