Physical Activity Pap

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The Physical Activity Program (PAP) is a multi-component approach by which school districts and schools use all opportunities for students to be physically active, meet the nationally-recommended 60 minutes of physical activity each day, and develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to be physically active for a lifetime. By participating in various activities, this may increase academic success and decrease behavioral problems in a school setting. PAP will be implemented in an urban elementary and middle school in East Harlem, N.Y. Schools in this location have very low academic achievement levels. In 2013, only 12% of students met state standards on the State English test, and 19% met state standards for the State Math test. The school …show more content…
According to other studies, such as the Jensen’s “A Fresh Look at Brain-Based Education” (2008), brain based learning suggests that moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) stimulates the brain in a positive way. There are short term effects like chemical changes in the brain that increase attention, as well as long-term effects in the frontal lobe and prefrontal cortex that are essential for learning and decision-making. A meta-analysis of 850 articles conducted by Strong, Malina, Blimkie, Daniels, Dishman, Gutin, and Trudeau (2005) explored studies of the influence of physical activity on various health and behavioral outcomes in youth between the ages of 6 and 18. After examining student grades, scores on standardized tests, grade point averages, memory, and concentration, adding physical activity to schools’ curriculum result in small positive gains (Strong et al., …show more content…
There will be consent forms sent home for the parents to sign and return; students will provide verbal assent to participate in the program as well. A goal of PAP is to provide all students at this school physical activity to help stimulate their brain functioning which will make them more available for learning. Many of the behavioral issues are due to lack of attention, and PAP strives to increase the attention span through physical activity and brain stimulation. Though the ideal program has been described as to engage students in 45-60 minutes of physical activity 3-5 days a week, PAP is going to be implemented into this school’s existing schedule (Strong et. al., 2005). The lunch period is 50 minutes, half is spent at recess and the other half is spent eating lunch. Recess is completely unstructured and some students choose to be inactive and sit on the ground. PAP will be implemented into the recess portion of the school day. There will be 4 sessions of the PAP program every day. The elementary students attend lunch first. Half of them will be sent outside, weather permitting, for the first 25 minute session of PAP. After 25 minutes, the remaining elementary students will be sent outside for PAP. The next session will be the first group of middle schoolers for 25 minutes, followed by the final session of middle schoolers for 25 minutes. If the weather does not permit, recess