Jeju Aewol Elementary School has been running morning physical activities and grade-level challenge activities together since the second semester.
Fourth grade has set its goal as climbing to the summit of Hallasan, fifth grade as cycling around Jeju Island, and sixth grade as completing a 10㎞ marathon.
Morning exercise has become a process for preparing for each grade’s challenge, rather than simply an activity before the start of the school day.
3-Line Summary
1. Aewol Elementary is running morning physical activities
2. Grades 4–6 each have different goals
3. The preparation process is more important than whether students complete the challenge
From Fourth-Grade Climbing to Sixth-Grade 10㎞
In connection with the Jeju Office of Education’s Jeju Morning Physical Activity (A Morning That Opens with PE), Aewol Elementary is running challenge activities for students in grades 4–6. The goals set by the school differ by grade. Fourth grade is preparing to climb to the summit of Hallasan, fifth grade is preparing for a bicycle tour around Jeju Island over a 3-night, 4-day schedule, and sixth grade is preparing to complete a 10㎞ marathon.
All three goals involve activities with considerable distance or difficulty, but the school described them as educational activities designed to help students overcome physical and mental limits and experience a sense of achievement. Rather than simply determining who reached the destination faster based on the results, the notable feature is that students are given goals suited to their grade-level developmental stages and prepare for them.
Building Basic Fitness During Arrival Time
Students use their daily arrival time and morning activity time to build basic fitness in the playground and gymnasium and prepare for their grade-level challenge activities. Instead of holding a separate event once after regular classes, the school has secured preparation time through activities repeated immediately after students arrive at school.
A sixth-grade participant said that running with friends every morning has left them less out of breath than at first and feeling that their stamina has improved. The student also expressed a goal of completing a 10㎞ marathon with friends while finishing elementary school. The core of this activity is that the major goal of a marathon is connected to daily running.
The Balance Between Safety and Challenge Emphasized by the School
An Aewol Elementary official said that it is important for students to overcome difficulties during the challenge process and experience a sense of achievement. At the same time, the official presented plans to operate the activities with student safety as the top priority and support students’ achievement of their goals and growth.
The Hallasan climb, bicycle tour, and 10㎞ completion are all activities presented as goals. No actual completion or climbing results have been reported. However, because morning PE time has been connected to advance preparation for the goal activities, daily exercise becomes concrete practice for students’ next challenge. The school’s statement that it will prioritize safety also demonstrates the importance of this process.
References
Tags #AewolElementary #JejuMorningPhysicalActivity #AMorningThatOpenswithPE #MorningPE #ElementarySchoolPE #HallasanClimb #JejuIslandBicycleTour #10kmMarathon #GradeLevelChallengeActivities #JejuEducation #BasicFitness #StudentSafety