Sponsored School(s)
Alaska PE Lesson Plans: Snowshoeing & Winter Activities
Edited by PE Teacher EDU Editorial Staff | November 10, 2026
From snowshoeing to indoor movement stations, explore ways to keep Alaska students moving throughout the school year. Adapt these activities to your community, weather, equipment, and student needs.
On this page: Snowshoeing lesson | Indoor winter stations | More lesson ideas | Alaska resources
Teaching PE in Alaska
Alaska’s PE standards recognize the state’s geography, climate, cultural diversity, and local school structure. Outdoor learning can connect movement skills with activities students may enjoy beyond school. Choose activities that fit your community; snow sports will not suit every school or season.
These original planning examples are not an official state curriculum. Match your lesson to relevant grade-level objectives and school procedures. Outdoor activities require suitable conditions, equipment, supervision, and individual accommodations.
Snowshoeing Lesson Plan for Grades 3–5
Suggested grades: 3–5
Time: 30 minutes
Focus: Balance, controlled movement, pacing, and personal space
Equipment: Properly fitted snowshoes, cones, and appropriate winter clothing
Setting: A school-approved, flat snow-covered area
Learning objectives
- Travel a short route at a controlled, comfortable pace.
- Turn using small steps while maintaining balance.
- Demonstrate appropriate spacing around classmates.
Before class
Check conditions and follow school outdoor-activity procedures. Inspect equipment and mark a short course within clear boundaries, away from traffic, water, steep terrain, and other hazards. Establish a stop signal and return-to-building plan. Check clothing, equipment fit, and individual participation needs.
Lesson sequence
- Warm up — 5 minutes: Without snowshoes, practice marching, gentle side steps, and balance holds. Introduce boundaries and the stop signal.
- Demonstrate — 5 minutes: Help students put on equipment. Demonstrate walking and small stepping turns. Allow practice in a designated space.
- Follow the trail — 10 minutes: Students travel around the cone course with generous spacing. Pause to practice controlled turns. Emphasize control before speed.
- Partner pacing — 5 minutes: Partners follow the marked route and take turns choosing a comfortable pace. Both students should maintain control.
- Reflect and finish — 5 minutes: Remove equipment, cool down, and discuss what helped with balance, turning, and personal space.
Assessment and adaptations
Observe a controlled turn and response to the stop signal. Ask: “What did you change to keep your balance?” Assess progress toward individual movement goals rather than speed.
Shorten the route, provide additional support, or offer a parallel accessible movement course. Work with adapted PE and support staff to select appropriate equipment and participation options.
Indoor alternative: Practice related stepping, balance, and direction-change skills with floor markers. Indoor practice does not replace instruction with actual snowshoe equipment.
Indoor Winter PE Activities and Movement Stations
Suggested grades: K–5. Time: 20–25 minutes. Equipment: Floor spots, cones, and suitable low obstacles.
Start with a five-minute warm-up and demonstration. Rotate through the stations for about three minutes each, allowing transition time, then finish with a brief reflection. Maintain clear routes between stations.
- Winter trail: Walk between floor markers and change direction with control.
- Step-over path: Step over low obstacles using an appropriate height and support for each student.
- Balance stop: Travel to a spot and hold a stable pose using a student-selected base of support.
- Team route: Follow a short sequence of markers with a partner while maintaining space.
For younger students, simplify routes and use fewer stations. Offer seated, supported, or wheeled movement options as appropriate. Assess controlled movement, spacing, and improvement in each student’s chosen balance task.
More Alaska PE Lesson Ideas
- Cross-country skiing, grades 4–8: Explore equipment familiarity, balance, and basic movement with qualified instruction. Skiku offers teaching progressions and lesson resources.
- Winter trail team challenge, grades 3–6: Use a short, marked school-ground route with cooperative movement checkpoints and an indoor alternative.
- Walking for lifetime fitness, grades 6–12: Students set personal walking goals, choose an appropriate pace, and reflect on effort and progress.
- Alaska Native Games: Begin with resources from Native organizations and local educators. Teach specific games with accurate cultural context, attribution, and appropriate instruction.
Alaska PE Standards and Teaching Resources
- Alaska Physical Education Standards — review objectives for your grade band when planning lessons.
- Skiku Cross-Country Skiing Curriculum — explore equipment, coaching, and lesson resources for Alaska communities.
Identify the exact grade-level objectives for movement skills, fitness, and responsible participation when mapping a lesson to standards. Suggested grades on this page are planning starting points, not state endorsements.
Interested in Becoming a PE Teacher in Alaska?
Explore preparation and certification in our guide to becoming a physical education teacher in Alaska.
Ask Alaska PE Teachers
Ask a local question, answer another teacher, or share an activity. Include your grade level and teaching context. Posting currently requires an existing site account. Sign in and read the community guidelines.
- This forum has 1 topic, 1 reply, and was last updated 4 hours, 39 minutes ago by
.
- Topic
- Voices
- Posts
- Last Post
- You must be logged in to create new topics.