General
Part I: General introduction
Part I: General introduction
1.0. About the teacher’s guide
This book is a teacher’s guide for Physical Education and Sports for Primary
Two. It is designed to help teachers in the implementation of competence based
curriculum planned by Rwanda Education Board and started in 2015.
As the name says, it is a guide that teachers can refer to when preparing their
lessons. Teachers may prefer to adopt provided activities/games/exercises and
related guidance but they are also expected to be more creative and consider
their specific classes’ contexts and prepare accordingly.
1.1 The structure of the guide
This section presents the overall structure of this guide, the unit and lesson
structure to help teachers to understand the different sections of this guide and
what they will find in each section.
1.1.1 Overall structure
The whole guide has three main parts as follows:
This part provides general guidance on how to develop the generic competences,
integrate cross cutting issues and cater for individual differences.
Part I: General introduction
This part provide general guidance on how to develop generic competencies,
how to integrete cross-cutting issues and how to cater for learners with special
needs education, active methods and techniques of teaching Physical Education
and Sports and guidance on assessment.
Part II: Sample lesson plan
This part provides a sample lesson plan, developed and designed to help the
teacher develop his/her own lesson plan.
Part III: Unit development
This is the core part of the guide. Each unit is developed following the structure
as set in subtitle structure of a unit.
1.1.2 Structure of the unitEach unit is made of the following sections:
a. Unit title: From the syllabus
b. Key unit competence: From the syllabus
c. Prerequisite (knowledge, skills, attitude and values)
This section indicates knowledge, skills and attitudes required for the success
of the unit. The competence-based approach calls for links between units/
topics within a subject and interconnections between different subjects. The
teacher will find an indication of those prerequisites and guidance on how to
establish connections.
d. Cross cutting issues to be addressed
This section suggests cross cutting issues that can be integrated depending on
the unit content. It provides guidance on how to come up with the integration of
the issue. Teachers are free to take another crosscutting issue considering the
learning environment.
e. List of lessons
This section presents in a table suggestion on the list of lessons, lesson
objectives copied or adapted from the syllabus and duration for each lesson.
Each lesson /subheading is then developed.
f. End unit assessment
This part provides guidance on how to conduct the end of unit assessment in
a practical way. It suggests activities/ games as well as guidance on criteria to
be considered such as:
- Cognitive skills (e.g.: level of concentration, memory, capacity of
anticipation, problem solving);
- Technical competences (e.g.: throwing skills, catching skills, dribbling
skills, passing skills etc.);
- Strong emotional points such as self-confidence and safety;
- Social competences such as cooperation and unity;
- Attitudes and values: e.g.: optimism, confidence, respect and impartiality.
g. Additional exercises/games
- This section provides additional games/exercises for the teacher to have
a wide range of activities/games related to the unit.
- Adapted and remedial exercises/games for learners with special needseducation and for learners who need more time and exercises to achieve
a certain level of performance.
- Extended activities: for quick learners.
1.1.3 Structure of each lesson
Each lesson/sub-heading is made of the following sections:
a. Lesson title:………………………………………
b. Prerequisite (knowledge, skills, attitude and values)
The teacher will find an indication of those prerequisites and guidance on
how to establish connections between units/topics within a subject and
interconnections between different subjects.
c. Teaching resources
This section suggests the teaching aids or other resources needed in line with
the activities to achieve the learning objectives. Teachers are encouraged to
replace the suggested teaching aids with the available ones in their respective
schools and based on learning environment.
d. Introduction
This section provides a clear instruction to the teacher on how to start the
lesson.
e. Lesson development
This section provides methodological aspects on how the main topic should be
taught. It provides steps to follow and how a teacher conducts the lesson.
f. Assessment
This section provides the opportunities of assessing learners by using R-C-A
(Reflect, Connect and Apply). At this level, through the R-C-A discussions the
teacher allows learners to do their self-evaluation and provide the feedback
from the learnt lesson. It helps to reflect on the game/play/skill learnt, to connect
what they have learnt to life experience, lesson content and to apply acquired
skill to another situation.
