36
Adapt, Advance, Achieve: Connecticut’s Plan to Learn and Grow Together
• Develop plans for the implementation of a physical education, fine arts, and music
curriculum that consider the needs of all students, including focusing on activities,
adaptations, and modifications of all education decisions to ensure the full inclusion
by all students.
Guidance
Physical Education
• Provide physical education through a combination of in-classroom instruction and
activities tailored according to available spaces, restrictions on gatherings, and use of
shared equipment.
• Provide professional development for revising curriculum and instruction to align with
necessary modifications due to changes in the instructional space, blended learning,
and alternative physical fitness activities.
• Focus on activities, fitness, exercises, and sports that are teacher led but performed
individually and focus on lifetime fitness, utilizing alternative environments, landbased
activities, and individual sports/activities such as mindfulness, tai chi,
meditation, taekwondo, fitness-based activities, step aerobics, Pilates, yoga,
individual sports, strength development, target activities, backyard games,
dance (creative/modern dance, aerobic dance, traditional dance), power walking,
orienteering, geocaching, outdoor education, hiking/reading trail signs, hoop games,
track and field, singles racket games, etc.
• Support social-emotional learning through classroom instruction and utilizing
appropriate games and activities.
• Match the instructional design to the available space; use stations, marked off areas,
and staggered participation to ensure separation and distancing between students
during activities. For example, the use of hula hoops on the ground or floor provide
visual cues for maintaining distance to engage in learning.
• Plan for regular cleaning and disinfecting of all indoor and outdoor facilities,
playscapes, and equipment between use by students.
• Repurposing gymnasiums to serve as classrooms may limit the ability to deliver
some physical education content especially in the skill-building area. Cognitive and
affective content and limited skill/fitness content could be delivered in an alternate
space such as a classroom. Consider reorganizing and prioritizing the sequence of
units to provide content and learning opportunities that can be delivered outdoors in
appropriate weather and other content delivered later in the year through a blended
approach in homerooms or online.
• If health and hygiene measures limit locker room use, this may affect hygiene needs
associated with vigorous physical activity, which may limit the ability to fitness train
and/or test. However, fitness/training concepts can still be taught though didactic
instruction and reinforcing skill development and individual fitness goals.
• Loss of water fountain usage could affect physical activity delivery as hydration is
important for student health and safety. Allow students to use personal water bottles
and provide water bottles as needed. Guard against sharing water bottles.
• Educators can incorporate additional opportunities for movement in and/or out of the
classroom through stretching, seated yoga, and walking outdoor classrooms.
• For further considerations on interscholastic athletics and activities, consult the
guidance provided by CIAC.