PFA All-Star Teacher Showcase
Anthony Berardinelli - 2016 PFA All-Star Teacher of the Year
“Good, Better, Best, Repeat.” Anthony Berardinelli’s motto has created a never-ending cycle of students who start out good, with a goal to get better and go on to perform at their 100% best. Then they repeat this cycle with every new activity and lesson all year long! In each class, students work hard to win his Sweaty Kid Award and have participated in just about every single lesson in our curriculum. What makes this incredible is that he only sees his students once a week for a total of 27 classes per year. He created beyond PE class programming that has had a huge impact on his student’s fitness and has truly transformed the entire student body.
We are proud to shine this spotlight on this exemplary PE program and on this amazing PE Teacher whose positivity, creativity and can-do spirit is a national role model for many. Anthony's philosophy of Physical Education
Want to see success? Work the Project Fit America Program. It works if you work it. As a PFA Teacher it is essential to show students what exercise inside the PE classroom and out of school does for the body, and how much fun it can be! Make it a habit, make it a lifestyle. Make success and confidence boosters into your already present curriculum by adding the ‘PFA way.” Stress the fact that each student is a leader in their own way in helping each other by motivating and getting better each day in every way. If someone would ask me to describe my teaching philosophy in one sentence, I would say, “It’s all about the kids.” My goal is for every child to have a smile on their face while they are in PE class. When the students are having so much fun they don’t even realize they are learning, I know I am doing my job. My goal is to challenge all of my students and watch them grow to their full potential.
To me, teaching is not only about academics, but also about developing a person as a whole. My classroom/gym is a community of learners and each student has a voice and opportunities throughout the school year to make decisions. I strive to make the gym a safe learning environment.
I believe that all children regardless of their socio-economic status, ethnicity, and level of physical ability are able to and have the desire to learn with the proper motivation. I work hard to recognize each student’s strengths and weaknesses. Once identified, these strengths are challenged and weaknesses are supported.
The most rewarding part of my job is seeing the joy and pride of students who improve upon their physical abilities and confidence. As a physical education teacher, I desire to help the students understand and continue to learn about health and fitness, while developing an appreciation for physical activities.
Heritage Elementary School – Project Fit America Mannequin Challenge
Growth of Heritage Elementary School's PE program
Our PE program at Heritage Elementary has transformed into a total Project Fit America every day. Students are learning new fitness-based activities they can do on a daily basis at recess or outside of school with friends and family. The students at Heritage Elementary are always eager for P.E. class each week. The majority of them are disappointed that they only have P.E. class once a week! They truly love the PFA program and can’t wait for the next unique lesson.
I have observed how the entire student body’s ‘team friendliness’ has increased. Students are much better classmates and understanding with each other. I have a very competitive group of students this year and the sportsmanship displayed on a daily basis has simply been overwhelming!
The new ‘Word Wall’ allows students to learn new lifelong, fitness vocabulary and then revisit these terms throughout the course of the school year. Students develop the physical ‘education’ side of PE class allowing them to view healthy and non-healthy choices outside of the classroom/gym.
Motivation, Challenge, and Encouragement
The variety of Chart Challenges in the gym provides students intrinsic motivation to push themselves to the next level. They love signing their names and are always eager to compete against themselves and their classmates. We’re only about a third of the way through the school year, and the gym is already filled with Chart Challenges to the point where there is no more room!
In addition, I hand out the “Sweaty Kid Award” which is given to one student at the end of each class to push them to work to their personal best. It is awarded to the student who is the most “sweaty,” or has worked the hardest during class.
Obstacles I have Overcome
The two obstacles I have overcome both correlate with scheduling. Often the gym is used for school-wide assemblies, book fairs, and other school activities. In the past it was difficult for me to still have a full gym class outside of the gym. However, now that we have the PFA equipment, I am able to have P.E. class anywhere in the school! So far this year, we have played, “Hear it, Read it, Do it, See it Cup Build,” in the hallway and also played “Tallest Towers” & “Tummy Tough Cup Build,” in the cafeteria on several occasions. The PFA equipment has helped me to overcome the obstacle of having limited space when there is a scheduling conflict. In addition to the limited space, I ran into another obstacle. How are my students going to improve when they only have gym class once a week? In my written submission below I explain how I have overcome this obstacle with the implementation of “Monthly Madness.”
Goals
The overall goals for my students are to get better each and every day in everything we do. Our motto last school year was ‘Good, Better, Best, Repeat.’ I tell all the students at the beginning of each class that everyone present is good at the activities, but our goal is to get better. Then, the students work hard to get better, and then eventually are performing at their best. At the start of each new activity we repeat back to good. It is a never ending cycle. I encourage the students to ask themselves before bed each night, “Did I reach my personal best?” I explain how it is okay if they did not, but that can be tomorrow’s goal. Our PE motto this year is “Be All You Can Be” explained simply to students by, ‘doing their personal best’.
Stories to Share
I have several students who have rewritten their personal record book on the Pacer Challenge. Last year these students fatigued early in the challenge and now they are making it up to 50 plus laps. Multiple times this school year, I’ve had students literally run up to me shouting, “Mr. B. I finally climbed to the top of the pole climb!” The same goes for our rope climb in the gymnasium. (climbing rope 25 feet in length)
I have a first grade student who has been experiencing some daily separation anxiety when entering school. This student is involved in competitive sports; therefore he loves any type of physical fitness. After we played, “Do Work, Get a Cup,” he enjoyed coming to school only on PE days. As a member of his IEP team, I suggested that with smooth transitions from home to school he would be allowed to have extra time using PFA equipment and PE time. He understood that the goals were to improve at each activity. He has become very confident in himself and continues to look forward to PE class. His academic teachers also noticed that his confidence has increased in the classroom as well! It is much easier for him now to include himself in cooperative learning and he has also become a leader. Feeling good about himself is a stepping stone in the right direction to lifelong success.
