Gymnastics Year 5 and 6

Children need to be able to hold and support their body weight with small body parts. They can use apparatus to support gymnastic skills at different levels whilst holding and receiving their own body weight.

To extend the use of balances you can:• Move supporting body parts further away from each other• Use less supporting body parts• Stretch, extend and elevate unused body parts• Stretch and extend supporting body parts

Spread mats out around the room. Children choose three different ways to travel around the room without touching the mats. Children must travel for ten steps then change to their next way of travelling to create a small sequence.

Children now travel around the room looking for spaces on a mat. Children can then place their hands in the middle of the mat and try to hold their body weight whilst trying to jump across.

Can children keep their knees and ankles together when jumping across.

Challenge children to hold their body weight longer by slowing down their jump.

Children can place their hands on the mat and leap across the corners if the mats are too wide.

Ask children to be creative and travel with different ideas inbetween looking for spaces on mats.

Encourage children to try a cat leap as a way of travelling from mat to mat. A cat leap starts from a tucked position with hands and feet touching the floor. From this position you reach forwards with a slight push from your legs, take weight on both hands quickly followed by your feet. After a few practices ask children to perform this keeping knees and ankles together and gradually increase the distance you push and reach.

Learning Objective:

To make a balance whilst holding their own body weight

As confidence grows encourage children to throw their legs higher and straighter.

To encourage children to reach out with their hands place a hoop next to a standing child. Ask the child to place only their hands in the hoop when cartwheeling.

Children now work in small groups using a mat. Children take turns to try and cartwheel across a mat. Children start standing sideways with feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Children then reach out with their hand closest to the mat placing it on line with their feet. Taking weight onto this hand the next hand quickly follows again reaching out placing it online with their hand and feet. From here swing the back leg over first followed by the opposite leg. As legs land try to push from the hands to regain a standing position.

To encourage children to cartwheel in a straight line place a line of tape or chalk across the mat. Encourage children to look for the line when placing hands and landing feet.

As confidence continues to grow encourage children to cartwheel with pointed toes, straight limbs and finish the same way that they started.

Learning Objective:

To use their hands to receive body weight whilst making a cartwheel

Children move around the apparatus without touching it. Children must find different places to hold a shape for three seconds. Encourage children to create stretched shapes under, over and through apparatus.

After each shape children should change the way they travel.

Children can now travel under, over or through apparatus with just their hands touching the apparatus.

Encourage children to go over the apparatus as slow as possible using strong arms to control the speed.

If children hold their shape with two hands and a foot touching the floor can they then travel to the next piece of apparatus using the same body parts touching the floor.

Children can now use their whole body to touch the apparatus. Ask children to find places to slide over or through to receive their body weight with strong hands on the floor.

Children now travel along apparatus. When children find a suitable space they sliver down off the apparatus receiving body weight on strong hands and hold their shape for three seconds.

Children must now find places on apparatus to hold a shape for three seconds. Encourage children to lean away from apparatus and pull/hold apparatus to create their shapes.

Children must now find places to hold a shape for three seconds. Children's shapes must be stretched and touching the floor.

Encourage children to use a different body part to touch the floor each time.

After holding their shape for three seconds can children then add a jump, roll or spin directly after. Encourage children to select a jump, roll or spin to suit their shape.

Ask some children to select a spin, jump or roll before and after their shape.

Learning Objective:

Create different shapes whilst pushing or pulling using apparatus

Children work in pairs taking turns to follow each other. Children must travel around the room with their hands and feet touching the floor. Children must take their partner into a space then hold their body in a bridge shape. The following child travels under the bridge then becomes the leader.

Challenge groups to show creative ways to enter and exit their balances.

Children try to create a new way to travel on their hands and feet each time they become the new leader.

Each group can include any gymnastic skills to support the transition of balances.

Split the class into groups of four and give each group a mat. Children must create a sequence which includes a way of travelling receiving body weight, two different shapes holding some of their body weight with their hands and a balance with children supporting some of the weight of their partner.

In small groups children practice taking weight onto their hands. Go through points achieved in previous lessons slowly building up confidence to be able to produce a cartwheel.

Challenge some children to cartwheel as a pair with both children starting and finishing at the same time.

Allow time for children to practice their sequence and encourage children to work on their timings so that the children move together.

Ask groups to perform their sequence to the class. Ask other groups to describe what they liked about the performance highlighting timing, flow, space awareness, linking moves together, quality of travelling and balances and start/finish positions.

Challenge groups to create a sequence using a canon. Children must develop a section of their sequence so that each child performs a skill on their own.

Learning Objective:

Children work together to create a sequence in which they hold and receive their body weight and include a canon.

Canon – performing the same gymnastics actions starting at different times in pairs or a group..

Points (smaller body parts) and patches (larger body parts) are used a lot when balancing.Points include feet, hands and knees and patches include back, bottom and belly. Children should not be asked to hold a balance, using points and patches. for longer than a few seconds.Apparatus can be used to allow children to balance in different ways and using different body parts.

