Basketball 1

Physical Education Lesson Plan

S: PE
T: Basketball #1
O: 2nd Grade – To introduce basketball and practice different skills that go along with the sport.
3rd Grade – To have students practice ball control and dribbling skills.
4th Grade – To give students the opportunity to learn new dribbling and ball handling tricks.
5th Grade – To have students practice their dribbling skills while performing different activities and games.
P: Teacher led explanation and demonstration.

When handling a basketball you should use your fingertips and not the palm of your hand. These first activities are just to help the students become comfortable handling the ball.

A. Ball Handling

1. Tapping the ball back and forth between both hands.
a. Do that high above their head
b. At their waist area
c. Low by their feet

2. Passing the ball around their head, waist, knees (with legs together), one leg, other leg, figure eight, passing the ball from on hand to the other hand through their legs while they walk.

3. Holding the ball between their legs, down by their knees-one hand is in front of the body and the other hand is in back of the body. Switch hands without letting the ball touch the floor.

4. Holding the ball between the legs again except this time both hands are in back of the body without letting the ball touch the floor.

5. Pass the ball up and over your head from one hand to the other like a rainbow.

6. Try to spin the ball on your finger. Hold it in one hand and rotate your wrist quickly to get it to spin and then stick your pointer finger up for the ball to land on.

B. Dribble Handling – When dribble, again you use your fingertips. Your hand should be relaxed, wrist will flex up and down, elbow will flex up and down and your shoulder will be moving some too.

1. Dribble waist high, as low as possible. Now try the same thing with your other hand. (You must get comfortable using both hands.)

2. Start the ball on the floor not moving. Can you turn it into a dribble by only using one hand? The students may need to make a fist to give it one good hit and then start dribbling.

3. Dribble while you are on your knees, while sitting. When you are sitting, have your legs out straight in front of you and flat, try dribbling over your legs, now open your legs up and try dribbling outside of one leg, over that leg to the middle, over the next leg to the outside and then back again. Always try all drills using each hand.

4. Dribble behind your back.

5. Standing straddle, dribble around one leg, other leg, and figure eight.

C. Dribbling

1. 5 lines – 4 or 5 in each line
a. Dribble down and around the cone (or to the end of the basketball court)
b. Do the same thing except now use your weak hand, i.e., other hand.
c. This time dribble the ball from one hand to the other the entire way down. This might be a good time to talk to them about double dribbling. It is okay to dribble from hand to the other as long as you only use one hand at a time. You are not allowed to dribble using two hands together.
d. This time when you dribble use your strong hand and look up or to the side or the other. Do not look t the ball.

2. Same 5 lines again, but now set up at least four cones spread evenly apart for each line.

Dribble zigzag in and out the cones, down and back. If the cone is on the right side of your body then the ball should be in your left hand. If the cone is on the left side of your body then the ball should be dribbled with your right hand. Pretend the cones are defensive players (players from the other team who are trying to take the ball away). If the cone is on your left side and you are dribbling the ball in your left hand it would be very easy for someone to take it away from you. But if the cone is on your left side and you are dribbling with your right hand the person would have to reach across your body and probably foul you to take it away.

3. Dribble Freeze Tag

All students except for 2 will have a basketball. Students who have a basketball will be dribbling around the gym floor while the 2 students without a ball, who are “it”, will be trying to tag them. When tagged, students should stand with the basketball in their hand. Students who are dribbling can unfreeze frozen students.

Switch students who are “it” often.