1.2 Importance of Physical Education and Sports subject
Physical Education and Sport enables learner overall development:
- Physically: PES subject helps in biological growth (muscle development,
widening of chest cavity, better pulmonary aeration, coordination and
speed). It also helps to prevent and correct the morphological and physical
defects.
- Intellectually: The learner acquires knowledge and ability ofconcentration: he/ she observes recalls, performs experiments, and uses
strategies, changes and make decisions.
- Emotionally: the learner is deeply involved: he/she discovers his/her
own potentials; develops self-confidence, gets interest and happiness.
- Socially: the learner makes friends through playing and develops attitude
and competences of communicating, cooperating and building positive
relations with others.
Games and sports provide learners with an excellent environment of learning
on how to develop and protect their health and welfare. Through the game, a
learner discovers that he/she has to take care of him or her and others.
Physical Education and Sports is a powerful way of building personality because
it promotes self-confidence and competition skills. It develops knowledge and
self-monitoring, respect of the law, will, attention, courage, and communication
with others. This subject enables early discovery and improvement of sports
talents for young learners. When games are carefully planned according to
learner’s age, they enable learners to acquire practical skills such as respect,
honesty, understanding, communication, problem solving, understanding rules
of foundation and the way of obeying them.
Success in play and sports activities is a source of self-confidence which
contributes to the improvement of performance in other subjects even for
learners with low academic performance.
Games contribute to link psychological gaps which usually exist between
learners and teachers: when teachers regularly play with their learners, the
mood becomes much more pleasant and learners become more open.
Recreational activities provide learners with a real relaxation after hours of
intensive concentration.
1.3 Principles of teaching Physical Education and Sports
Holistic principle
Well-planned games and sports programs must contribute to learner’s overall
development: physically, mentally and socio-affective development.
Principle of adaptation to the age and to the stage of learner
development
Age of learners must be taken into consideration while making choiceof recreational activities. Note that success in games creates a source of
motivation for children. Those who do not succeed can be frustrated and lose
self-confidence. For more motivation, it is necessary to propose new tasks and
new activities because if games are too easy, children will be less interested.
Principle of inclusion (integration of all children)
Every learner must take advantage from his/her participation in games and
sports programs without a difference of performance, sex, etc. All forms of
discrimination must be avoided. A particular attention has to be paid to children
with disabilities; either physical or mental: those children have a right to games
and sports, be it in a special or ordinary school.
Principle of physical and emotional security
Recreational activities have some risks. Teachers/educators have to implement
strategies to protect children, for example by watching over their physical and
emotional security.
Principle of interdisciplinary
The PES course is certainly linked to other disciplines. As it was underlined in
the previous point (Importance of teaching Physical Education and Sports), this
course provides relaxation, increases self-confidence, builds up concentration,
etc., like other necessary elements needed for school success in general.
Moreover, teachers regularly resort to games to introduce a course, awake
a dormant class or to strengthen knowledge acquired from other subjects
(languages, sciences, mathematics…).
Principle of participation and fair-play
All children, even those less performing, must participate in games and not
watching. The bottom-line in educational program and sports is to participate,
not to win.
1.4 Methodological guidance of teaching Physical Education
and Sports
1.4.1 Developing Competence
Since 2015 Rwanda shifted from a knowledge based to a competency-based
curriculum for pre-primary, primary and general secondary education. This
called for changing the way of learning by shifting from teacher-centered to a
learner-centered approach.
Teachers are not only responsible for knowledge transfer but also for raisinglearner’s learning achievement and creating safe and supportive a learning
motivation for children. Those who do not succeed can be frustrated and lose
self-confidence. For more motivation, it is necessary to propose new tasks and
new activities because if games are too easy, children will be less interested.
Principle of inclusion (integration of all children)
Every learner must take advantage from his/her participation in games and
sports programs without a difference of performance, sex, etc. All forms of
discrimination must be avoided. A particular attention has to be paid to children
with disabilities; either physical or mental: those children have a right to games
and sports, be it in a special or ordinary school.
