xercise science or related degrees offer.
I have lots of PETE grads that go into fitness and exercise fields, strength and conditioning, advanced degrees in other related or unrelated areas, etc.
Daniel K. Drost, Department of Exercise Science and Community Health
The University of West Florida
So what should you expect from Physical Education Teacher Education?
The duration and course content will vary between institutions, with some majors running a full 4 years, while others are much shorter at between 12 and 16 months.
The shorter courses we’ve come across have required a Bachelor’s Degree in a discipline such as Exercise and Sport Science as one of their requirements for entry.
In most states, students graduating the PETE program are then qualified to apply for certification, and are eligible to teach in private and public schools for grade ranges K-12.
How to apply for a PE Teacher Education (PETE) program
The information contained in this guide is designed to be a useful resource for anyone that’s interested in pursuing a career as a teacher of Physical Education.
But while we hope this is comprehensive in the topics it covers, we understand that it’s one thing to actually read about the different stages of accreditation, and another to actually take action.
That’s why we’ve also put together a step-by-step guide where we follow the application process through from start to finish for a real college that includes the recommended PETE program as one of its courses. You can find the guide to application here.
Whether you’ve just started your career as a PE teacher, or have been teaching children for many years, it’s always useful to get different perspectives on what makes up an effective lesson plan.
This is why we’ve also included a list of resources that offer detailed lesson plans specifically tailored towards teaching Physical Education to students in the K-12 levels.
5 Useful resources for lesson planning ideas
- 1. SPARK Physical Education Lesson Plans
A collection of free lesson plans designed for a wide range of age levels and abilities, from early childhood through to high school. There’s even a list of ideas for physical activity lessons taking place after school.
SPARK PE is one of the most researched and tested programs of its kind in the world, with its lesson plans designed to be more inclusive than traditional PE classes.
As an organization, SPARK is a specialist in creating programs that promote lifelong wellness, and has over 25 years of experience in the field.
- 2. New York Road Runners Lesson Plans
The lesson plans available through NYRR differ slightly from those found on the SPARK website, in the sense that they are currently exclusively for an elementary school level.
They are also focussed much more on running as a form of fitness, with detailed guides to important aspects of effective running, including pacing, posture, attitude, and the fundamental athletic skills that can benefit this form of exercise.
- 3. Physical Education Games Ideas
A selection of games ideas that are mostly designed for children in the age range of 5 to 11 years.
Detailed descriptions of what each game entails are also provided, as well as, in some cases, a basic diagram of any setup that’s required. Variations are also regularly suggested detailing ways to make the exercises more fun or effective.
- 4. PE Central – Physical Education Lessons
One of the most popular online databases of health and physical education lessons, PE Central features lesson ideas for the full range of grades, including preschool as well as K-12.
In addition to being categorized by grade range, lesson plans can also be filtered down to specific sports and activities.
You’ll also find a number of innovative assessment ideas, complete with report cards, student examples, and activity-specific test plans.
Although the information found on Physical Education has been added to the site over the course of the past 15+ years, much of it still remains relevant today.
- 5. TES Connect
This is actually the only one of our lesson plan resources to be 