Walking pathways

Second PE lesson in school experience of Kindergartener. Students explore walking movement and pathways.

A lesson plan for grades K–1 Healthful Living

By Bozena Mielczak

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Related topics

• Learn more about exercise, health, movement, physical education, and walking.

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Learning outcomes

Students will walk in a variety of manners. Students learn and practice straight, curved, and zigzag pathways.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

30 minutes

Materials/resources

• tape player
• warm-up music
• three different music selections for different paths
• pathway music in random order

Pre-activities

Teacher needs to make a tape with music for the class warm up and activities.

Teacher will have introduced starting and stopping signals to students.

Activities

Introductory Segment (10 minutes)

1. The students enter the gym on the black line and walk to the central circle to sit down.
2. Welcome and lesson introduction.
3. Warm-up in circle (criss cross) with music (about 8 counts of each):
   • Shake hands in front, to the side, up, and behind.
   • Tap head, shoulders, chest, belly, knees, and floor.
   • Tap knees (keeping legs straight), toes, and back and forth from knees to toes.
   • Lift one foot, tap it in the air, clap under knee, over knee, clap back and forth clapping over knee, then under knee.
   • Rock foot like a baby, touch nose with toes, and touch ear with toes.
   • Repeat last two steps with the other foot.
   • Soles together, flap wings (knees) like butterfly, and then rock like a boat.
   • Take your nose and smell your toes.
   • Feet on the floor, hands on the floor behind, lift body in back support position.
   • Kick leg in back support position. Switch leg.
   • Walk to the center of the circle and return in back support position.
   • Lay down on stomach, fly like a superman.
4. Activities with frisbee (eye-hand coordination, body awareness, body parts):
   • Shake frisbee with both hands in front, to the side, over head, and behind the back (legs in a criss-cross).
   • Shake frisbee with one hand, tap head, shoulder, elbow, hip, knee, toes, and floor.
   • Repeat with other hand.
   • Tap knees and toes with legs straight.
   • Frisbee on the floor, tap frisbee with one foot, then the other foot, both, and wave.
   • Jump over frisbee couple of times.
   • Leap over frisbee. Hop over.
   • Run and leap over frisbee. Run and jump over frisbee.
   • Drive a car (using frisbee as steering wheel) and stop on red light.
   • Park the car on the circle line again.
   • Place red frisbee in the basket, then blue, etc.

Main Segment (13 minutes)

1. Walking from one ending line of the gym to the other, teacher in front of the students preferably doing movement backwards and facing the students to demonstrate.
   • Walking on a straight path. Play music No. 1 and bring to students attention that this is music for moving on the straight path:
     1. like a giant to the other side of a gym
     2. high on toes
     3. on heels, toes up
     4. toes out
     5. toes in
     6. backwards
     7. sideways
     8. (counting together) 8 steps forward, stop, turn, 8 steps backwards, stop, turn, 8 steps forward…
     9. same as 8 without stopping
   • Walking on a diagonal path. Play music No. 2 and bring attention to students that this is music for moving on a zigzag path:
     1. 8 steps diagonally, stop, turn, 8 steps, stop, turn (to make zigzac moving to the other side of the gym)
     2. same as 1 without stopping
     3. (students in front of teacher) 8 steps (step, slide) to the right, stop, 8 steps to the left, stop
     4. same as 3 without stopping
   • Walking on a curved path. On the floor’s black circle line, play music No. 3 and bring to students attention that this is curved path music:
     1. Walking on imaginary circle, change direction
2. Review Music 1, 2, 3, and corresponding paths.
3. Play music changing randomly, students walk appropriate paths.

Closing Segment (7 minutes)

1. Cool down, corrective exercises, breathing (on the starting circle):
   • snake: on stomach raising chest up
   • butterfly: flapping knees while sitting
   • lion: deep breathing in and roaring while kneeling
2. Class review: Draw a pathway with your finger in the air (straight, curved, zigzac) to the corresponding music.

Assessment

Teacher observes, encourages, and corrects students during the walking exercises. During the class review, teacher checks for drawing of an appropriate pathway in the air with finger (straight, curved, zigzag).

Teacher hands out smiley face stickers to students who follow directions well.

The students do self-assessment on the “High Five” board at the exit door. (Top green hand = I did great job today. The yellow hand in the middle = I did a so-so job. Red hand at the bottom = I am not happy with myself today.)

Supplemental information

Attached is the lesson plan in my favorite format.

Critical vocabulary

Teacher has a laminated flash card on his/her neck with words: walk, straight, curved, and zigzag, and shows them to students while introducing the lesson and changing directions for pathways. The words will end up on the Word Wall after the lesson.

Comments

Since this is just the second PE class, expect difficulties in keeping personal space during the warm up (sitting on the circle line) and taking place on the ending line for walking. Teacher may need to physically spread the students out while talking about the need to keep personal space.