Principle of physical and emotional security
Recreational activities have some risks. Teachers/educators have to implement
strategies to protect children, for example by watching over their physical and
emotional security.
Principle of interdisciplinary
The PES course is certainly linked to other disciplines. As it was underlined in
the previous point (Importance of teaching Physical Education and Sports), this
course provides relaxation, increases self-confidence, builds up concentration,
etc., like other necessary elements needed for school success in general.
Moreover, teachers regularly resort to games to introduce a course, awake
a dormant class or to strengthen knowledge acquired from other subjects
(languages, sciences, mathematics…).
Principle of participation and fair-play
All children, even those less performing, must participate in games and notwatching. The bottom-line in educational program and sports is to participate,
not to win.
1.4 Methodological guidance of teaching Physical Education
and Sports
1.4.1 Developing Competence
Since 2015 Rwanda shifted from a knowledge based to a competency-based
curriculum for pre-primary, primary and general secondary education. This
called for changing the way of learning by shifting from teacher-centered to a
learner-centered approach.
Teachers are not only responsible for knowledge transfer but also for raisinglearner’s learning achievement and creating safe and supportive a learning
environment. It implies also that a learner has to demonstrate what he/she is
able to do by using the knowledge, skills, values and attitude acquired in a new
or different or given situation.
The competence-based curriculum uses an approach of teaching and learning
based on separate skills rather than dwelling on only knowledge or the cognitive
domain of learning.
It focuses on what learners can do rather than what they know. Learners
develop basic competences through specific subject unit competences with
specific learning objectives broken down into knowledge, skills and attitudes.
These competences are developed through learning activities spread in learner
centered rather than the traditional moral approach. The student is evaluated
against set standards to achieve before moving on.
In addition to specific subject competences, learners also develop generic
competences which are transferable throughout a range of learning areas and
situations in life.
1.4.2 Addressing cross cutting issues
Among the changes in the competence based curriculum is the addition of cross
Cutting issues as a basic part of the teaching learning process-as they relate
to and must be considered within all subjects to be appropriately addressed.
The eight cross cutting issues identified in the national curriculum framework
are: genocide studies, environment and sustainability, gender, Comprehensive
Sexuality Education (CSE), Peace and Values Education, Financial Education,
standardization Culture and Inclusive Education.
Some cross cutting issues may seem specific to particular learning areas or
subjects but the teacher need to address all of them whenever an opportunityarises. In addition, learners should always be given an opportunity during the
learning process to address these cross cutting issues both within and out of
the classroom so as to progressively develop related attitudes and values.Below are examples on how crosscutting issues can be addressed in PES:
1.4.3 Attention to learners special needs education.
Learners or people with disabilities do not have equal chances in families. In
Physical Education and Sports activities/exercises/games, sometimes those
learners are not considered. They are considered as spectators instead of
participating with others in sports activities. Currently we are convinced that
games and sports are very beneficial to people with physical, mental, emotional
and psychological disabilities.
What attitude to implement?
To promote the integration of learners with disabilities during recreational
activities, the following tips may help teachers / educators in the training of
these learners:
- Adopt an approach of sports and games which are based on skills,
and focus on what learners are capable of doing. In this respect, you
can introduce small changes in games and activities for learners with
disabilities.
- Be relaxed and natural when you are with people with disabilities. Do
not treat them as if they need your pity or your charity. Do not think they
necessarily need help. Let them do and say things themselves.
- Avoid keeping learners living with disabilities out of the game: in a regular
class, let them participate in other’s games. However, avoid being too
demanding about the level of their performance.
What can we modify?
Within the framework of integration of learners in games, according to the
nature and the gravity of impairment, learners can, in some cases, participate in
games designed for all learners. In other cases, the teacher or educator should
think about changes he/she can make to meet the needs of learners he/she has
in the group. The teacher should also think about adaptation of the game, the
playground, equipment and duration of the game.
