Standard 1 The student will be competent in many movement activities.

Students in grade eight who meet this standard will be able to:
• Use basic offensive and defensive skills in a modified version of a team sport.
• Demonstrate competence in modified versions of a variety of movement forms.

The following is a task that might be used to meet the standard:
• Students will play a variety of modified forms of team games, such as team handball, speed-away, ultimate Frisbee, soccer, volleyball, basketball, and football. Emphasis is placed on reduced team size, altered rules and play area boundaries, and cooperative teamwork. Assessment may include peer, group, and self-evaluation, formal tests, and teacher observation.

Standard 2 The student will understand how and why one moves in a variety of situations and will use this information to enhance his or her skills.

Students in grade eight who meet this standard will be able to:
• Understand and apply more advanced movement and game strategies.
• Identify critical elements of more advanced movement skills and apply them to different sports.
• Describe principles of practice for specific physical activities.
• Apply scientific principles to learning skills for specific sports.

The following are assignments and tasks that might be used to meet the standard:
• Students will create a game in cooperative groups, including several movement skills and game strategies learned in class. The game should include practice and lead-up activities that use the movement skills found in their game. The class is then taught, and students participate in, the lead-up activities and game.
• Students will identify the scientific principles that affect ball movement (curve of a baseball, rebound in basketball, top spin on a tennis ball, for example).
• Students will understand and analyze an opponent's strengths and weaknesses and apply that knowledge in a game situation.

Standard 3 The student will achieve and maintain a health-enhancing level of physical fitness.

Students in grade eight who meet this standard will be able to:
• Describe how to improve and maintain appropriate body composition.
• Describe principles of training and conditioning for specific physical activities.
• Design personal health-related fitness programs based upon a fitness profile assessed by fitness scores.
• Assess physiological indicators of exercise during and after physical activity.
• Engage in physical activity at the target heart rate for a minimum of 20 minutes three times a week.

The following are assignments and tasks that might be used to meet the standard:
• Students will define the FIT formula (frequency, intensity, time) correctly, give appropriate examples of each indicator, and work in cooperative groups to correctly describe the concepts on paper.
• Students will complete weekly activity logs of cardiorespiratory activities, including duration of time and intensity.
• Students will outline fitness programs designed to meet their needs as determined by their scores on fitness tests. Students can be assessed by pre- and post-fitness-tests.

Self-image and Personal Development

Standard 4 The student will exhibit a physically active lifestyle and will understand that physical activity provides opportunities for enjoyment, challenge, and self-expression.

Students in grade eight who meet this standard will be able to:
• Establish personal activity goals.
• Participate in regular health-enhancing activities to accomplish personal physical activity goals.
• Become more skilled in a favorite physical activity.
• Describe long-term physiological, psychological, and other benefits that may result from regular participation in physical activity.

The following are assignments and tasks that might be used to meet the standard:
• Students will record personal fitness goals in portfolios after initial fitness assessments. The goals will be reviewed periodically through-out the year and revised as needed. Other means of recording or assessing can be poster charts and graphs.
• Students will design programs to improve skills in a favorite activity. Video analyses or written journals may be kept to evaluate progress throughout the year.

Standard 5 The student will demonstrate responsible personal behavior while participating in movement activities.

Students in grade eight who meet this standard will be able to:
• Solve problems by analyzing causes and potential solutions.
• Practice appropriate ways to learn new skills or sports independently.
• Play within the rules of a game.

The following are assignments and tasks that might be used to meet the standard:
• Students will discuss causes of and solutions to problems that arise in a class activity. Students will create a chart, paragraph, or role in a play on how a problem may be resolved. Examples of potential solutions could be ro-sham-bo (paper-rock-scissors), odd-even, and a personal time-out.
• Students will be observed playing within the rules of a game as a cooperative group. Assessment can be made by teacher observation on a checklist. The checklist may include class-generated modifications to the rules.

Social Development

Standard 6 The student will demonstrate responsible social behavior while participating in movement activities. The student will understand the importance of respect for all others.

Students in grade eight who meet this standard will be able to:
• Identify positive and negative peer influences.
• Recognize in playing team sports that rules are fair and allow for maximum participation.
• Make choices based on the safety of others.
• Identify behaviors that are supportive and inclusive in physical activity.

The following is a task that might be used to meet the standard:
• Students are asked to observe physical activity during class or on the playground and record instances of what they perceive to be exclusionary behavior (exclusion in choosing teams, failure to involve less skilled classmates in a game situation, or exclusion of classmates because of gender or cultural/ethnic differences, for example). Students are asked to suggest strategies for maximizing inclusion in physical activity settings.

Students in grade eight who meet this standard will be able to:
• Describe physical education and physical activity in the United States during the last century.
• Describe how various cultures have influenced games, sports, play, and dance in the United States.

The following is a task that might be used to meet the standard:
• Students in small groups will research an assigned time period for a certain sport in the United States. Groups will present their information to the class. A time line will be created from the information presented by each group. Each group must demonstrate the form of the sport as it was played during the assigned time period. Each group will also present how its sport was influenced by various cultures.