PEC: Lesson Plans for Physical Education

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Name of Activity:

Sink The Ship

Purpose of Activity:

To throw balls using correct overhand technique in a dynamic setting.

Activity cues:

Overhand Throwing Cues, Catching Cues

Prerequisites:

Knowledge of the overhand throw, the ability to catch a thrown ball.

Suggested Grade Level:

3-5

Materials Needed:

Pins, mats, gatorskin or soft balls.

Description of Idea

Two teams of three play against each other across the playing area or gym. Set up the gym so you have one mat (ship) for each three students. Have the players in the game agree on how far the mats will be from each other. On the floor in front of each mat, set up four pins. Place a scooter (lifeboat) and four gator skin or soft balls (ammunition) on the mat to start.

Designate someone to ride the lifeboat (scooter). The person on the scooter is the only person who can retrieve balls from the sea (gym floor) and bring them back to their mat (ship). However, the students on the mats may catch thrown balls or reach for them on the floor keeping one foot on the mat. The students on the mat are trying to knock down the pins at the other mat by throwing balls using correct overhand technique. At least one foot must be on their mat at all times.

When all the pins by your mat are knocked down, set them up and restart the game with another person on both teams lifeboats.

Variations:

After all teams have played at least one game have them select another team to play.

Assessment Ideas:

Use the PE Central Cue Checklist

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Submitted by Gina Forberg who teaches at Coleytown Elementary School in Westport, CT. Thanks for contributing to PE Central! Posted on PEC: 5/11/2003.

Viewed 264238 times since 2/4/2003.

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Previous Comments:

Greg Zinberg

I play this game but call it "Battleship" and call the scooter kids the "cannons" and when all things are knocked over students do 15 jumping jacks and restart the game with a new cannon.

I also like to use different objects: a pin, a bucket, a cone, etc to give varying degrees of difficulty.

Stephanie

I have played this game for the last 1o years. The kids love it. Well I like it also.

Tim Esau

I'm student teaching right now and used Sink The Ship last week with my 3rd-5th graders. They seemed to really enjoy it and I saw some great throwing skills being used! I used 4 mats with 4 teams of 5 or 6 students. One modification I made was that if a team's ship was sunk for more than a minute or so while the rest of the teams kept playing, I would yell "All in" and each team would set their cones back up and start fresh without having to stop the game. This kept everyone more involved.

Bill Wagner-Rivesville Elementary, Rivesville WV.

In the Gopher equipment book that our county orders our physical education equipment from, there is a game very similiar to this one that I play with my students and it is called Battleship Dodgeball. The rules are exactly the same except that a scooter is not used but rather, a student must be designated before each game or round begins as to who is responsible for gathering up the foam balls or missiles. What I will be doing the next time I play this game is adding the scooters and my students love this game as well. A point of emphasis should be placed on the fact that this is not "dodgeball" and this game in no way promotes students as human targets.