Below are some examples of adaptations to initiate:
Adjust roles and rules
- Make the game easier or harder by changing some rules.
Let learners play different roles and in different positions.
- Allow players to play in different ways, for example, sitting instead of
standing.
- Simplify expectations of the game.
- Simplify instructions.
Adjust the playground
- Change the size of the playground. Enlarge or reduce the playground.
- Change the distance: for example, put a target closer.
- Change the height of a target.
- Allow more or less space between players.
Let learners move from different spaces.
Adjust the materials
- Reduce the size or weight of materials.
- Choose balls of various textures, bright colours or balls which make noise
once they are bounced
- Adjust the duration of the activity
- Reduce or prolong the time allotted to the activity.
Variation of players’ roles and rules of the game:
- Change rules to simplify the game or complex game.
- Change players’ roles and posts.
- Let learners play in different playing positions. E.g.: while standing,
squatting, couching, lying down.
- Simplify hopes from results.
- Simplify game instructions.
Change sizes of the playground/court:
- Increase or decrease the size the playground.
- Vary distance limiting playing area. E.g.: put forward the object.
- Modify the size of the object.
- Put small or big space among players.
- Let learners walk around and around the playground.
Vary materials:
- Change the size or weight of materials.
- Select balls made in different materials and with various colours, or which
may produce sound.
Modify duration of the activity:
- Reduce or prolong time allocated to the activity.
Aspects to consider when you want to vary an activity
- Does the change affect negatively the activity? This should not be the
case.
- Does the variation correspond to the ability and duration of learner’s
attention?
- Will the learners with disabilities be able to play with others?
- Is the activity proportional to the age of the learners?
- Does the activity respond to the needs of all learners?
Approaches to help learners with disabilities
The following table shows the approaches of helping learners with specialneeds education.
Strategies to motivate girls to participate in Physical Education and
Sports lesson
- Encourage girls to play and take responsibilities in a team.
- Give equal time and materials to both girls and boys.
- If needed give particular exercises to girls.
- Respect girls’ views/opinions.
- Avoid using expressions which discourage girls to participate in sports
activities or underestimate them.
- Appreciate girls who have well participated in sports.
- Sensitize parents to support girls while performing sports activities.
1.4.4 Guidance on assessment of Physical Education and Sports
When assessment should be done?
Assessment may be done before starting the new lesson for assessing basic
knowledge of learners. It is called diagnostic assessment. This assessment
enable teacher to detect learners with required knowledge and skills and those
who have difficulties in learning process. Assessment should be done when the
lesson is being delivered to assess the improvement of learners while performing
different games and exercises. This is called formative assessment.
What to assess?
A teacher should assess how learners are developing their knowledge, skills,value and attitudes. In general when a teacher is assessing learners he/she
should assess their holistic development based on different values.
Various competences should be assessed:
- Cognitive skills (e.g.: level of concentration, memory, capacity of
expectation, problem solving).
- Practical competences (e.g.: throwing skills, catching skills, dribbling
skills, passing skills etc.…).
- Strong feeling points such as self-confidence and feeling secure.
- Social competences such as cooperation and unity.
- Attitudes and values: e.g.: confidence,, respect and fairness.
- Particularly a teacher assesses how learners have achieved objectives
through performing different exercises and games.
Other competences should be assessed based on the following questions:
- Are learners developing competences while performing games/ exercises?
- Are learners able to understand all content which has been discussed on?
- Are learners able to match what they have learnt with their daily life situation?
Observation and understanding of learners help a teacher to check out whether
learners have understood very well what they have studied.
Assessment provides feedback to school and parents.
1.4.5 Planning and delivering Physical Education and Sports
lesson
• Lesson planning of PES
Why is it important to plan PES lesson?
Planning PES very well helps to:
- Indicate good quality of content to be learnt: a teacher should think about
the age of learners, structure and organization of the game based on
learners’ interest and steps of teaching Physical Education and Sports.
- Choose a good teaching method, planning on time, teaching resources
and field based on planned activities.
