Physical Education Lessons Plans, Activities, Programs

The game of Basketball was invented in 1891 by James Naismith. Naismith had played the game when he was a young student himself, and decided to put it into circulation when he was an adult living in Springfield, Massachusetts. He was presented with a task to create a game that would keep the Football and Baseball players active during the winter season. The game need to be played indoors and Naismith wanted to create a game for the players that would challenge their skill and technique, rather then a sport or activity that relied primarily on strength.

For this upcoming unit the students will be participating in learning the game of Basketball. The students will be learning about a variety of topics including numerous skills they need to play the game, proper techniques used to complete the skills, and the basics of the game (i.e. history, rules, etc.). The students enjoy the game of Basketball and have a great time during class. Teachers are there to support and give feedback to students during and after activities, so the students always know what they are doing well and what they need to work on to improve their skills.

Within the New York State physical education requirements, there are three main standards that should be met by teachers. Standard 1 focuses on Personal Health and Fitness and states that; “Students will perform basic motor and manipulative skills.” Standard 2 focuses on A Safe and Healthy Environment and it states that; “Students will demonstrate responsible personal and social behavior while engaged in physical activity.” And Standard 3 revolves around Resource Management, which means; “Students will be aware of and able to access opportunities available to them within their community to engage in physical activity.

These are the three main standards that allow teachers to form and mould everything they need and want to do in a physical education class, (i.e. lesson plans, unit plans, activities, etc). Teachers also want their students to have a fun and enjoyable learning experience, while they are participating in games and skill activities. Each of these standards have performance indicators that work like assessment tools for teachers to make sure the standards are being met. The performance indicators can be implemented into every lesson and/or unit that a teacher may go through. I will be able to use these indicators to ensure that my students are participating and learning the game of Basketball and that they are reaching all three NYS standards.

For Standard 1 I want to make sure that my students, by the end of each lesson, and the entire unit can demonstrate the skills and activities (i.e. dribbling, shooting, etc) using the correct techniques they have learned over the unit. And I always want them to know and realize that the skills will develop in complexity and eventually all be used together. In other words, they may not understand everything the first time, but eventually they will understand everything and be able to use all the skills they learn in a game situation. For Standard 2 I want my students to understand that I always want them to feel like their physical education environment is a safe and healthy one. I would warn them of risks and what to do if accidents do happen. I also would like for the students to develop skills; that allow them to work together on a team, both offensively and defensively, and sportsmanship between other classmates or teammates. For Standard 3 I would encourage my students to come and play the sports we learn in class at intramurals after school. Or I might recommend out of school Basketball leagues like travel teams or CYO leagues that they might be interested in joining. I also could let them know about future career options, even though it is still a little early.

The NASPE (National Association for Sport and Physical Education) has their own set of content standards that focus mainly on movement and physical activity. Basketball will help students reach each of these 7 standards. Basketball will allow students to demonstrate their understanding of the skills through a few basic positions and techniques. Basketball applies movement concepts and principles to the learning and development of more complex motor skills, such as dribbling, shooting, and passing the Basketball. When playing Basketball a player is always active, on offense and defense. Basketball allows students to work and play at a level that maintains a high and healthy lifestyle. Basketball allows students to be responsible in their decisions about teamwork and social behavior. Basketball allows students to recognize ability differences in physical education class settings. And Basketball allows students to participate in a sport that is full of enjoyment, a challenge, and involves social interaction. For a more in depth look at the NASPE content standards check out the textbook; Developing Teaching Skills in Physical Education (Fourth Edition) by Darryl Siedentop and Deborah Tannehill (pages 136-143).

Basketball is very beneficial to students and holds value to many children. Basketball is enjoyed by many young students and children, both in the schools and out. This sport improves quickness, if a student is willing to work at it, and allows students to be active which can be used in many other activities. It also works on hand-eye coordination, which is useful in every student’s everyday life activities. The game also shows us how to work together with other students and friends to achieve a specific goal. Finally Basketball is a sport and an activity that students can always improve on something and always set goals to reach for and achieve.

Basketball is important to communities because when students learn the skills and techniques needed to play the game, they learn about teamwork, fairness, and sportsmanship. These three things can’t always be taught to students or players, but they can be shown that it takes these three things to be a great team, by looking at and analyzing a community. A team is very similar to a community because it takes a lot of different things to keep a community going as it does a team. A team can’t always rely on one or two individual players; it needs scorers, defenders, and rebounders. In the same way a community can’t rely on a few businesses it needs different stores, banks, and roads to function.

