Phys. Ed. as an Occasional Teacher - Dodgeball

If you can dodge conflict, you can dodge a ball

If the regular classroom teacher has not specified a particular game/activity for Phys. Ed., I like to give the students an opportunity to nominate 4-5 activities.  I write the ideas down on the board and then we do a class vote.  I only take suggestions from quiet hands, i.e. students who are sitting quietly at their desks with their hands raised, and remind them to only vote once.  Most often, the top choice ends up being some form of Dodgeball.

There are so many different versions of Dodgeball and variations in rules, it can be hard to keep up!  Before playing any type of Dodgeball game, I clarify the following with the students:

1. Does the ball have to hit you from the waist down or from the shoulders down?
2. If you catch a ball someone else threw, is the thrower out?
3. If you fumble the ball, are you out?
4. If the ball bounces off of the floor/wall/etc. before hitting you, are you still out?
5. Can you block an incoming ball with the one that you are holding, or will you be out?

Note: Students will often say they know the rules already, but then contradict each other as they take turns explaining them to me.  I would rather take the time at the start to make sure everyone is on the same page rather than deal with constant arguments and disruptions throughout the entire period.

Still Experiencing Arguments/Disruptions? Try Quiet Dodgeball!

Turn any Dodgeball game into Quiet Dodgeball, where talking is equivalent to getting hit by a ball; if you talk, you are out!

Note: Only problem with this is that once you are out there is no longer a consequence for talking.  Usually it is enough to remind chatty students who are already out that, if they keep talking, I cannot hear properly to get others (such as their opposing team) out.   

Getting Complaints of Cheaters and Unable to Keep Track?  Try Time Bomb Dodgeball!

As an Occasional Teacher, I am most often teaching students who I am unfamiliar with, so I do not always know who in particular I should be keeping my eye on during competitive games.  I do not yet have a sense of which students will be too quick to accuse others of cheating, which ones will be reluctant to fess up when they should be out, etc.  My primary concern is always safety.  With multiple dodgeballs flying around, it is already hard enough to keep track of every throw.  If I have a group of students all standing in front of me complaining about who should or should not be out, I could miss witnessing and/or preventing a situation where a student could actually get hurt.  

Time Bomb Dodgeball is my new favourite version of Dodgeball!  I cannot believe I had never encountered this version until a couple of weeks ago!  The key to this one is that there is only one ball used, so there is only one ball to keep track of throughout the game.  Obviously you could play any version with just one ball, but this tends to lead to more complaints and lack of participation since most classes are used to 4 or more.

Time Bomb Dodgeball:

Goal:

The last person remaining in the game wins.

Equipment Required:

1 dodgeball

Rules:

No teams.  Start off using the entire gymnasium space.  As soon as someone picks up the ball, the entire class (or just the teacher) starts counting down from 10.  During that time, students take turns throwing the ball to tag each other.  The last person to be touched by the ball or to have touched the ball when the countdown is up is out!  As students get out, you can decrease the size of the playing area according to previously established boundaries.

One last piece of advice for Occasional Teachers: always bring a whistle!  Before even entering the gym I let the students know that 2 blows of the whistle means to Stop, Look, and Listen, no matter what.  If the whistle does not work effectively, getting everyone to sit down (either in a circle or wherever they happen to be standing) works quite well to quiet things down and get their attention.  If I have to resort to this then I give the class one warning, letting them know that the next time, we will head right back to the classroom; If I cannot trust them to stop when I need them to then I cannot ensure their safety in the gymnasium.