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"Balancing Act" (Amy, Pre-K)
"Balancing Act"
(Amy Lawson; Pre-Kindergarten; Physical Education)
| Skill Focus Students will be asked to both follow modeled actions of the instructor and to develop new ways of moving. Students will also explore the act of balancing objects. | Conceptual Focus For this lesson, a key focus is on following directions. Are the students able to grasp the concept of a “leader” and to follow actions accordingly? While balancing, the ability to follow basic performance cues will be developed. |
| Movement Patterns Locomotion and balancing. | Equipment and Materials o A large, open space, such as the gymnasium. o Bean bags, or similar objects used for balancing. For sets and extensions, the book Ten Apples Up On Top (Theo. LeSeig) may be used. |
| Instructional Approach Interactive and experimental. | Assessment Observation will be key. Classroom management may be an issue for this lesson, as students are still learning how to follow and be guided. An eye should be kept on those students who are not participating. Is it out of shyness, or a lack of understanding? An observational checklist may be used during the closure of the lesson. While it may be possible to assess every student, it may be best to repeat a similar theme another day and focus on a small number of students today. Things to observe: o Can the student perform one creative movement? Can the student balance the beanbag for a short period of time? |
| Common Essential Learnings (CELs) o Communication – Understanding meaning, group participation, active listening and participating. o Critical and Creative Thinking – Making observations, strengthening abilities through situations, participating in activities. | Prerequisite Learning o Most of the students will have been introduced to the gymnasium space previously, but new students may not have had the opportunity. The younger students have only had limited access. Reinforcement of the rules will be necessary. (Listen to the teachers, wear your shoes or bare feet at all times, do not leave the space without permission, do not yell.) These should be reviewed before leaving the main classroom. o The students may have been exposed to the different forms of movements. If specific animals are referenced (“stomp like an elephant”), be mindful that some students may not have the background knowledge to recreate this. Modeling will be crucial. |
| Advanced preparation: o I will ensure that the gymnasium (or another location of the lesson, should the gymnasium be available) is clear and has room for movement. If the weather is suitable for the clothes the students have worn to school, the outside space is a possibility. o Any materials that I am planning to use for the lesson should be previously laid out (if possible) or easily accessed once my students are in the gymnasium, so that I may focus them from the beginning. Because I will be teaching this particular lesson in the afternoon, I will hopefully be able to prepare the materials during the lunch hour. | Classroom Management Strategies o Positive reinforcement is vital for students throughout, especially as the gymnasium is still a very unfamiliar space for many. If they are quiet in the hallway, participating to the best of their ability and responding during the lesson, do not be afraid to thank them! This will show them what positive behaviour in the new space is. o Management is key here. Observe, observe, observe! o It may be hard to be heard at all times in the gymnasium. Using signals, and establishing one at the beginning of a lesson – especially if the class does not have a standard one – may be very helpful. (“Wiggle your fingers up at me.”) Try to ensure that all students are silent while new instructions are being given. o Name reinforcement will be key here if one or more students stop listening. If one student is easily distracted, they may make a good choice to “help the teacher lead.” o Some students may not be responding to the movement prompts. Try to encourage them without putting them on the spot, if possible. If students are simply not responding but not wandering off, it may be necessary to try to continue leading the students around while keeping an eye to see if something changes. Shyness may be responsible for this. o If they are getting off-task and trying to run off or use other equipment, the student may be asked to sit down by themselves until they are ready to rejoin the group and follow the rules. |
| Set An early set to this lesson, which may occur another day, may appear during the reading portion of the class. The students will be read the book Ten Apples On Top. While reading this, focus on the balancing aspect that appears. After this reading, students may immediately practice balancing their bodies and objects in the classroom. (Beanbags may be brought in for this purpose is available.) This activity may also work as a follow-up for the lesson below, if time before is unavailable. In the classroom, gather the students into a circle. The students will be informed that it is time for physical education. Ask them if anyone can name one rule for when we are in the gymnasium. Guide the answers: do we run? (“No, we walk.”) Do we yell at the top of our lungs? Why can’t we just wear our socks? Ask students to line up by the door. Physical activity may start at this point. What is a better way to walk to the gymnasium? Model them through one new, quiet movement through the hallways. (Tiptoe like a mouse, or similar.) Once we are in the gym, I will ask my students to join me in the middle circle, standing. Once all of the students are present and listening, I will get them to follow me with quick on-the-spot movements to get them ready. “Shake your shimmies out!” |
