Lesson Plan

Grade/Subject: Grade 9 P.E. Unit: Outdoor Games Lesson Duration: 70 min

OUTCOMES FROM ALBERTA PROGRAM OF STUDIES
General Learning Outcomes:
A: Students will acquire skills through a variety of developmentally appropriate movement activities; dance, games,
types of gymnastics, individual activities and activities in an alternative environment; e.g., aquatics and outdoor
pursuits.

D: Do it Daily for Life- Students will assume responsibility to lead an active way of life.
Specific Learning Outcomes: Students will:
A9-5 Apply and refine ways to receive, retain and send an object with increased speed, accuracy and distance in skills
specific to an activity

D9-1 Participate regularly in, and realize the benefits of, an active lifestyle
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will:
1. Participate in softball-based activities
ASSESSMENTS
Observations: Key Questions:
- Student participation - Are students enjoying exercise?
- Student enjoyment and engagement - Are students engaged?
- Are students building an enjoyment for health
and wellness?
Written/Performance Assessments:
- Student participation
LEARNING RESOURCES CONSULTED
Resource #1: Program of Studies
Resource #2: Teacher created resources
Resource #3: Safety Guidelines for Physical Activity in Alberta Schools
MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT
 Gym strip
 Softball
 Field
 Pylons

PROCEDURE
Introduction (10 min.):
Pre-class Setup: teacher should prepare the gym for fit 15, prepare the remaining materials like attendance list,
equipment, etc.

Introduction/Attention Grabber:
- Take attendance (have students sit in squads for attendance) and waiver forms
- Explain agenda for the day

Transition to Body: Explain the softball-based activities that students will be participating in for the class
Body (50 min.):
Learning Activity #1: Fit 15
Teacher Prompts/Cues/Explanations
 15 minutes of a fitness routine selected from the fit 15 booklet handed out to students on the first day
 Today will be FIT HORSE
 The fitness-based basketball game of horse
 Horse is played with a minimum of two people in a group, one of the players shoots the basketball at
the basketball net from anywhere they want to
 If the first player gets the ball in the net, the second player must also get the ball in from the exact
same shoot or shot, if the second player misses the shot that player receives a letter until the word is
spelt and that player loses the game (H-O-R-S-E)
 If the first player misses the shot, the next player then decides the spot and everyone in the group
must match it and so on
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  In this version of horse, the teacher writes the letters on the board and each letter represents an
exercise that the player must perform if they receive that letter
 Teacher’s choice on what exercise and how many reps for each letter (example: H-20 situps, O- 10
burpees, R- 10 pushups, S- 20 jumping jacks, E- 15 squats)

Student Actions
 Students listen and follow rules/instructions
 Participate

Head outside after Fit 15

Learning Activity #2: Throwing and catching skill development

Teacher Prompts/Cues/Explanations
- Teacher divides students into pairs to work together on throwing and catching a football\
- Teacher must explain three key concepts to students:
 Hand positioning: To throw a softball you first need to have the ball in your hand that you are going to
throw the ball with. Your other hand will have your mit on it. You will have your index, middle, and ring
fingers on the laces of the ball. Your thumb will be under the ball for support. Your pinkie will be tucked
under.
 Throwing: After you have the ball in your hand, you will bring that same arm back by your head. Turn your
wrist so you can see the back of your hand. After you have turned your wrist cock your wrist back.
Bring your arm with the ball forward, with momentum. This is starting the actual throw. When the ball passes
by your head you will want to release it. You can release it a little after it passes your head.
While you are doing those steps your arm with the mit on it is working too. First if you are playing infield,
which is what I will be teaching you, your arm differs whereas if you were to be playing outfield. The arm
with the mit will be by your side. Then when you bring your arm with the ball back, your elbow of the arm
with the mit on will point to your target.
 Stance: While you are performing the previous steps, you have to be in a stance. When your arm is back, and
your other arm is pointing you are in an "X" stance because it looks like an X. Your legs are shoulder width
apart.
Now that you are in the "X" stance step with your foot that is forward to start your throw. Once you've taken
your step you start to bring the arm with the ball forward. While you are doing this, your body will twist with
you, this helps with your momentum.
 Catching: When a person is throwing the ball at you extend your arm with the mit on it ready to catch the
oncoming ball.  To open the mit, open your hand and spread your fingers.
When the ball is in your mit squeeze your fingers to capture the ball, you want the ball to land in the pocket
of the mit.
When the ball is secure, step with the foot that is on the same side as your throwing arm. You will be crossing
your legs.
After you have taken your first step, you will step with your other foot, so it is in front of the foot that took
the first step.
Simultaneously, your throwing arm will reach into the mit and grab the ball. You will take the ball out of the
mit and be ready to throw.

