Physical Education (PE) at BFS is based on SHAPE – America’s National Physical Education Standards which are designed to foster student activity, health, and a lifelong passion for movement. Each unit is carefully tailored to meet the needs of each grade level while also challenging students to learn, grow, and develop their skills.

Over the past few weeks, Mr. Oliver Nilsson has taught a dance unit which provided Elementary students with opportunities to demonstrate competency in a variety of motor skills and movement patterns while applying knowledge of concepts, principles, strategies, and tactics related to movement and performance.

Integrating dance into PE classes has a variety of unique physical, emotional, and social benefits for students – building skills which translate into sports and physical movement including:

• Improving coordination and balance: Dancing builds spacial awareness, rhythm, and timing.
•  Boosting overall fitness: Moving to music builds cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, muscular strength, and agility.
• Stimulating brain function: Learning choreography routines activates memory and visual processing, improving focus and attention.
• Encouraging creativity: Students learn to express themselves non-verbally through moving their bodies.
• Building confidence: Performing and mastery new skills helps students overcome shyness, reduces anxiety, and improves self-esteem.
• Promoting inclusion: Dancing offers a non-competitive, cooperative environment for students, regardless of athletic ability, to participate safely and equitably.

On Thursday, September 10th, students proudly demonstrated their learning with an exciting group performance which included rehearsed choreography and a moment of individual freestyle moves.

Ezra Jo in Grade 3 has enjoyed learning dance in PE, and he shared,

“I like that you can groove to the music and do your own moves.”

Shéhérazade Touloucanon in Grade 2 was excited for the performance, and she noted,

“I like when we have fun and we can do our own freestyle moves.”

We appreciate Mr. Nilsson’s innovative approach to updating our Elementary PE curriculum and providing  new and engaging standards-based learning units to Elementary students.