Skill:  Traveling 

Precontrol:  The students will scatter throughout general space.  On the signal, travel any way you wish in general space.  Avoid colliding with others, and stop without falling when you hear the whistle.  You can change to a different way of traveling next, any way except running.  Continue to watch out for others as you travel.  See how many ways you can travel.

Control:  The children are scattered throughout general space.  With in your self-space, look around the work space.  There are open spaces that no one has taken.  On the signal, run to that open space.  When you arrive, stop and look for another open space and run to that space.  Continue traveling throughout general space, always looking for open spaces.  You should pause just long enough to see your next open space.  Time will run for sixty seconds as you travel.  Continue looking for and moving to open spaces with no collisions.

Utilization:  The students will be scattered throughout general space with a partner.  Students should face their partner approximately three fee apart:  One is the leader, the other is the follower.  The leader slides to the right or left, changing directions quickly.  The follower tries to stay directly across from the leader at all times.  Every sixty seconds, I will tell you to switch positions.

Proficiency:  The class will be divided into two groups.  We will be working on traveling to show tradition versus change.  Dance doesn’t always tell a story.  Sometimes dance is a study in form—the shapes we can make with our bodies, the spatial patterns we create as a group.  Group 1 will represent tradition.  The characteristics of tradition your body shapes and group travel can show might be a firm, solid shape, such as a square, the group forms; identical and simultaneous group movements; use of a small amount of space; and firm, sustained quality—control at all.  Group 2 will represent the forces of change.  The characteristics of change include individualized shapes, travel in different directions, use of a large amount of space, and a variety of movements.  Working together as a group, design a dance that combines at least five shapes and three locomotor patterns to portray the characteristics of your group.  The tradition group should show oneness, sturdiness, caution; the shapes and actions of the change group should portray individuality, risk taking, and freedom.

Skill:  Chasing, Fleeing, and Dodging

Precontrol:  Children are spread out in general space.  On the signal, try to catch a make-believe partner.  Your partner is very quick, so you will really have to work hard to catch him or her.  Remember, everyone is chasing, so look up to avoid collisions.  Then, the students will chase their dog, who got off his leash.  They must catch him before he gets to the street.

Control:  The class will divide into groups of six.  The task is designed to let you practice fleeing from a chaser.  It’s called Frogs and Flies.  The chaser is the frog, and the runners are the flies.  There should be one frog and five flies per group.  The frog, who is in the middle circle, tells the flies how to travel.  The flies then travel in a circle around the frog.  When the frog gets to his or her feet, all the flies run toward the outside of the square, trying not to get tagged.  A fly that is tagged helps the frog the next time.  When all the flies are caught, the last fly caught becomes the new frog.  It is important that frog change the traveling action each time. 

Utilization:  The students are in groups of ten.  There are eight runners and two chasers for an activity called body-part tag.  The object, if you are a tagger, is to tag the runners on the named body part or, if you’re a runner, to avoid being tagged on the named body part.  Chasers, try to touch the runners on the body part I call out.  Any runner you tag must freeze.  The tagged runners can be unfrozen if they’re tagged by a free runner on a body part other than the tagged part.  The taggers will have one minute to try and catch all the runners.  At the end of one minute, start again with two new taggers.  You must stay inside your boundaries.

Proficiency:  The children are scattered throughout space:  there are three taggers (w/ blue armbands); and the rest are dodgers.  This task is very much like freeze tag, except that when you are tagged, you must freeze with your legs wide apart and your hands clasped to your head.  You can then be “freed” by any free player crawling through your legs.  There will be three taggers, each with a blue armband.  We will switch taggers at five minutes if all the dodgers are not caught.

Skill:  Jumping and Landing

Precontrol:  The class is divided into groups of threes; each group has a long rope.  In the groups of three, you are going to take turns jumping over a swinging rope.  Two of you will gently swing the rope while the third person jumps.  After five jumps, trade places.  Practice for ten jumps without a mistake.

Precontrol:  One rope per child is placed around the edge of the teaching area.  Each student will select a rope and place it in a straight line in their self-space.  Jump over the rope and land on the other side without falling down.  Explore different ways to jump over the rope, sometimes take off on one foot and landing on two, sometimes take off on two feet and land on two.  Jump high in the air as you travel over your rope.  Arrange the rope in a shape different from a straight line, such as a square or rectangle.  Jump in and out of the shape.

Control:  One hoop per child is scattered throughout the teaching area.  Students should jump over their own hoop.  As your feet touch the ground, freeze your body perfectly still; this means you must bend your ankles, knees, and hips as you land.  Think of your feet sinking into the floor as if the floor were a sponge.  Practice jumping over your hoop with two-foot takeoffs and landings until you can land without falling three times in a row.  Travel throughout general space, leaping over hoops.  Remember to extend your arms up for good height as you leap.

Utilization:  The students are scattered throughout general space, each with a hoop.  When I blow the whistle, jump into and out of your hoop every time you hear the whistle.  Now take off on two feet, and land on two feet.  As the whistle gets faster, be ready to jump by having your knees bent and arms flexed.  Try to land on only the balls of your feet, which means that your heels won’t touch the ground.  Take off on one foot, and land on the same foot.  Try to keep up with the beat.  When one leg gets tired, change to the other legs.  Now try to jump only on my accented whistle.  I will give three normal whistles and one accented whistle. 

