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Grades 6-8

Team and Cooperative Games

Lesson 7

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Show Standards


Equipment: Fluffilos, hoops, and music (if available).

Focus Standard for the Day:

Understand that each individual's development is influenced by heredity, hormones, nutrition, exercise, cultural expectations, and gender differences and accept these individual differences.

  1. Unpack:

    • What is the verb: Understand and accept

    • What is the skill or content: Understanding and accepting individual differences

  2. Evidence of learning: The students can identify influences on development and explain what each means.

  3. Assessment tool/task:

    • Question: What are six different influences that affect development?

    • Structured observation: Students will show their acceptance of others in a game setting.

  4. Criteria for competence:

    • The students will understand the following terms:

    • Heredity: Genetic characteristics given from the parents to the children. If the parents excelled in sports or physical activities, their children may as well.

    • Hormones: Some students' hormones may kick in early and produce growth spurts that may make them stronger and some may experience hormonal changes late, making them feel inadequate.

    • Nutrition: A good nutritional diet will keep students in top shape and give them more energy to participate in physical activities.

    • Exercise: Daily exercise will benefit any age and any gender and give students a better opportunity to succeed in physical activities.

    • Cultural expectations: Some cultures do not participate in physical activities to the extent that others do and because of this students should understand when other cultures do not have the experience or interest that they do.

    • Gender differences: Boys and girls should be expected to participate equally in all physical activities performed in school if though there may be strength differences between the two genders.

  5. Levels of quality for understanding individual differences (5-point rubric).

    5. Student uses detail in a well written essay to explain the influences on development. He/she is a role model for acceptance.

    4. Student explains all influences on development and shows acceptance to all classmates.

    3. Student explains 4 out 6 influences and shows acceptance to all classmates.

    2. Student explains 2 out 6 influences and shows acceptance to all classmates.

    1. Student attempts to explain the influences.

WARM UP: Jump Up Wave

  • Students get into a circle, no more than 15 per circle. Form additional circles with large groups.

  • Designate a student to start. He/she jumps up from squatting position (each time you come down from the jump you land in a squat and get ready for the next time around... staying in the squat position! Feel those legs burn!).

  • The next student follows with the same motion.

  • See how many times you can go around in a designated amount of time - or have the circles "race" their waves! This will get very tiring!

  • Quick Standing Stretches

Individual Differences

  • Pair up! Each pair will discuss their differences (appearance, skills, hobbies, etc.). Allow the pairs to share some differences with the class if they would like to.

  • Students will respond to the following prompt: "What are six different influences that affect development? How can you be accepting of these differences?"

  • When finished, explain that you will be looking for students that are accepting to all differences.

Wagon Wheels

  • Students form one large circle.

  • Students lay on their tummies with heads facing center, forming a giant wagon wheel (use two or more groups for large class sizes). The players' bodies are the wagon spokes.

  • Designate a starting wagon spoke.

  • On signal, the first spoke jumps up and begins to run around the wheel to the RIGHT jumping over the legs of the spokes as he/she goes.

  • The next spoke to the RIGHT does NOT wait for him/her to return - but jumps up immediately after the first spoke jumps over him/her!

  • Spokes continue to jump up and run as quickly as possible.

  • Spokes must make it back to their position and lay down as quickly as possible so that the person behind them can jump over and get to their spot.

  • Perform a designated number of rotations, or continue play until the signal to stop.

  • Repeat to the LEFT. Remember - whichever way the first spoke runs, the players must peel off in the same direction.

  • Wagon Wheel Challenge: Instead of lying on the ground have players maintain a "plank" position throughout the exercise! Great way to build core strength!

"Mix-It-Up" Challenge Game

  • The object of this game is to get into the correct position as quickly as possible. Play simply for the challenge, or if you must incorporate competition, the last player to get into position can do a dizzy spin (spin around in a circle 3 times... or any other fun movement task), then resume play. Do NOT play with elimination.
    POSITIONS:

  • Fish out of Water: individual. Lay on tummy, lift arms and legs, and rock.

  • Cockroach: individual. Lay on back, arms and legs in the air, wiggling frantically.

  • Bench Blast: partners. Back to back, partners link arms and sit with backs against each other, forming benches with their legs.

  • 3 in a Lifeboat: 3 people. 3 students sit in a row, like in a lifeboat and pretend to row as fast as they can.

  • Monkey in a Tree: partners. The monkey hops onto the tree's back, piggy-back style.

  • Octopus: groups of 4. Players sit back-to-back and link elbows, creating an 8-legged octopus.

  • Bench Blast Challenge/Park Bench: turn it into an activity for groups of 4 in which each bench holds someone who gently sits on the bench OR "park bench" in which partners link side by side AND back to back forming groups of 4. Add bench sitters to form groups of 8.

  • Bunk Beds: partners. One person lays on back on the ground - arms up. Partner gently places ankles into those extended hands and supports self in a plank position, holding onto the bottom partner's ankles - like bunk beds!

  • Starfish: groups of 5. Players form a starfish by going head-to-head in a plank position (hands and feet on the ground, tummy facing down, body straight - no sag, no arch). Each player's legs are ONE of the starfish's arms.

Pirate Plunder!

  • Designate a good sized playing field with a goal area at each end of the field.

  • Designate boundary lines around the perimeter, half-field line, and a safety zone (similar to the "key" in a basketball court).

  • Divide the class into 2 teams. Use flags or scarves for team ID.

  • Place a bucket of Fluffilos in the center of each "safety" zone - this is your team's TREASURE CHEST, and another EMPTY basket (or bucket or hoop) behind the goal line for your stolen bounty.

  • The object of the game is to work as a team to get the opponent's Fluffilos from the treasure chest inside the safety zone and take them back to your goal-line bounty basket (or bucket or hoop) without being caught (tagged) by a member of the opposing team.

  • Students may only be tagged when they are inside of their opponent's playing area, outside of the safety zone, and while they are holding TREASURE (a Fluffilo).

  • The safety zone may be occupied by the opposing team's players only. You are not allowed inside the safety zone of your own side of the field.

  • Players may only take ONE Fluffilo at a time out of their opponent's treasure chest.

  • Players may run with a Fluffilo, or they may pass a Fluffilo to a teammate.

  • Once a player has a Fluffilo, he or she can either make a run for it, or may step OUT of the safety area and pass the Flo. The player must then return to his/her own side prior to another trip to the safety zone. (Only ONE Fluffilo can be set in motion by each player per trip. Players are NOT allowed to simply stand inside the safety zone and throw the Fluffilos one after another to their teammates!)

  • If a student gets tagged on their opponent's side while holding a Fluffilo, they must return the Fluffilo to the TREASURE basket, then go to their own goal line and complete 5 sit-ups or 3 push-ups before returning to the game.

  • Note: You cannot get tagged on your side of the field, only on the side of your opponent - and you must be in possession of TREASURE.

  • Continue the game until one team has plundered all of the opposing team's TREASURE, or as long as time permits. If you must call the game early, the team with the most TREASURE and BOUNTY wins!

COOL DOWN: Go With Your Flo!

  • Groups of 4-6 students lined up one behind the other.

  • Play music.

  • The leaders from each group perform a traveling move to the music. Encourage silly, creative, or sporty moves using the Fluffilo.

  • On Teacher's signal, the leader goes to the back of the line, and the next person takes over as leader and changes the move.

  • Continue until every student has been the leader at least once (or twice, or thrice...)

  • Encourage the students to have their movements start out fast and energetic, then as each player in the line takes a turn, have the moves get slower and less demanding... end in a slow motion stretch.