To extend the use of balances, using points and patches, you can• Move supporting body parts further away from each other• Use less supporting body parts• Stretch, extend and elevate unused body parts• Stretch and extend supporting body parts

Children start by travelling around the hall in different directions on the balls of their feet avoiding contact from other children. The teacher calls out numbers 1-6. If the teacher calls out number three then children place three body parts on the floor and holds their shape still.

Continually change the way children travel with ideas from the class.

Explain points and patches to the group. Patches are large body parts to balance on (example, back, belly, head and bottom) Points are small body parts to balance on (example, feet, knees, elbows, hands). To check children know their points and patches spend a few minutes demonstrating different shapes with points and patches touching the floor. See picture 1 with two points touching the floor and one patch.

Encourage children to straighten and stretch their body when making their shapes. Any unused body parts should be stretched and elevated.

The teacher now calls out points and patches. Children must create a way to travel around the room using only the points and patches called out.

If the same points and patches are called out children must change their travel but still use the required points and patches.

Spread ‘Points and Patches’ cards on a mat. In pairs children collect one card and take it to a space or spare mat. One child comes up with a balance with the other copying or mirroring the shape. Children then return the card for a new one and the other child takes leadership and shows a new balance (example, card reads 1 patch 3 points then 1 patch touches the floor along with 3 points and every other body part should reach out and stretch).

Learning Objective:

Children work together to create different ways to travel using different points and patches.

Children hold shape still for 3 seconds and extend and stretch any unused body parts.

Encourage children to travel back to their mats with ideas from the warm up.

In their pairs children collect a card and must show as many different shapes and ideas possible with one card before returning the card back to the mat (example, changing the points used to touch the floor to create new shapes).

Challenge pairs to show their balances over or under their partner.

Challenge pairs to create ways to travel using the points and patches on the cards.

Children start moving around the apparatus. After ten steps children change the way they travel.

Encourage children to use apparatus free from other children. If apparatus gets too busy encourage children to travel somewhere else.

Spread ‘Points and Patches cards on a mat. In pairs, children collect one card and take it to a piece of apparatus. The child with the card places it down face up and completes their balance touching the floor and equipment and their partner copies or mirrors. Children then return the card for a new one then the other child takes leadership and shows a new balance for their partner to copy.

Encourage children to use different body parts on the floor and apparatus.

Ask children to change the way they travel each time they pass over or under a piece of apparatus.

Keep bodies neat when travelling over, under and through (example, keeping legs straight and together).

Challenge some children to perform their balance through a piece of equipment.

Challenge children to pass over or under apparatus using a maximum of two body parts.

Children can now create different ways to travel along the apparatus.

Encourage children to be creative when entering and dismounting apparatus.

Ask children to find a place to show a spin using the points and patches shown on their card.

Learning Objective:

Children work with a partner to create different points and patches using apparatusTo transfer from a point and patches balance into a gymnastic skill

Challenge children to find different ways of balancing using the same points and patches cards. In the picture the children on the left are completing a card that reads 4 points and 0 patches. Children on the right are completing 2 points and 0 patches.

Place cones randomly around the room and points and patches cards on a mat. Children select a points and patches card from the mat then creates a way of travelling using these points and patches. Children travel around a empty cone before swapping their card.

Children now join up to make a group of three. Each child receives a card and must take turns to lead the group. A child leads the group around an empty cone travelling with their chosen points and patches. Once past the cone a new child from the group takes the lead with the other children following and copying their chosen travel.

Allow time for children to practice their sequence and encourage children to work on their timings so that children move together.

Challenge groups to keep everybody performing at all times avoiding children standing and watching.

Ask groups to perform their sequence to the class. Ask other groups to describe what they liked about the performance highlighting timing, flow, use of space, linking moves together, quality of travelling and points and patches and start/finish positions.

Encourage children to deliver their sequences with the inclusion of a change of speed. For example, after slowly sinking into their balance suddenly springing up fast into a travel or slowing down after a sharp fast movement.

If a child collects a card with the same points and patches they must create a new way of travelling.

Give each group three points and patches cards. Children must travel using these points and patches during their sequence. Children must also include two balances on just points and two balances using a single patch. Children are free to include any other gymnastic skills to help with the transition of their points and patches. Include skill resource cards if needed.

Before swapping the leader, can the leading child create a spin or rotation on the selected points and patches.

Learning Objective:

Work as a group to create start and finish positions in a sequenceAnalyse the performance of others and offer feedback

Gymnastics

Assessment and expectations

Show control, flow and good transition when travelling.Receive body weight on hands.

Hold and support body weight on small body parts.Create shapes pushing and pulling away from apparatus.Create a variety of counter balances with a partner.Hold a counter tension shape still for three seconds.Identify and explain well performed gymnastic skills.

Meets these expectations

Expecting

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EmergingExceeding

Assessment and expectations

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