More Children Hooked On Sport

More Children Hooked On Sport

A Sport Wales today revealed an almost 50% increase in the number of Welsh children taking regular part in sport and physical activity. It shows the opinions of 110,000 Welsh schoolchildren (almost 40% of the 7-16 year old age group in Wales). As well as showing that the numbers of young people taking part in sport or physical activity three or more times a week has risen from 27% in 2011 to 40% in 2013, the survey also revealed: 91% of children enjoy school sport.

B Boys (44%) were still more likely than girls (36%) to regularly participate in sport and physical activity. Making sport and physical activity enjoyable and fun is critical to boosting participation by children and young people. School is the most important place in which children learn the competence and confidence to participate in physical activity.

C Commenting on the survey results, Sport Wales Chair, Professor Laura McAllister said: “These excellent figures show what is possible when the sport and education sectors work together. They also help us understand how to encourage tomorrow’s generation to participate more in sport and physical activity. It is not a question of more money. It is about investing in our children’s future through the health, education and sports sectors working better together to give our children the best start in life. The most cost effective way is to place schools at the centre of a community developing a generation of healthier bodies as well as minds.”

D For Sarah Powell, Chief Executive Officer of Sport Wales, the Survey underlines how Sport Wales’s efforts to improve sport and physical activity have made a difference: “These results demonstrate that Sport Wales’ ambition to get every child hooked on sport is on track and bearing fruit. The work in primary and secondary schools funded by Sport Wales over the last ten years, with after-school clubs and the wider sports community, has opened up opportunities for every child to try out a wider variety of sports and physical activities. These have been delivered in an enjoyable and fun environment, building children’s confidence and interest to do more.”

E It is amazing that so many young people across Wales have been given the opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions on school sport. The young people of Wales have spoken and Welsh government is now in the best placed position to be answering their needs and ensuring that all children have suitable opportunities to get hooked on sport.

Adjusted to (1)

boost – zvýšit, podpořit

1) Read the article and match each of the headings to a paragraph.

1 Powell things cooperation of schools and sport clubs is important

2 All children must get chance to do sport

3 More boys practice sport activities than girls

4 More Welsh children do sport today

5 McAllister’s opinions

2) Read the article and answer the questions.

1 What did the research in Wales find out?

2 How are school and sport connected?

3 Who is Laura McAllister? What does she say?

4 Who is Sarah Powell? What does she think about the results of the survey?

5 What should be the reaction of Welsh government like?

3) Explain the following words and phrases.

1 competence and confidence to participate in physical activity

2 survey results

3 encourage tomorrow’s generation

4 education and sports sectors working better together

5 ambition to get every child hooked on sport is on track and bearing fruit

4) Answer the following questions.

Why are sport activities important for children and youth? How does practicing sport in young age influence our life in adulthood? What is social role of sport? How are sport clubs financed? Can economically disabled children do sport? Where? Who can support them

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Source:

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More Children Hooked On Sport. Sport Wales [online]. 2014 [cit. 2015-09-22]. Available at: http://sport.wales/news--events/news--events/our-news/latest-news/more-children-hooked-on-sport.aspx

Nearly half of children ‘leave school without basic movement skills’, study says

A A new survey has revealed that many children leave primary school with poor physical literacy, despite the majority of teachers viewing PE as an important subject. Nearly half of primary school pupils are leaving school without “basic movement skills” to engage in physical activity.

B Teachers also said more than one in three children dislike exercise by the time they leave primary school and believe 42 per cent of children don’t enjoy PE lessons. However, a survey of 400 primary school teachers revealed negative attitudes towards physical activity among primary school pupils still prevail. The survey, by Virgin Active, the University of Bedfordshire and primary school teachers nationwide, revealed teachers believe 39 per cent of children across the UK leave primary school with a negative attitude towards being physically active.

C Experts say primary school teachers play a crucial role in helping children develop physical literacy. But a third of them lack confidence when it comes to teaching PE, while over a quarter said they don’t feel adequately qualified to teach the subject and more than half want more professional development opportunities for PE. The vast majority of teachers, or 88 per cent, say they recognize PE is as important as the other subjects they teach.

D Professor Margaret Whitehead, an academic on physical literacy, said: “PE lessons help shape a child’s first experiences of physical activities and their attitude towards leading an active lifestyle. It is crucial that these first experiences are positive, rewarding and enjoyable. We must do all we can to make sure teachers are equipped with the knowledge and tools they need to deliver quality PE, helping all students to make progress on their physical literacy journey. We need to enable teachers to nurture a lifelong love of physical activity among future generations.”

