Author:
Dorann Avey
Subject:
Education
Material Type:
Lesson Plan
Level:
Lower Primary
Grade:
K, 1, 2
Tags:
  • Locomotor Movements
  • Locomotor Skills
  • NE PE
  • Nebraska Department of Education
  • Physical Education
  • ne-pe
  • wa-hpe
  • License:
    Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike
    Language:
    English

    Education Standards

    Elementary Locomotor Unit

    Elementary Locomotor Unit

    Overview

    Overview:

    This unit is presented as a series of progressive task categories. Each category includes a variety of learning tasks suggested for meeting the applicable outcomes. Teachers are encouraged to select learning tasks that best fit their teaching style and students’ needs. Modifications, accommodations, and extensions specific to your learners are strongly recommended.

    The National Standards and Grade Level Outcomes in this unit are referenced from the "National Standards & Grade Level outcomes for K-12 Physical Education," book. 

     

    Red light, Green light

    Directions:

    Using a variety of signals (whistle, music. clap, drum, visual), have students practice various locomotor skills while starting and stopping at the signal. K-1 Hula hoop driving to define personal space while moving/2-3 without hula hoop.  Focus on changing speeds, pathways, directions.

    Below you will find suggested assessments, critical elements and cues to be used during student performance, as well as, sample exit questions for closure. Teachers are encouraged to modifiy, extend, or adapt suggested assessments to meet the needs of your students and environment.

    • Suggested Assessment Task:

      • Teacher Observation: Using a rubric for each locomotor skill, assess student’s ability to perform each critical element proficiently over 3 or more trials.

    • Sample Exit Question:

      • What are the three speeds your body traveled at during Red Light/Green Light?

    • Student Performance: Critical Elements/Cues

      • Red Light: Freeze body. Students do not move.

      • Green Light: Students travel at a medium to fast speed performing teacher directed locomotor skills inside the boundaries.

      • Yellow Light: Students travel at a slow to medium speed performing teacher directed locomotor skills inside the boundaries.

    Busy Bee

    Directions:

    Students begin by standing on a boundary line inside the gymnasium. Teacher calls out “Busy Bee.” “Busy Bee” means students must travel inside general space in order to find a partner. Once students find a partner, they must stand ‘elbow-elbow’ (teacher chooses which body part) with their partner on a new boundary line. Repeat process using different locomotor skills, speeds and levels.

    Below you will find suggested assessments, critical elements and cues to be used during student performance, as well as, sample exit questions for closure. Teachers are encouraged to modifiy, extend, or adapt suggested assessments to meet the needs of your students and environment. 

    • Suggested Assessment Task:

      • Using symbols, plickers, plagnets, or exit tickets, have students identify the number of boundary lines they traveled to while participating in ‘Busy Bee.’ Then, students will rate their comfort level while performing the teacher directed locomotor skills.

        • Wow/Proficient! Students felt comfortable performing each teacher directed locomotor skill with execution and ease. 

        • Got it/Competent! Students felt pretty comfortable performing directed teacher locomotor skills but may have struggled executing 1 or 2 critical elements of a locomotor skill.

        • Getting There/Lacks competence! Students do not yet feel comfortable with all teacher directed locomotor skills but work to perform 1 or 2 critical elements of each skill.

        • Not Yet/Well Below Competence! Students performance of teacher directed locomotor skills is not applicable.

    • Sample Exit Question:

      • Traveling inside the boundary lines while performing locomotor skills is very important. Why?

    • Student Performance: Critical Elements/Cues

      • Students must travel to a different boundary line each round.

      • Students must perform directed locomotor skills when searching for a new partner inside boundary lines.

      • Students must work on body/muscle ID when standing with a partner on a boundary line.

      • Students must differentiate between general space and self-space.

    Builders and Bulldozers

    Directions:

    Spread a large amount of cones out around the gymnasium. Assign half of the students the role of builders and half of the students bulldozers. Builders put cones into the up position, while bulldozers put cones into the down position. Each round, teachers can assign students to perform a different locomotor skill. Teachers may also choose to give the builder team a different locomotor skill than the bulldozing team. At the end of the round, teacher, teams, or student helpers will count the amount of cones that are still standing (builders) and the amount of cones that are knocked over (bulldozers) in order to determine the winner. 

    Below you will find suggested assessments, critical elements and cues to be used during student performance, as well as, sample exit questions for closure. Teachers are encouraged to modifiy, extend, or adapt suggested assessments to meet the needs of your students and environment. 

    • Suggested Assessment Task:

      • Teacher Observation: Assess student’s ability to combine locomotor skills with movement concepts such as levels and pathways. Use a teacher checklist to determine whether students are traveling to cones in straight, zig-zag, and curved pathways. Use a teacher checklist to determine students ability to move their body at low to high levels when ‘building or bulldozing’ cones.

    • Sample Exit Question:

      • Which locomotor skill was the most challenging to perform while building cones or knocking over cones and why?

    • Student Performance: Critical Elements/Cues

      • Students bodies must be at a low level in order to build or bulldoze.

