This research aims to clarify the motion information described by elementary school pupils in physical education class. Third graders of an elementary school were asked to describe in writing the movements seen in the same video before and after their swimming class. We then compared the contents of their written observations and clarified the following points.
(1) Regarding nouns signifying parts of the body, the third graders tended to use head and trunk more frequently after the class than before the class. Whereas before class, they tended to understand arm and leg more easily, the class guidance enabled them to observe the head and trunk of the body more frequently.
(2) An analysis of words that characterized action showed that before the swimming class the third graders paid attention to kicks accompanied by a big leg movement. After the class, however, they tended to observe the motion that reflected the content emphasized by the teacher during class.