Movement Skills  : Game Plan  
Approach: Team
64k

Resources: 2 soft balls, one large ball, padder tennis bat, 4 mats, pencil, rules sheet, checklist, evaluation sheet.

Questions / instructions:
Arrange the 4 marker mats as shown.
In this activity you are going to work together as a team to invent a game. Listen very carefully as I read out the instructions on the card. First, I'll read out the game plan rules.
Read "Game Plan Rules" then leave the card where the students can see it.
There are five things I want you to do in this activity. I'll read out the first three things you are to do, and when you've done those, I'll tell you the next two things.
Read Checklist items 1 to 3.
Here is the equipment you can choose from. You don't have to use all of it - but you must use a ball. Remember the first three things you are going to do: Have a team talk to work out the game. Check to make sure your game follows the rules on the card. Have a go at playing your game.
Give students the equipment and allow up to 10 minutes.
Withdraw the equipment before giving next instructions.
Now I want you to do the next two things on the checklist.
Read Checklist items 4 and 5, and give back equipment.
Allow up to 10 minutes.

GAME PLAN EVALUATION

1. We kept to the Game Plan Rules

  

2. We all worked together as a team.

  

3. How good was our game?

  

GAME PLAN RULES

You must use a ball in the game. Choose any of the other equipment you want.

Everyone should take part in the game as a team — not on their own.

The game must be played within the area of the mats. It should not be played in the area behind the mats.

The game needs to have a winner.

CHECKLIST

1. Have a team talk to work out a plan.

2. Check: Does the plan follow the Game Plan Rules?

3. Try out the game.

4. Talk about the game and decide any improvements you want to make.

5. Try the game again.
  % responses
y4
y8
Game followed a pattern:
consistently
mostly
sometimes
rarely
44
36
15
5
52
34
13
1
To finish off, I want your team to fill out this form about the game you made up. You all need to decide which face to put a circle around.
Give students the Game Plan Evaluation sheet, ensuring that the group as a whole make the decisions.
Range of physical movement:
very varied
substantially varied
somewhat varied
little variation
5
23
47
25
5
26
46
24

% responses
students
% responses
markers
y4
y8
y4
y8
Game plan evaluation
1. We kept to the Game Plan Rules
76
80
45
64
21
20
47
30
3
0
8
6
2. We all worked together as a team.
94
88
62
76
5
12
28
20
1
0
10
4
3. How good was our game?
63
46
16
26
33
50
55
53
4
4
29
21
Commentary:
Year 4 students received a little more supervision because the teacher needed to be available to read all instructions. Year 8 students developed slightly more successful games, in the view of the markers, but year 4 students were unrealistically positive about how well they had done.

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