| Development Once the students have started to move and will hopefully be listening, start talking about movement. What are ways the people move? Ask everyone to space out a little bit (if they move too far apart, they may not be able to hear). Prompts: o How do people move? We can walk… (do walking motions) o We can jog… (do jogging on the spot motions) o We can even skip… (skipping on the spot.) o What are some other ways that we might move? (Try one or two suggestions, if any are offered) And so on. Encourage the students to mirror the movements. Some movements may need to be repeated until all (or most) of the students are mirroring it. Try to incorporate a variety of movements – move onto hopping and other jumping movements, or ones focusing on individual body parts. If students are participating and suggesting new movements, try to incorporate as many suggestions as possible. Model every action. The students should all be following along with the movements. At this point, segue into a “follow the leader” activity. Initially, the teacher should be leading, but if the students appear to grasp the concept, several may have the opportunity to become leaders themselves later on. Move through the gymnasium, doing many of the movements attempted earlier in the circle. Try to create new ones as well. Pausing while doing some of the movements will allow for the opportunity to closely observe if any students are not participating. Some students may shout out suggestions on their own accord, but if not, these may be taken. Try to incorporate many locomotor movements and levels. High movements (huge steps, like a giant) and small movements (crawling on stomach, like a snake) make for a good variety. Reducing and increasing the speed is a good test as well. Ensure that all students are continuing to follow, as these changes may throw some off. If the teacher associate is present, it may be good if s/he takes part near the back of the line, to better watch the students near the end. Try to keep note of the attention span, but if students remain interested, continue this for several minutes. Try to engage uninterested students by creating energetic actions, or give the opportunity to different students to try to lead. Leaders may need help with creating new movements, so walk with them. The final movement in the chain should involve bringing the students back towards the middle circle and “falling” or “sitting.” The students will join the teacher in the circle, and the lesson may progress into its balancing aspect. The collection of beanbags should be close to the middle at this point. Reach for their container, and bring it to the students. (They will likely try to crowd around, so standing up while presenting them may be a good bet. Ensure that all have the opportunity to see.) If the Ten Apples On Top lesson has previously taken place, refer back to how the animals in the story were able to balance the apples on their heads. If not, simply talk about balancing. How could we carry this beanbag? With out hands? What about our heads? Demonstrate this. If beanbags are available, they should easily sit on most heads. (If small balls or other objects are necessary, they will likely need to be held.) Introduce performance cues. This is crucial! Show how raising one’s arms out and looking straight ahead will make for a better balance. Model this. Ask the students to show the performance cues before you hand out the beanbags. Reinforcing this while they are balancing with them will be necessary, as they may forget about them once they have an object to manipulate. Ask all of the students to stand back up and stand in a line. Go along the row and hand out the objects. Remind the students not to move until everyone has one. Once all are handed out, move back in front of them and place the object on your head to model. Ask them to take one step forward while balancing the object. Two steps forward? One skip forward? Play around with the movements here! |
| Closure While the students are freely exploring the balancing process, the opportunity for assessment exists. Try to pull one student away at a time. Ask them to demonstrate one creative movement, be it one that they remember from the chain activity or one that they can create on their own. Secondly, ask them to present a balance. Watch to see if they can replicate the two performance cues given. Due to time constraints, it is likely that only a few students will be able to be assessed at this time. This theme can easily be continued for several lessons, so it is better to try to assess the students gradually. Collect all of the beanbags back into the container, and ask the students to line up by the door. Reinforce hallway rules. Using a new movement (that is a quiet one, of course), return to the main classroom. |
| Extensions o Specific movements may be worked on through this activity. I recommend looking at the chapter on “Sunts and Tumbling,” in Movement in Early Childhood and Primary Education where ideas for both balancing positions and locomotor actions may be found. The focus may be linked to an animal unit by incorporating primarily animal movements. All students could be asked to demonstrate one that they have been learning about. Source: Dauer, Victor P. and Pangrazi, Robert P. (1981) Movement in Early Childhood and Primary Education. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Burgess Publishing Company. |
| Adaptations o Taking our ESL students into consideration, all movements must be modeled very clearly. Repeating movements on several occasions, while being sure to clearly and loudly enunciate the name, is important to build the linking. o Some students may not be able to do all of the movements. Try to avoid ones that would exclude students, and if any student comes close to a correct movement, celebrate it anyway. Right now, it may be more important that they are simply participating and enjoying themselves than it is if they understand the exact concept of skipping. As the year progresses, attention to the details of these movements may become more vital. |
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