Bucket Ball

Title: Bucket Ball

School: Lava Ridge Elementary School

Instrutor: Karen Soto

Grades: 3rd, 4th and 5th grade

Equipment: 4 soccer balls, 4 plastic buckets, 30 discs, 4 rubber bases and a field

For my first teaching experience, I taught the students a game called bucket ball to 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students. This game requires the students to complete a number of skills which include kicking, passing, throwing, running and communicating.

Set-up

            The use of a baseball fields or field that you can make into a baseball field, 4 soccer balls, 4 buckets 30 discs and 4 bases. The bases are set up in the formation of a baseball field; the four buckets are lined up behind home plate. The cones are placed in a line from third base to first base in the center of the field and the four soccer balls are place in a line near home plate.

Lesson

            The students are divided into two teams before we made it out to the field one team is designated to be the team up to kick while the other team is in the outfield. The team that is up to kick first designates four people to kick. The team in the outfield is spread all over the field. The team kicking the ball has one main objective and that is to get all four of their players around all three bases before all of the balls return to the buckets that are at home plate, each of the players must touch each base  before moving to the next base or it is an automatic out for their team. If the kicking team does not make it back to home plate before all of the balls are in the bucket they are out. The outfield team may have one person at home plate to catch the balls from outfield to put it into the buckets. The outfield team has to throw the ball behind the line that is stationed between 1st base and 3rd base, if they cross the line when they are throwing, the catcher must throw the ball back to the outfield to complete a legitimate pass. If you are in the outfielder you may not kick the ball or get anyone out by throwing the ball at them or touching a base with a ball the only way you can get them out is to get all of the balls in the buckets before they return to home plate. The students were taught the rules before we went outside. They were given a chalk talk and a little quiz to make sure they were listening to the rules. The students were asked to complete an appropriate pass by kicking with the inside of their foot or with their laces.

Game Evaluation

            When completing this lesson I realized that outside communication is difficult and that is very important to communicate all of the ins and outs of the game before sending the students out to the field. This game tended to bring out strong personality clashes between students and more aggressive competitive behavior. Overall, this lesson was a success many students wanted to play the game all week for class as well as at recess.