What does physical education look like this year?

Students keep building the running, throwing, catching, and kicking skills they started in earlier grades, but now apply them in real games and fitness activities. They also learn how movement connects to staying healthy, and how to work well with teammates and partners.

How can families support physical activity at home?

Aim for about 60 minutes of active time most days. A walk after dinner, shooting hoops in the driveway, biking, or helping with yard work all count. The point is regular movement, not a perfect workout.

What if a student does not like team sports?

Team sports are one option, not the only one. Hiking, dance, swimming, yoga, skateboarding, and weight training all build the same skills and habits. The goal is finding something students enjoy enough to keep doing on their own.

How should units be sequenced across the year?

Many teachers start with cooperative games and fitness baselines, then move into invasion games like soccer or basketball, then net and target activities, and finish with personal fitness planning. This lets social skills and fitness concepts build alongside the physical skills.

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

Students should move with control in a real game or activity, explain why warm-ups and pacing matter, and work through conflict with a partner without an adult stepping in. They should also name at least one activity they want to keep doing outside of class.

Which skills usually need the most reteaching?

Striking with an implement, defensive positioning in invasion games, and pacing during sustained activity tend to be the biggest gaps. Quick warm-up drills at the start of class are often more effective than full reteach days.

How is fitness assessed without making students feel judged?

Fitness checks at this age work best as personal benchmarks rather than scores compared across the class. Students track their own results over time and set a goal for the next check. The grade comes from effort and goal-setting, not the raw number.

How do parents know if a student is on track?

On-track students can keep up in active games without getting winded right away, follow rules and take turns, and talk about one or two activities they actually like. If a student avoids movement entirely or seems exhausted by light activity, that is worth a conversation with the teacher.

What does a student learn in ?

This is the year gym class starts feeling like training for real life. Students take the skills they built in elementary school and use them in team sports, fitness routines, and games that ask for strategy, not just effort. They learn how their body responds to exercise and how to work with classmates who play at different levels. By spring, students can lead themselves through a warm-up, play fairly in a group game, and explain why they picked a certain activity to stay healthy.

Team sports
Fitness
Sportsmanship
Healthy habits
Movement skills

Source: Vermont Common Core State 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
Movement skills and fair play
Students start the year sharpening basic movement skills like running, throwing, catching, and dodging. They practice in small games and learn the routines for working safely with classmates.
2
Team sports and strategy
Students move into team activities like soccer, basketball, or flag football. They learn simple game strategy, practice passing and positioning, and work on talking with teammates during play.
3
Fitness and healthy habits
Students focus on what keeps the body strong. They try cardio workouts, strength exercises, and stretching, and start to notice how heart rate, effort, and rest affect how they feel.
4
Lifelong activity and personal goals
Students explore activities they could keep doing outside of school, like hiking, biking, dance, or yoga. They reflect on what they enjoy and set a personal plan for staying active.

Mastery Learning Standards

The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 7.

Physical Education

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

VT-PE.1.7

Students practice moving their bodies in different ways, such as jumping, balancing, and throwing, to build the physical skills that make sports and active hobbies easier to pick up and stick with.
Apply knowledge related to movement, performance

VT-PE.2.7

Students use what they know about how the body moves and stays fit to make better choices during exercise and physical activity. That means adjusting effort, form, or pace based on what the activity actually demands.
Develop social skills through movement, including respect for self and others…

VT-PE.3.7

Students practice working with others during physical activities. That means taking turns, listening to teammates, and making choices that keep the group moving forward together.
Develop personal skills, identify personal benefits of movement

VT-PE.4.7

Students reflect on which physical activities they actually enjoy, then build a habit of doing them regularly. The goal is finding movement that fits their life, not just completing a gym class requirement.

