All I Want For Christmas Is...

I'm making a list and checking it twice, I promise to make what ever you like, any resource you can think of!

Welcome back everyone! This week I really want to do something special for you guys as my followers. Drum roll please...

I want to find out what resources you want to see me create! As we enter the holiday season, I will have much more free time on my hands to get crafting on TpT and what better way to utilize that time than by helping you all! Not to mention, if you offer a suggestion for a resource you would love to see, there will be an added benefit for you. As a TpT seller, I'm constantly trying to think of new and exciting products for my followers and I really want to hear from you! What products do you want to see created? What will you utilize most in your classroom? What are you dying to have, but don't have time to create on your own? I want to know it all! So without further ado, let's get into how this will work and what you can expect from me!

1. E-mail your new resource idea that you would love to see me create to sassypeteach@gmail.com. I humbly ask to keep these ideas health and PE related as that is my specialty.
2. Be creative! It can be a holiday specific item, a general classroom item, health, PE, the sky is the limit.
3. Be as specific or broad as you'd like with your request. Please keep in mind that if you have a specific vision for a project I want to know so I can give you exactly what you're looking for.
4. Be sure to leave your TpT store name or the name you would like to see credited in the creation of the project.

1. I will create your resource and place it in my store for purchase, BUT...
2. I will send you a copy of the resource FOR FREE as a way to say thank you for the idea!
3. Credit given to you in the product download!

1. Please submit your project idea by December 20, 2016. This will allow me the time I need to create your idea.

My goal is to fill my store with products that will benefit the entire HPE community! We teach such a valuable subject to our students and my goal is to help all educators achieve greatness in the classroom.

So from the Sassy PE Teacher to you this holiday season, Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, and Happy Kwanzaa. I hope each of you are blessed throughout this holiday season and beyond.

Note: Special thanks to Ashley Hughes for the header borders, as well as the primary picture background and clip art.

VAHPERD Ideas Worth Sharing Part 3: Music Like You've Never Heard Before

Welcome back for part three of my VAHPERD review series! I am so excited to share this session with you all as it blew my mind when I sat through it. This edition is all about music in PE, how to edit it with iTunes, and the legality of it all. This amazing session was titled Music, Let's Get Your Gym Rocking and was presented by Patrick Lynch of Hampton County Public Schools. He was generous enough to include tutorial videos for those of us that attended! That means you'll get to read and see how to remix all of your songs for future classes.

The most useful thing we learned about during this session was how to edit track lengths in iTunes. I can't tell you how many times I have wanted to use a song that I know the kids will love, only to find it uses bad language and an edited version isn't available. If only I could shorten it to the first thirty seconds or use a small segment somewhere within the track... WELL NOW I KNOW HOW thanks to Patrick.

Converting Songs from YouTube to an MP3 File (legally):

1. Go to www.YouTube.com and search for a song you would like to convert.
2. Once you have found the song you are looking for, copy the URL link from the top of the browser.
3. Visit http://convert2mp3.net/en/ and input the URL you copied from the YouTube video into the "Insert video link (URL) and select format" box.
4. The video will convert and give you the option to provide the artist name and song title. This will be automatically filled in, but you have the opportunity to edit the names if you'd like to.
5. Click continue and you will see a "download"button. Click download and the file will save to your computer.
6. Open iTunes and select File and select upload file.

Confused? Don't be because you will find Patrick's step-by-step guide on how to do everything I've just mentioned. Start this video from the beginning and pause around the 4:00 minute mark to read the next section.

Editing Songs in iTunes:

1. Select the song you would like to edit.
2. Right click, select get info and then select options
3. Once here select Adjust equalizers and then select start & stop time {this allows you to fully edit the track}
4. Select the portion of the song you'd like to use {Example: Start at 1:30 | End at 1:55}
5. Select Input into playlist when you're ready to use

Your track is now ready to play for the times you selected! Like all good things however, there is a con to this method. The song is shortened no matter what until you either make a copy of the track or go through the steps above and reset the settings you've used. Luckily, Patrick taught us how to make this transition simple:

1. You can change the track back to its original formatting after use
   OR
   
   Skipping the original steps above...
2. Select the song you would like to edit.
3. Right click, select options, and then select AAC version.
   
   OR
   
   Using the steps above and working with the already edited version...
4. Select the edited track, select file, and select create AAC version
5. Rename files to say something different (i.e. Uptown Funk - Workout)

This second process allows you to keep your original file untouched, while creating a new file to use in playlists for your classroom. Confused? Not to worry, below you will find Patrick's step-by-step guide on how to do everything I've just mentioned. Skip to the 4:00 minute mark in the video to specifically see how to cut songs in iTunes.

Why does any of this matter?

Music is an essential component to each of our HPE classrooms. We have the power to change the environment we create with every song and activity. Music helps students connect to our content and express themselves while participating in activity.

Below are some ideas on how to utilize music in your classroom using these tools:

1. Workouts: Make an uptempo song clip that last 20 seconds for the students to be working throughout, followed by a 10 second slower tempo for a break or transition phase.
2. Stations: You could also use 1 minute long clips to signal for station rotations - when the song changes, students know to switch
3. Full Song Workouts: Certain songs that use the same word repeatedly are awesome for warm-ups and small workouts throughout class. For example, AC/DC's Thunderstruck says the word Thunder 33 times. When they hear the word, they perform an exercise you've specified (like a burpee), while the rest of the song is playing they perform a lower intensity movement (like a high knees march).

