Gymnastics 3 - Lesson 5

In the fifth lesson of Gymnastics 3 for Year 4 pupils, the learning objective is to apply previously learned skills to create small gymnastic routines. The lesson begins with a warm-up called 'Shape statues', where pupils move around the area to music and, when the music stops, they form specific shapes called out by the teacher, such as pike, straddle, tuck, star, dish, arch, front support, and stretched (or pencil). The key teaching point during the warm-up is to maintain straight arms and legs with pointed fingers and toes, while for the dish and arch, pupils must lift their limbs off the floor and press their stomach or back against it. The warm-up aims to refresh the pupils' memory of the shapes and body positions they've been focusing on in recent lessons.

Following the warm-up, the main activity involves a dice game that extends the warm-up's concept. Pupils move around the area to music, and when it stops, the teacher rolls two dice to determine the shape and how it should be performed, such as performing a straddle shape on a bench. Pupils are then divided into groups of four to create a small routine incorporating the four basic shapes, two balances, different travel, one roll, and two linking movements, with the routine lasting between 45 seconds to 1 minute. The lesson concludes with a cool-down activity named 'Trust us!', where groups of three pupils gently rock a middle pupil back and forth to maintain body tension. This gymnastics lesson helps pupils build confidence in performing and creating routines while reinforcing the importance of precision and control in body movements.