Student Actions
 Students listen and follow rules/instructions
 Participate

Learning Activity #3: Batting skill development

Softball hitting is one of the most, if the not the most, important part of the sport. When it comes to hitting, you need
to make sure you have enough skill to get yourself on base more often than not. If you don't, the coach just might sit
you down because you simply aren't able to produce runs for your team.
Therefore, softball hitting technique is essential. These five tips give you some insight on proper hitting technique.
- Grip: when gripping the bat, the hitter applies pressure with the fingers, not the palms. She grips the bat
where the calluses are. The bottom hand (left hand for a right-handed batter) controls the bat, and the top
hand supports the bat loosely. The bottom hand grips the bat as a person would grip a hammer or a golf club.
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 The top hand is placed against the bottom hand with a straight line. The arms are not crossed. The bat is
gripped loosely - no white knuckles here - and the wrists have flexibility. Some hitters curl the index finger of
the top hand so that it only lightly touches the bat. For better bat control the player may choke up on the bat
by moving both hands several inches up from the knob. Of course, a choke grip means a shorter bat and less
power.
- Hand position: the hands start close to the body about three to four inches in front of the chest and between
the shoulders. Both elbows are down, and the shoulders are tension free. Some players prefer a little
movement back and forth with the hands and shoulders to keep them loose. We call this position the power
position, or power alley.
- Swing: the swing begins with the legs and hips (the hands and shoulders stay back.) The hitter pushes off the
ball of the back foot as the softball approaches the plate. The back knee will begin to move in, and the hips
begin to rotate. During rotation the hips remain parallel to the ground. During the movement of the legs and
hips, it is vital that the head and eyes remain level and still. As the hands begin to move the knob of the bat
toward the ball, the hitter does not allow the bat head to fall below the hands. The lead arm maintains a 90-
degree angle. This method of approaching the ball ensures a shorter arc and a more compact swing. One of
the most important body parts is the front shoulder. Stress to the hitter to drive the front shoulder to the ball.
If the front shoulder pulls away from the ball, the following problems might happen.

 The head will come out of the proper position and eye contact with the ball will be reduced.
 The back shoulder will drop down, which creates an unlevel position for the shoulders in their
approach to the ball.
 The hands will drop, creating a loop in the swing.
 The back leg will collapse and eliminate any positive hip action in the swing.

