Date: May 13, 1998

Grade Level(s): 1, 2, 3

Subject(s):

• Physical Education/Games (educational)

The activity called the Sharks and Barracudas is a fun children's phys. ed. game involving tagging and chasing. This activity is geared for children at the 1st or second grade level. Their are two teams, one is the Sharks and the other is the Barracudas . This game involves thinking and having fun.

Goal: Students will learn how to play Sharks and Barracudas.

Objectives: The students will learn to:

1. Use thinking skills on when to chase the other group.
2. Control stops and tags.
3. Play fair and have fun.

Background Information:

This activity can be used with any elementary grade level.  You just have to modify. This lesson involves the sharks and barracudas and trying to catch one another.  The lesson teaches students on how to play and other variations associated with this game. Students will have a lot of fun participating in this activity.

Concepts: Students will be able to:

1.  Students will understand the basic tagging techniques and how to use them to their advantage.
2.  Students will have to learn thinking strategies so they do not end up being caught by the other group.

Materials:

15-20 orange cones
5-7 flags

Procedure:

1.  All of the students will come to the center of the gym.

2.  The students will form a circle and count off by twos.  Once that is done the teacher will select a leader for each group.  One group will be the sharks and the other will be the barracudas.

3.  Each group will go to the end line on each end of the gym.

4.  The object of the game is for the group that is sneaking up on the other group, is to try to get away without being tagged from the other group.

5.  The game starts out with the sharks sneaking up real slowly behind the barracudas, which have their backs to the sharks.

6.  Once the barracudas leader feel the sharks are getting close enough to be caught, he or she yells out: Here come the Sharks!

7.  The barracudas take off and try to catch as many sharks as possible.  Each shark that is tagged now and becomes a member of the barracudas.

8.  Now it is the barracudas turn to sneak up on the sharks.  Once the sharks leader feels that the barracudas are close enough he or she yells out: Here come the Barracudas. The sharks turn around and chase the barracudas tagging as many as they can.

9.  The ones that are tagged now become sharks.

10.  Each group used running to catch the other members of the other group.  Now the students will have to skip to tag the other group.

11.  The teacher can also modify different techniques for chasing and tagging.
 

Assessment:

1.  Ask the students to give ideas on when they decided to yell here come the sharks.

2.  What type of strategies were used in tagging the other groups?

3.  How well did each student listen to the directions?

4.  What other ways could you play this game?