Teaching Gymnastics:
Tumbling skills provide a balanced foundation for advanced gymnastics skills at the secondary level. Over the years, tumbling and gymnastics units have declined in our public schools.  Unfortunately, it has been difficult for teachers to present and demonstrate competency in this area of expertise, given that many motor skills are incorporated into a gymnastics tumbling routine.  Instead of turning away our focus from teaching tumbling units, we should challenge our mastery of this subject, and make gymnastics a priority in our public schools through the twenty first century.

Tumbling Outcome Goal:
The National Association for Sport and Physical Education in their Outcomes Project defines what a physically educated person should know, demonstrate, and apply by participating in a physical education program.  NASPE categorizes sample, grade-specific competencies they call benchmarks in gymnastics.  Applying these standards help teachers assess and evaluate their students' progression in becoming physically educated

Skill Development:
As a result from regular participation in a quality physical education program, the wide variety of movement concepts that children experience in tumbling can be categorized and implemented, further into the secondary curriculum.  My middle school tumbling unit will allow my students to incorporate basic motor skills; further along, each progression will become more complex as all students become competent in the previous taught lesson. By the end the tumbling unit, my students will have knowledge of  psychomotor themes, cognitive themes, and affective social themes, relating all to a number of specific task-outcomes.

Sample Task Card:
All students will be asked to perform various tasks at the conclusion of the unit.  The tumbling unit task card will maintain a variety of skill outcomes that each student must perform; they will be checked off when the task is performed adequately.

Safety Guidelines/Equipment:
Safety should be an important priority during class instruction; both students and the instructor should be aware of  class rules and must be knowledgeable on how to use all equipment.  Teachers should implement and stress these safety guidelines to all students prior to instruction, before the beginning of the first daily lesson plan.

Assessment:
Criteria for assessment will include:
1.  One selective response test (15 percent)
2.  Two performance tests ( 30 percent total)
3.  Attendance (15 percent)
4.  Active participation (40 percent)

Grading Criteria:
100%-90%  A
  89%-80%  B
  79%-70%  C
  69%-60%  D
  59%-         F

Block Plan:
An overview of each daily lesson plan; the block plan will include instructions of each tumbling unit outcome, and is accustomed to change, based on the student's competencies in all learned subjects.

Scope and Sequence:
Tumbling and gymnastics both incorporate training techniques that help develop strength, flexibility, agility, overall fitness, and self-confidence.  The scope and sequence includes skills, which  have been divided into beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels.  Progressions should be taught when competency levels have been met by the whole class.

Developmental Analysis:
The developmental Analysis provides the student with information related to the definitions, cues and spotting techniques for gymnastics.

Baley, J, A. (1974). Handbook of Gymnastics in the Schools Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

De Carlo, T., (1963). Handbook of Progressive Gymnastics  Englewood: Prentice-Hall.

Cooper, P., Milan, T., (1982) Teaching Gymnastics Skills to Men and Women Minneapolis: Burgess.

O'Quinn, G., (1990) Teaching Developmental Gymnastics: Skills to Take through Life Austin: University of Texas Press.

Johns, D., (1990) Teaching Gymnastic Activities: K-12