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Grades 6-8

Team and Cooperative Games

Lesson 9

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Show Standards


Equipment: Fluffilos and hoops.

Focus Standard for the Day:

Demonstrate mature technique for catching (7-1.1).

  1. Unpack:

    • What is the verb: Demonstrate

    • What is the level of proficiency: Mature technique

    • What is the skill or content: Catching an object

  2. Evidence of learning:

    • The students catch a ball while displaying mature technique.

  3. Assessment tool/task:

    • Structured observation: Students will demonstrate their ability to catch.

  4. Criteria for competence:

    • Catch underhand:

      • Stand with feet about shoulder-width apart, elbows bent, and fingers pointing down.

      • As the ball approaches, step forward, extend arms, and bring hands close together.

      • The ball is caught with the tips of the fingers and thumbs.

      • The pinkies should be close together when the ball is caught.

      • As the ball is caught, the hands recoil toward the body to soften the force.

    • Catch overhand:

      • Elbows are bent and held high, and the fingers and thumbs are spread.

      • As the ball approaches, the arms extend forward and up.

      • The ball should be caught with the tips of the fingers and thumbs; the thumbs are close together.

      • As the ball is caught, the hands recoil toward the body to absorb the force of the oncoming ball.

  5. Levels of quality for a catch (5-point rubric).

    5. Student demonstrates all elements for catching with mature form in all game situations.

    4. Student demonstrates all elements for catching with mature form.

    3. Student demonstrates the elementary stage of development for catching.

    • Prepares for the catch by lifting arms, bending arms slightly, attempting to make contact with hands first, and using the chest as a backstop.

    2. Student demonstrates the initial stage of development for catching.

    • Makes an anticipatory movement, holds arms in front of body, elbows extended and palms up, bends arms at elbows, cradles ball.

    1. Student demonstrates random attempts to catch the ball.

    • Attempts to trap the ball.

WARM UP: Push up wave, "put up wave"

  • Students get into a large circle.

  • No more than 15 students.

  • Stress that this activity is about working together and encouraging one another.

  • Assign one student to start by going down in push up position and staying like that until it comes back around to that person and they go up. This will create a wave look.

  • When a student is having a hard time staying down or coming back up, give words of encouragement.

  • Anyone who is having trouble can be doing the push ups holding themselves up by their knees instead of their toes ("modified" push-ups, not "girls" push-ups).

Passing and Catching with Partners

  • Partner up with a Fluffilo.

  • Students will throw and catch the Fluffilo, stepping back after each successful catch.

  • Practice catching with proper form.

  • Catch underhand:

    • Stand with feet about shoulder-width apart, elbows bent, and fingers pointing down.

    • As the ball approaches, step forward, extend arms, and bring hands close together.

    • The ball is caught with the tips of the fingers and thumbs.

    • The pinkies should be close together when the ball is caught.

    • As the ball is caught, the hands recoil toward the body to soften the force.

  • Catch overhand:

    • Elbows are bent and held high, and the fingers and thumbs are spread.

    • As the ball approaches, the arms extend forward and up.

    • The ball should be caught with the tips of the fingers and thumbs; the thumbs are close together.

    • As the ball is caught, the hands recoil toward the body to absorb the force of the oncoming ball.

Just Passing Through

  • Set up the playing area by scattering many hoops throughout a large playing area.

  • Students in pairs with a Fluffilo.

  • Designate two end lines - all players begin on one end line.

  • The goal is to cross back and forth across the field as many times as possible.

  • Players must be standing inside a hoop in order to throw or catch the Fluffilo.

  • Player one begins with the Fluffilo behind the starting line.

  • Player two gets inside any hoop and prepares to catch the Fluffilo.

  • Once the Fluffilo is caught, player one can advance to any available hoop.

  • If a player drops a pass, the pass must be repeated with the passer remaining in the same hoop (the receiver can move to a closer hoop).

  • After crossing the opposite end line, players turn around and come back across the field.

  • Pairs get one point for each time they cross the playing field.

  • The pair with the highest score when time is called wins!

Fluffilo Frenzy!

  • In the same groups, it's time to add a little competition!

  • The object: to get through an entire "round" of Fluffilos first.

  • Team captain starts with a pile of Fluffilos at his/her feet. (front? in a bucket? You decide.)

  • Establish a different place to put the Fluffilos as they come back to the captain. (behind? out of the bucket?)

  • Establish a pattern by throwing a Fluffilo in any order as long as it starts and ends with the same player.

  • Fluffilos must continue to follow the same pattern around the group.

  • One round is completed when all of the Fluffilos (one per member of the group) have made it through the cycle of players.

  • If your teams do not have the same number of players, "handicap" the smaller groups by adding two extra Fluffilos per missing person (or have a different "extra" player help you determine the winner for each round).

  • Variation: groups perform a given action when they have completed the drill. For example, in order to win, all of the students in the group must sit down criss-cross, with their hands on top of their heads. Create a different ending action for each round. Be sure to demonstrate each ending challenge prior to play. ***Let the team that finishes last come up with the new challenge, OR give ALL of the teams some time to come up with an ending challenge.

  • Variation: After each round, have the teams take one giant step back, testing their ability to still throw the ball accurately, but from a distance.

  • Change the final movement with each round. (You are teaching teamwork, throwing and catching skills, focus & concentration, and measuring the groups ability to follow instructions! WOW!)

PLANKton tag

  • Plankton is the guy in Sponge-Bob Square-Pants who is always trying to steal the recipe for the "Crabby Pattie".

  • In this game, Fluffilos represent the Crabby Patties (CP), and 50% of the class has one.

  • The students with the CP's are the Sponge-Bobs, who are trying to keep them away from the Planktons (the players without a CP).

  • Sponge Bobs attempt to tag Planktons with their CPs by tossing them at their feet. If tagged, Planktons must get into any PLANK position and hold it for a count of 30.

  • A plank position is one in which the feet and the hands are on the ground, but the body is held in a straight, plank (flat as a board - no piking, no sagging) position. This position can be face up or face down, or even side planks with one arm on the ground are OK. Great exercise for improving core strength! (your core is your muscles in your trunk: abs, lower back, hips).

  • If Plankton CATCHES the Fluffilo, Sponge-Bob must get in to the PLANK position for a count of 30, and Plankton gets the Crabby Pattie!!

  • Continuous play.

COOL DOWN: Blind Hoop Mines

  • Scatter hoops throughout playing area.

  • Students pair up.

  • One partner stands in front of the other.

  • The front partner closes his/her eyes.

  • The partner in the back is responsible for getting him/her across the play area without the blind partner stepping through any hoops!

  • The partner in the back must verbally instruct their partner how to get across (step to the right/left, go 3 steps forward, etc.).

  • This game is not a race. Encourage players to work slowly and concentrate on getting around the hoops and the other pairs.

  • Partners switch so each gets a turn being "blind."

  • Great teamwork and trust building activity!

  • CLOSING QUESTION: Why is it important to support your teammates? How do you show support for your teammates? What kind of character traits do you want to find in your teammates? What kind of teammate do you want to be? How do you do that?