This document outlines the syllabus for a physical education program partnership between Cedar Valley & Walsh Middle Schools. The responsibilities of partners include assisting athletes during PE class by arriving on time, helping with skills, assessing activities, and more. Grading is based on 80% participation and 20% blog responses on topics related to disabilities. Partners are also assigned a midterm project researching a disability and a final exam providing class feedback. A weekly schedule and list of 34 journal response topics are also included that focus on various disabilities, sports, inclusion, and related issues.

1. Cedar Valley & Walsh MS Partners in Physical Education Program Syllabus
Instructor
Katie Biven
Adapted Physical Education Teacher
Old Town Elementary (Home Campus)
Katie_Biven@roundrockisd.org
http://teacherweb.com/TX/OldTownElementary/Biven/
428-7632 (office)
Responsibilities of Cedar Valley & Walsh Partners include:
1. Assisting athletes during physical education class by arriving on time, visiting with athletes before and after class to
develop rapport and friendships, helping athletes with practice and performance skills, modeling how to win and lose with
grace, assessing and selecting activities for athletes that are appropriate and safe.
2. Assisting the teacher during class by setting up and taking down equipment, leading warm-ups with athletes, repeating
directions or physically modeling skills/activities to athletes, selecting appropriate equipment for each athlete.
3. Daily duties include dressing appropriately for physical education class (wearing tennis or athletic shoes), giving positive
reinforcement to athletes, demonstrating good work ethic by setting a good example, and, ultimately, to foster
friendships and experiences that may last throughout one’s lifetime.
Grading Criteria:
80% Participation
20% Blog responses
(Partners will also receive a mid term assignment and final exam assignment)
1. Participation- Daily grades will be taken based on readiness to participate (dress), participation, attitude, and positive
interaction with athletes.
2. Blog responses-Visit the following website http://partnersinpe.blogspot.com/. I will post five topics related to individuals
with disabilities. Each blog post has a website you need to visit and read, look, or watch something. You will need to
comment on two posts on the blog each six weeks. Your comments need to be a minimum of five complete sentences.
3. Mid Term: Partners will be able to choose a disability and will research information such as the definition, cause,
characteristics, medical considerations, and teaching tips about the given disability. Presentation of researched
information should be a minimum of 3 minutes.
4. Final Exam-Partners will participate in a class evaluation providing feedback for the instructor.
Partners will be encouraged to keep class syllabus, handouts, and other materials provided in class in a three-ring binder or other
organizer.
Dues Date for Blog Responses
September 15th, 2009-2 Blog responses due
October 27th, 2009-2 Blog responses due
December 8th, 2009-2 Blog responses due
February 2nd, 2010-2 Blog responses due
March 23rd, 2010-2 Blog responses due
May 18th, 2010-2 Blog responses due
Partners in PE Program Weekly Schedule
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Track/Fitness Day IEP Day Sports Unit Sports Unit Sports Unit

2. Cedar Valley & Walsh MS Partners in Physical Education Program Syllabus
Journal Assignments Choices
1. Person First Language
Visit the following website http://www.disabilityisnatural.com/peoplefirstlanguage.htm. What did your
learn from reading this webpage?
2. Special Education Law
Visit the following website http://www.specialeducationlawyers.info/disabilities.htm. What does IDEA
mean? What are the disabilities under IDEA? What did you learn about any one or more disabilities?
3. What is inclusion?
Visit the following website http://www.kidstogether.org/inclusion.htm.
What is your own definition of inclusion?
4. Focus: Speech Impairment. Visit the following website
http://www.nichcy.org/pubs/factshe/fs11txt.htm. In your own words, what does speech impairment
mean? What cause a speech impairment?
6. Focus: Hearing Impairment/Deafness. Visit the following website
http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/sight/hearing_impairment.html. **Info at bottom
of website page. In your own words, what are some of the causes of hearing impairment/deafness?
7. Focus: Hearing Impairment/Deafness. Visit the following website
http://www.audiologyawareness.com/hearinfo_impairdeaf.asp. In your own words, what is the
difference between hearing impaired and deafness.
8. Focus: Hearing Impairment/Deafness. Visit the following website
http://deafness.about.com/cs/signlanguage/a/aslfacts.htm. In your own words, what is ASL? How does
it compare to spoken language?
9. Focus: Hearing Impairment/Deafness. Visit the following website
http://commtechlab.msu.edu/SITES/ASLWEB/browser.htm. Use this website to learn how to use
American Sign Language to sign your name. Imagine that you were hearing impaired. Do you think it
would be lonely, how so?
10. Focus: Hearing Impairment/Deafness. Visit the following website http://www.tsd.state.tx.us/. What
kind of school is this? Where is this school? What surprised you about it?
11. Focus: Visual Impairments/Blindness. Visit the following website
http://www.tsbvi.edu/Education/infant/page15.htm. Summarize, what are some of the causes of visual
impairments/blindness?
12. Focus: Visual Impairments/Blindness. Visit the following website
http://www.tsbvi.edu/school/index.htm. What kind of school is this? Where is this school? What
surprised you about it?
13. Focus: Visual Impairments/Blindness. Visit the following website
http://www.usaba.org/Pages/sportsinformation/adaptations/goalballadapt.html. What is the website?
In your own words, what is goalball? How is it played?
14. Focus: Orthopedic Impairments. Visit the following website
http://www.ssd.k12.mo.us/Parents/disability_categories/orthopedic_impairment.html. In your own
words, what does orthopedic impairment mean? What causes orthopedic impairments?
15. Focus: Orthopedic Impairments. Visit the following website
http://www.as.wvu.edu/~scidis/motor.html#sect1. These are general courtesies to remember when
interacting with someone with an orthopedic impairment. What did you learn?
16. Focus: Orthopedic Impairments. Visit the following website
http://www.newdisability.com/videos.htm. What was this website about? What did you see that
surprised you?
17. Focus: Autism. Visit the following website http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/overview.htm. In
your own words, what is autism? Who is affected? How is it detected?
18. Focus: Autism. Visit the following website http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/overview.htm. In
your own words, what is ASD? What causes autism/ASD?
19. Focus: Autism. Visit the following website www.autism.com. List some of the tips to use in working
with a student with autism. What do you think about some of the tips listed on the website?
20. Focus: Mental Retardation. Visit the following website

