Grades 3-5

Locomotor & Manipulative Games

Lesson 10


Equipment: Tandanas, Fluffilos, and Hoops.

Focus Standard for the Entire Unit: Throughout every lesson, look for students who interact with others by helping with their physical activity challenges. Inform the students of your method for reward during this unit, and be sure to reward the class at unit's end!

Interact with others by helping with their physical activity challenges (NASPE Standard 6). Recommended Activity: Lend a Helping Hand (see below)

  1. Unpack:
    • What is the verb: Interact
    • What is the skill or content: Helping others
  2. Evidence of learning:
    • The student can interact with others by helping with their physical activity challenges.
  3. Assessment tool/task:
    • Structured observation: The student will interact with others by helping with their physical activity challenges.
  4. Criteria for competence:
    • Each person has his or her own gifts and talents. We need to help one another if one of our classmates is struggling with something. Wouldn't you want someone to help you if you were having a hard time? (Yes!)
  5. Levels of quality for interacting with others by helping with their physical activity challenges (5-point rubric):

    0 points: Student refused attempt. Student absence = BLANK score.
    1 point: Student is unable to interact with others.
    2 points: Student rarely helps others. He/she is not patient enough to help improve a skill.
    3 points: Student helps others some of the time. He/she is more apt to help friends instead of students he/she does not regularly communicate with.
    4 points: Student interacts with others by helping with his/her physical activity challenges.
    5 points: Student goes out of his/her way to help others in need. He/she is patient and helps until the individual shows some improvement.

Focus Standard for the Day:

Distinguish between compliance and non-compliance with game rules and fair play (NASPE Benchmark for fourth grade). Recommended Activity: Role Play and Write (see below)
  1. Unpack:
    • What is the verb: Distinguish
    • What is the skill or content: Compliance and non-compliance
  2. Evidence of learning:
    • The student can distinguish between compliance and non-compliance with game rules and fair play.
  3. Assessment tool/task:
    • Writing assignment: "Distinguish between compliance and non-compliance with game rules and fair play. Provide at least 4 examples of being compliant and 4 examples of being non-compliant."
  4. Criteria for competence:
    • When we play games you must listen to directions and follow my lead because it is dangerous if you do not follow directions.
    • We all want to have fun, but your safety is what is most important.
    • Demonstrate (have students assist if necessary) how to properly play a game, and then demonstrate how to improperly play the game.
    • Which of these two scenarios was the correct way to play the game? (The first scenario!)
  5. Levels of quality for distinguishing between compliance and non-compliance with game rules and fair play (5-point rubric):

    0 points: Student refused attempt. Student absence = BLANK score.
    1 point: Student is unable to provide an essay about being compliant and non-compliant.
    2 points: Student provides an essay with 1 example of being compliant and 1 example of being con-compliant.
    3 points: Student provides an essay with 2-3 examples of being compliant and 2-3 examples of being con-compliant.
    4 points: Student provides an essay with 4 examples of being compliant and 4 examples of being con-compliant.
    5 points: Student provides a well-thought out essay distinguishing between compliance and non-compliance. He/she provides more than 4 examples for each.

Head to Toe - Pass the Fl'o

  • Have students form a shoulder-to-shoulder circle and provide each student with a Fluffilo.

  • The students then sit down and lie back in a sit-up position.

  • While lying down, the students touch their Fluffilo to the ground, beside their ears, and say "head to..." in unison.

  • As they sit up, they tap their Fluffilo (Fl'o) in front of them and say "toe."

  • They then pass the Fluffilo to the person on their left, while accepting the one on their right, on "Pass the Fl'o."

  • Now everyone has a different Fluffilo and the entire sequence is repeated until each student has his/her original Fluffilo back.

  • If your group is exceptionally large - you may want to divide into groups... 20 crunches should do the trick!

Lend a Helping Hand

  • Review the benefits of helping others with their physical activity challenges (Examples: If everyone knows the proper movements, the game will flow smoothly and everyone will have more fun... You will feel better knowing that you have helped someone... etc.).

  • Be a good friend and lend a helping hand when someone is having trouble with an activity.

  • Explain that you will be looking for those that help out their teammates or even their opponents!

  • Praise those who go out of their way to help a classmate in need.

Tigers and Zebras (Predator vs. Prey)

  • Form two groups. One with flags or Tandanas and one without.
  • Quick way to form groups: have the students go shoulder to shoulder, one student raises their hand and goes to one side and becomes part of the zebra pack. The other goes to the other side and becomes part of the tiger proud.
  • The zebras start with the Tandanas, and tuck one end of it into their waistband or pocket like a tail.
  • On the teacher's "go" signal, the tigers will try to take the tails (Tandanas) from the zebras.
  • When they get a tail, they immediately take it to the teacher, who keeps a count.
  • Zebras who are missing a tail go directly to the teacher to get a new tail and join back in the game.
  • If you want to add more competition: See how many "tails" the tigers can get in a designated time. Then switch and see which group gets more "tails" when given the same amount of time.
  • Variation: After a complete round (both teams taking a turn), change the locomotor skill.
  • OPTION: Instead of having the players give the "tails" to the teacher, simply switch roles. The predator (tiger) who just stole the tail from the prey (zebra), now tucks his/her tail in, and joins the game as a zebra. No tail-tag-backs! Players cannot take the tail from the same person who just took theirs. Fun, continuous action.

Over and Under To and Fro!

  • Groups of 4-5.
  • Establish a starting point and a turn-around line.
  • Each group forms a line - behind the starting point - with the first person holding a Fluffilo.
  • The first player in each line must pass the Fluffilo over his/her head to the player behind him/her.
  • When the person in the back of the line receives the Fluffilo, s/he runs to the front of the line and starts it again.
  • As each player runs forward, the entire line continues to move forward.
  • The goal is to reach the opposite line first, then repeat the process BACKWARDS to be the first group back at the starting point!
  • Backward version: As soon as the player passes the Fluffilo, he/she must peel off and become the back of the line.
  • The new leader must pass the Fluffilo under his/her legs to the player behind him/her and peel away as soon as the Fluffilo is passed.
  • The pattern of "Over and Under" continues as each player passes the Fluffilo to the next player in line.
  • This may be made into a relay race where groups try and be the first to cross the finish line.

Royal Flush with Fluffilos

  • Everybody has a Fluffilo - and everyone is "it".
  • All taggers aim for the feet of other players.
  • When tagged, players make a "4" shape with their legs, by crossing ankle over knee, and make a circle with their arms over the top of their legs. They should look a little like a toilet when they do this move!
  • To get freed, any player may toss their yarn ball into the toilet- a Royal Flush!
  • Great game for learning balance, dodging, fleeing, and helping others!
  • Option: COOKIE-JAR TAG, or BASKET TAG. Same game, different name.

COOL DOWN: Stretch, Role Play, and Write

  • Seated Stretches

  • Discuss compliance (choosing to follow the rules with a positive attitude) and non-compliance (choosing to ignore the rules).

  • Students will role play situations where they are compliant ("That sounds great! Let's give it our best effort!") and non-compliant ("I don't care what the rules are, I'm going to play how I want to play.").

  • Students will write a paragraph explaining the difference between compliance and non-compliance.