Lesson Plan: The All-About-Me Action Course!

Materials Needed:

• An open space for movement (living room with furniture pushed back, a backyard, etc.)
• 4-5 pillows, cushions, or folded towels to create "stations"
• A small, soft ball
• Index cards or small pieces of paper
• A pen or marker

Subject: Physical Education & Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)

Grade Level: 4th-5th Grade (Age 10)

Time Allotment: 45 minutes

1. Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:

• Use gross motor skills (jumping, balancing, throwing) to express personal preferences and facts.
• Listen actively to learn new things about their partner(s).
• Creatively design a unique physical movement to represent a personal characteristic or interest.

2. Alignment with Standards and Curriculum

• Social-Emotional Learning (CASEL Framework): Targets Self-Awareness (identifying personal interests and strengths) and Social Awareness (listening to and understanding others' perspectives).
• National PE Standards (SHAPE America): Addresses Standard 4 (Exhibits responsible personal and social behavior) and Standard 5 (Recognizes the value of physical activity for health, enjoyment, challenge, self-expression, and/or social interaction).

3. Instructional Strategies & Lesson Procedure (45 minutes)

Part 1: The "This-or-That" Warm-Up (5 minutes)

This activity gets the body moving while making quick choices.

1. Designate one side of the room as "A" and the other side as "B".
2. The teacher calls out a "This-or-That" choice. For example: "Dogs (A) or Cats (B)?"
3. The student quickly moves to the side of the room that represents their choice.
4. Do several fun rounds with different movement instructions.
   • "Hop to your choice: Reading a book or watching a movie?"
   • "Walk like a crab to your choice: Sweet snacks or salty snacks?"
   • "Skip to your choice: Summer or Winter?"

Part 2: Personal Preference Obstacle Course (15 minutes)

This is the core activity, combining physical challenges with sharing.

1. Set up 4 "stations" in the room using the pillows.
2. At each station, place an index card with a question and a motor task.
3. The student (and teacher!) moves through the course one at a time, performing the task and answering the question out loud.
4. Example Stations:
   • Station 1 (Pillow 1): "What is your favorite food?" -- Task: Do 5 jumping jacks while saying your answer.
   • Station 2 (Pillow 2): "If you could have any superpower, what would it be?" -- Task: Balance on one foot for 10 seconds.
   • Station 3 (Pillow 3): "What is a place you want to visit?" -- Task: Bear crawl from this pillow to the next one.
   • Station 4 (Pillow 4): "What is your favorite subject to learn about?" -- Task: Toss the ball into the air and catch it 3 times.
5. After everyone has gone through once, change the questions and repeat for a second round.

Part 3: Create-a-Move Charades (15 minutes)

This activity encourages creative thinking and application.

1. Each person secretly thinks of one thing about themselves they haven't shared yet (e.g., a hobby, a favorite animal, a talent).
2. Instead of acting it out traditionally, they must invent a brand new, unique physical movement or short sequence of moves to represent that thing. For example:
   • For "I like to draw," someone might make a big circular motion with one arm (the paper) and then a small, quick scribbling motion with the other hand.
   • For "My favorite animal is a cheetah," someone might do a slow crouching motion followed by three quick running-in-place steps.
3. Take turns performing the created move. The other person tries to guess what fact or interest the move represents.
4. After a correct guess, the creator explains *why* they chose that movement.

Part 4: Cool-Down & Reflection (10 minutes)

This brings the energy down and reinforces what was learned.

1. Sit on the floor and lead some simple stretches (e.g., touch your toes, butterfly stretch).
2. While stretching, go around and have each person share:
   • "One new thing I learned about you today is..."
   • "My favorite activity we did was..."

4. Differentiation and Inclusivity

• For Extra Support:
  • Simplify the motor tasks (e.g., 2 jumping jacks instead of 5; balance with a hand on a wall).
  • Provide sentence starters for the sharing portions ("My favorite food is...") or provide choices on the index cards.
  • In Create-a-Move, the teacher can help the student brainstorm movements.
• For an Extra Challenge:
  • Make the motor tasks more complex (e.g., balance on one foot with eyes closed; do burpees instead of jumping jacks).
  • In Create-a-Move, require a sequence of three distinct moves.
  • Add a rule where you can't repeat any type of movement (e.g., if someone jumped, you can't use jumping in your creation).
• Inclusivity: The questions are open-ended and draw on universal experiences (food, places, interests), making them accessible to any student. The focus on individual creation celebrates unique perspectives.

5. Assessment Methods

• Formative (Observation): The teacher will observe the student's participation, engagement, and willingness to share during all activities. Are they listening when others speak?
• Performance-Based (Summative): The "Create-a-Move Charades" activity serves as the primary assessment. The teacher will evaluate the student's ability to creatively synthesize a personal fact into a physical movement, demonstrating achievement of the core objective.
• Exit Ticket (Verbal): The cool-down question, "What is one new thing you learned about your partner?" assesses active listening and retention.