- Take strategies of preventing all bad conducts which may result during
deliverance of the lesson and examine how to simplify the lesson so that
all learners may participate in it.achieve set objectives.
Main steps of Physical Education and Sports lesson
Physical Education and Sports lesson consists of the following steps:
Introduction
a. Opening discussion
- In this section, a teacher checks up: health conditions of learners their
smartness, materials and playground to use. At the end of this section
learners must be and go to the ground where the lesson will be delivered.
- When a teacher is going to teach a game lesson, he/she introduce the
lesson with opening discussions that focus on basic game, and enable
learners start the lesson with interest and participate actively in the new
lesson. A teacher introduces the title of the game before starting the next
step.
b. Warm up
Warm up exercises are done before performing any other sports activities.
Warm ups play a great role in activating different body parts such as circulatory
system, respiratory system, muscular system and joints.
Warm up exercises should consist use of body parts which will involve more in
performing different exercises in the lesson. When those exercises are better
performed they help in reducing body injuries and accidents. Warm up exercises
are followed by stretching exercises. In unit 2 there are proposed exercises to
use during warm up and stretching.
Warm up consists of three components:
- Circulatory activity: This activity arises temperature, speeds heart beats
and respiration movements. For example there is jogging, in-place skipping
and walking while hopping.
- Joints mobilization activity: It is a motion that unlocks joints which will
be strongly needed during physical activities.
- Stretching exercise activity: it enhances the circulation of blood
towards muscles. It unlocks and warms up muscles.
Warm-up exercises must:
- Lead every physical activity: Always take time to warm yourselves up;
- Be open-minded: Start slowly and easily. Accelerate rapidity and
intensity progressively;
- Be determined: on muscles and motions needed in the following activity.If the planned activity is relay race, concentrate on legs;
- Be enjoyable: Perform various warm-up exercises. Use mostly games
instead of standard exercises. Make warm-up exercises a game or tell a
story while doing exercises. You will see children reacting with much more
liveliness.
Lesson development
It is the main part which consists of the lesson because it is the part in which
learners perform exercises/games as planned in the lesson. This part takes
more than half of the time reserved for the whole lesson. For the game lesson, a
teacher explains rules of the game, demonstrate how to play the game and give
time to learners for practice. In this part, stretching exercises are performed: slow
walking exercises that relax the body and return the body into the normal state.
Assessment
Assessment in PES lesson is done when learners are performing exercises/
activities/games. At this level, through the R-C-A discussions the teacher allows
learners to do their self-evaluation and provide the feedback from learnt lesson.
Reflect-Connect-Apply is a teaching and learning strategy that leads learners
through a 3-step discussion about their experience:
Reflect on the game/play. The teacher asks questions about their experience
and feelings during the game.
The teacher asks questions like: What was interesting? What was easy? What
was challenging? What strategies have you used to win? How did you feel in
case of success or failure?
Connect to life experiences and lesson content.
The teacher asks questions like: How does this game connect to what you
already know, believe or feel? Does it reinforce or expand your view? The tutor
also asks questions that connect the game to lesson content.
Apply acquired experience to another situation.
The teacher asks questions like, “How could you use what you have learned
from this experience? How could you use your new learning to benefit yourself,
others, your community?” Learning is transferred and applied.
Storing/Keeping materials
Learners in charge of keeping materials collect them and then give them to theteacher.
1.4.6 Advice related to teaching Physical Education and Sports
Before starting the lesson, the teacher should;
- Arrive in advance where the lesson will be conducted from.
- Prepare all materials needed to be used in the lesson, and prepare the
court based on needed materials in game/exercises.
- Choose personality based on the game: scatter line, many lines, on the
circle, on half circle.
- Give care to the learners while teaching; do all possible to teach the lesson
in a conducive mood.
When a lesson starts:
- Start on time, even though all learners are not present.
- Encourage learners to work with courage.
When the lesson is being delivered:
Lead the team
Use materials which helps learners to alert/tell them to know time for
starting, stopping, keep going on. E.g.: whistle, rising up the hand etc…
It is not necessary that all learners play at the same time in one game.