FitnessGram Will Never Be the Same:

Finally, how many of you have the Pacer test track memorized? Let's just be honest and admit that we all do. We hate the musical background it has and the kids do too... So let me (er, Patrick) rock your world with the following information:

YOU CAN PUT YOUR OWN MUSIC OVER THE PACER TRACK.

What!? Yes, you read that correctly. Check out the video below as Patrick shows you how to utilize Garage Band to rearrange the tragic background music of the pacer.

I hope each of you found the information from this session as amazing and life changing as I did! It has taken me a few tries to get the directions right so if you try it out and struggle with it, just know to keep trying! The more you do it, the more natural the process will become, and the more your students will enjoy music in your classroom!

Check back next week for the final part of my VAHPERD review series to learn all about an incredible central nervous system integrated activity {drum roll please...} that can be used for middle AND elementary students (with minor adaptations)!

VAHPERD Ideas Worth Sharing Part 2: Chicken Football

Last week I shared part one of my VAHPERD Review Series and this week I'm back to share another favorite! I can't wait to use in my classroom, especially as I move in to football lead up games after Thanksgiving Break. Like Crazy Kickball, this game was taught during the "Best We've Ever Seen" presentation. Unfortunately the original source of the game was not cited when presented, but we share free tools and ideas in the PE community all the time, so thank you to the creator of this awesome lead-up game. The name sounds a little strange, but this game is great for teaching so many football concepts!

This game is a great lead-up game for football because it works on moving up and down the field, while downs and yardage can easily be incorporated to advance the concept for middle school students. 

Equipment: 4-6 chickens or other item (footballs were not recommended because students tend to throw them and you may need more than 4-6 depending on your class size)

Recommendations: No more than 3-4 team members per group to avoid to much wait time.

Directions: Start with two groups facing each other on opposite sides of the "field" and the chicken in the middle. When groups start, the first member in line for each team will run to the center and rock, paper, scissors. The winner of one round will pick up the chicken and try to run into the opposing teams end zone. The non-winner must return to the end of their line. The next person in line of the non-winning team can run out to meet the winner with the chicken as soon as their teammate is defeated. Once they meet, the member with the chicken drops it where they are and they must rock, paper, scissors again. The winner picks up the chicken and runs to their opponents end zone. This process continues until someone scores. After a score, the chicken is placed back in the middle of the playing area.

Adaptations: This game is great on its own, but if you want to adapt it to have more substance it is absolutely possible. Talking to students about downs and distance, turnovers, and scoring drives can all be incorporated with ease as students move through this game. You can also use other equipment instead of the chicken.

I hope that this game is a hit for you in your classroom! Stay tuned next week to learn all about music in the classroom, as well as a tutorial on how to set the pacer to YOUR OWN MUSIC! My mind was completely blown by this concept and I know yours will be too.

VAHPERD Ideas Worth Sharing Part 1: Crazy Kickball

The Sassy PE Teacher is finally back in action! I truly tried to keep up with my store and blog during cross country season, but it simply was not possible.

I apologize for the hiatus, but I am excited to refocus my efforts and share some truly incredible ideas thanks to fellow professionals in my beautiful home state of Virginia!

The Virginia Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance held it's annual conference in my hometown of Midlothian, VA from November 11 - 13 and it was an action packed weekend! I've been to many VAHPERD conferences, as well as SHAPE Southern District, and the SHAPE National Conference, but this conference was truly spectacular. I left with so many new ideas, knowledge, and research. My plan is to share many of them with you all over the next few weeks.

First up in my VAHPERD series is a game that I can't wait to implement in my own classroom! It is a new twists on an old classic and was featured during a session titled, "The Best We've Ever Seen."

Also known as "Fitness Kickball"

This game is similar to traditional kickball in the sense that there are two teams, one of which is kicking while the other is defending the outfield. This is also where the similarities end so be prepared to move and lose track of the score,

Equipment: You need three balls, five cones, and a bucket or tub large enough to fit three playground balls in. The setup is identical to traditional kick ball, except for the tub directly next to the pitcher.

Recommendations: Always have the teacher pitch. Anyone who has played kickball before knows this is the cardinal rule!

Directions: Start the game with the three playground balls inside the tub. One at a time and at 3-4 second intervals, pitch the balls to the kicking team. {You can vary the rules on how students have to kick for your classroom, but a general rule of thumb is to ensure the ball moves forward (bunts count).} Once the ball has been kicked, students are trying to run the bases one time as quickly as possible. When they return to home base, they move to the end of the line. Don't worry about this line part, it moves very quickly... The fielding team is trying to collect all three balls into the tub at the same time. Once they do this successfully, the teams will switch roles and continue play.

Like all games there are certainly pros and cons to this one. What I love about this game is that it gets kids moving! Unlike traditional kickball when only one student is running at a time, this version allows kids to constantly move on both sides of the ball. Student interest and involvement is off the charts with this as well! Cons of this game revolve around the lack of standards content. You can definitely argue that fitness concepts can be incorporated, but without adaptations this game will not be content focused and therefore shouldn't be played on a regular basis.

Adaptations: Now, the good news about the cons is that we can make some small changes to incorporate standards. Incorporating health standards into PE content is an excellent way to make fun games more educationally focused. Tell students that the playground balls are oxygen, the kickers are arteries who have to send the oxygen through the body, while outfielders are veins who need to take the carbon dioxide back to the lungs {the tub} to be dumped so blood can be oxygenated. All of a sudden, your students are learning about the circulatory system while improving cardiovascular endurance in a fun, engaging way.

I hope that this game is a hit for you in your classroom! Stay tuned next week to learn all about Chicken Football, an exciting warm-up game that teaches basic football movement, cooperation, and critical thinking.