How Our P.E. Program Works
Our PE program has transformed into PFA every day. Our students at Heritage Elementary have PE class 27 times during the course of the school year. In the 4th quarter of the school year, we switch from “dry land to sea” and students receive American Red Cross swimming lessons. Our students have participated in just about every PFA lesson in the Core Curriculum. Heritage Elementary is located in Western PA, so weather-providing, our students are able to use the outdoor PFA equipment for approximately 5 weeks.
The various challenges students participate in during our PE school year are the following: Tennis Ball challenge, Pacer Challenge, Hubba-Hubba hoop challenge, Sit up challenge, Pull up challenge, Flex arm hang challenge, Ninja Nation Challenge, Tough Panther Challenge (I created using outdoor equipment because the Panther is our school mascot), Pick it Up Challenge, Smile Mile, Free-Throw Challenge, Quick Feet Challenge, Roof-Top Club challenge (Rope climb in gym to ceiling), jump rope challenge, Flamingo Balance Challenge. High Jump cup Jump CC (depending on grade level I play 2 stacks of cups between 5-15 cups high with a noodle on top, students have 30 seconds to complete as many jumps as possible), How High Noodle Jump CC (depending on grade level, 2 stacks of cups 20, 25, 30, 35 cups high, students get running start to clear the noodle on top), Hoop Jump CC (place 2 hula hoops together on ground, students have 30 seconds to complete as many jumps as possible), Shuttle Cup run top boy and girl in each class all compete. High-Low Plank CC (using Fitness-Gram Push-Up)
Teacher Lesson Plans
Warm Up Activities
Get A Cup and GO
This warm-up activity is done with Kindergarten through 2nd grade. I place PFA cups on the baseline of the gym. Students begin on the opposite baseline. On the word ‘GO’ students run to the other baseline, grab one cup, run back to the opposite baseline, and try to cover all the lines on the gym floor.
Partner Sit-ups
Students are partnered up and they crisscross their feet and start with one cup. Students both do a sit-up and exchange the cup. This warm-up activity can also be done with two cups and works on abdominals, hand-eye coordination, and cooperative learning.
Plank Cup Slide
Students start facing each other in high plank. While holding high plank, they slide a PFA cup back and forth for ‘X’ number of reps. This warm-up activity can also be done with a one-armed side oblique plank.
Partner Pyramid
Students are partnered up. Partner 1 does one push-up, partner 2 does two pushups, partner 1 does 3 push up, partner 2 does 4 pushups, etc.
This can be done with any exercise (line jumps, sit-up, high knees, burpees, one-legged squats, etc.).
Cup It Up Challenge
Using the outdoor PFA equipment, I put signs at each station with “X” number of repetitions. I also include Heavy Hoops, jump ropes, crab-walk, jog a lap around PFA, jumping jacks, burpees, knee to belly button, pull-up bars, dips on parallel bars, sit-up station, and box jump on high PFA Step up.
I divide the class into equal teams with 3-4 students on each team. Each student goes to a station and does not have to be at the same station as the rest of their group members. Students complete one station and earn two cups.
The goal is for the team to make the tallest cup tower by stacking.
Do Work Get a Cup
I divide the class into six teams and each team lines up on a different colored poly spot. In the gym, I have the following stations set up:
- Rope climb
- Gymnastic rings
- Sit up mat/push up/ burpee/ high-low plank
- Weighted hoops
- Step up
- Box jump
- Potato sack hop
- Tee ball
- Resistance training bands
- Medicine balls
Students complete a station for “X” amount of reps and get a cup for their team.
At end of game, students make a straight line with cups to see has longest line in order to find out which team did the most work.
Beyond P.E. Class
Each day of the week has a theme as follows:
- Mambo Monday
- Turbo Tuesday
- Workout Wednesday
- T-Riffic Thursday
- Fitness Friday
New to Heritage Elementary is the Heritage Fitness Club. A group of 30 fourth and fifth grade students were selected to be a part of the fitness club. Students meet from 7:45-8:45 before school on Thursday mornings. Students participate in fitness-based activities such as runs, challenges, fitness-gram practices as well as games they love! (see attached document for daily workouts)
Monthly Madness is a fitness activity for the students to do outside of PE class. Cards are designed for each student with a certain workout on them. The cards have numbers 1-500 on them, counting by 10’s. When a student completes 10 reps of an activity they cross that number off. Once completing their fitness card, students may hang their card on their locker to see their fitness that takes place outside of school. Each month the students get a new card with a different workout to complete outside of PE class. See attached document for monthly fitness cards.
- X Jump Fitness Challenge
- Burpee Fitness Challenge
- High-Low Plank Fitness Challenge
- Sit up Fitness Challenge
- Scissors Fitness Challenge
- Push up/Modified push up Challenge
- Mountain Climbers Challenge
- Jumping Jacks Challenge
- Line Jump challenge
Support
I would first like to thank Excela Health for funding the grant to allow us to implement the Project Fit America equipment and curriculum. Without their generous contribution none of this would be possible. Second, I would like to thank our superintendent, Dr. Gennaro Pirano, our principal Mr. Robert Buffone, and all of the teachers at Heritage Elementary for their constant support and cooperation. Third, I would like to thank Amanda Martin and Ken Chambless who have dedicated their time and efforts to help me understand and implement wonderful PFA activities. Next, I would like to thank Stacey Cook and Katie Key for answering my monthly phone calls with any questions or listening to me brag about our wonderful student body. Lastly, I would like to thank the students and parents for their willingness and support through this new and exciting curriculum.