American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance - AAHPERD

 Issue: October 2004

Writing in the Physical Education Class
Edward H. Behrman

Abstract:
Writing in physical education can enhance student performance in at least four ways: (1) writing to learn, which stimulates the gathering and organizing of ideas; (2) writing to motivate, which stimulates a sense of adventure, curiosity, and creativity; (3) writing to assess, which allows both teacher and student to evaluate progress; and (4) writing to do, which integrates writing directly into the physical activity. This article presents practical ideas for incorporating more writing into middle and high school physical education, either in class or as homework. Sixteen specific writing genres that are appropriate for physical education are described, with a sample prompt for each: diary; reflective journal; summary; book, chapter, or document critique; prediction/hypothesis; letter; editorial; steps/sequence; description/explanation; analytic exposition; argumentation/persuasion; problem solving; chat room; brochures, manuals, advertisements; poster/display; and creative writing.

Article category: Cross-Disciplinary Connections