Equipment: Soccer balls and cones.

Focus Standard for the Entire Unit: Throughout every lesson, look for students who enjoy learning and practicing proper movement skills. They should understand that skill competency leads to enjoyment of movement. Inform the students of your method for reward during this unit, and be sure to reward the class at unit's end! 

Explain that skill competency leads to enjoyment of movement and physical activity (NASPE Standard 6).

1. Unpack:

   • What is the verb: Explain

   • What is the skill or content: Skill competency

2. Evidence of learning:

   • The student can explain that skill competency leads to enjoyment of movement and physical activity.

3. Assessment tool/task:

   • Written assignment: "Explain how skill competency leads to enjoyment of movement and physical activity."

4. Criteria for competence:

   • How do you feel when you do not know how to do something? (Frustrated, mad, scared) How do you feel after practicing that activity? (Confident, happy, wanting to do it again)

   • So, if you are competent at something do you enjoy it more? (Yes!) Do you want to continue doing it? (Yes!)

   • The reason we practice skills is so that we will become good and want to play games and be active.

5. Levels of quality for explaining that skill competency leads to enjoyment of movement and physical activity (5-point rubric):

       5. Student fully explains that skill competency leads to enjoyment of movement (Ex: because it's hard to enjoy something that you cannot do) and physical activity (Ex: once you know how to do something, you can start working on making it better!). He/she uses personal experiences and details to make their explanation better.

       4. Student explains that skill competency leads to enjoyment of movement and physical activity.

       3. Student briefly explains that skill competency leads to enjoyment of movement and physical activity.

       2. Student struggles to explain that skill competency leads to enjoyment of movement and physical activity. He/she may explain the reason for movement and not for physical activity.

       1. Student does not explain how skill competency leads to enjoyment of movement and physical activity.

Focus Standard for the Day:

3-1.14 Foot-dribble a ball continuously while traveling and changing direction.

1. Unpack:

   • What is the verb: Foot dribble

   • What is the skill or content: Dribbling

2. Evidence of learning:

   • The student can foot-dribble a ball continuously while traveling and changing direction.

3. Assessment tool/task:

   • Structured observation: The student will foot-dribble a ball continuously while traveling and changing direction.

4. Criteria for competence:

   • Dribble the ball straight until the whistle is blown.

   • On signal, you will turn to the right and dribble.

   • You will continue to dribble straight until you hear the whistle again.

   • Turn right again. Continue.

5. Levels of quality for foot-dribbling a ball continuously while traveling and changing direction (5-point rubric):

       5. Student has mastered the ability to dribble continuously while traveling and changing direction in all game settings.

       4. Student dribbles continuously while traveling and changing direction.

       3. Student puts effort into dribbling a ball continuously while traveling and changing direction. He/she makes a few errors.

       2. Student struggles to dribble a ball continuously while traveling and changing direction. He/she makes quite a few errors.

       1. Student cannot dribble a ball continuously while traveling and changing direction. He/she stumbles and loses control of the ball.

WARM-UP: Soccer Ball Stretches

• Take a light jog around the field holding a soccer ball over your head.

• Freeze in formation with the ball over head.

• Stretch to the right... to the left.

• Lean back... bend forward, touching the ball to the ground.

• Perform large arm circles with the ball out in front.

• Perform side lunges with the ball at your side... switch legs.

• Sit with legs straight out and together... Roll the ball towards your feet, stretching as you go.

• One leg out... roll the ball towards your toe, stretching as you go. Switch legs.

• Ask the students to come up with new stretches!

Simple Dribble Drill

• Each student has a ball.

• Create a starting line and a destination line approximately 15-20 yards apart.

  • Stand with a soccer ball at your feet. You should have plenty of room in front of you while you're practicing.

  • Take the inside of your right foot and kick the ball lightly. Aim the kick forward and to the left. The ball should leave your right foot at approximately 45 degrees.

  • Take a step forward with your left foot. Place the step so that your left foot intercepts the soccer ball. In the same motion, kick the soccer ball, lightly with the inside of your shoe, forward and to the right.

  • Take a step forward with your right foot and kick the ball ahead and to the left again.

  • Repeat these steps, alternating left and right, to dribble forward.

  • Add a circular motion to your steps. When you take a step forward with your right foot, make a semi-circle by stepping outside and curving your foot back in. This will make kicking the soccer ball at the same time easier.

• On "go" signal students travel to the destination line and back using proper dribbling form.

Dribble Around the Cones

• Scatter cones around the field.

• Each student has a ball.

• On "go" signal students dribble across the field changing direction in order to get around the cones.

• Try to dribble around each cone and back to the starting line without losing control of the ball!

Triple Dribble

• Students get into three groups. Name them 1's, 2's, and 3's.

• Each student has a ball.

• Create a starting line and a destination line approximately 20 yards apart.

• Students spread out along the starting line.

• On "go" signal, ONES dribble across the field.

• Pause and give the "go" signal for the TWOS.

• Pause and give the "go" signal for the THREES.

• When players reach the destination line they will immediately turn around and dribble back to the start.

• Students will dodge and weave around one another to complete the activity.   

• Variation - mix up the sequence and begin with different numbers.

Fun Tunnels!

• Students partner up and spread out randomly around the playing area. Each pair has a ball.

• One partner stands with his/her feet wide. These partners are "tunnels."

• On "go" signal the other partner dribbles the ball through all the other students' tunnels.

• The object is to dribble through all of the tunnels on the field as quickly as possible in any order. Each player must start and end with their partner's tunnel.

• The first five players to dribble and pass the ball through every tunnel "win" the round.

• Change places with partners and play again.

COOL DOWN: Soccer Ball Tricks

• Students explore the soccer ball.

• Bounce it, squeeze it, toss it lightly into the air a couple of times. 

• Try bouncing it off the forehead (header), bounce it off the knees, etc.

• If anyone has a cool trick they can do with the soccer ball, have him/her demonstrate it and the class can try it together.

• Lead the class in some cool-down stretches while holding the soccer balls.

• Hold the ball overhead, then lean right; left.

• Swing the ball all the way down and around, brushing the ground, then back up to the other side, drawing a giant circle with your soccer ball. Repeat.

• Hold the ball straight out in front of you and now make a giant circle around yourself without moving your feet. Rotate right... left... repeat.

• Guide the class into a discussion about how learning and practicing soccer skills makes playing soccer more enjoyable.
   

• Getting Better is Fun!

  • How do you feel when you have mastered a new skill? (Great!)

  • Pull out your journals and respond to the question: "How does skill competency lead to enjoyment of movement and physical activity?"

  • Encourage the students to use personal experiences.

  • When finished, show off the skills you just wrote about!