Fastest Class Challenge
We plan to run this contest three times per year and redistribute the trophies after each completed run of the classes.
Following a collaborative PE team meeting, we decided to try an activity which we hoped would motivate students to make a better effort when distance running and help students better understand the strategies around running timed distances successfully.
We initially bought a BIG trophy intending for the one fastest class to receive it. What we ended up seeing is so much effort at most grade levels (eighth, not so much), that we decided to also buy small trophies for the fastest class at grade levels two through eight.
We put ten minutes on the scoreboard and instructed the students to run as many laps as they could in ten minutes. We discussed pacing strategies and the concept of emptying the tank at the finish. We emphasized emptying the tank by telling the students when there was one minute remaining, they were reminded if they didn’t get past the finish line within that minute, no stick would be earned. These strategies are necessary to compete at the team level, but not as relevant when they are running for themselves.
The students ran and obtained as many sticks as they could, we totaled all the sticks for the entire class and divided by the number of students running…coming up with an average number of sticks per student per class. Absent or medically excused students were not included in our calculations. We compared these numbers by grade level and across the school, in determining a grade level and all school winner.
Mrs. Schmidt, with some help from Miss Gabriel and her Cricut, worked diligently on the bulletin board outside the gym to create a fastest class display. We have started going to each classroom to present the trophy to the appropriate class at each grade level.
The grade level winners were:
Second – Capek 6.64 sticks
Third – McCormick/Hedges 6.56 sticks
Fourth – Olson 7.09 sticks
Fifth – Rios 7.16 sticks
Sixth – Miller 7.83 sticks
Seventh – Jones 7.86 sticks
Eighth – Brummer 7.52 sticks
Yes, Jones won by .03 of a stick versus Miller. Please keep in mind that 8 sticks is a mile, so for each student in a class to average six to eight sticks in only ten minutes is REALLY impressive.
Here is the link for a compilation video of the classes that won.