G3 & G4 Striking & Fielding

Learning Journey: Relationships

Key Concepts: Cooperation, Collaboration, Safety, Communication, and Roles

Enduring Understanding:

Situational awareness impacts our decision making and movement responses.

Compelling Questions:

G3 What skills do we need to develop in order to improve our play? (Individually & as a Team)

G4 How does situational awareness help our decision making?

In both year groups we explorer Kwik Cricket, a Baseball type game (3 bases and a home plate) and Danish Long-ball with all games stepping up in sophistication as age and skill level develops.

I Just Love It When A Plan Comes Together!

A fantastic realization is that they need to be just as good at fielding as they are at batting if they want to be competitive in their games. In Kwik Cricket we play until everyone's had a go at batting and then we change (batting team becomes the fielders etc.) BUT as soon as we get onto my baseball type game and we play '3 out all out' and the fielders are struggling to work as a team, the reality of them not getting into bat (& scoring points) eventually dawns on them! Over the course of this unit and particularly my G4's their fielding has grown and developed in bunches (particularly the teamwork and the reality that even-though you're fielding, you still need to pay attention! (LOL)). The need to get back into bat has become a driving force for great teamwork, communication, and paying attention to the play! (they particularly mentioned this part in their reflections)

This didn't happen overnight, and at times I had to bite my tongue... but as soon as the penny dropped we've had some real fun, fast, high spirited games!

As a note, I start with Kwik Cricket as I feel the Cricket bat is easier to handle for the beginner (even if the delivery is bad eg. a grasscutter etc. for the most part the ball can still be played). When we switch to a Baseball type bat I usually lead the pitching to start, but at the beginning I always try to give them an option of Cricket or Baseball bat. I try not to use T's, because I really want the students to develop their underarm pitch.

We end with Danish Long-ball. This game is just FUN and the students love it! It also gives them the chance to transfer their tactical play, skills and knowledge to another striking and fielding game. I set the bases over the whole length of the gym... it's amazing how far and how often you can get the students running that distance under the disguise of scoring runs! LOL 

That is a brief summery of what's turned out to be a fantastic educationally fun unit!

A little bit of batting & bowling

Making Thinking Visible: Reflection (I used to do/think - I now do/think)

This is an important reflection because the students get to choose and tell a particular learning journey they have been on across the different sports.

Grade 1 and Grade 2 Striking & Fielding Ideas

G2 Relationships in Team Sports through the Physical Education Learning Lens of Striking & Fielding II

The G2 Striking & Fielding Unit II will focus on the concept of Relationships.

Taken from my conceptual map for Primary Physical Education

Striking and Fielding Unit II is about transferring the skills, knowledge and understanding the learning in Unit I and applying it to a different Striking & Fielding Game. This Unit we are inquiring into Baseball, via Cricket.

Grade 2 In Action

In the photographs you will notice we are still using the cricket wickets as bases and a cricket bat. The thinking behind this is by using the wickets it still gives the students a bigger target to aim at when fielding (and when running) and the cricket bat makes it easier for the students to hit a bowled/pitched ball (with a cricket bat you can hit the ball even when it is bowled along the ground). 

In the photos you will see I am the pitcher, these are early photos within the unit (I pitch because I want every student to have success with the bat). In later lessons I will turn the pitching duties over to the students. Being the pitch also puts me right at the center of the game and in a position to teach within the game, both the rules and game sense.

MTV: Reflection - I Used To Do/ Now I Do