Physical Activity for Young Children KIN 5369 001

Physical Activity for Young Children KIN 5369 – 001

Course Syllabus
Course Purpose and Description
The primary purpose of this course is to make the graduate student comfortable with young children in a physical activity setting and to be able to discuss child development intelligently in your profession. To accomplish this we will first discuss the factors that influence the environment of children in today's society. Then we will discuss the needs and characteristics of young children ages 3 to 8. This will be followed by a discussion of the nature of learning and the psychological environment that provides for optimal learning conditions. Next we cover the planning of a lesson to gain best results. Finally we will cover the play materials and activities that allow children to become absorbed with the joy of physical exploration and learning. Through reading, writing and discussion the graduate student will become familiar with the knowledge concerned with physical activity for young children. After this preparation each graduate student will teach a group of children four lessons of active exploration. Finally the student will write a paper on an issue of importance to the professional working with young children in the physically active setting.
Course Objectives
The objective of the course is to have each student present through on-line conferences, writing assignments, field reports and exams work that demonstrates they have mastered the material. Students will arrange their own field work assignments and teach children lessons in physical activity. They will choose an issue within the field of early childhood physical activity and submit a paper discussing this issue.
Course Overview
During the first 3 weeks the course activity will be primarily reading, research, communicating via the Class Discussion and exams. This will allow us to better understand each others points of view on the subject of children and teaching physical activity.
The next week is dedicated to planning and preparing to teach young children (reading and exams are continued). You will be required to find a group of young children to observe and teach. This could be the most difficult assignment for some of you.
You will want to be thinking about finding a group of children from the very beginning. Since "early childhood" is generally considered to be ages 3 to 8, you may choose a group of children anywhere within this age range. Start now thinking about where you will go to find a group of children (between six and ten children) within the ages of 3 to 8. You cannot proceed without accomplishing this task by the end of the 3rd week. Since a child care facility will be cautious about allowing a stranger to approach asking to observe and teach their children, a letter of introduction will be available after the third lesson should you need it.
Then there will be two weeks dedicated to teaching this group of young children lessons in physical activity. You will begin the first week with a single eight-minute lesson. The second week will involve a 14 minute lesson (two six minute lessons back to back). The third teaching week will involve a 20 minute lesson (three six-minute lessons in sequence). Then the forth teaching week will involve a 20-minute lesson (four six-minute lessons in sequence). For some of you, beginning with a eight-minute lesson will be too little challenge, especially if in your work you are already teaching children in large groups. None-the-less, I want you to focus your thoughts on what is happening during just one six minute period of time. Then we will expand our focus and analysis up to 20-minutes during the fourth week of teaching.
The course will be concluded with 10 days dedicated to writing a paper on an issue you feel would improve the learning environment of children.
The last 2 days are dedicated to wrap-up and evaluation of the course and our experience together.
Academic Dishonesty Statement
Academic dishonesty is prohibited at The University of Texas at El Paso. It is a serious offense because it diminishes the quality of scholarship, makes accurate evaluation of student progress impossible, and defrauds those in society who must ultimately depend upon the knowledge and integrity of the institution and its students and faculty. Any act of academic dishonesty attempted by a UTEP student is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Violations will be referred to the Dean of Students Office for possible disciplinary action. Students may be suspended or expelled from UTEP for such actions.
Disabled Student Statement
In Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, if a student needs an accommodation then the Office of Disabled Student Services located at UTEP need to be contacted. If you have a condition, which may affect your ability to perform successfully in this course, you are encouraged to discuss this in confidence with the instructor and/or the director of the Disabled Student Services. You may call 915.747.5148 for general information about the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the rights that you have as a UTEP student with a disability.
Individuals with disabilities have the right to equal access and opportunity. It is the student's responsibility to contact the instructor and The Disabled Student Services Office at The University of Texas at El Paso.
Time Management
The rule of thumb for time planning for a course is approximately three (3) hours for every credit hour taken. This is a standard figure recommended across the board by American universities. For a 3 credit course, course you should expect to spend:
3 hours of class time + 9 hours of study and prep time = 12 hours per week.
Textbook Required located within course material

EARLY CHILDHOOD KINESENSORY PLAY by O'Quinn, G. D. (2003)
In the back of this text is a bibliography containing extensive references for early childhood research.
Chapters 1 - 5 | Chapter 6
KINESENSORY PLAY ACTIVITIES by O'Quinn, G. D. (2003).
Download Here
The final written paper will be guided by the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (4th Ed. ISBN 1-55798-241-4). This manual can be ordered from: or you may wish to purchase it locally, but you will definitely need to follow its guidelines in making references for your final paper. Do not wait until then to secure access to a copy.

Grading
This course will consist of approximately 400 points.
Points will be distributed as follows:
Requirement Points / Points
Bio / 10
6 exams / 60
14 class discussions / 140
Field report / 10
Observation report / 10
Journal report / 10
4 lesson plans / 40
4 self evaluations / 40
Issue Selection / 10
Issue Outline / 10
Issue Paper / 60
------
Total Points / 400
/ Grade Assignment
A = 90 % of the possible points
B = 80 %
C = 70 %
Examinations and Quizzes
At the end of each lesson on the 6 chapters of the textbook there will be an examination consisting of 10 questions. This examination is required. To help you prepare for the examination you may take a quiz. The quiz is not recorded or graded and merely gives you a chance to experience the type of questions that will be on the examination.
Research the Web
You will be asked to research the weekly topic beyond what is written in the text. You may use the Web, local library, the UTEP library, or The University of Texas TeleCampus Library. This research will help prepare you for the written paper that will be due at the end of the course.
The following web sites are useful in getting started with research on the web. In some cases Personal Identification Numbers (PIN's) are required. The necessary codes and PIN's can usually be obtained from the library of the institution supporting the site. Use this first week to learn how to get to the research sites.

Then select 'library' (Another window will appear). Then go to any System Library of your choice.
National Association for the Education of Young Children. (1995). NAEYC position statement on school readiness
Following each lesson, Websites relative to that specific lesson are listed.
Web Communication Boards

Announcements: Please check the Announcements daily.
Class Discussion: Weekly participation is required and your participation and performance will be evaluated. I will initiate these discussions by posting questions. Every member of the class must respond either to the original question or to another students response. Every student can read every response.
You must get your input onto the Class Discussion board before 8:00 AM of the Monday morning following the assignment.

Course Outline and Schedule
Please see the Schedule link located on the front page.
Technical Requirements
For technical requirements for this, and other, online courses, please review the "Getting Started" link on the left side menu.
Technical Support
The University of Texas at El Paso provides free 24/7 Helpdesk support to academic students and faculty members teaching on-line through the [Tech Support Company]. The Helpdesk can provide answers to questions about using technology and services, as well as, technical support. Please visit the technical support page for more information.
Copyright Notice
Many of the materials that are posted within this course are protected by copyright law. These materials are only for the use of students enrolled in this course and only for the purpose of this course. They may not be further retained or disseminated.
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