On November 16, HSC kicked off its new Fit to Learn program with the first of three free teacher
training sessions that introduced new lesson plans to help incorporate fitness, nutrition and exercise
into the everyday school curriculum. Chicago Public Schools (CPS) teachers of grades K-5, physical education teachers, resource coordinators of community schools and school nurses were invited to participate.
The training first gave teachers an overview of CPS wellness efforts and the Go for the Gold campaign, the Chicago-based effort to implement the Let's Move! initiative championed by Michelle Obama. Teachers then split up into groups to learn more about the lesson plans for grades K-2 and 3-5. The lessons focused on integrating health messages into core academic subjects, art and music. In the spirit of Fit to Learn, the teachers also participated in an exercise break of their own.
Teachers who took part in the Fit to Learn training received professional development credits as well as free resources and new lesson plans to help them integrate the Fit to Learn ideas into their own curriculum.
According to teachers, the training gave them new tools and inspiration to take back to the classroom. One attendee said the best features of Fit to Learn were "the resources and information about how to implement more movement activities I can do in my room. Love the lesson plans!”
A special thank-you to all the trainers who helped make the first Fit to Learn training day a success!
The next two training sessions will take place in spring 2011.
Plus: Thanks to the great response to this training, HSC has added another opportunity -- starting in January -- for teachers to be part of Fit to Learn! This session is open to additional teachers who were unable to attend the November training. For more information on how you can get involved, please click here.
For additional questions, contact Donna Fishman, training director at HSC, by email or at 312-419-1810 (office); or 847-275-5758 (cell).
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