Oct 20, 2015
Group Teach 5 Lesson Plan: Outdoor Education
Lisa Jensen, Cristina Moretti, Christine Park and Audrey Sargent
Lesson/Activity Theme: Alternate environment/outdoor education
Grade Level: 3
Number of Students: 32
Class length: 45 minutes
Equipment: gym vests, bean bags
Aims and Objectives
Aim
To provide an introduction to alternate environment activities, which is one of the five
activity categories required for a balanced physical education.
To foster respect for Indigenous knowledge, promote physical literacy, and socialemotional learning.
Objectives
Students will:
 Learn the dances associated with the animal representatives of the four Gitxsan
clans (motor and cognitive).
 Play a modified version of freeze tag as an invasion game (motor and cognitive).
 Cool-down as a practice of mindfulness by walking in silence (affective).
Curricular Competencies (Revised Curriculum 2015)
 Develop and apply a variety of fundamental movement skills in a variety of
physical activities and environments.
 Apply a variety of movement concepts and strategies in different physical
activities.
 Develop and demonstrate safety, fair play, and leadership in physical activities.
 Identify and explain factors that contribute to positive experiences in different
physical activities.
 Explain how participation in outdoor activities supports connections with the
community and environment.
 Identify and apply strategies that promote mental well-being.
Prescribed Learning Outcomes (Integrated Resource Package 2006, Grade 3 PE
Curriculum)
 A5: Participate in vigorous physical activity.
 B1: Demonstrate an ability to balance in a variety of activities
 C1: Demonstrate safe behaviours while participating in a variety of physical
activities.
 C2: Demonstrate respect and encouragement for others during a variety of types
of physical activity
Safety concerns
Outdoor areas are uncontrolled environments, so precautions must be taken by the
educator(s) to ensure that the grounds are suitable for use. Safety is the biggest concern
in these environments, and policies and guidelines issued by the school, school board
and province must be adhered to when conducting classes in an alternate environment
(Robinson & Randall, 2014, 223). In general, grounds should be scanned ahead of
lesson time for unacceptable hazards (e.g. flooding rivers, poison ivy, presence of large
predators) and acceptable hazards must be identified and communicated to students
(e.g. prickle bushes). Upon arrival to the grounds, educator(s) must establish and
communicate clear and safe boundaries for the students. Safe boundaries are visible to
the students and keep the students visible to the educator(s). Have a protocol in place
for lost students: tell them to stay where they are, shout for help, and wait until help
arrives.
Outline of Activities
Instant Activity - Beatmaster
Time: 5 minutes
Location: Osborne Gym A
Lead facilitator: Christine
Lesson
1. The class is called to stand in a circle in the middle of the gym. Christine
explains game play (below) and does a demonstration of how to play in the roles
of beatmaster and detective, and how to copy movements. Emphasizes having
fun and exploring different movements without judging oneself against others.
Game Play
Role definitions: The beatmaster is the group leader who selects and changes the
movements. The detective is the game player who must guess who the beatmaster is.
1. The class stands in a large circle. The facilitator selects a volunteer to be the
detective. The detective covers their eyes and ears so that the beatmaster
selection can be made without them knowing who it is.
2. The facilitator takes a volunteer for the beatmaster. Once the beatmaster has
been selected they start making a movement of their choice.
3. The detective is asked to open their eyes and make up to 3 guesses on who the
beatmaster is. The beatmaster should change their movement frequently, but is
allowed to be strategic about when they do so to avoid getting caught. Anytime
they change their movement the whole group must copy the new movement.
4. Once the beatmaster has been successfully guessed, or the detective runs out of
guesses the beatmaster becomes the new detective and the game starts over.
Beatmaster is adapted from a game played at Tamwood International summer camps,
where Christine worked in the summer of 2015. The original source is unknown.
Warm-up: Gitxsan Clans
Time: 5 minutes
Location: Osborne Gym A and Thunderbird Blvd
Lead facilitator: Audrey
1. Christine will divide the class into 4 groups at the end of the instant activity.
2. Audrey will name each of these four groups as one of the Gitxsan clans, each
with an a leader from the team teach group:
Audrey – Wolf
Lisa - Eagle
Cristina – Frog
Christine - Fireweed
3. Each of the 4 clan dances will be demonstrated, with Audrey speaking about
Indigenous education, respecting the land that we will play our games on and
respecting and supporting each other while we are together as a
class/community.
