Daegu Elementary students walk around the world
Daegu, South Korea – Daegu Elementary School students and staff are embarking on a journey around the world in PE as they build their endurance.
Students in grades 2-5 and teachers, too, are all contributing to a collective mileage tracker as they complete laps around the gym by running, jogging, and walking. So far, the school met its first goal: to move 148 miles from Daegu to Seoul. Now, the school is continuing the journey from Seoul to Beijing. As the goals change, students are also learning about world geography. The school’s goal is to see how far they can walk around the world this year.
Students are also practicing math as they calculate how much of each circle on the mileage tracker to color when they complete laps. Mrs. Emily Hatch, PE teacher, measured the perimeter of the gym and found that 20 laps is equal to about a mile. Each circle on the tracker is divided into quarters, representing 5 laps each. Students get constant practice being exposed to fractions and adding and manipulating fractions.
“Every class period we count up how many students have completed five laps and ten laps,” Mrs. Hatch said. “Then I color the corresponding circles while I talk about my math thought process.”
Teachers are also contributing to the mileage count as they jog laps after school as part of an ongoing wellness class. This project is a true community effort!