Basketball is all around us in today’s society, not only in schools and local communities, but Basketball is big all over the world. There is a Basketball game televised almost every night, and there are games on numerous channels. Basketball is an Olympic Sport and even played by people with disabilities. Basketball is all over our society and we even use some skills that are needed to play the game in our everyday lives. This sport has been growing over the past few decades and will continue to be around for a long time.

Body Squats can be done during any physical education warm up. K-12. Below are suggestions of how I’ve incorporated this while teaching. Students enjoy performing the Body Squat and they are strengthening an area of the body that is susceptible to injury.

SETS: Three sets of 12-15; beginners may want to try 8-10

WORKS: Glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, back

TECHNIQUE: Touching your shoulders with your hands, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Next, in a move similar to a wall sit, squat down while being sure to keep your knees from extending over your toes to retain proper muscle tension. Return to starting position and repeat, doing as many repetitions as possible in 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Game: “Fitness May I?”
Skill: Asking Politely
Grade Level: Upper Elementary

Students will begin in a large circle where one student is in the middle. At this time students on the outer circle will remain quiet and raise their hand if they wish to contribute a warm-up activity such as push-ups, sit-ups, mountain climbers etc. At this time the student in the middle will call on somebody with their hand raised and remaining quiet. The student will then say the locomotor activity followed up by “May I?” (“Jumping jacks, may I?”) At this time the student in the middle may say either; “Yes, you may!” or “No, you may not.” If the answer is Yes, students will perform the loco motor activity until the student in the middle says to stop politely. At this time students will change roles by initiating a polite exchange of words, “Please come to the center at your leisure.”

Closure of this activity will result in reasons people must use politeness and courtesy in their daily lives. Students must understand that there are ways of leading others (on the playing field, in a business environment, etc.) where politeness and courtesy will be highly effective in making others follow directions or contribute ideas that may be accepted or rejected.

Game: “Shout It Out”
Skill: Voice Recognition
Grade Level: Upper Elementary

The class will be divided into two teams. Students will circle up and be asked to count off till they reach the number of the students in the group. Students have to work together using non-verbal communications to consecutively count to the number of students in the group. If two students say the same number at the same time, then the group must start over. Students must randomly call out the numbers and not call them out by going around the circle. Each student may only count off one time during the game. To increase difficulty students may be asked to perform the same task with their eyes closed.

Closure of this activity will result in a discussion of how everyone in the group is responsible for themselves calling out, and reaching the goal of the activity. Being too impulsive may result in conflicting with another student, and being too quiet may result in confusion between students. The students will be asked if they have thought of ways to make this game easier. i.e using the students who have counted off to assist the ones who have not. Students will understand the importance of non-verbal communication and how it can be applied to the playing field, the classroom, various jobs, and everyday life.

Game: “Appropriate Speeds”
Skill: Understanding Applications of Speed
Grade Level: Upper Elementary

Students are placed in a rectangular area designated by cones. The area should be somewhat confined where students have to look out for one another in order to prevent any collisions. At this time students will be asked to as a group perform activities such as jogging quickly around the area, hopping slowly, and skipping at a comfortable rate etc. Students will have to be conscious and aware of one another and keep their heads up at all times to prevent collisions and allowing all students to keep moving without ever coming to a halt.

Closure of this activity will discuss reasons why students should not run with their heads down, eyes close, or distracted. Students must realize that when asked to run at a rapid rate that students might want to work together and shift to the perimeter of the area and travel around in a clockwise manner. An open discussion about traveling at appropriate speeds at appropriate times will be developed where students will understand why you should not sprint down a hallway, crowded street with traffic, slippery pool decks, icy walk ways, merging onto highways, revolving doors etc.

Calendar Kids is the name of the program we used for physical education teachers to bring students closer to one another through participation for activities that rely on fortifying healthy relationships. Each month has a theme that will focus on various social skills that will challenge students to work cooperatively.

The program is set up to emphasize a different social development skill for each month.
Strategic planning of the activities are in congruence to the layout of the academic year (including holidays and vacations) is to increase the likely hood of teachable moments and students grasping vital social skills and their applications to real life scenarios.

Student participation is vital for success. Activities emphasize situations where they must cooperate and co-exist in a manner that is peaceful and the realization that everyone’s presence is important to complete a task. Calendar Kids focuses on skills such as communication techniques, resolving conflicts appropriately, tolerance of others, safety issues, and holiday traditions.

This program is designed inspire teachable moments between the students and instructor, decrease student inhibitions, and forge interpersonal relationships between students that will last a lifetime. The program is also intended to be used as instant activities for a physical education class.