Gymnastics for All
"I
often hear that gymnastics is one of the most difficult units to teach in
Physical Education, especially if you are not a Physical Education specialist,
or maybe even if you are, but have no formal gymnastics training. I thought
people would appreciate the following overview of a gymnastics unit that I have
used in the past to guide my lessons. I hope it can be as valuable for you as
it has been for me. Of course, I modify it greatly from year to year, and class
to class depending on my students' needs and abilities. Please feel free to use
it as you see fit, and modify any areas to best suit your students' learning
needs."
Submitted by:
Dustin Turner
HPEC Secretary
Gymnastics Station Safety
Grades: K-6
SLO: A-1, A-2, A-3, A-4,
A-5, A-6, A-8, A-9, A-10, A-11, A-12, C-1, C-3, C-4, C-5, C-6, D-1, D-2, D-3,
D-4, D-5, D-7, D-9.
Materials:
- 9
pieces of white paper, with each station number listed.
- All
gymnastics equipment available.
Objective: To acquire and
improve upon skills through a variety of developmentally appropriate movement
activities.
Success Criteria:
-
I will set a goal and work towards meeting that
goal.
-
I will demonstrate safe play, while maintaining a
challenging environment.
-
I will create a movement sequence that include the
class-created success criteria.
Methods:
Station Examples
- Station
#1 and #2 (Climbing Structure):
- Can only go up to the noted height, no
higher.
- Should always maintain three points of
contact (e.g. Two feet, one hand).
- Have to stay underneath bars that are higher
than shoulder height, and can go on top of bars that are lower than
shoulder height.
- Only one person at a time on any given piece
of equipment.
- Keep your body as long as you can while using
ladder (hold highest bar reachable).
- If climbing please go all the way down. Don’t
jump off when almost down.
- Station
#3 (horse and crash mat):
- Only one person on horse and crash mat at a
time.
- No flips or aerials.
- Twists are okay.
- Land on buttocks.
- No pushing.
- Station
#4 (Trestles and ladders):
- Climb up and down ladders (not from side).
- You have to stay under equipment that is
higher than shoulder height, and can go over equipment that is lower than
the child’s shoulders.
- Station
#5 (Ropes):
- Two ropes under crash mat are for climbing or
trying to hold yourself up.
- Please go up, and then go down slowly, don’t
let yourself drop.
- Two ropes in between benches are for
swinging.
- Station
#6 (Floor mats)
- Use ribbons and hula hoops safely.
- Be aware of body space required (so that you
do not hit people with the equipment)
- Create a routine\sequence with your group.
- If group does not want to use hula hoops and
ribbons, then push equipment off mats.
- While rest of group is watching, one
person may go on the mat and perform somersaults, handstands,
cartwheels, or log rolls.
- Station
#7 (Balance beams):
- Only one person on the beam at a time.
- Try to perform a balance routine that
includes three levels (high, medium, low).
- Walk on balance beam (no running)
Introduction
·
Explain gymnastics success criteria to
students.
o I will
set a goal and work towards meeting that goal.
o I will
demonstrate safe play, while maintaining a challenging environment.
o I will create
a movement sequence that include the class-created success criteria.
- On
the walls of the gym, post 7 pieces of paper, each containing a different
station number.
- Have
students create their own groups of 4-5 students (or create functional
groupings if required).
- Stations
are setup in the gym. Students will work in groups answering the following
questions for their station (writing the answers on a piece of chart
paper).
- What safety reminders do you have for your
station?
- What challenges would you suggest to others
for this station?
- Teacher
writes down the student instructions for each station, guiding a
conversation around student-created safety suggestions, and
age-appropriate movement challenges.
- These notes will be typed up and posted at
each station for future classes and modified slightly to be age-appropriate
and within safety guidelines.
- As students move from station to station,
they will read the instructions as a group before beginning their play.
- Have
students work through stations (only changing stations as a whole class
when whistle blows).
- *Please note that for when changing stations,
students spend one minute before starting the station, reviewing the
station-related posted rules as a group.
- Each
day will have the following focus for students as a whole.
Day 1: - Rule
generating sessions and a few stations.
Day 2-5 - General Review
of a few key safety guidelines.
- Reminder to review student-generated station rules before starting any
station.
- Introduce various challenges for certain
stations.
Day 6-10 - General Review
of a few key safety guidelines.
- Reminder to review student-generated station rules before starting any
station.
- Introduce gymnastic routine expectations.
Day 11-14 - General Review of
a few key safety guidelines.
- Reminder to review student-generated station rules before starting any
station.
- Gymnastics routine practice and performances (1-2 at the end of each
class as groups are ready).
Day 15, 16 - Missions
Impossible (setup an obstacle course for students to work through using the
various gymnastics skills that they have acquired throughout the unit.
Modifications:
- Ensure
stations are activities that are appropriate to grade level.
- Lower
or heighten equipment for various grade levels, according to Canadian
Climber course.
- Add
or remove stations dependent on your gym’s equipment.
