We have completed the throwing unit for the upper grades and will be doing a "Chasing Fleeing Dodging" unit for about 2 weeks. We will utilize flags to teach our students to become more agile, have greater balance and be quick...we will learn to avoid an attacker! Second through fifth grades will participate in this unit. The day will start with a "Partner Flag Tag" game where partners battle each other and try to pull the opponents flag off, switching partners. This game will be followed by "Flag Tag" where all students will play against each other in a defined area. As the game starts if a student loses their flag, they have to come out to the side and do 10 situps before returning to the game. To end this we will have an elimination game for a class champion. To end class, we will play "Sharks and Minnows". Two team will line up on each end of the playing area, the ocean. Students will have ten seconds to swim to the other side but WATCH OUT, everyone is a shark and as you cross you may get eaten by someone on the other team. If you are eaten or do not make it across in ten seconds, then you will grab a scooter and become a minnow in the ocean, helping your team by sneaking up on the unsuspecting sharks crossing.
First and Kindergarten will continue their body and spatial awareness unit. We will do another "Freeze Game" and again emphasize knowing what is going on around you at all times. We will study the term "going around the cone" in a quick learning session for future use. Continuing on, we will talk about finding our own space from last week and practice. We will identify body parts, blance beanbags on different body parts, and then use cue cards to balance on those body parts. Class will be concluded with a "Snow Ball War" with nerf balls!
REMINDER!!!!
Next week will start the Pre-Fitness Test. If the weather is good we will do the Mile Run and Pull Ups. If the weather is rainy or hot, we will do Sit & Reach and Sit Ups. Please wear the correct clothing!
Third through fifth grades will be wrapping up throwing instruction with the football throw. Students will use the same throwing motion but hand work will be different. Emphasis will be put on the grip of the ball with one or two fingers behind the laces. We will talk about a spiral and how sliding the hand down and under will help lead to a spiral. Students will work as partners to practice the footbal throw and then come together to play "TD Ball". The class will be split into two teams and try to score goals into the other teams endzone by throwing the football from hula hoops situated all around the court. A point is scored if the football goes over the cross bar in the opposing teams end zone. Students can go wherever they please on the court but can only score if the football is thrown over the opposing teams cross bar. A five point bonus if a student throws the footabll into the basketball goal.
Second grade will continue the baseball throw. They will review the four throwing steps and then play "Battleball". For an explanation of this game refer to week 4, 3rd through 5th grade.
Kindergarten and first grades will be exploring their body this week. Do you ever wonder why young children can't run or walk without bumping into someone? Or why they always have to stand so close together? We will be working on spatial awareness with our activities. We will do a freeze game. All games will emphasize touching no other students. We will use polyspots to explore our "own" space. We will move around the spots to understand how far apart your "own" space is. We will have a moving spots contest where students will race to get to their "own" space. We will move the spots to a circle and use colors this time to move. On a color call, those students will move quickly to a different spot of the same color. Next that color will grab a beanbag. Be careful of the all color call! We will end with "5 Corners".
3rd through 5th grades will continue throwing this week. We will take a few minutes to review the throw parts: turn, ball behind head, slide step, then twist and throw. Next we will partner up and throw across the court to each other. While this is done, students throws will be graded. After grades have been recorded, students with "A's" will play "Battleball". Students with grades other than "A's" will get extra practice to get the throw to "A" standard, at which time they will be sent to the "Battleball" game. "Battleball" is a game played with two teams, starting on opposite sides of the court and divided by a center line (a tug of war rope). Each team will have 15 cones topped by a tennis ball and surrounded by a hula hoop. The object of the game is to throw gator=skin balls at the opposing teams tennis balls and knock them all off before the other team knocks theirs off. Students may guard a cone with a ball but they cannot go inside the hula hoop. Rules are watched carefully and if a player touches a tennis ball with the hand, steps over the middle line, or throws at head level, that student does a penalty (30 situps). 2nd grade will do the same but as they are on a different schedule it will not start until the end of the week.
Kindergarten and 1st grades will continue the throw practice, concentrating on what hand to throw with and turning to the side to start the throw. At the end of the week, classes will begin a spatial awareness unit so they can move around without running in to each other!!! We will work in depth with poly-spots and moves all over the place. If they don't know their colors and numbers, this is a chance to learn them. We will end with an exciting game of "5 Corners"!
