WOW Game Title: Ocean Exploration 1
Physical Education Game: Parachute Exploration
Content Area: Math
TEKS Focus: Adding and Rounding
Subtraction
Multiplication/Division
Fraction Concepts
Physical Education Unit: Cooperation, Muscular Strength and Flexibility
Grade: 3
Resource: www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/ocean/Waves.html
Parachute Ocean Exploration 1 by Pam Atkins
Equipment/Materials: 1-20’or 24’ parachute, drum and mallet, whistle can be used.
Set Up: Prior to activity, teacher discusses with students “What causes ocean waves?”
The winds cause waves on the surface of the ocean (and on lakes.) The wind transfers some of its
energy to the water through friction between the air molecules and the water molecules. Stronger
winds (like storm surges) cause larger waves. Waves of water do not move horizontally, they only
move up and down (a wave does not represent a flow of water.) You can see a demonstration of
this by watching a floating buoy bob up and down with a wave; it does not, however, move
horizontally with the wave.
Activity:
Lay parachute on ground with students evenly distributed around parachute. Prior to students
touching parachute, teach students drum beat cues: 1 beat = hands on parachute and stand up, 2
beats = put parachute on ground, students sit down and hands in lap, fast repetitive drum beats =
students stand up holding edge of parachute and shake parachute creating “small ocean waves”,
slow repetitive drum beats = students stand up holding edge of parachute and extend arms up and
then bend at waist and knees taking arms all the way down in slow motion creating “giant ocean
waves.”
After students are taught the drum beat cues, then teacher beats cues and takes class
through an “ocean wave exploration.” During this exploration, teacher may designate which
students are permitted to go “under the ocean.” When going under students should lay on
abdominals with head down on forearms. Students will experience the wind creating the waves!
Variations:
 There are numerous ways to designate which students go under the parachute. One way is
to assign each student a number. Teacher may choose to call out numbers at random, even
numbers, odd numbers, multiples, etc. For upper grades, teacher may choose to call out
math equations. The student which is assigned the answer number may go under the
parachute. For example, 2x8, 9 divided by 3, etc.
Review Questions:
Skill Focus: Which muscles did we strengthen while working with the parachute?
Academic Focus: What mathematic equations did you get correct or incorrect?