Rolling a ball

More than a Physical Education lesson plan! The main focus of this manipulative activities lesson is rolling a ball. Students will roll other objects and practice rolling themselves. Additionally, you will find many ideas for structuring and managing a PE class.

A lesson plan for grades 1–3

By Bozena Mielczak

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• Learn more about coordination, exercise, hands-on, health, movement, and physical education.

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Learning outcomes

After this lesson, student should be able to understand that rolling is a process of transferring weight and be able to roll a ball.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

45 minutes

Materials/resources

• tape player
• tape with prerecorded warm-up routine
• variety of balls in different sizes, weight, texture (number of balls equal the number of pairs of partners)
• tennis deck rings for balls placement
• 3 hoops
• 3 tumbling mats, cones or other targets
• chin-up bars

Pre-activities

The day schedule, SCOS, lesson objectives, skills to be practiced, safety rules, cognitive information, rubrics, homework assignment, and new vocabulary are posted on the boards in front of the students. The new lesson is briefly introduced, skill demonstrated, rubric reviewed. This does not take more than 4 minutes.

The students have PE partners and teams selected by drawing at the beginning of the school year. Occasionally, the students have choice of partners.

Activities

The students enter the gym and immediately start movement around the gym with the tunes of warm-up music. Routine includes almost 5 minutes of alternating walking with more intensive movement and practicing space awareness by attempting to keep constant spacing from other students while they walk, jog, walk, gallop, walk, skip, walk, slide, walk, hop, walk, dog walk. When music stops, the students get to their assigned numbers for lesson introduction (8 students in each line facing the black board). During the walking segments the students perform arm and torso exercises to warm-up muscles used during rolling (arm swings, circles, torso twists). The walking segment is shortened as students develop cardiovascular endurance through the year- starting with 30 seconds walking and 30 of higher intensity movement. In second quarter ratio is 20:40 of low and high intensity. After the warm-up, students sit down on their assigned numbers - in alphabetical order in pike position and stretch reaching with hands toward their toes. This allows for quick check of attendance and preparation for class (attire) during the introductory segment of each lesson. When child comes unprepared numerous times, pre-printed parent note is sent to parents with the student.

1. After the lesson introduction, while students unite with their PE partners, teacher spreads out tennis deck rings in line in the middle of the gym. Different ball is placed on each ring. Partners stand up facing each other besides the other pairs of partners with a ball between them. Students play “rock, paper, scissors” and the winning students picks the ball up and starts rolling after both partners move far apart. After about a minute, teacher gives signal to stop, approach the ring, put the ball on the ring, slide with partner to the next ball (the last pair of partners goes to the first ball), play “rock, paper, scissors,” move apart, roll and repeat this procedure for the total of 15 minutes.
2. Teacher circulates among the students giving them feedback, recording names of proficient “rollers,” and students who have difficulties with crucial component of rolling technique. At the end of the practice students play “paper rock, scissors” and winning partners return balls to the designated ball container, second partner returns ring to the ring container.
3. After returning equipment, the students sit-down in 5 teams (established at the beginning of the year). Students work on 5 stations that were set-up at the walls marked by the cones with an assignment description for total of 15 minutes:
   • rolling a ball with a partner
   • rolling a hoop with a partner
   • rolling own body like a pencil on the mat
   • rolling a ball to a target
   • moving along the bar in hanging position

   Teacher is using up-beat music for station practice. When music stops and teacher counts backwards from 5 to 1, students clean-up and sit down at the station cones. Students move to next station after teacher signal in clockwise direction and immediately start new assignment.

4. During the class, teacher hands out the cloth pins (total 5) to students who excel in rolling technique or effort. The pins are exchanged for the PE Super Star slips kept in the basket at the exit door.
5. After the last station, the students sit down for class closing procedure again on their assigned number:
   1. reach toward their toes in pike position
   2. lesson summary: review class assignment, rolling rubric, new vocabulary used in class
   3. homework assignment: rolling a ball every day while extending distance
   4. locating belongings (jackets, nametags, etc.)
   5. self assessment on the High Five board located at the exit door
   6. PE Super Star slip pick-up

Assessment

In first grade, I use very simple rubric that has space for the names of children who are excellent “rollers,” and those who need more practice. In first grade I concentrate on swinging arm back and stepping with the opposite foot.
While leaving the gym, students assess their performance by giving themselves either high five (green hand), medium five (yellow hand) or low five (red hand) located on the wall at the door.

Supplemental information

This lesson can also be used with older students with modification of rolling distance and using more detailed assessment rubric.

Modifications

Adaptation during the warm-up for the students with limited mobility: students perform warm-up at their pace on the inside circle.

When there is uneven number of students for partner practice, two students could take turns rolling with the third partner or roll in triangle.

Comments

This is my first lesson in Manipulative Activities unit I teach in second quarter. The first quarter I designate for locomotor, non-locomotor movement, and fitness skills. By second quarter, students already know class procedures for entering, warm-up, attire and attendance check, class introduction, PE Super Star, station work, end of a class, and leaving the gym. Although the main focus of the lesson is rolling a ball, the lesson includes rolling other objects and student body.

This lesson is design for maximum involvement of the students. It can be implemented by the teachers, who established well the class procedures for student and time management.