      • Extension: Use colored cones and have many different teams. Assign teams to a specific color. Teams may only ‘build or bulldoze’ their assigned color. Each color cone may be set-up in different pathways.

      • Safety Rule: Students may not ever kick the cones!

    How Many Hoops?

    Directions:

    Spread a large number of hula hoops out on the floor. Select a body part and a locomotor skill for each round. The goal of the task is to visit as many hoops as possible, only touching the floor with the selected body part inside the hoop. Students must travel between hoops with the selected locomotor skill.

    Below you will find suggested assessments, critical elements and cues to be used during student performance, as well as, sample exit questions for closure. Teachers are encouraged to modifiy, extend, or adapt suggested assessments to meet the needs of your students and environment. 

    • Suggested Assessment Task:

      • Think/Pair/Share: Students must find a partner to sit with. Teacher will provide 2-3 questions for students to discuss. Teacher must walk around and listen to students answers and assess accuracy.

        • Sample Questions-

          • What pathways did you travel in when moving in between hoops?

          • Which locomotor skill increased your heart rate the most? Why?

    • Sample Exit Question: 

      • How did you maintain self-space during ‘How Many Hoops?

    • Student Performance: Critical Elements/Cues

      • Safety Rule: One student can use a hoop at time!

      • If two students get to the hoop at the exact same time, both students must exit and find a new one. 

      • Challenge students with many different body parts and muscles. 

    Copycat/Follow the Leader

    Directions:

    Group students into small groups (3-4). The leader should create a pattern combining locomotor skills and movement concepts. Remind students to select skills and concepts that have previously been practiced.  After presenting their pattern, students will follow the leader, performing the same pattern. Switch leaders on the signal.

    Below you will find suggested assessments, critical elements and cues to be used during student performance, as well as, sample exit questions for closure. Teachers are encouraged to modifiy, extend, or adapt suggested assessments to meet the needs of your students and environment. 

    • Suggested Assessment Task:

      • Peer Assessment: Students will assess their peer’s pattern and determine which locomotor skills he/she used and what movement concepts their pattern included. You will provide a rubric and mode (i.e. worksheet) for assessing their peer.

    • Sample Exit Question:

      • What are the specific critical elements of the locomotor skill included in your partner's pattern?

    • Student Performance: Critical Elements/Cues

      • Encourage students to include 1-2 locomotor skills and at least 1-2 movement concepts in their pattern.

    Roll the Dice

    Directions:

    Label one dice with locomotor skills and one or two dice with speeds, levels, and/or pathways. Allow a student to roll the dice to create a variety of combinations for practice. For example: gallop, zigzag pathway, slow speed.

    Below you will find suggested assessments, critical elements and cues to be used during student performance, as well as, sample exit questions for closure. Teachers are encouraged to modifiy, extend, or adapt suggested assessments to meet the needs of your students and environment. 

    • Suggested Assessment Task:

      • Self-Assessment/Video Assessment: Set-up a video station (if applicable) where students can video their performance of the different locomotor and movement concept combinations. Students will be provided with a specific rubric of critical elements of each locomotor skill. Students will assess his/her ability, using the video, to execute all critical elements in the locomotor skills to make for a mature pattern.

    • Sample Exit Question:

      • Which locomotor skill is challenging for you to perform with a mature pattern? How might you improve your performance for that particular locomotor skill?

    • Student Performance: Critical Elements/Cues

      • If you do not have access to a video station, you may use teacher observation and/or students may assess based off how they felt their performance to be.

      • Encourage students to use creativity when finding different combinations to perform.

    Robot Tag

    Directions:

    Group of 3. One programmer. Two robots. Robots begin in general space standing back to back. The programmer decides which direction they would like to send their robots by gently tapping their shoulder. The robots must only walk/march in the direction that the programmer directed. When a robot reaches a boundary line they must march in place until the programmer comes and sends them in a new direction. Programmer can be assigned different locomotor skills when searching for their robots.

    Below you will find suggested assessments, critical elements and cues to be used during student performance, as well as, sample exit questions for closure. Teachers are encouraged to modifiy, extend, or adapt suggested assessments to meet the needs of your students and environment. 

    • Suggested Assessment Task:

      • Teacher Observation: Teachers will assess students engagement in the activity and their ability to demonstrate responsible, interpersonal behavior. Teacher will use and/or create a rubric to define what interpersonal behavior will look like during this activity (i.e. programming robots appropriately in the correct directions with execution of assigned locomotor skill).

    • Sample Exit Question:

      • Which locomotor skill allowed you to get to your robots the fastest? Which speed did you travel at when performing this locomotor skill?

    • Student Performance: Critical Elements/Cues

      • Safety Cue: Students who are the programmers should use a light touch on the shoulder to send their robots in the direction he/she wishes. Students shall not push, shove, or hit.

      • Robots should only march/walk. They must freeze their body in place when they come to a boundary line (they have hit a 'wall.')

      • Robots and programmers should demonstrate communication skills.