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!