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Grades K-2

Movement Exploration

Lesson 8

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Show Standards

Equipment: Tandanas, hoops, and Fluffilos for each student.

Focus Standard for the Day: 2-2.1: Define open space.

1. Unpack:

  • What is the verb: Define

  • What is the skill or content: Open space

2. Evidence of learning:

  • The student can explain that open space is an area on the playing field where there are no other players.

3. Assessment tool/task:

  • Structured observation: The student will either explain what open space is, or will demonstrate open space by moving to it during play.

4. Criteria for competence:

  • For the purpose of physical education, open space shall be referred to as a playing area in which there are no other immediate players, especially defenders. Players will look for open space when traveling freely, or when attempting to receive a pass in various sporting activities and games.

5. Levels of quality for defining open space (5-point rubric):

5. Student fully defines open space and uses this knowledge in all game settings.

4. Student fully defines open space.

3. Student puts effort into defining open space.

2. Student struggles to define open space.

1. Student cannot define open space.

WARM-UP: Animal Antics

  • Begin with two lines twenty yards apart…All students line up on one line…

  • Students come up with various animal walks. Be sure to have the student demonstrate the movement for each suggestion.

  • Teacher calls out an animal, and the students travel together with the designated movement for that animal. It is not a race. Kids simply love to travel across the field together.

  • For each animal named, ask if the students know what a group of that type of animal is called. (herd, pack, pod, etc.)

  • After all of your "animals" are warmed up, perform some simple stretches.

Alligator, Alligator

  • Set up two boundary lines with the students standing on one boundary line, and a hungry alligator near the other line.

  • Prior to play, the alligator designates the movement. (baby steps, giant steps, hops, leaps, jumps, etc.)

  • Students say, "Alligator, alligator, what time is it" The alligator may pick any time between 1:00 and 12:00. The students perform designated movements in accordance with the time. For example, if the alligator says it is 8:00, and has selected giant steps, then the students will all take 8 giant steps toward the alligator.

  • When the alligator replies "lunchtime!" then everybody runs back home to starting boundary line, trying not to get tagged.

  • If they are tagged then they become alligators. Play until almost everybody is it.

  • To take the contact out of the game (play is safer and more controlled), have the alligator hold between 2-5 yarn balls. These are the alligator's teeth! If the alligator gets you with one of his teeth, you become his lunch and join the alligator, who shares the yarn balls with the new taggers. (Have extra yarn balls close by so that each player gets one or more to throw when part of the alligator's team). Alligators must aim the yarn balls at the feet of the flee-ers.

  • It's a prey-predator game. Great for lead-up into the food-chain! Also great for talking about hunger. Why do we get hungry? What should you eat when you are hungry?

Search for Space! Partner Evade Game

  • Partner up and set up boundaries.

  • The goal is to find open space while attempting to get away from your partner.

  • The other player's goal is to "shadow" his/her partner closely so that he/she cannot get to OPEN SPACE.

  • On "go" signal, player ONE will run to open space within the playing area while attempting to "lose" his/her partner by traveling AWAY from them and getting them OUT of their OPEN SPACE.

  • Play for a short time (watch students for signs of fatigue), then after a quick rest, switch roles and play again!

Traffic Lights (emphasize the need to find open space when driving in order to avoid collisions)

  • 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.

Dog House

  • Establish a square playing area using cones, hula hoops, or other types of markers in each corner (try to have one marker's color be green, yellow, blue, and red).

  • Divide class into 4 groups and have them stand by their color marker. Give each team Tandanas that match their team color.

  • Each player tucks a corner of their team-colored Tandana (their little doggie-tail) into their back pocket or waistband.

  • Each Marker is their dog house and the students are the dogs (i.e. red dogs, blue dogs etc.)

  • Teacher calls out a team of dogs. For example, when "Blue Dogs" are called, ALL the dogs run out of their dog houses and the blue dogs attempt to catch as many "dog-tails" as possible from ALL of the other teams.

  • Dogs who lose their tails freeze and balance on ONE FOOT with arms overhead (they're fire-hydrants!).

  • Play short, timed rounds - allowing EACH team the same amount of time to see how many TOTAL TAILS they can collect (no need to wait until all the tails are caught). After four rounds, the team who collected the highest number of total tails wins!

COOL DOWN/CLOSURE: Body Words (great indoor game on a rainy day!)

  • Students get in groups of 3 by going toe-to-toe.

  • Explain to them that you will call out a word, and they will spell it out using their bodies.

  • Call out words such as: CAT, DOG, MOM, DAD, AND, BOY, RUN, SUN, YES…etc.

  • Make sure to demonstrate how to make letters using their bodies so there is no confusion.

  • Suggestions: Watch for students spelling letters backwards. Gently correct them and encourage them, otherwise this activity will only reinforce the habit.

  • Have students find their heart rate again and compare the difference in rate from when they had finished running.

  • Variation: If there is a group of four, add an S to the end of the 3 letter words, or have them spell four letter words such as SLOW, COOL, GIRL, PLAY, BLUE…etc.