3. Cedar Valley & Walsh MS Partners in Physical Education Program Syllabus
http://www.tahperd.org/LINKS/links_popups/links_popup_APE_factsheets.html and click on Mental
Retardation. In your own words, what is the definition, cause, and levels of Mental Retardation?
21. Focus: Mental Retardation. Visit the following website
http://www.tahperd.org/LINKS/links_popups/links_popup_APE_factsheets.html and click on Mental
Retardation. In your own words, what is signs, symptoms, characteristics, of an individual with Mental
Retardation? Also, list two teaching tips.
22. Focus: Special Olympics. Visit the following website www.specialolympics.org, click on “About US”
on top of page. In your own words, what is Special Olympics all about? Which individuals participate in
Special Olympic sports? List six sports/activities that are offered through Special Olympics.
23. Focus: Paralympics. Visit www.paralympic.org, click IPC on left side of screen. In your own words,
what is the IPC and what are they committed to? What is an IOSDs, what are the names of the four
IOSDs ?
24. Focus: Special Olympics & Paralympics, same thing? Visit the following website
http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-41-1363-8441/sports/paralympics/clip10, listen to the audio player or click
to the box right of the audio player. In your own words, what is the difference between Special
Olympics & Paralympics?
25. Focus: Orthropedic Sports: Life Rolls On: Surfing http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=U1NtrwAOhwM&feature=related. Watch the video, what did you think of the video? What did you
think of the people in the video and the adapted equipment?
26. Focus: Orthopedic Sports: Team Hoyt:Go to www.youtube.com and search “Team Hoyt” Watch the
video, in your own words, what is this team all about, how did they get started, and what have they
accomplished?
27. Focus: Blind Sports: Goal ball video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MLbC3er2Fc. Watch the
video, in your own words, how is goalball played?
28. Focus: Blind Sports: Keep Your Ear on the Ball Documentary: Go to www.youtube.com and search
“Keep your ear on the ball” Watch the video, How were these people in the documentary like you? How
were they different?
29. Focus: Autism Issues: The Documentary: Austim Every Day: Go to www.youtube.com and search
“Autism Everyday” Watch the video, How did this video make you feel? How will it impact your life from
now on?
30. Murderball Highlights-Mark Zupan Reebok commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KV2CqWU1PJk&feature=related. What was the message of this
video? Do you think differently about people in wheelchairs now? Why?
31. Focus: Inclusion: Homecoming Queen Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-qTfoJER18
Watch the video, in your own words, what was the video about and how did it make you feel?
32. Focus: Paraolympics-Photography
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/09/2008_summer_paralympic_games.html
Check out the photos, what did you see that surprised you or you hadn’t see before? Which photo was
your favorite and why?
33. Focus: Politically Correct-R Word : Go to http://www.sotx.org/news-events/rword/ or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRUOL5Rm2XY
Check out the website, what is it all about? What did you see and how did you feel?
34. Focus: Camp Summit: Go to www.campsummittx.org and click “What is Camp Summit” and tell me
what is Camp Summit-who goes there. Go back to the main page and click “Photo Album” What did you
see and what did you think?