And Freeze!

I like this activity because it can be used from K-5 with some minor adaptations! Having a game like this up your sleeve can help keep any teacher in a pinch!

Written by: Angela Thao, Isabelle Lim, Jean Back and Rachel Burnette

P.E. Lesson: And Freeze!

Grade: 2nd and 3rd grade  

Overview of the PE lesson:

                    Students will engage in physical activities that will require them to apply listening skills to physical concepts. Students will practice balance and coordination while listening to musical cues. 

Objectives: 

• Students will be able to:
  • Execute basic physical concepts such as skipping, jogging, jumping jacks, squatting, dancing, etc. 

• listen and follow commands
• Hold a position for 5-8 seconds. 

Materials needed 

• CD Player
• Upbeat Music
• Large open space for students 

UDL Connection: Include Projector for projecting images and videos for additional support. Teachers can also include a hand signal in addition to “Freeze.” 

Opening

                    The teacher starts the lesson by prompting the students to jog in place and explains that when he/she says “Freeze” they have to immediately stop and not move at all. The teacher can act out the word “Freeze” to support the English Language Learners as well as the children with special needs in the class. The teacher prompts the students to move again, but this time for a round of jumping jacks and again for a round of skipping, each time prompting the children to stay still when they hear, “Freeze!” The teacher will explain that this is how we will be playing the game today. 

UDL Connection: We can add technology such as projector and video access for students who may benefit from visual aid in executing exercise. In addition to teachers verbal instructions, students may also refer to visual aid projected on the screen. This will allow other students to maximize their performance.

Body of the lesson

                    As this is a highly physical activity with a lot of moving parts, the students will be asked to spread out throughout the open space so that everyone will have space to move. The teacher will explain that once the music starts, the students should start moving according to the moves decided by the teacher, e.g. jogging, jumping jacks or skipping. They should continue to move until the music stops. If the music stops, the students must freeze in whatever position they happen to be in at the time and hold the position until the music starts again. If they move, they are out and must sit until the next round. 

                    Accommodations will be made for children with special needs. For example, if a child has Tourette’s syndrome and is unable to stay still the whole time, the teacher will adjust for that student.

UDL Connection: Provide flexible opportunity to demonstrate skills. Offer opportunities for students to create their own “And Freeze” routine. Students can work in small groups and use their knowledge of various exercise moves to create a new routine. We can add it to our class list and use it for the exercise game. This will allow teachers to assess other variety of ways students are learning. In addition, students can also provide modification alternative to their routine(s). 

Closing and Formative Assessment

                    After they complete physical activities, the teacher asks students to pair share and the teacher listens to them. It is better to do this 10 minutes before the class ends.  The goal for this assessment is that the students can identify their challenges and the teacher can modify the activity in the future according to the students’ ability to complete the activity.

1. One Formative Assessment:

Some example questions are below.

1) What activities were really easy and what activities were hard for you? (was activity easy or hard for you?)

2) Why was it hard?

3) How can you get better with this activity?

2. Analyzing each student’s work during the class

                    Another formative assessment is analyzing each student’s work. This assessment will take place during that class by the teacher through observing students’ performance.  The teacher writes down each student’s name and takes notes on how well each of them succeeded in the physical activity of freezing. For example, if the student continued to move instead of freezing, the teacher makes a check mark the table box of “performs without control”. If the student is able to hold for 5-10 seconds without moving, the teacher checks the table box of “performs with control.”

Additional Unit incorporation

                    This activity could be a part of the locomotor and non-locomotor movement unit that serves to answer the overarching question: “What are different ways we can move our bodies to engage in physical activity?.”  In this unit, students will learn what locomotor (i.e., movement that involves traveling) and non-locomotor movement (i.e., movement while stationary) are. For locomotor movement, the students will think of ways to move their bodies from point A to point B.  For instance, a student may suggest that skipping can take you from one place to another. For non-locomotor movement, students will imagine ways to move the body while staying stationary (i.e., squatting, stretching, etc.). Students will practice non-locomotor and locomotor movements in the classroom.  For example, we will infuse physical activity within performing arts (i.e., dance, music) to ensure that students are actively learning about the various movements and becoming physically active.  

UDL Connection: Teachers can show videos of various dances and exercises that incorporate the use of moving from point A to point B.  Furthermore, students can take the previous task of creating their own movements and incorporate and locomotion factor. Students can peer teach their class routine using creative methods. This will allow them to use a method of preference as well as challenge them to make modifications. Furthermore, teachers can expand the space in order to accommodate for students of various abilities to move more freely. 

                    The “Freeze” activity, within the unit, will be introduced at the beginning of the school year, since it is less rigorous and demanding.  Furthermore, students will learn how to move their bodies with simple movements as well as develop spatial awareness. This lesson will help create a foundation for students to build upon their skills to acquire more competence in physical activity (i.e., hand-eye coordination, dancing, etc.).  Overall, our unit will incorporate locomotor and non-locomotor skills, balance, coordination, movement, and spatial awareness to help students engage in physical activity.  

References: https://www.teacher.org/lesson-plan/and-freeze/