Athletics - Lesson 3

Year 3 students are set to develop their throwing skills in Athletics Lesson 3, part of the Striver Lesson Plans. The lesson's learning objectives are focused on enabling pupils to employ a variety of throwing techniques and to increase the distance they can throw. Key vocabulary such as 'push', 'pull', 'heave', 'sling', and 'weight transfer' are introduced to enhance understanding of the different actions involved in throwing. Essential equipment includes a range of items like bean bags, soft balls, foam javelins, and quoits, to be used in both indoor and outdoor playing spaces. The warm-up involves organising the pupils in a circle to practice chest push throws and two-handed overhead forward throws, with the teacher providing 'push' or 'pull' instructions to test the pupils' comprehension and reaction.

The main body of the lesson spans 30 minutes and starts with pupils experimenting with throws using different parts of their arms, progressing from fingers only to using the entire arm. Emphasis is placed on the importance of weight transfer from the right leg to the left to initiate the throw, with cues like 'Shift - Lift' to guide the movement. The concept of 'Legs First, Arms Last and Fast' is introduced to teach pupils that the power of the throw comes from the lower limbs, with the arms adding speed at the end. The lesson progresses to teaching the 'pushing' action of the shot put using a size 4 soccer ball, encouraging pupils to use their legs to maximise throw distance. The session wraps up with a competitive element using the '3 cone challenge' to score points based on throwing distance, and pupils try different throws mimicking shot put, javelin, hammer, and discus. The cool down consists of gentle jogging, stretching, and reflective 'Pupil Talk' to discuss what went well and what could be improved.