Proficiency:  Springboards are positioned throughout the work space with sufficient large mats for safe landing.   Using the nearest spring board, run and jump, using a two-foot landing/takeoff on the board; spring up high and land on two feet on the mat.  As you become good at going off the spring board and landing without falling over, add a turn in the air as you jump so that you end up facing the place where you started.  When you’re able to do this activity, try a complete 360-degree turn in the air before you land.

Skill:  Balancing

Precontrol:  Children are scattered throughout general space.  Travel through general space any way you choose.  On the signal, stop and create a gymnastics balance with two feet and two hands touching the floor.  Travel again, but this time balance on three body parts when you hear the signal.  Think which three parts you’re going to use before traveling.

Control:  Small mats and/or carpet squares are scattered throughout general space, with sufficient room for children to work safely.  Perform a balance on your head and hands with knees resting on the elbows.  Concentrate on tightening your abdominal muscles to align your hips over your shoulders.  Balance on your head and hands, with your trunk and legs extended towards the ceiling.  Form a triangular base with your weight equally distributed on your head and hands.  Stretch your body like a straight line.

Utilization:  Sufficient mats for children to balance and roll without bumping into others as they practice are scattered throughout space.  Rock backward into a shoulder stand; hold the balance for three seconds, and then roll either forward or backward.  Balance in a headstand for three seconds; then, press with your hands, and roll forward.  Balance with your weight on your hands, slowly lower yourself to the mat, and roll forward.  Transfer your weight from your feet to your hands; pause in the handstand; then, make a quarter turn, and transfer your weight back to your feet.

Proficiency:  The gym will be set up with hanging ropes with sufficient mats below for children to work safely.  On a hanging rope, support your weight with both hands, then your and your legs, and finally one hand.  Create each of the basic shapes—wide, narrow, curled, twisted—with your free body parts perform your balances on the hanging ropes with your head upward.  Create a series of symmetrical and nonsymmetrical shapes while supporting your weight on the rope.

Skill:  Transferring Weight and Rolling

Precontrol:  Individual mats and/or carpet squares will be spread out in open space, with sufficient room between each for children to work safely.  Squat on your feet with your back rounded like an egg.  Transfer your weight from your feet to your back with a rocking action.  Transfer your weight from your feet to your rounded back, and return to your feet with the rocking action.  Give the rocking action a little extra effort, transferring your weight from feet to rounded back, to feet, and then returning to a standing position.

Control:  The gymnasium will be set up with milk crates, benches, low tables, hurdles, and milk jug/rolled-newspaper or dowel-rod “hurdles” throughout general space.  Travel over the various pieces of low equipment by transferring your weight from your feet to your hands to your feet.  At the hurdles and the newspaper or dowel rods, place your hands on the mat on the other side of the hurdle or rod, and then transfer your weight over, landing on your feet.  At the benches and milk crates, place your hands on the equipment, take your weight on your hands only, and land on your feet on the opposite side of the equipment.  As you become more comfortable taking your weight on your hands, kick higher toward the ceiling, stretching your legs and trunk.

Utilization:  The gymnasium will have large gymnastics mats throughout general space, with sufficient room for children to work safely on transfers.  Students will transfer weight to the hands, twist the body a half turn, and bring the feet to the floor so they are facing the opposite direction.  While balanced on your hands, slowly walk on your hands a half turn to face the opposite direction.

Proficiency:  It is highly unlikely many in the class will reach proficiency level.  For those who do, activities will use specific gymnastics equipment and more closely resemble Olympic-style stunts.  For these few individuals, individual teaching or coaching will be provided.  Examples include hands-only vaulting; performing stretching and twisting actions while airborne; and dismounting from apparatus by transferring weight from hands to feet combined with aerial twists, turns, and curls.  There will be specific stations set up for anyone who is proficient enough to perform these skills. 

Skill:  Kicking

Precontrol:  Balls for kicking, will be placed around the gymnasium approximately ten feet from the walls.  Students should stand three to four feet behind the ball.  Approach the ball and kick it forward to the wall.  Alternate kicking with your right foot and left foot so you will be skilled at using either foot.  Practice until you can successfully approach and kick to the wall three times.  Success equals foot contacting the ball, and ball contacting the wall.

Control:  Marker cones or plastic milk cartons are placed at ten-foot intervals across the playground, numbered consecutively so the children can see the numbers from the kicking line.  Students will place the ball you are going to use at the kicking line.  Approach the ball from about five to six feet.  Kick the ball so it travels as far as possible through the air.  Note the number of the zone in which the ball first contacts the ground.  Kick five times, trying to improve your distance.  Next, try to kick the ball so that it lands in the same zone three times in a row.

Utilization:  Children will be scattered throughout general space, each with a ball for kicking.  Begin traveling in general space, tapping the ball three to four feet in front of you as you go.  When you are comfortable with your control of the dribble, tap the ball ahead of you, run quickly beyond the ball, tap it gently with your heel, quickly turn, and continue to dribble.  Be sure you run beyond the ball to tap the front of it; contact on top of the ball will cause you to fall.

Proficiency:  A playing field is divided into five equal alleys; marker-cone goals six feet apart at each end of the field; and the children are divided into six-member teams.  This activity is called Alley Soccer.  It is an activity that uses dribbling, passing, and kicking for a goal.  Each team has six players—one player for each alley, plus a goalie.  Players must travel the length of their alley but can’t cross into another alley.  Your task is to dribble, avoid the opponent in your alley, pass to teammates, and kick for the goal.  At regular intervals, I’ll give the signal to rotate alleys; this rotation will allow each of you to play each position.