Badminton Study Guide

Badminton Rules and Concepts
Tests will be May 12 for Wed. classes and May 13 for Thurs. classes

• During an average Badminton game, players jump, run, turn, and twist in many directions. This is why it is great physical exercise.
• Badminton is played as either singles (one on one) or doubles (two on two).
• A shuttlecock or “shuttle,” for short, is used instead of a ball.
• One type of shuttle has a cork base with sixteen goose feathers around the edges. There is also a plastic version with a rubber base that is more durable and less expensive.
• The shuttle is hit with a lightweight racquet. It is usually made of wood, plastic, or light metal.
• The net is set at five foot high.
• The object of the game is to hit the shuttlecock back and forth over the net without permitting it to hit the floor in bounds on your side of the net.
• A coin toss or spin of the racket starts the game. The winning team decides if they want to serve first or they may pick an end of the court.
• The serve is an underhand shot. The shuttle must be hit below waist level. It also must travel diagonally (cross court) to be good.
• Smash shot, clear, drop, forehand drive, forehand underarm clear, and backhand drop are types of shots or ways to hit the shuttle.
• In badminton, a fault consists of a shuttle falling outside the boundaries, failing to go over the net, and/or going through the net. Striking the shuttle before it crosses the net, reaching over the net to strike the shuttle, touching the net with the racquet or part of the body, or having the shuttle touch a player’s clothing or body also qualify as faults.
• A team’s loss of serve because a fault was committed is called a side out.
• A rally is when the two teams keep successfully hitting the shuttle back and forth to one another. A shuttle may hit the net on its way across the net during play and the rally can continue. A rally is won when the opposing team commits a fault.
• In regulation badminton games, a team must win two out of three games to win the match. A team must score 21 points to win each individual game. Additionally, the team must be two points ahead of the other team. A score of 21-18 is acceptable, but 21-20 is not. The game would continue until the winning team is two points ahead. However, if the score becomes 29-29, the side that scores the 30th point wins the game. There is no service over rule, meaning you can score a point no matter who serves. Therefore, a team can earn a point even if the other team served.
  
  
  

Volleyball Study Guide

• The object of the game is to keep the volleyball, which is served over the net, from hitting the floor on your side. Teams want to return it so that it hits the floor on the opponent’s side.
• Volleyball is a fast-paced game with constant jumping and running. This is why it is a great form of physical activity. It also requires mental alertness because one must quickly react when the ball comes over the net.
• The top of the volleyball net is positioned eight feet from the ground.
• There are six players per team on the court at one time (three in the front row and three in the back row).
• No player may hit the ball two times in sequence.
• Once the ball is put into play, it is “volleyed” back and forth between the teammates up to three times before it must be hit over the net to the other team.
• A player may not touch the net.
• Servers should not step on the end line and need to get the ball over the net without help from another teammate.
• If the ball falls to the floor, is hit out of bounds, or a team commits a foul (rests the ball on any part of their body, a player double hits the ball in sequence, a player reaches over the net or touches the net, etc.) the team who made the mistake does not get the next serve. Additionally, the team who did not make the mistake gets a point.
• The first team to 25 points wins the game. However, a team must win by two points. A match consists of winning two out of three or three out of five games.
• Serve—The method of putting the ball into play over the net by striking it with one’s hand. The player in the right back position serves from behind the end line.
• Foot Fault—In the act of serving, the server steps on or over the end line. This causes the ball to be turned over to the other team.
• Side out—The serving team fails to win a point or plays the ball illegally. As a result, they turn the serve over to the other team.
• Rotation—Shifting of the players clockwise upon gaining the ball from the opponents and winning the right to serve.
• Bump—A form of legal contact with the ball where it bounces or bumps off of the forearms, wrists, or clasped hands below the chest. It is usually used for receiving serves and spiked balls.
• Set—A form of legal contact with the ball used to place the ball near the net to make an attack possible. A set uses an overhand pass (a pass made by contacting the ball above the head with the fingers).
• Spike—A difficult play in volleyball where the player runs, jumps, and hits the ball with an opened hand, to a specific spot on the other side of the net.
• Block—An attempt by a defensive player to get in the way of a hard shot at the net by the opposing team. A block does not count as one of the three hits a team is allowed.
  

Moving With The Chute!

