Mapping, Means & Multiples with Movement Skills & Fitness Activities
by Diane Baker, Greenville School
Number Sense
1. Use negative numbers by keeping score like cricket. An "out" subtracts a point and a run adds a point.
2. In partners shoot 10 baskets from inside the key and 10 baskets from outside. Record data as a fraction. Convert to percentage. What is the average percentage of all the shots of both players together?
3. Play around the world basket shooting with a partner. (Groups share baskets with other partners so practice courtesy.) Each partner gets 3 tries at each spot. Write your own ratio of baskets made for each location. Convert to percentages and calculate average percentage. Round off to nearest hundredth.
4. As players dribble continuously around the court they approach another player, decide on the operation and chant, "Ready set show!" With the free hand each shows a number of fingers. The first one to calculate correctly "wins" and they dribble away to invite a new partner.
5. Numbered head basket ball shooting practice. Divide class into groups at each basket and each group into teams of 4 -6 players. Players are numbered and stand on sideline. In advance students prepare math problems that require 2 operations and are answered by numbers of players represented on court. Teacher reads problem. Student on each team who answers problem picks up ball and shoots as many baskets as possible in 20 seconds. On signal, players hold ball while teacher reads new problem.
6. Bowling for Baskets. Divide class into 1 group/basket. Each group has 4-5 liter or gallon bottles, 1 ball and scoreboard. Players take turns bowling at "pins." 1st bowler stands at key and rolls ball at pins. Number of pins knocked down determines how many points each basket is worth. All players take one shot and calculate team score. Set up pins for 2nd player to bowl. All players attempt one shot at basket and again each basket is worth number of pins knocked down. Record points. Continue until all players have bowled. Add total number of points. Divide by number of rounds to find team average score.
7. Sets in hoops with groups. After players manipulate hoops for several minutes, place hoops on ground and travel around until stop signal. Listen to number of players that must get in each hoop. Specify how many players will get out & stand next to hoop. Write on lap chalk board as fractions: How many in? How many out? (also body parts) Example: 5 players in each hoop. They have 10 feet. (write 10/10) Put 4 feet outside. (6/10 inside, 4/10 outside) Reduce fraction if possible. Intersperse forming sets with hoop looping to "Get In the Action with Fractions."
8. Odd/even Tag Prepare equations on flash cards. Designate one team the "evens" and the other team the "odds." Teams face each other about 3' apart. Mark a safe zone on both sides of the field about 50' from starting line. Choose a player from one team to draw the card. Read the equation out loud. If the answer is even, evens get safe and odds give chase and visa versa. Count number of flags pulled. Return the flags and play again.
9. Prime Number Dance Write 5-9 prime numbers on board. As a class create a single movement for each prime number. (for example 1=wiggle one finger, 7 = tap one foot, 23 = wink one eye, 57=bend one elbow) All students practice each prime movement. In small groups players choose several and link them into a repeatable sequence. 2 groups take turns watching each other's sequence and attempt to correctly write down the prime numbers they observe.
10. Target Game In small groups players create a target game and a score keeping system. After experimenting with several ideas they write the resulting rules and score keeping formula. During the week groups play each other's games. Gallon & liter bottles can be weighted with a little sand or gravel. Hoops can be suspended from basketball hoops. Ropes can be used to mark restraining or measuring lines. Before creating games analyze score keeping in other target games such as bowling or archery.
11. Do fun runs around course marked with line or cones. Use numbered popsicle sticks as lap counters. After specified time students form groups of 2-4 players and put their sticks together. Winning group is not the one with the most sticks, but the one that best answers the day's problem. In advance have students write one number from 0 - 10 on each stick with different color of ink. Prepare problems in advance according to math skill of class. For example: lowest sum of 5 blue sticks, lowest square root of 4 black sticks, highest sum of 5 consecutively numbered sticks.
12. Jump rope for 5 minutes. In groups of 5-7 players, draw numbers on ground with ropes. Play Mystery Number: One group secretly writes a number on chalk board and gives cues. Remaining players listen to cues and form number. Example: "12,304" Cues might include: ten thousands place is number of noses each person has. Thousands place is number of eyes each player has. Hundreds place is one more than thousands. Tens place is how much money you have left when you spend it all. Ones place is sum of your hands & feet. Continue to alternate jumping rope and playing mystery numbers.
13. In partners play The North American Indian Turn Around Game. First player tosses 10 -20 popsicle sticks from palm up in air and attempts to catch as many as possible on back of hand. Those sticks are set aside. Same player collects the sticks that fell on the floor, tosses those up again and tries to catch. If an odd number are caught that player retains one stick. If an even number or none are caught all the sticks (except retained ones) are passed to the second player who repeats the process. Object is to get the most sticks.
14. Arrange 13 cones around perimeter of basketball court. Divide class into groups of 4-5 students. Number cones from -6 to 0 and to +6. Make a spinner or die that has either + or - on sides. Place an exercise task card at each cone. Assign groups to a starting cone. They perform exercise for 20 seconds. Roll number cube and +/- cube to see how many cones in which direction groups move. All players do new exercise for 20 seconds. Continue rolling dice and exercising.
Algebra and Functions
1. Energetic exercise enlivens math. Divide class into 2 even teams and identify one team with pennies. Line up in corner of basketball court. Stack exercise task cards face down in corner. Roll dice to determine how many players from one team go into court and start doing the 1st exercise. Draw a card (cards prepared in advance) to determine how many players from the other team will also do exercise. X = number rolled by die. Cards read, "2 more than X, 3 less than 2X, half as many as X, twice as many as ( X-1) , etc." Players continue exercise for 15 seconds then rotate to end of line. Select new exercise, roll dice, draw card and repeat activity. Alternate which team's players go first.
2. Players walk or jog a course on the field for required number of laps to complete a mile. (16 laps for 110 yard oval and 8 laps for 220) Teacher calls out time elapsed as each student completes course. Using formula: speed = distance / time, students calculate their speed in feet/minute. Repeat mile walk or jog every month for each student to compare own speed.
Measurement & Geometry
1. Perimeter vs. Area Will more students standing double arms' distance apart fit around perimeter or inside half a basketball court? Predict, experiment, then play basketball lead up games on all the courts.
2. Form partners for pathways dribbling. Each partner draws a pathway that includes curving line, straight lines, right angle, acute angle, obtuse angle in any order. Then player leads partner in dribbling on basketball court according to own pathway. On return, the follower draws what s/he feels was the pathway and compares it with original. Reverse roles and repeat. Not enough balls for everyone to dribble? Do activity on grass and jog pathway.
3. Prepare cards in advance with geometric shapes written on them: square, rectangle, rhombus, trapezoid, pentagon, hexagon, octagon, etc. Divide class into groups of 4-6 players. Each group draws a card and has to create a striking game with playing field shaped like geometric shape drawn.
4. Partners stand around perimeter of playing space. Each partner group has an individual rope. 2 players form a line with large elastic rope pulled taut. 2 other players form a second line with elastic rope that has a different orientation. Remaining players form lines with their ropes that are parallel or perpendicular to elastic ropes. Ropes may be at different levels. Teacher selects 3 pairs to move out of maze without touching a rope. The front player puts middle of rope around waist and closes eyes, back partner holds ends of rope and guides front player's movements. Repeat with new players establishing initial lines and different players trying to escape.
5. Play moving puzzles in groups of 3 players. (Shapes created by positive & negative space) Then make asymmetrical shapes symmetrical. 1st player forms an asymmetrical shape with body. 2nd partner makes the shape symmetrical by adding his or her body. 3rd partner coaches and determines the line of symmetry. Is it easier to make rotational symmetry or mirror symmetry?
Statistics, Data Analysis & Probability
1. Divide class into 4 teams to play 2 kickball games. Record number of points for each team each inning in a table. Organize scores as a bar graph.
2. Divide class into groups of 4 for punting practice. Each group has 4 flat balls, a rope for restraining line and cone to place 40' from line. One at a time each player punts all 4 balls. Record in a table how many balls are kicked 40' or more. (Remember to coach team mates on correct punting form.)
3. Collect data on individual rope jumping over 4 weeks. Partners count for each other how many jumps forward and how many jumps backward a player can do in 1 minute. Each player records own score and graphs changes in jumping success.
4. In groups of 4-5 players practice standing triple jumps. When players can execute them smoothly with momentum, each players performs 3 jumps and team mates measure. Record the best score. After all players have jumped, they find the mean, median and mode for their team.
5. Play reaction cube tag. Record how many times each team's color was rolled and compare with expected odds of 50/50.
6. Collect data when playing target games. Change variables such as size or weight of ball, number of cans, distance to target, size or shape of target. Graph results.
7. Play a tag game. Analyze the variables: size of boundaries, number of taggers. Change a variable (e.g.. enlarge playing field, increase number of taggers) and predict effect on number of players tagged. Play and record results. Change variable, play & record. Discuss results. What are the other factors that affect how many players are caught? (Speed of taggers, etc.)
8. Shoot baskets and record results as a ratio. How many baskets were made out of how many attempts at each basket in 5 minutes. Reduce fraction if possible.
9. Perform traditional folk or line dances. Recognize the pattern of steps and identify patterns with letters. Create new dances in small groups. Write patterns of created dances as letters. Observe other groups' dances and identify patterns.
10. Play circle sequence. As a class make up a sequence of 3 non locomotor actions and rehearse. Choose one player to be in the center. Center player stands in front of a player, does one action of the sequence and says, "before, after or same, one, two, three!" Player on circle must do action correctly. Teacher chooses new center player after 3 turns.
11. Play your name. Clap hands for vowel and slap thighs for a consonant. (Diane would be slap clap clap slap clap.) Practice so that everyone can do their name three times in a row without pauses and with each beat taking the same amount of time. Accent the first letter of the name each time. Two students in succession demonstrate their name patterns while remainder of class listens to see if they are alike or different. All students circulate to play their name (3 times in a row) and listen to another's to discover whose are alike/different. Choose a partner with a different number of letters in their name. Play name patterns together repeatedly and listen for accented first syllable to reoccur on the same beat. How many times would each have to play their name to hear simultaneous accent.
Mathematical Reasoning
1. Challenge students to create equal teams. For example: 2 equal teams are needed for prisoner's ball. All students with white shoes stand on one side of court; black shoes on the other side. Which side will need players with brown, blue, gray, pink shoes? How many?
2. Distribute equipment as a math problem: Form groups of 4-6 players to create a game that practices kicking. There are ___ groups. No group can have more than 1 soccer ball. There are 10 balls in the bag. How many balls will be left over? There are 10 cones, 12 poly spots, 10 hoops, 12 nerf balls, 24 pro cones. Not every group has to have the same equipment but we will share it equitably. How many additional pieces of equipment may each team take? Create and play kicking games.
3. If there are 10 players in a group, and everybody plays "catch" one time with every player in group how many total games of "catch" will there be? Challenge students to find a solution, then actually do activity. Divide class into groups of 10 players. Within groups players stand opposite a partner. Each set of partners has a ball to catch, and all the equipment is on one side of the field. (poly spots clarify equipment placement.) Establish an anchor player in one corner who will not rotate. All play catch with partner. On signal, all partners place equipment on spot and rotate one place and begin throwing and catching with new partner. Distance between partners should allow both partners to throw & catch successfully. Continue until all group members have practiced together. Each player records how many games s/he personally played. Group members add their scores to find out how many games in total their group played. Formula is n/2 x (n-1) n = number of players in group
Resources
1. Mathematics Framework for California Public Schools, 1999. "Hoop fractions" was presented by Jody Gray at the CAHPERD Conference 3/88.
2. "Math Munchers" was created by Joe Gallo and published by PE Central. (http://pe.central.vt.edu/mathmunchers.html)
3. "Get in the Action with Fractions," is by Ron Brown in Math Concepts 1 & 2 Teaching Tunes. "Numbered Cones" was adapted from suggestion by Gerry Cernicky on pe digest listserv September 30, 1998.
4. "Ready Set Show Dribbling" was suggested by Julie Coleman on PE digest listserv November 20, 1999.
5. "Name Patterns" and "Prime Dance" were created by Karl Schaffer and Erik Stern and presented in an Imagination Celebration Workshop for teachers on November 7, 1998 at the OC Performing Arts Center.
6. "North American Indian Turn Around Game" is from the OC Physical Education 5th grade Lesson Plan Guide.
7. "Basketball Ratios" is adapted from Creative Experiences Through Sport by Lowell & Susan Turner. Peek Publications, Palo Alto, 1979.
8. "Bowling for Baskets" is by Kelly Naperschat. Great Activities Vol. 15, no.1, p 34, 1996.
For questions or comments about this article, contact Diane Baker
(Information provided courtesy of www.pelinks4u.org)