Tag

Object: To not become ‘IT!’

Equipment: Gym floor

Description: Participants move around the floor while sliding on their buttocks, all the while trying to avoid becoming ‘IT’.

Variations:
•    More than one person ‘IT’ at a time
•    Start with one person ‘IT’, and each participant whom he/she touches becomes ‘IT’ as well until everyone is caught.
•    Use a ball to tag.
•    Use pool noodles to tag.

Catching, ball control, overhand set, forearm pass, movement

Ball Slither (Centipede)

Object: To send the volleyball to the end of the line and back as many times as possible without dropping
Equipment: Gym floor, volleyballs

Description:
•    Participants sit on the floor and form two lines facing one another.
•    The ball starts at one end, is thrown in a controlled way to the first person across, who catches it and then then throws it back across to the next person, etc., all the way down the line and back.
•    After throwing the ball the students move to the end of the line to keep the game continuous. 
Variations:
•    Use different types of balls (lighter, bigger) for different age groups.
•    Progress from catching to overhand setting to forearm pass.
•    Establish a distance for teams to cover and promote competition. 

The Harvest

Object: To collect all the items on the court and place them in the basket

Equipment:
•    A lot of anything that can easily be picked up and carried – be creative! 
•    Gym floor, hula hoops, balls and baskets or bins 

Description:    
•    Items are scattered throughout each side of the court – make sure there is the same number per side. Place a hula hoop in the middle of each side.
•    Two even teams are seated on either side of the net.
•    On a signal, each team begins moving around the court on their buttocks and collecting the items one at a time – do not allow carrying more than one item at a time.
•    Once an item is collected, it must be placed in the ‘basket’ (hula hoop).
•    Once all items have been collected by one team, that team’s players must hold onto the hula hoop and yell their team name.
Variations:
•    Place the hula hoop elsewhere on the court or even off the court to make movement more challenging.
•    Used a large basket or bin to make student’s throw the object into the basket.
•    Collect only balls and instruct the students to self-pass (forearm) or self-set (overhead) to the basket.

Odd Ball

Object: To have as few balls as possible in your team's possession when the whistle is blown.

Equipment:
• A good number of volleyballs (or other types of balls) per game, volleyball court with a net.

Description:
• One team is seated on each side of the net, with an even number of balls per side.
• On a signal, each team begins throwing the balls to the other team. Balls are caught and thrown back over the net.
• You want as few balls as possible on your side of the net when the whistle is blown.
• One point is given for each ball in the team's possession at the end of the game, and the team with the lowest score is the winner.

Notes:
• Players must move while sitting on the floor.
• Assistants (or other players) can help to prevent balls from going too far outside the court.

Variations:
• Use an underhand serve, overhand serve, and forearm or overhead pass rather than throwing the ball over the net.

Time: 5 min (demo)

Time: 25 min
Catching, ball control, overhand set, forearm pass, movement, serving, throwing, spiking, rotation order, boundaries

Learning Experiences/Activity(ies)

Introduce the game of constant rotation.                      
Divide the class in two teams.
Explain and demo counter clockwise rotations.

Set up:
•    4 vs. 4 (small size court)
•    5 vs. 5 (regular court)
•    6 vs. 6 (regular court)

Constant Rotation 
Object: To “volley” the ball over the net. The game could be cooperative or competitive. During cooperative games, the objective is to keep the ball in play between teams as many times as possible using a designated amount of contacts per team side. For competitive games, the objective is to cause the opposing team to mishit or be unable to hit the ball, all while keeping the ball inbounds.

Equipment:
• Volleyballs, net, gym floor.
Game procedures, variations, and progressions:
•    6 on 6 (regular court), 5 on 5 (regular court), or 4 on 4 (smaller court): Any extra players form a line off the court. Players catch and throw the ball over the net and try to get their opponents to misplay the ball or ground the ball on their opponent’s side of the net.
•    To start and resume the game use the following progressions:
     o    Toss initiated by a teacher or a student.
     o    Serve (underhand, overhand)
     o    Bounce ball
     o    Attack from the sideline (for advance skill students).
•    When the ball is caught upon coming over the net, it is thrown to a teammate, who then also throws it to another teammate, who then throws it over the net (three contacts). No walking with the ball. Use the following progressions.
    o    Send the ball over the net on two contacts instead of three.
    o    Let the ball bounce before catching it.
    o    Self-toss and pass or set after catching.
    o    Set the ball or pass the ball instead of catching.
    o    Throw the ball with one hand above the head (the basic movement for the spike).
    o    Eliminate catching the ball for more advanced skills students.
    o    Use unlimited time of contacts per team side.
•    When a teammate throws the ball over the net, the whole team rotates one position counter-clockwise – must remain in sitting position. This adds movement and excitement to the game. Eliminate constant rotations to simplify the game.
•    Play mini-games of 5 points using rally scoring or use time (i.e. 5 minutes of play).
•    Use “Queen “or “King” of the court format to add competition to the game. Ensure that the skill level of the teams is matched. For this forma, the team that wins the point stays in the court and the team that losses the point exits the court to allow for a new team to come in.
*To increase physical activity instruct the team exiting the court to perform an exercise.
*Use these various game formats/drills trough out your unit. Focus on one or two formats/drills per lesson. Incooproprate difficult formats/drills as the student progress (i.e. drill initiated from a down ball instead of a self-toss).

Stretching Circuit
Post a card at each court zone one with the name and picture of a muscle and a description of how to stretch it. Students perform the movement on the card. Rotate every 20 seconds.

Copycat Circuit
Position at least two students at each station. The imperative is to design an exercise or a stretch. When the circuit begins, partners perform their move while watching the station to their right. After 20–30 seconds, each pair moves one station to the right and performs the move the previous pair was doing.

Muscle Mix
Place students in pairs, in a scattered formation. Call out various directions: “Touch biceps to biceps, touch patella to patella,” etc. Each pair performs the movements. When you call out, “Muscle mix,” the partners split and form new pairs. You also find a partner, and the child without a partner is the new leader. (If there is an odd number of students, pair with the student who’s left and perform the moves as you call out directions; when partners change, choose another leader).

Draw Two
Create two piles of cards. One pile lists an exercise or a stretch on each card, and the second pile indicates repetition or time. A student draws a card from each pile. For example, the exercise card might say “sit-up,” and the number card might indicate “10.”  Everyone performs 10 sit-ups.

Time: 5 min

Closure

Class assessment

Write questions on a beach ball and throw the ball to whoever wants it. The student who catches the ball answers whichever question is closest to him or her. Here are some questions to consider:

•    What did you learn today?
•    What did you like about the class?
•    What you dislike about the class?
•    What other rules would you like add to the games?
•    Can you rate the class from 1 to 10 (10 being the best)?
•    Will you give the class activities thumbs up or thumb down?
•    Would you use these activities during recess?
•    Did you consider the games easy or difficult?