Looks like we will have to have teacher-led recess to make up our snow days as an elementary school. Our middle and high school have enough time built into their day so they meet the hours. Has anyone done this before? We're looking for ideas for early elementary. Most grades have 80-100 students. Thanks!
If you have equipment I would set up game stations for organized play and let the students choose where they want to play. Easy things are soccer, jump ropes, hula hoops, basketball. You could teach them team games that don't have equipment look up variations of tag,there's so many. I would definitely have each teacher run some kind of game at a designated area.
I don't understand how this will help you make up snow days? Does this mean students no longer have free choice at recess and this will count as instructional time? Can you set up a 'run club' where students run a certain number of laps per recess?
Yes, it is counting towards instructional time. Our state just passed a bill that allows schools to use instructional a minutes to count so the kids don't have to go into June. Teachers will still have to go because we have contracts for 180 days.
I regularly supervise recess (once per week) and it's not so bad. I couldn't imagine having to lead recess activities though, I just circulate and make sure no one is out of control.
Teacher led recess means that teachers are supervising recess. It is a way to count recess as physical education. We do that at the school I teach at. It is just basically recess duty with licensed teachers in charge instead of paras or aides. The kids play as normal, and we walk around and supervise. There isn't any planning involved, except to remember to bring your sunglasses and walking shoes on the day you have duty .
If you have to lead group activities, I suggest a book--New Games. Lots of games for big groups with fun as the objective.
It's been three years since we were allowed to have recess. That year it was teacher-led. We usually got a kickball game going and the kids that didn't want to play were allowed to do what they wanted, as long as they stayed within watch (It meant that they wandered aimlessly around the field) Didn't you know that recess takes away valuable instructional time?
It doesn't sound that bad to me. If approached with the right attitude, it could even be fun. Plus, I'd prefer to teach at recess than go in on a Saturday for a snow day. Early elementary... so many options to choose from. when I was in elementary all we had was a concrete yard and minimum equipment. Teachers were always outside organizing us into various games such as: duck duck goose (we did it with 30+ kids no problem) red light green light freeze tag running races hula hoop jump rope kickball etc.
OMG swansong-NO RECESS? At all??? We have 10 minutes in the morning, 45 minutes at lunch and then another 10 minutes in the afternoon. On Fridays, the morning recess is 15 minutes. I have recess duty every other week for the morning recess. Students also have 30 minutes of PE every day. I don't mind monitoring recess (although that 10 minute is REALLY nice the weeks I don't have duty), but I wouldn't like to organize games during recess.
In my last school the teacher was required to pick up the class at the end of their (quiet) lunch period. If you wanted your kids to have any recess time at all you had to get them lined up quietly, lead them out to the yard (5-10 minutes), actively supervise them (10 minutes), then line them up and quietly march back to class (5-10 minutes). For some teachers it wasn't even worth the bother, so the kids got nothing. And of course, if it was raining, snowing or too cold outside, recess was canceled.hmy:
