Title – Volleying and Striking

By – Carissa Riexinger

Primary Subject – Health / Physical Education

Grade Level – 2-4

Standards

State — 1

National — 1,2,3,5,7

Specific Objectives:

After the teacher D&D; the students will:

1. Learn to volley a balloon with an open palm

2. Strike a balloon with a paddle or racket

3. Recognize the proper form for holding a paddle

4. Have enough confidence to successfully volley and strike a balloon

5. Cooperate with their peers

Equipment:

1. Enough blown up balloons for each student

2. Enough paddles for each student

3. Whiffle Balls

4. 3 folding gymnastics mats

Cues:

1. Stiff wrist

2. Flat hand

3. Strike in the middle

4. Eyes on the balloon

Activity 1: Volleying with a balloon:

Intro: Today we will be working on striking a moving object. To do this we are going to practice hitting balloons while trying to keep them in the air (Teacher D&D;).

Steps:

1. Every student will retrieve a balloon and return to personal space.

2. Strike the balloons into the air while trying not to let the balloons hit the ground (cues: eyes on the balloon).

3. Now let’s see how many times you can strike the balloon without it hitting the ground (cues: eyes on the balloon)?

4. Now let’s try it with other body parts, like your leg (cues: eyes on the balloon).

5. Strike the balloon directly underneath with your open palm so it will go straight up in the air (cues: flat hand, stiff wrist, strike in the middle).

6. Now let’s try walking forward as you strike the balloon in front of you (cues: flat hand, stiff wrist, eyes on the balloon, strike in the middle).

7. Now everyone get a partner and try striking one balloon back and forth between you (cues: flat hand, stiff wrist, eyes on the balloon, strike in the middle).

Activity 2: Striking with paddles:

Intro: Now we are going to make it a little harder by using paddles to strike the balloon (Teacher D&D;).

Steps:

1. Every student will retrieve a paddle and return to personal space.

2. Use the paddle just like you used your palm of your hand to strike the balloon from underneath (cues: flat hand, stiff wrist, eyes on the balloon, strike in the middle).

3. Try not to strike the balloon to hard or it will be hard to control.

4. Keep the rackets flat so the balloon will go straight up (cues: flat hand, stiff wrist, eyes on the balloon, strike in the middle).

5. Now let’s try counting how many times you can keep the balloon into the air without it falling to the floor?

6. Let’s try walking slowly forward like we did before. Remembering to be careful and not bump into each other.

7. Now let’s try striking one balloon back and forth with your partner.

Challenges:

• You can also incorporate whiffle balls for the more advanced student.
  
• You can also add a penny into balloons which will make the balloon fall faster. The students love it.

Activity 3:

Intro: Now we are going to play balloon volleyball.

Rules:

1. Each team has three hits to get it over the net (you can modify it by having every student strike the balloon before it goes over the net).

2. The balloon cannot touch the floor.

3. Team members may not touch the mat/net.

Steps:

1. Divide the students into two teams (dividing students into four teams will increase the students’ activity time).

2. We are going to use mats as nets, and the teams will hit the balloon over the mat/net to the other team(s).

3. First we will use our hands, then we will use paddles.

4. You can decide if you want the students to keep track of their team’s points.

E-Mail

Carissa Riexinger

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