Week of 5/23: Battleship and Helicopter tag!

Grades Y5, K, and 1:  Helicopter tag and more!  

1.  Pathways warm-up:  Students move in different pathways around the gym, staying inside the box (basketball court boundaries).  Pathways include a figure eight, circle, wavy line, snaked line, back and forth straight lines, random (everyone's favorite!), and more!

2.  Stretches

3.  Alphabet letters activity:  Students are assigned a partner.  They move around the gym to the music.  When the music stops, they reunite with their partner and look at me.  I hold up a letter for each pair to create with their bodies on the floor.  

4.  Months dance:  Students practice our months of the year dance.  Each month is said to the tune of a musical audio track, and each month corresponds with one move of the Macarena.  Ask your Y5, K, or 1st grade student(s) to show you this dance!  We have been practicing each class.  

• January:  one hand out in front (palm down)
• February:  other hand out in front (palm down)
• March:  turn first hand over (palm up)
• April:  turn second hand over (palm up)
• May: First hand touches opposite shoulder
• June: Second hand touches opposite shoulder
• July: One hand behind ear
• August: Other hand behind other ear
• September: Hand cross to touch opposite hip
• October: Other hand crosses to touch opposite hip
• November: First hand to hip
• December: Second hand to hip

5.  Helicopter tag:  Students start in a "helipad" marked with colored cones.  I call out which color moves to which new helipad.  One or two taggers are in the middle and have a pool noodle to tag (gently - no hitting) with.  If tagged, a runner goes back to the color they were just at.  For example, "Blue, go to red".  Players in the blue cones run to the red cones.  If tagged, they return to blue - they're still in the game, just wait for the next direction to move.  

Grades 2-5:  Battleship
Students have really enjoyed learning new games these past couple of weeks!  This week's game is Battleship.  As the week progressed, we made a few changes:

• each team has ONE ship (rather than two separate ships)
• each team also has two hula hoops - to use to rake cannonballs back to the ship within reach, and/or to contain cannonballs on/near their team's ship

Battleship Rules #1

Battleship Rules #2

Monday's classes all had two separate ships per team.  Tuesday - Friday classes then experienced one large ship per team (it made the game less confusing).   

Week of 5/16: Sinkerball! Beanbag relays!

Grades 2-5:  

For this week in PE, grades 2-5 played a game called Sinkerball.  I found the game on a site called www.physedgames.com.  Here is the video description of the rules:  

Classes really enjoyed this game!  Classes played during both of their PE classes this week, with new teams each time.  This game works on throwing/rolling, and also strategy and teamwork.  We discuss how strategy is a plan to be successful - and how in this game, some strategies may include:

• starting the game and staying away from the throwers as much as possible
• protecting your pin with your body as much as possible while pulling it
• if your pin is down, helping someone with fewer or no helpers protect their pin
• tossing balls to the back or side of the playing area, rather than right back to the throwing team, if you are protecting a pin
• coordinating with other throwers to throw many balls at once at one pin

Some adaptations from the video rules we used include: 

• only throw/roll - no kicking, no hockey sticks
• throw zone on one side of the gym worked best for our gym size
• played for time (rather than points) - team with longest time with at least one pin standing won that round

Classes watched the video directions before dividing into teams and starting the game.  

Grades Y5-1: 
Younger classes worked on bean bag relays this week.  This activity helps younger students understand the concept of a relay activity - one person from your team leaves at a time, and the next person has to wait for them to return before leaving.  Beanbags were hidden under about 25 cones in the playing area.  Relay teams worked to retrieve one beanbag at a time, by looking under one cone per turn.

Week of 10/19/2015 and 10/26/2015: Bowling, Bowling, Bowling!

Haisley is fortunate to participate in a program called In-School Bowling (Bowler's Ed), in partnership with Bel-Mark Lanes.  Bel-Mark provides 6 carpet bowling lanes, 6 sets of pins, and 6 bowling balls (rubber) for two weeks.  They deliver and pickup the lanes, and students enjoy them in the meantime.  This morning, students were SO EXCITED as they entered the gym to see the bowling equipment set up!  (Thanks to my morning and afternoon helpers for the setup assistance!!)

For older students (grades 3-5), the first bowling lesson begins with safety reminders and basics (how to hold the ball, which fingers to use, and different approach steps).  We discuss how to rotate at the lane (bowler, line judge, pin setter, and ball returner).  Then it's time to bowl!  Students "warm-up" with two rolls each turn.  The second lesson begins with a brief review of the first lesson, and some warm-up time.  Then we play Tic-Tac Bowl.  Lanes play against each other, aiming to knock over a certain number of pins to be able to mark a tic-tac-toe on their scorecard, hoping to beat the other lane!  A strike means a team can put their X or O wherever they choose, over any number.  

5th graders, Lane 1 versus Lane 2 in Tic Tac Bowl.

4th graders warming up

Younger students also begin with safety reminders and basics.  Most younger students don't do any approach steps, but rather stand with opposite foot forward, swinging arm(s) back, and then rolling the ball that way.  I encourage opposite foot forward, which then helps prepare them for then taking steps when they're ready.  We also discuss rotating "jobs" at each lane, but for younger students, the rotation is much more simple:  wait to bowl, bowler, and pin helper.  After you bowl, you help the pin helper set up the pins ("help clean up your own mess"), and then the pin helper brings the ball to the next person and waits for their turn to bowl.  Tape marks spots to wait and be a pin helper for younger students.

Young Fives:  One student is pin helper (near the pins), one bowling, and the other waiting her turn.  

Young Fives:  All six lanes in action!  

Self-contained classes will also practice bowling!  Our SXI and ASD classrooms love bowling.  Bel-Mark lanes brought not one but TWO bowling ramps to help all students enjoy and learn with this equipment.  Thank you, Bel-Mark!!  

Bowling is a great lifetime activity, and most of all, it is FUN!  I'll be posting more pictures of students in action throughout the next couple of weeks.  

Basketball Basics: Y5-2

This week, Young Fives, Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd graders are working on basic basketball skills using playground balls.  Students worked on dribbling:  stay low, keep the ball close, eyes out, soft hands.  Students will also practice rolling, chest passes, and bounce passes to wall targets.  With partners, students will practice these skills.  We will also review some exploratory movement tasks with our playground balls.

First graders at work.  This student is trying to clap as many times as possible before catching the ball.  

First Graders practice rolling

Kindergarteners practice bounce passes