The students performed simple stretching and strengthening exercises with the parachute one week, and a wider variety of them the next. Everyone always enjoys the excitement that builds when we move with the parachute. The kindergarten and first graders had lots of fun making milkshakes, popcorn, ocean waves, mushrooms, and bubbles with it. These basic parachute activities got us acquainted with it and stretched/strengthened our arm muscles. The second, third, fourth, and fifth graders used these same movements in more complex games. One of the second and third grade favorites was Parachute Golf. They had to work together in teams to shake and move the parachute, causing the ball to fall through the hole. It was interesting to see their strategies to accomplish this goal! The fourth and fifth graders played Parachute Steal The Bacon. This was a race between two teams who tried to steal the bacon (a beanbag) before the other. However, this student could be stopped by tagging him/her, thus giving the other team the points. This was all done while the rest of the students moved the parachute. The following week, we used the parachute to dance. Each grade raised the parachute and performed a wide variety of dance steps to music. The kindergarten and first graders shook the parachute fast and slow, then marched in a circle to the song "Jingle Bells." The second and third graders carried out side steps and swaying to the song "All Star," while quickly moving the parachute and forming mushrooms. The fourth and fifth graders did a full dance routine to the song, "Get The Party Started." It took some practice, but after a few tries they performed it quite smoothly. It was a fun dancing, stretching, and strengthening day for all!

Physical Fitness Fun!

The students learned that physical fitness is based on an investment of time and effort.
Each class had lots of fun playing games that involved plenty of movement. They now understand that if they continue pursuing similar activities, over time, they will see an improvement in their physical stamina. The Three Bears was a running game the kindergarten and first graders enjoyed. As Goldilocks, they anxiously awaited the signal of Papa Bear to run to the other side of the gym! Those who were tagged loved playing the role of Mama, Baby or Papa Bear. The second and third graders were quite active in the game Spiders and Flies. One student was the fly, in the middle, with his/her eyes closed. The spider popped up when he/she thought it was a good time to catch some fly food! All other students were the flies and tried to outrun the spider to a baseline. The anticipation of when the fly would pop up added a great deal of excitement to the game! Finally, the fourth and fifth graders played Ultimate Frisbee. This involved running up and down to the goal lines and quickly passing the frisbee to teammates. Their offensive and defensive skills improved, along with their development of physical fitness.

Christmas Celebrations

We celebrated the Christmas season in physical education class with dances and games! The kindergartners used streamers to dance to Jingle Bells and We Wish You A Merry Christmas. They used the streamers to make letters, move them at low, medium, and high levels, manipulate them through their legs, and "stir the pot." It was lots of fun to move to the beat with streamers! The second and third graders danced to The Twelve Days of Christmas from the Disney Holiday Magic CD. This version of the song was changed to include words about Disney's Winnie The Pooh. It was quite thrilling and challenging to perform all of the motions to each day of the song! The fourth and fifth graders danced to the Jingle Bell Rock. This dance was the same as the Macarena, with an additional step at the beginning. We learned that it takes a lot of effort to stay together as a group while performing a line dance. Christmas was also celebrated with scooter rides. The kindergarten and first graders played Santa's Sleigh Ride. They helped Santa to pick up extra toys (bean bags) from toy stores around the world and deliver them to the North Pole, to be wrapped for boys and girls. We each took a turn as a reindeer to push the sleigh (scooter) and as an elf on the sleigh. The second and third graders played Racing To Rudolph. They worked in groups of three to help bring Rudolph food (bean bags) to eat, so that he can pull Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve. One person pushed him/herself on the sleigh, while carrying food to Rudolph. Rudolph then had to throw the food into his bowl (a hoop) in order for it to count as food to eat. The team of elves and reindeer to acquire the most food won the game. Finally, the fourth and fifth graders played Rudolph's Treasure. They had to make it across the gym on a sleigh to pick up a treasure for Rudolph. In the middle of the gym waited the Grinches. They tried to tag the elves to send them home and prevent them from getting a treasure. The scooters were a great way to include the holiday spirit. We all anticipate riding them again in the near future!

Basketball Fun

We studied basketball during the second quarter. Everyone worked to develop their dribbling, passing, and shooting skills. It was fun to see how much everyone progressed by the conclusion of the unit! The kindergarten and first graders completed a series of basketball challenges. They worked with partners to improve from bouncing the ball and catching it two-handed, to walking/running while dribbling the ball one-handed. By the end, they played basketball tag games and Dribbling Red Light, Green Light. Meanwhile, the second and third graders incorporated playing defense into their dribbling skills. They enjoyed Rooster Dribbling Basketball, a favorite game from Olympic Day. They tried to pull an opponent's flag while on defense, and dribbled efficiently and correctly while on offense. Also, they investigated six different types of balls to determine which are the easiest and most difficult to dribble. They worked together in small groups to decide that the basketballs were the easiest and the foam balls were the most challenging. The game Basket Battle was a great way to show respect to others on their teams and practice shooting the ball. It was similar to a race and required the children to pass the basketball to everyone on their team before attempting a free throw. Students jumped to get their rebound and continue shooting until a basket was made. It was thrilling to cheer our teammates on! Finally, the fourth and fifth graders played lots of classic basketball games like Basketball 21, Knock Out, and a Three On Three game. We all anticipated the fun of these learning games. All in all, basketball was a challenging, yet entertaining learning experience for all!