Grades K-2

Movement Exploration

Lesson 2


Equipment: A Drum or other noise-maker (try clapping!), Hula Hoops (enough for class size), and red, green, and yellow Fluffilos or Tandanas to use as traffic lights.

Focus Standard for the Day: K-2.2: Identify and independently use personal space, general space, and boundaries and discuss why they are important.

  1. Unpack:
    • What is the verb: Identify
    • What is the skill or content: Personal space, general space, and boundaries
  2. Evidence of learning:
    • The student can identify and independently use personal space, general space, and boundaries and discuss why they are important.
  3. Assessment tool/task:
    • Structured observation: The student will identify and independently use personal space, general space, and boundaries and discuss why they are important.
  4. Criteria for competence:
    • Describe, demonstrate, and explore personal space: The area around an individual that can be used while one part of the body remains in a fixed position on the floor or apparatus. Why is personal space important? (This is YOUR area - the area in which you should be able to move without anyone else interrupting your space. Be sure that when you play, you RESPECT other people's personal space by staying out of it.)
    • Describe, demonstrate, and explore general space: The physical area in which a movement takes place. Why is general space important? (We need to have general space so that we can explore movements and play games!)
    • Describe, demonstrate, and explore boundaries: The designated area in which the game or activity must take place. A penalty may be incurred for crossing outside the boundary lines. Why are boundaries important? (Without boundaries we would not be able to play games. Everyone would be running around all willy-nilly with no direction. It would be complete CHAOS! Would that be fun? NO! Could it be dangerous? YES! Do rules help to keep us safe? YES! Do boundaries help to keep us safe? YES!)
  5. Levels of quality for identifying and independently using personal space, general space, and boundaries and discuss why they are important (5-point rubric):

    5. Student identifies and uses personal space, general space, and boundaries. They fully discuss why they are important. They use these skills in all game settings.

    4. Student identifies and uses personal space, general space, and boundaries. They fully discuss why they are important.

    3. Student identifies and uses personal space and uses either general space or boundaries. They put effort into discussing why they are important.

    2. Student identifies but does not use personal space, general space, or boundaries with skill. They struggle to discuss why they are important.

    1. Student does not identify or use personal space, general space, or boundaries with skill. They do not discuss the importance.

WARM UP: Personal Space: use poly spots or hula hoops to represent each student's personal space.

  • Step forward off your personal space (P. S.) and stand in FRONT of it…

  • Step backward onto your P. S…step backward off your P. S. and stand BEHIND it…

  • Step sideways off your P. S…step sideways onto your P. S…step sideways off your P. S…

  • Jump sideways off your P. S…jump sideways onto your P. S…jump sideways off your P. S…

  • Step forward off your P. S…balance on one foot…close your eyes and balance on your other foot…close your eyes, use your arms to balance, and step backward onto your P. S…

  • Jump forward off your P. S…jump forward all the way around your P. S… now hop all the way around your P. S…hop all the way around on your other foot…jump backward all the way around your P. S…

  • Hold your P. S. behind you…

  • Stand under your P. S…

  • Cover your P. S. with your body…

  • Kneel on your P. S. with one knee…

  • Stand behind your P. S…

  • Jump forward over your P. S…

  • Jump backward over your P. S…

  • Lame dog walk around your P. S…

  • Walk forward around your P. S. on your toes…

  • Walk backward around your P. S. on your toes…

  • Jump into your hoop and land on one foot.... Jump out of your hoop and land on the other foot... (repeat)

  • Jump into your hoop starting on one foot and land on both feet... Jump out of your hoop starting on one foot and land on both feet... (repeat)

  • Skip quickly around the outside of your hoop.

  • Tiptoe slowly around your hoop in the opposite direction.

  • Gallop at a medium speed around your hoop.

  • Hop quickly into and out of your hoop as fast as you can.

  • Hop slowly around the outside of your hoop.

General Space Movement

  • Walk around and keep time to the beat of the drum…

  • Watch out for everyone…Do not touch or bump anyone…

  • Walk around, hands on hips…hands on head…hands on knees…forward… backward (look over your shoulder)…

  • Fast walk forward…walk in slow motion…walk sideways…walk in slow motion backward…

  • Walk tall and straight…now on your toes…put your hands in the air…

  • Walk as wide as you can…hold your stomach in as you walk…push your stomach out as you wide walk…wide walk backward…

  • Walk around with the tip of your body in a twisted shape…walk backward… twist a different way…

  • Silly walk around…cross your feet in front of your body and say, "I'm silly!" as you walk around…

  • Walk low to the ground… walk on your hands and feet like an animal... slither on the ground...