4. The class will walk to the forest in their clan groups for our main activity doing the
clan dances (as called by Audrey, and Kenthen as drummer).
Quick Frozen Critters
Time: 20 minutes
Location: Forest off Thunderbird Blvd
Lead facilitators: Lisa and Cristina
Lesson
1. Describe boundary lines with students for playing area, establishing one end as
the “food source” and the other as the “shelter”. Describe game play (below).
2. Choose one clan to start as the predators. As the game progresses, each clan
will have a turn being predators.
3. Ask “prey” to each carry a bean bag and place it in the food area, and for
predators to grab a gym vest to wear during the round.
4. Practice running and balance skills by having students run while a facilitator
shouts, “Go, go, go...” and then freezing when facilitator shouts, “Stop!” Discuss
successful strategies for stopping quickly.
Game Play
Role Definitions: Predators are the chasers and prey are chased in this adaptation of
freeze tag.
1. Before game begins, allow predators to distribute themselves throughout the
playing area. A whistle blow begins the game.
2. The prey must move from the shelter to get a meal (bean bag) from the food
source and back to the shelter in order to survive.
3. Predators survive if they catch at least one prey by tagging.
4. Prey can stay safe from predators by:
1. Running away
2. Freezing - no talking or moving
5. If rounds do not resolve themselves within 5 minutes, a whistle blow ends the
round and the next clan receives their gym vests to have a turn being predators.
6. After final round, gather all equipment and debrief. Hand out assessment rubric
and have students self-evaluate.
Game modifications:
 Students walk only
 Animals get specific locomotor movements, like wing flapping or leaping frogs
 Increase number of meals predators and prey need in order to survive.
 Cross-curricular adaptation - Each round, instead of rotating clans, each predator
who does not capture prey becomes prey, and each prey who does not survive
becomes a predator. Population dynamics for science class can be simulated
and taught through this exercise when the facilitator records the number of
predators and prey each round.
Activity source:
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/outdoored/programs/residentialpreditor.aspx
Cool-down: Counting Colours Mindfulness Activity
Time: 5 minutes
Location: Forest to Osborne Gym A
Lead facilitator: Lisa
Method:




Gather students together in the assigned groups and ask them to count the
number of different colours while walking.
Discuss as a group about which colours they saw in the forest and the effect this
had on their mindset and appreciation for the forest.
Discuss the effects of mindfulness activities (eg. keep one in the moment, so is
useful if worried or anxious; resting the mind)
Walk in normal fashion to the gym.
Activity sources: http://www.mindfulteachers.org/2015/03/counting-sounds-mindfulwalking-practice.html
Mindfulness Training and Classroom Behavior Among Lower-Income and Ethnic
Minority Elementary School Children - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10826-013-9784-4
Reading Summary
Time: 10 minutes
Facilitators: Cristina, Christine, Audrey, Lisa
 Groups will remain in the 4 groups from the cool down activity
 Each facilitator will take their group into a corner of the gym and facilitate a
discussion of the readings based on the summary and guiding questions
Outdoor Activity Self-Assessment Rubric
My favourite part of the outdoor activity
was ….
I liked it because …
A new movement I tried today was …..
Something I learned about this way of
moving is ….
This is one way in which I helped,
encouraged, or worked together with other
students/animals:
This is one way I showed respect to the
forest and the living things in it.
A new outdoor activity I would like to try is
…
Resources:
Black, D.S., Fernando, R. (2014). “Mindfulness Training and Classroom Behavior
Among Lower-Income and Ethnic Minority Elementary School Children”. Journal
of Child and Family Studies, 23 (7), 1242-1246. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10826013-9784-4
British Columbia Ministry of Education. (2006). Integrated Resource Package: Physical
Education K-7. Retrieved from
http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/pdfs/physical_education/2006pek7_3.pdf
British Columbia Ministry of Education (2015). BC’s New Curriculum: Physical and
Health Education, Grade 3. Retrieved from
https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/physical-health-education/3
Hannay, C. (2015). “Counting Sounds: A Mindful Walking Practice”. Mindful Teachers.
Retrieved from http://www.mindfulteachers.org/2015/03/counting-sounds-mindfulwalking-practice.html
Outdoor Environmental Education Programs - Predator/Prey Relationships.
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/outdoored/programs/residentialpreditor.aspx
Robinson & Randall. (2014). Teaching Physical Education Today (Canadian
Perspectives). Thomspon Educational Publishing Inc.