Standard	Definition	Code
Develop a variety of motor skills, including locomotor, non-locomotor	Students practice moving their bodies in different ways, such as jumping, balancing, and throwing, to build the physical skills that make sports and active hobbies easier to pick up and stick with.	VT-PE.1.7
Apply knowledge related to movement, performance	Students use what they know about how the body moves and stays fit to make better choices during exercise and physical activity. That means adjusting effort, form, or pace based on what the activity actually demands.	VT-PE.2.7
Develop social skills through movement, including respect for self and others…	Students practice working with others during physical activities. That means taking turns, listening to teammates, and making choices that keep the group moving forward together.	VT-PE.3.7
Develop personal skills, identify personal benefits of movement	Students reflect on which physical activities they actually enjoy, then build a habit of doing them regularly. The goal is finding movement that fits their life, not just completing a gym class requirement.	VT-PE.4.7

Physical Education

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

VT-PE.1.7

Students practice moving their bodies in different ways, such as jumping, balancing, and throwing, to build the physical skills that make sports and active hobbies easier to pick up and stick with.
Apply knowledge related to movement, performance

VT-PE.2.7

Students use what they know about how the body moves and stays fit to make better choices during exercise and physical activity. That means adjusting effort, form, or pace based on what the activity actually demands.
Develop social skills through movement, including respect for self and others…

VT-PE.3.7

Students practice working with others during physical activities. That means taking turns, listening to teammates, and making choices that keep the group moving forward together.
Develop personal skills, identify personal benefits of movement

VT-PE.4.7

Students reflect on which physical activities they actually enjoy, then build a habit of doing them regularly. The goal is finding movement that fits their life, not just completing a gym class requirement.

Standard	Definition	Code
Develop a variety of motor skills, including locomotor, non-locomotor	Students practice moving their bodies in different ways, such as jumping, balancing, and throwing, to build the physical skills that make sports and active hobbies easier to pick up and stick with.	VT-PE.1.7
Apply knowledge related to movement, performance	Students use what they know about how the body moves and stays fit to make better choices during exercise and physical activity. That means adjusting effort, form, or pace based on what the activity actually demands.	VT-PE.2.7
Develop social skills through movement, including respect for self and others…	Students practice working with others during physical activities. That means taking turns, listening to teammates, and making choices that keep the group moving forward together.	VT-PE.3.7
Develop personal skills, identify personal benefits of movement	Students reflect on which physical activities they actually enjoy, then build a habit of doing them regularly. The goal is finding movement that fits their life, not just completing a gym class requirement.	VT-PE.4.7

Common Questions

What does physical education look like this year?
Students keep building the running, throwing, catching, and kicking skills they started in earlier grades, but now apply them in real games and fitness activities. They also learn how movement connects to staying healthy, and how to work well with teammates and partners.
How can families support physical activity at home?
Aim for about 60 minutes of active time most days. A walk after dinner, shooting hoops in the driveway, biking, or helping with yard work all count. The point is regular movement, not a perfect workout.
What if a student does not like team sports?
Team sports are one option, not the only one. Hiking, dance, swimming, yoga, skateboarding, and weight training all build the same skills and habits. The goal is finding something students enjoy enough to keep doing on their own.
How should units be sequenced across the year?
Many teachers start with cooperative games and fitness baselines, then move into invasion games like soccer or basketball, then net and target activities, and finish with personal fitness planning. This lets social skills and fitness concepts build alongside the physical skills.
What does mastery look like by the end of the year?
Students should move with control in a real game or activity, explain why warm-ups and pacing matter, and work through conflict with a partner without an adult stepping in. They should also name at least one activity they want to keep doing outside of class.
Which skills usually need the most reteaching?
Striking with an implement, defensive positioning in invasion games, and pacing during sustained activity tend to be the biggest gaps. Quick warm-up drills at the start of class are often more effective than full reteach days.
How is fitness assessed without making students feel judged?
Fitness checks at this age work best as personal benchmarks rather than scores compared across the class. Students track their own results over time and set a goal for the next check. The grade comes from effort and goal-setting, not the raw number.
How do parents know if a student is on track?
On-track students can keep up in active games without getting winded right away, follow rules and take turns, and talk about one or two activities they actually like. If a student avoids movement entirely or seems exhausted by light activity, that is worth a conversation with the teacher.