  • Measure very short steps while walking…take very long steps…now take very short steps backward…

  • Walk forward toward me…walk backward away from me…walk backward toward me…walk forward away from me…

  • Walk backward in slow motion…walk as if you are barefoot on hot sand…

  • Walk along beside someone…keep the same steps they do…listen for a drum beat…now, one get in front of the other…keep the same steps as your partner…

  • Walk forward and change speeds with the drum beat…run…slow…slow motion…fast…etc…

  • Walk three steps…run three…walk three…run three…

  • Walk as if you are walking on peanut butter…hot coals…nails…etc…

  • Walk on your tiptoes…heels…sides of your feet…

  • Walk around and sandpaper the floor with your feet…pretend that the floor is slippery…

  • Walk around fast and begin shuffling your feet…try high step jogging or power walking…etc…

Traffic Lights (boundaries)

  • Create a driving track for the students to travel around. (As students become used to the game, you might want to try the activity in open space.)

  • Explain the traffic light colors and their significance in traffic control.

  • Emphasize "safe" driving.

  • Look for open spaces to avoid collisions.

  • Students are the cars, while the teacher is the traffic signal.

  • When the teacher flashes the green Fluffilo or Tandana (or signals go with a bring it move), cars rev their engines, and then drive around the playing area without crashing into other cars - demonstrating an awareness of personal space, general space, and boundaries while moving in different directions.

  • Yellow, or wait signal cues students to run in place.

  • When red Fluffilo or Tandana is held up, or a stop signal given, cars will "Stop" and freeze in a shape.

  • Every now and then, call out "Reverse! Obstacle in the road!" Students need to travel in a backward direction without falling.

  • If you do not have Fluffilos or Tandanas readily available, use hand signals instead. Hand up, palm forward for "stop", whistle blow with large arm circles for "go", and hands on hips (or other) for "wait".

  • Cars get into partners. (Make sure they introduce themselves to each other first!) Partners that form one behind the other are "taxi's" and cars that form partners side-by-side are "car pools."

  • VARIATIONS: Have the partners form groups of four or six. (Again, make sure the players introduce themselves to each other.) These are now SUV's or mini-vans.

  • If desired, have the players form even larger groups and make busses!

  • To add even more fun to the game, create a roadway by using existing lines, or by marking it with hoops or Fluffilos. Cars must yield, stop, pass, etc. following the rules of the road.

  • Play one more round and allow the players to decide how they want to travel - as a car, taxi, mini-van, bus, etc. See if they can come up with their own creative ways to travel.

Everyone's It Hoop Shuffle Tag

  • All players put their hoops on the ground and stand inside their hoop to begin play.
  • On "go" signal, everyone attempts to tag another player. The trick is, they have to stay inside their hoops! So in order to tag or flee, they have to "shuffle" around.
  • If tagged, the player must hula their hoop around their waist as best they can for a minimum of five seconds. Then they resume play.
  • Play a number of rounds, changing the hoop challenge for "taggees" with each round.
  • Variation: play with hoops and Fluffilos. Players "tag" each other by throwing their Fluffilo into another's hoop. (same consequence)

Hoop Trust Walk

  • Partner up by getting toe-to-toe with someone as quickly as possible.

  • The lead player holds the hoop in Race Car position. The second player holds his/her hoop over the lead player around the waist.

  • The first player's eyes are shut.

  • The second player guides the first player around…no bumps…

  • Alternate roles on Teacher's signal…

COOL DOWN: Palm Sumo Wrestling

  • Students pair up in groups of two. Try to match them up with a student of similar size and weight.

  • Two students face one another.

  • Students must try to nudge each other off balance by pushing their palms against one another.

  • If a player moves his/her feet, the other player wins that round. Play again.

  • Repeat this activity a few times, changing partners if desired.

  • Repeat one last time by having students position themselves to balance on balls of their feet, or on one foot, while trying to nudge each other off balance using the same method.

  • Ask: what happened to your balance when you tried to stay on your toes? On one foot? What position seemed the most stable? Do you have better balance with your feet wide and side by side, or with your feet placed one in front of the other?

  • Students try various positions with their feet.

  • Explain that the wider the base of support, the more stable they will be.

  • Explain also that the base of support must be in the direction of the oncoming force. If the force is coming from in front (which it is in this game), they will want their feet lined up front to back, rather than side to side.

  • Standing Stretches

  • What was your favorite imagination image?

  • Why is it so much fun to imagine?

  • What is trust?

  • Did you have trouble trusting your partner?

  • How many of you kept your eyes closed the whole time your partner was leading you?

  • Was it hard to keep your eyes closed?

  • Was your partner trustworthy? What does that mean? Did he/she allow you to bump into anyone or anything?

  • Are YOU trustworthy?

  • What makes a person trustworthy?

  • What happens when someone breaks your trust?

  • What can you do to make sure that YOU are trust-worthy?