Athletics - Lesson 1

In the first lesson of an athletics module tailored for Year 4 students, the primary learning objectives are for pupils to engage in running, throwing, and jumping activities, and to accurately record and measure each other's performances. The lesson begins with an energetic warm-up called the 'Vegetable game', where students perform various actions in response to fun, vegetable-themed commands, such as 'Frozen bean' and 'Spring onion'. This not only gets the children moving but also teaches them to control their body movements and listen carefully to instructions. The warm-up includes opportunities to extend the activities by increasing the pace of commands or allowing the pupils to invent their own variations.

The main part of the lesson focuses on assessing the pupils' current abilities in athletics through a series of activities. Students are divided into groups and rotate through different stations, including a 50m sprint, long jump, javelin throw, and speed bounce. Each pupil has multiple attempts at each activity, with their best performances recorded on scoresheets. The activities are designed to measure speed, distance, and accuracy, and the results are to be compared in a subsequent lesson to track improvement. The lesson concludes with a cool-down that involves an obstacle relay race, reinforcing the day's athletic skills while promoting teamwork and enjoyment. Throughout the lesson, key teaching points are emphasised, such as the correct technique for sprinting, jumping, and throwing, to ensure that students are learning the fundamental skills of athletics in a structured and supportive environment.