Squirrels and Hawks Lesson Plan

Lesson Plan #: AELP-GAM0204
Submitted by: Nils Dahlgren
Email: blue_rock4@hotmail.com
School/University/Affiliation: University of Portland, Portland, OR
Endorsed by: Sydney Steinbock
University of Portland, Portland, OR

Date: January 2, 2002

Grade Level: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Subject(s):

Physical Education/Games

Duration: 5-10 minute rounds of play

Description: This game puts a new twist on Capture the Flag. Two teams of Squirrels are competing for the same pile of nuts to store in their holes. The Hawks are trying to protect the nuts for a round of play.

Goals:

Students will lean to play Squirrels and Hawks.

Students will practice moving safely through general space.

Objectives:

Squirrels will practice fleeing and dodging skills.

Hawks will practice chasing and tagging skills.

Students will be able to referee themselves, based on the rules of the game.

Materials:

3 hula-hoops
9 or 11 bean bags
jerseys/pinneys for 2 teams

Procedure:

Set-up (in a gymnasium):
Place one hula-hoop in the center of the court; place one hula hoop at each end of the court. Put all the bean bag nuts in the middle hoop; this is the Hawks’ Nest. The other two hoops are the Squirrels’ Holes. There are three teams in this game. Choose 4-5 students to be the Hawks (depending on class size). The rest of the class is evenly divided into two teams of Squirrels and assigned jersey colors.

Game Play:
The object of the game for the Squirrel teams is to gather the nuts in their Holes. The object for the Hawks is to keep the nuts in their Nest for the duration of a round (5-10 minutes). There are no safe areas. The Hawks protect their Nest by tagging the Squirrels. When a Squirrel is tagged, he remains frozen until a teammate tags him. If a Squirrel has a nut when he is tagged, the Hawk takes it back to the Nest. If all the nuts are taken from the Hawks’ Nest before the round is over, the team with the most nuts in their Hole wins and the game starts over. Modification:
The Squirrel teams can take from each other’s Hole, and Squirrels can tag and freeze opponent Squirrels who have crossed the half court line.

Assessment: Observe the students during rounds of play. Can they move safely around the court? Can they referee themselves? After the game, ask students what strategies they tried. Did they work? Are there any rules that they think should be added or discarded?

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