Learners may play different games. In that time learners are trained to
collect materials after each game.
Giving clear instructions:
- Give instructions with loud voice to be heard by all learners.
- Instructions must be brief/concise, clear and rhythmic.
- Demonstrate examples to learners. When a teacher is not able to
demonstrate may use a gifted learner.
- Repeat instructions or demonstrate repeatedly the exercise/game in order to be understood.
Helping learners to develop their ability
- Have confidence of learners’ ability: Promote and appreciate what learners
are performing better in group and individually.
- Give time to learners to learn new things by starting from simple to complex.
- Give time learners to observe their teammates who are more skilled than them and imitate them.
- Help learners to have self-confidence: give them time to learn new skillsand rules of the game.
Corrections
Objectives of those corrections are to improve the level of learners. Mistakes
are corrected first by general remarks, then individually. During individual
corrections, it is important to avoid leaving learners in tiring or inactive positions.
If after corrections, learners are still not able to perform the given exercise
correctly, there should be a stop and correct or look for educative exercises
before starting another one.
At the end of the lesson:
Give learners enough time to express themselves by explaining what they have
performed or learnt.
1.4.7 Teaching materials and infrastructure
Field/playgrounds
Inefficiency of teaching materials is the most challenge which impends the
implementation of Physical Education and Sports curriculum.
Physical Education and Sports lesson should be delivered on simple court/
playground which should be created by the school, and then those grounds
may be used in teaching and training of learners various games. Sometimes a
rectangular playground should be used in performing games in teams, sprinting,
and long distance running on the track and jumping.
For schools without enough grounds, learners may play games which do not
require a big court. For schools with financial capacity may construct one ground
in which different sports should be performed at the same time.
This court should have the following features:
- Football court;
- Handball court;
- volleyball courts;
- Area for long jump;
- Area for high jump;,
- Athletic track(for speed race, long distance race and relay race) ;
- Area for throwing events (Discuss, Javelin and Shot put).
Currently, one court can serve a lot of modern sports: athletics and traditional
games/sports. Two schools may share the ground. While one is playing volleyballthe other school should perform athletics.
Teaching resources
Examples of teaching resources
- Balls made of banana fibers (15cm of diameter): used in football
game, volleyball game, gymnastics and athletics;
- Ropes for jumping (3m of length): used for showing lines, in gymnastics,
to separate 2 teams, for high jump, long jump;
- Sticks (1m of length and 3cm of width): sticks are used in gymnastics,
posts for high jump;
- Wood made javelin (2,20m of length and 3cm of width): used in
throwing, posts to support ropes used as net in volleyball game or as
obstacles;
- Small stones (intosho), other stones weight 2kg;
- “Urugarika” stones that have circular shape or oval shape (with 20 cm of
diameter): used for throwing shot-put;
- Elastic bands (at least 40cm length) used in high jump;
- Drum;
- Balls used in ball games;
Management of sports materials
Sources of sports materials and equipment
Materials listed above are made from different sources: some materials are
made by learners themselves, others are bought by the school, others are gifts
from donors.
Advice for better management of sports materials:
Before the lesson:
- Collect all needed materials;
- Check up all materials;
- Make a list of only needed materials;
- Check whether balls are pumped. Not pumped balls are usually damaged.
During the lesson:
- Always locate materials for better management;
- Demonstrate to learners how to use materials properly;
- Focus on how a new learner is using materials in the game;
- Encourage learners to use materials properly. Appoint learners responsible
to carry and collect materials;
- Train them to collect materials after the lesson;- Count materials to ensure that nothing is lost.
After the lesson:
- Store and arrange materials well;
- Store materials where there is security;
- Repair materials in case they have been damaged.
What can you do in case you don’t find needed Sports materials?
When teaching resources in Physical Education and Sports are not found, you
can do the following:
- Find out other materials to use or if possible make them yourself;
- Select the game which do not need materials missed but do not change
the objectives;- Be innovative and creative.
III. Sample lesson plan