Gymnastics 1 - Lesson 5

In the fifth session of the Year 3 Gymnastics 1 course, students aim to master performing shapes while in flight, both on and off gymnastics equipment. The lesson's success criteria are focused on ensuring pupils can travel safely on and over apparatus and can land safely, extending their arms and bending their knees. The key vocabulary introduced includes terms such as 'entrance', 'exit', 'fluidity', 'control', 'balance', and 'flight'. Essential equipment for this lesson includes gymnastics mats and cones. The warm-up consists of simple stretching exercises led by the class teacher, followed by a 'Follow the Leader' activity where pupils explore different methods of travelling and balancing.

The main part of the lesson lasts 30 minutes and involves the use of various gymnastics apparatus such as benches, boxes of varying heights, balancing beams, and springboards, all surrounded by safety mats. Pupils learn how to safely set up and transition between equipment, encouraging creativity in their routines. Safety is emphasised, with modelling of correct usage and the implementation of a 'HI 5' system to manage turns. Students practice entrance and exit techniques, perform pencil shapes in flight, and focus on landing with 'squashy' knees. They rotate every 4-5 minutes to try different apparatus, with opportunities to extend their learning by attempting various jumps and spins. The session concludes with a cool-down where pupils play a game involving gymnastics shapes and reflect on their performance and areas for improvement while lying on their backs.