Distance Running - Lesson Plan

In the Year 5 Athletics unit, Lesson One introduces students to the fundamentals of distance running. The objectives of this lesson are threefold: to teach the basic technique required for sustained running, to help students understand their body's response to continuous exercise, and to impart the concept of pacing to complete a course within a given time frame. The resources required for this lesson include cones, hoops, and a speed bounce or similar obstacle, with a literacy focus on terms such as 'pacing', 'steady speed', and 'breathing rate'. The success criteria set clear goals: students aim to run longer distances, complete a running relay lasting over five minutes, and learn to adjust their performance for better outcomes.

The lesson begins with a warm-up activity called 'Speed Bounce', where students jump over an obstacle for 30 seconds, working in pairs and keeping track of their completions. This is followed by a 15-minute game of 'Ball Tag', where students move within a defined space and tag each other, with adaptations such as performing star jumps when tagged. The main activity involves 10 minutes of continuous running around a large circle of cones, encouraging students to find a comfortable and sustainable pace, which can also be adapted to a paired event with runners switching every two minutes. The lesson concludes with a cool-down activity called 'Human Letters', where students work in pairs to form letters of the alphabet as directed, either standing or lying down.