The batter should allow the front shoulder to track the ball from the pitcher's hand to the contact zone. As the
bat is approaching the ball, the arms remain bent. If the arms are extended too early in the swing, the swing
arc will be too large, and hitter will sacrifice bat speed and power. As the hands move closer to contact, the
top hand begins to rotate so that at contact the palm is nearly facing up. The hips continue to rotate as the
hitter approaches the contact point. The back leg continues to drive into a now firm front leg, and the back toe
begins to turn toward the pitcher.
- Contact: The contact spot for a pitch down the middle is directly opposite the front hip. If the player were
delivering a punch, she would want the recipient to be standing at this spot to receive the maximum blow.
Contact for an inside pitch occurs sooner, in front of the body, and the hips must open earlier. On an inside
pitch the batter should drive the back elbow into the body to get the hands out sooner and open the hips more
quickly. For an outside pitch the contact spot is between the center of the body and back hip, so the batter
must wait on the ball. The hips stay closed until contact, and then the back hip drives through. The hands are
well ahead of the bat head on an outside pitch. The batter must be patient and wait for the ball to come to her.
By using good rotation of the hips, the hitter can hit just as hard to the opposite field as she does when pulling
a pitch. The player must understand where to make contact with different pitches so that she can hit the ball
hard at each location. This is what we mean when we say, "Hit the ball where it is pitched."
At contact, both arms are bent close to the 90 degrees and the bat is driven through the ball on a level plane.
After the ball has left the bat, both arms are fully extended. Both arms are straight, and the hitter should be
looking down both arms and the barrel of the bat, and the V between them points directly at the contact spot.
As full extension of the arm reached, deceleration occurs, and the bat loses speed. The hitter moves her head
down at contact and feels her chest go to the ball while maintaining a firm and rigid front side. The action is
like that of a boxer driving his back hand and body into an opponent. Because of the pivot the back foot and
knee are pointing at the front leg. Most of the weight is transferred to the inside of the front foot and leg. The
body is in a balanced position with the weight on balls of the feet. The body flows into the ball.
- Follow through: The swing doesn't end when the bat contacts the ball - it is important to make sure your
players swing all the way through. After contact, the hitter should allow her arms to extend and her wrists to
roll over, ending the swing with her hands near the front shoulder and her chin on the back shoulder. The
majority of the player's weight remains on the firm front leg, and the back shoulder, hip and knee should be
aligned.

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Game #1: Homerun derby

Teacher Prompts/Cues/Explanations
 Homerun derby is played on the football field
 Teacher divides students into two groups, three or four batters and the rest of the students are
outfielders
 One student from the batters group gets to bat, each student gets 5 bats or 3 outs (out is if one of the
fielders catches the ball before it hits the ground)
 Batter group starts on the endzone line of the football field and bats towards centre field
 Students score points when they are batting, depending on what yard marker the ball lands on after
they hit it at bat is their score, the student with the greatest number of points at the end wins
 After a student bats they become an outfielder and one of the outfielders rotate in to become a batter

Student Actions
 Students listen and follow rules/instructions
 Participate

Supervision

• On-site supervision is recommended following initial skill instruction and after all safety concerns have been
emphasized.

Instructional Considerations

 Students should be taught to lay down or drop the bat after hitting and to not release it during the follow-
through of the swing.
 Non-fielding players should stand well back of the batter’s box or behind a screen or fence. (Keep fingers
away from the screen.)

 A commit line should be used at home plate.

 If an umpire is used, he/she should not be positioned behind home plate. He/she should stand behind the
pitcher, behind the screen or outside the baselines.

 Back catcher should be located a safe distance behind home plate. A back catcher is not intended to catch
the pitch but rather to retrieve the ball. Only a back catcher (not a catcher) should be used for in-class
activity softball.

 Bats should be stored behind backstop when not in use.

 Students should not be allowed to slide into bases.

 Force play rule at all bases including home plate should be used.

 Students should be taught to use proper grip (not cross-handed) when batting.

Equipment/Facilities

 Bats should be free of cracks and have a proper grip.

 Aluminum bats should have adequate grip.

 Slow pitch balls or restricted flight balls only should be used.

 If using a regulation softball, batters and base runners should wear helmets, and fielders should wear gloves.

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  Metal and compound cleats must not be worn.

 Molded baseball cleats or running shoes may be worn.

 For soccer-baseball or volley-baseball, do not use a bat.

 Catcher's mask and chest protector should be worn for softball and T-ball.

 Short bats with a wide diameter and larger lightweight balls are an appropriate

 NB: Baseball (hardball) is not suitable for the physical education setting.

Assessments/Differentiation: Observe student participation and adapt games/activities if necessary

Closure (10 min.):
Consolidation/Assessment of Learning: Discuss what students enjoyed
Feedback From Students: Ask if students have ideas for future games
Feedback To Students: Answer students questions
Wrap Up: Clean up