This second week has gone well, with fewer technology hiccups. I am pleased to observe that my physical presence has not been necessary for these games to work as intended, which is also the positive feedback that I have received from you all who have implemented my games in your PE classrooms. For the games to be truly successful, they should not require me, the same way that Montessori materials do not have to be presented by Maria Montessori herself for them to be successful. It can be difficult watching adults struggle with students behavior issues in the PE class however. I can’t do too much in real time to help them, but we discuss strategies afterwords. I can talk to the students I see misbehaving, but I am in my office versus actually being in the environment. I think many of us who have remote teaching components wish we could be in person. Anyway, without further ado I have the write up for Planet Scale: Social Distancing Edition finished and included in this blog post, as well as the free resources section on the website. Use it and let me know how goes with your classroom pod!
Planet Scale
Social Distancing Version
Introduction: This is an impressionistic game that helps children understand planet size. This game uses hockey or soccer and geometry to compare the sizes of planets in our solar system. Tennis balls or soccer balls will represent either moons or the planet Earth, and each made goal will add to a sum that the children are trying to achieve to create one of the planets in the solar system. This game can be very exciting for the students as they all work together. The teacher(s) will have to be very attentive during the game to keep track of all the goals that are being made during the game.
Materials:
· A large open space (such as a gym or field)
· A rubber polydisc dot per student
· A counter would be very helpful, but not required
· Many small portable (and collapsible) goals; at least four, but could be one per player depending on the size of the class and as well as how many goals you have
o If using hockey equipment
§ A hockey stick per student in the class. It is good to have a variety of sizes to accommodate all the different body sizes.
o If using soccer equipment
§ At least one soccer ball per student, and it may be worth having a variety of sizes to accommodate all the different body sizes.
Prior Knowledge: Introduction to planets and solar system
Presentation
· Begin with an explanation of congruence, similarity, and equivalence. To demonstrate congruence, use two identical tennis balls or soccer balls and explain that these are the same size and shape; they are identical. Similarity requires a soccer ball and a smaller ball of the same basic shape (sphere). The soccer ball and tennis ball are the same shape, but not the same size. For the explanation of equivalence, bring up some students to stand next to you, the teacher. Make an educated guess on how many children it would take to make your weight and bring them up next to you. Explain to the students that you are equivalent in size to the students next to you because their weights added together would equal your own.
· Arrange the goals so that they are on the perimeter of the playing area, which if it is a rectangular shape, should be on the long sides. Arrange dots close to the middle of the playing area, but appropriately spaced for social distancing. There should be around two to three sports per goal.
· Have the students, one-by-one, select a hockey stick and tennis ball (or soccer ball), and find one of the polydisc spots to stand on. This will be their spot for the rest of the game.
· Explain that the (soccer or tennis) balls are going to be equivalent to the Earth’s moon. Every time someone makes a goal, they are creating the same mass as the moon. Everyone is working together to create the different planets of the solar system by adding together all the baskets (aka moons) that it takes to make the mass of that planet. The teacher will do their best to tally all the baskets that are being scored until they reach the objective.
· The students must shoot while having one foot on their spot. They should not move their spot closer or farther away. Whether they make or miss the shot, they need to leave their spot and retrieve the ball, bring back to their spot, and try again. When they are getting the ball from the goal, they don’t want to accidentally block their friends shots (if multiple people are shooting at one goal).
· Mercury is equivalent to about three Earth moons. Venus and Earth are each equivalent to about forty-nine moons. Mars would be equivalent to about eight moons. Once we get to Jupiter, take a break to explain to the students how many more moons this planet is going to take. Jupiter is equivalent to about 64,729 moons. Saturn is equivalent to about 37,387 moons. Uranus is equivalent to about 3,087 moons, and Neptune is equivalent to 2,827 moons.
· Because it would essentially be impossible for the children to complete 64,729 baskets in the time allotted for PE class, the scale of the basketball needs to be changed from Earth moons to Earths. This would change Jupiter to 1,321 baskets, Saturn to 763 baskets, and Uranus to 63 baskets, and finally Neptune to 57 baskets.
· When the teacher says, “go,” all the students begin shooting their (tennis or soccer) balls. When the planet is finished, the instructor should freeze the game, announce that they are moving on to the next planet, and continue.
· The children will most likely not finish the whole solar system during the first lesson, so the game could be continued to the next P.E. session.
· Once the task is complete, the teacher should give the students an extra challenge of making the equivalent baskets for the Sun. It would approximately 1.3 million baskets to create the Sun! This will be met with groans or wows, so the children would obviously not try to complete that challenge but appreciate how impossibly large the Sun is compared to planets in our solar system.
Aims:
Direct: To reinforce the names of the planets as well as their relative sizes
Indirect: To learn the term equivalence, similarity, and congruence
Physical Skills practiced:
· Using hockey sticks for shooting at goals
· Kicking soccer balls at goals
Control Of Error: The teacher
Points of Interest: The number of goals it takes to find equivalence to larger planets
Age: 6-9 and 9-12