Physical Education Warm-ups
using Core SOLs

Grades 1 - 3 Grades 4 - 5 Grades 1 - 5
Johnny Appleseed Moving Around the World Multiplication Tables
Shaping Up Angel Jumps Multiplication Macarena
Months of the Year   Map Reading and Run
Christopher Columbus    
Sequencing Numbers    
Famous Explorers    
     

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Title: Johnny Appleseed
Grade Level: 1-3 SOLs Covered: Social Studies K.1 – identify examples of past events in legends and historical accounts about Johnny Appleseed. 
Description: During stretching, the students will spell Johnny Appleseed’s name.  They will also know the Johnny Appleseed’s given name (John Chapman) and spell it.  Students will also be able to tell the teacher the state from which Johnny Appleseed came.

Title: Shaping Up
Grade Level: 1-3 SOLs Covered: Math 1.17 – Students will be able to identify and describe objects in their environment that depict geometric figures: triangle, rectangle, square, and circle
Description: The teacher will begin the activity by asking all the students if they can draw.  Ask the students if they can draw shapes in the air, a circle, square, rectangle, and a triangle.  Ask the students if they see some of the shapes they drew in the air by looking around the gym.  The instructor will then talk quickly about an artists pad or canvass (this will give the students some important background information.  Next, each student will get a partner by placing their thumb on another persons’ thumb.  Once everyone has a partner, the teacher will describe the activity.  One partner will be the human canvass, the other will be the artist.  The artist will draw a shape on their partners’ back.  When the human canvass knows what shape was drawn, they will run and find a matching shape in the gym and return to their partner so they can become the new artist.  Have the students continue the activity for a few minutes.  When finished, discuss the shapes that were drawn, how it felt to have someone draw on their back, and how the knew what shapes were being drawn.    

Title: Moving Around the World (Map Skills)
Grade Level: 3-5 SOLs Covered: Social Studies 3.5 – Students will be able to distinguish between meridians of longitude and parallels of latitude.  They will be able to use the Prime Meridian and the Equator to identify the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western hemispheres. 
Description: Students will come into the gym and meet in the center circle.  The teacher will tell the class that today, the gym has been turned into a giant map.  As a class, they are going to travel the entire globe and locate some very important items on the map.  The map they are using doesn’t have a lot of information on it except for the directions (N, E, S, and W), so they will have to use their imagination when traveling from place to place.  Also, discuss safe behavior when traveling (no students should push or shove, no students should run into the walls, and always watch where they are going).

The teacher will ask the students to travel different ways (locomotor patterns) to different places on the map (North, South, East, West, North Pole, Antarctica, the Far East)

Title: Multiplication Tables
Grade Level: 1-3 SOLs Covered: Math 1.3 – The students will be able to count by two’s, five’s and ten’s.  Math 2.5 – The students will be able to count by three’s and four’s
Description: During stretches, the class will work on a variety of multiplication tables ranging from 2’s to 10’s.  Each student will help count during the activity to improve their memory of the multiplication tables.

Title: Multiplication Macarena
Grade Level: 1-5 SOLs Covered: Math 1.3 – The students will be able to count by two’s, five’s and ten’s.  Math 2.5 – The students will be able to count by three’s and four’s
Description: As a warm-up activity, students will learn the hand movements needed to perform the Macarana.  There are 12 basic movements, which is perfect for the multiplication tables.  Once the students practice the movements to the music, have them slowly recite the 2X tables while performing the movements.  If the students are successful, have them try reciting with the music playing (2 beats per movement).  If students are successful, try other multiplication tables.  To make things more difficult, have the students perform the movements and times tables at one beat per movement.

Title: Months of the Year
Grade Level: 1-3 SOLs Covered: Math K.10 – Students will identify the calendar, and discuss the months of the year.    
Description: As a warm-up activity, students will learn the hand movements needed to perform the Macarana.  There are 12 basic movements, which is perfect for the months of the year.  Once the students practice the movements to the music, have them slowly recite the months of the year while performing the movements.  If the students are successful, have them try reciting the months of the year with the music playing (2 beats per movement).  Practice several times.  If students are successful, have the students say the months without the teacher’s help.  To make things more difficult, have the students perform the movements and months of the year at one beat per movement

Title: Christopher Columbus (Columbus Day)
Grade Level: 1-3 SOLs Covered: Social Studies K.1c – Describe people and events honored in commemorative holidays (Christopher Columbus Day)
Description: For warm-up, the teacher will discuss Christopher Columbus.  What was Christopher Columbus?  An explorer.  What did he find?  The Western Hemisphere.  Why was this important?  He proved that the Earth was round.  How many ships did he take on his first voyage?  Three, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.  What year did he take his voyage? 1492.  How many days was he at sea? 70.

In honor of Christopher Columbus and his historic voyage, the class will jog for 3 laps, 3-minute, etc. in honor of his three ships; the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria.  After the laps are completed the students will stretch.  During stretching, the teacher will have the students spell Christopher Columbus’ name, and/ or the name of his ships.

Title: Sequencing (Counting 1 to 100)
Grade Level: 1-3 SOLs Covered: Math 1.4 – Students will be able to recognize and count from 0 to 100.
Description: During stretching, students will practice counting from 0 to 100.  The teacher will prompt the students to count from one number to another (span of ten) while they perform each of the four stretches.  When performing arm rotations, the teacher will give and number and the students will give the next number in the sequence.  The teacher should start from 1 and work their way up to 100 in a timely fashion (you can skip numbers so the arms don’t get too tired).

Title: Angel Jumps
Grade Level: 4 - 5 SOLs Covered: Math 3.18, 4.15, 4.16, 4.17 - geometry properties.  Also Math and Science skills related to clockwise and counterclockwise movements
Description: With students lined up in squads, after some preliminary jumping jacks, call out the number of degrees the children need to jump and in which direction.  For example, 90 degrees counterclockwise, 180 degrees clockwise, etc.  DO a visual check and get the students lined up correctly before calling a new jump.  Challenge them to 360's, 540's and 720's.

Title: Warm-up with Shapes
Grade Level: 1-3 SOLs Covered: Math 1.15, 1.16, 1.17, 1.21 - geometry, shapes, shapes in the environment, and patterns.
Description: The class will begin with the students sitting in their normal places.  On the signal, they will walk around the gym and touch as many of the shape that is called.  The teacher will then change the shape and the way to travel.  Shapes and locomotor patterns can be changed at any time depending on the class' ability.

Title: Famous Explorers
Grade Level: 1-3 SOLs Covered: History 3.3, identify the accomplishments of Columbus, de Leon, Cartier, and Newport.  History 3.4, develop map skills by locating regions explored by the previously mentioned explorers.
Description: Students will take part in a tag game that will focus on a variety of locomotor skills.  There will be 4 taggers that represent famous explorers.  The explorers are Christopher Columbus, Juan Ponce de Leon, Jaques Cartier, and Christopher Newport.  If you are tagged by a famous explorer, then you must go to the territory that they explored or established and perform one of the exercise task cards posted there before the can reenter the game.  If you have maps avail then highlight the region and post them next to the place in the gym.  The explorers can wear different colored name tags or carry props so they students can identify them.  Remind students of the safety precautions when playing tag games.
Columbus Discovered America Ponce de Leon Discovered Florida
Cartier Discovered Quebec, Canada Newport Established Jamestown, VA

Title: Map Reading and Run

Grade Level: 1 - 5 SOLs Covered: History (1.4a)
Description: The students form pairs.  Each pair receives a map with a running course marked on it.  After reviewing the map, the students move along the course that is marked out on their map.  After completing the map, the students can return for a different one (if time permits)

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