E To help tackle the issue, Virgin Active are launching Active Inspiration, a five year-long programme working with charities such as the Youth Sports trust and various educational partners. Their aim is to introduce an active lifestyle to 500,000 young people, by developing new ways of approaching PE that they hope will inspire a lifelong love of physical activity in primary school pupils. Official figures show more than one third of children in England are now overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school.

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prevail – převládat

vast – obrovský, rozsáhlý

nurture – živit, vychovávat

tackle – bojovat, poprat se

1) Read the article and match each of the headings to a paragraph.

1 A new survey on physical literacy

2 Whitehead’s opinion

3 A new active programme is starting

4 Children dislike PE

5 Teachers don’t feel to be qualified

2) Read the article and answer the questions.

1 What does a new survey deal with?

2 How do teachers feel about PE education and their pupils?

3 Who is Whitehead? What does she say?

4 What is Active Inspiration?

5 What kind of problem do 33% of children leaving school have? Why?

3) Explain the following words and phrases.

1 poor physical literacy

2 basic movement skills

3 negative attitude towards being physically active

4 don’t feel adequately qualified to teach the subject

5 overweight or obese

4) Answer the following questions.

Why is physical activity important? How much physical activity should a preschooler get daily? How to make physical activity fun? What are social benefits of physical education?

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Source:

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ESPINOZA, Javier. Nearly half of children 'leave school without basic movement skills', study says. The Telegraph [online]. 2015 [cit. 2015-09-22]. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/11693791/Nearly-half-of-children-leave-school-without-basic-movement-skills-study-says.html

Music curriculum aims to nurture preschoolers’ language skills

A Researchers Maria Runfola and Elisabeth Etopio want to show how music can help preschoolers learn language with an actual curriculum they will bring to 350 children from the ages of 1 to 5 in the city of Buffalo.

B Preschool children are not getting music instruction that could make a real difference in improving overall development, particularly their reading readiness, according to the researchers. This is especially true of children labeled “at-risk.” “This project has the potential for setting a national model on how music can benefit overall development of children in preschool and help classroom teachers guide music activities in preschool,” Runfola, associate professor of music education in the Department of Learning and Instruction says.

C Their work comes at a time when many school programs are cutting music from the curriculum. Losing the opportunity for exposure to music at such a formative age is bad enough, the two researchers say. But the deck is stacked against preschool children even more because Runfola and Etopio’s research has shown how music can make young children more ready to benefit from classroom instruction and become better readers.

D Runfola and Etopio conducted a study of 165 preschoolers who participated in music activities taught by 11 teachers with intensive training in musicianship skill and teaching strategies for guiding young children’s music development. Now they will practice it in broad range. Children and teachers will experience the “magic of music in weekly music/movement sessions guided by “music teaching artists.” The content of the curriculum includes songs and chants that enhance rhythm and rhyme; opportunities for aural discrimination — listening skills — that strengthen neural pathways for language learning; tonal-pattern and rhythm-pattern dialogue for improvised musical conversations; movement emphasizing flow, weight, space and time; playing and exploring simple instruments.”

E “This project not only guides children’s music learning,” Runfola says, “but also the professional development of their teachers so that future classes of children will benefit from something so powerful and universal — music— something that students can learn to appreciate and cultivate their whole lives.”

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the deck is stacked – karta se obrací proti

enhance – zdůraznit

1) Read the article and match each of the headings to a paragraph.

1 The project educates also teachers

2 Children in Buffalo will experience a music project

3 Music supports children’s development

4 Contents of music curriculum

5 Many schools are cutting music out of their curriculum

2) Read the article and answer the questions.

1 What does Runfola say about influence of music education on learning abilities?

2 What is the situation concerning music in the US like?

3 What kind of project did Runfola and Etopio start? Who are they?

4 What skills will be practiced?

5 How will teachers benefit from this project?

3) Explain the following words and phrases.

1 curriculum

2 reading readiness

3 rhythm and rhyme

4 exploring simple instruments

5 professional development

4) Answer the following questions.

What are benefits of music education? How does music influence children’s learning? Describe how to teach music to preschoolers. What equipment might be used?

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Source:

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ANZALONE, Charles. Music curriculum aims to nurture preschoolers' language skills. News Center University at Buffalo [online]. 2014 [cit. 2015-09-21]. Available at: http://www.buffalo.edu/ news/releases/2014/07/041.html