Kelsey MacLeod

Lynn Randall
EDUC 5443 PE
May 19, 2015

Reflection on Physical Education Hall of Shame Articles

The Physical Education Hall of Shame articles were very informative and educational.
As a teacher in training, I found it very beneficial to be exposed to this research so I can be upto-date with the best practices in physical education. I agree with the arguments to eliminate
elimination games from Physical Education classes or to modify them so there is no elimination.
For example, when I teach swim lessons to children ages 3-5, I play the game Simon Says
without elimination. I always say Simon Says and the swimmers practice putting their face in
the water, blowing bubbles, doing floats, etc.
Growing up, I never liked the game Dodgeball. We played it all the time at Youth Group.
Reading this article clearly explains why I never liked it, although I may have not been able to
articulate it that clearly at the time. Similar to how the rich get richer and the poor get poorer,
elimination games increases the gap between athletic and non or less athletic students. In
addition, those who need the most practice on these skills do not have an opportunity to improve.
I strongly agree with Curt Hinson in his article Question Elimination Round Two where he
writes: Failure with the chance to try again is called learning. Failure without the chance to try
again is just called failure. As teachers of any subject, we have to be sure to promote learning
through mistakes rather than punishing students or making them feel embarrassed. Children
want to succeed, when they do not get it right they already feel sad or frustrated. As educators we

have to be the one to encourage them to try again, persevere, improve and learn from each
experience.
Students may appear to enjoy playing elimination games, but I believe that there will be
much more enjoyment and success when all students get maximum participation and practice in
whatever activity they are doing. I remember sitting out of certain Irish Dances due to a limit on
the number of people required for a dance in my dance classes growing up. I came to dance
class to dance and get better at dancing, not to sit!
I liked the creativity and the explanation of the process of improved modification of the
game Duck, Duck Goose in the last article. Sometimes it takes thinking outside of the box to
turn a game of shame into one of fame, but it is worth it! Reading these articles also had me
thinking of a few French games I learned from one of my internships. These children enjoyed
these games but they were elimination games as well. Often, once students were eliminated,
they did not bother watching the game and would not sit quietly. When you think of it, this is
only natural. If adults played this game they would talk to one another if they got out because
they if they are no longer a participant in the game, they no longer value the game or any of the
remaining participants. Now I am challenging myself in how I can modify these French Games
so students can participate the entire time and maximize each students practice time in the
French language. I think that these articles should not be limited to the audience of physical
education teachers, but are pertinent to all teachers to consider the detrimental effects of
elimination games and how to modify or find more effective games to play, which maximize
each students learning time.

Game Modification Assignment

Game 1: Four Corners or Les quatre coins (Used in French class)
I learned this as a French Game during my 1st internship but also found it in one of my French
Game books from my French methods class.

!
Les Franfolies: Jeux et activits pour la classe de franais. (2010, August 1). Retrieved from
http://www.gov.pe.ca/photos/original/eecd_franfolies.pdf

!
Game Description:
1) Each corner of the room has one number from 1-4. Put a piece of paper in each corner with
the numeral and the written French word or English word if it is to be done in English. (1
un, 2 deux, 3 trois, 4 quatre). (Or 4 different words can be chosen, one word per corner).
2) One person is It- he/she goes to the middle of the room. It closes his/her eyes and counts
from 1-10.
3) While the person who is It counts, the rest of the students move quietly around the room
from corner to corner.
4) When It has reached 10 he/she says Corner number 1 (or 2, 3, or 4) (if in French: coin
numro 1 (or 2, 3, or 4). It then opens his/her eyes to see if there are people in the corner
that was called. Everyone in corner number 1 (or whatever corner It called) is out. They
return to their desks or sit quietly on the floor and watch the rest of the game. They may
count along with the person who is It counts

5) The game continues until all students except one is eliminated. The last person in the game is
It for the next round.
Good points about the game:

This game has minimal prerequisite skills which would make it a good warm-up activity.
Students only need to be able to move around whether it be walking, skipping, or running.

There is maximum activity and movement for all students except the person who is It
during the 1st round of the game.

This game can incorporate other subjects. Examples: counting in different languages, using 4
sight words, using 4 million dollar words, 4 names of historical people, etc, 4 math equations,
etc.

Bad points about the game:

Students who have difficulty moving quietly may have a greater chance of being eliminated
more often or at the beginning of the game because It can hear the sounds of their
whereabouts.

There is minimal participation of all students because of the elimination aspect of the game,
therefore most students will spend more time sitting than moving.

Elimination also causes discouragement among students because once eliminated, they have
to sit quietly and watch the other students because they are no longer allowed to move or
participate in the game.

Points that can fit under either good or bad:

Choice of method of movement

Good: Students choose their method of movement: if they are tired of running they may
walk. This is also great for the variety of physical fitness levels of the children in the class.

Bad: With the choice of movement method, some students may not move very much, or
always choose to walk.

Modification
Major Problem: elimination aspect of the game which causes more and more students to sit out
of the game until 99% of the students are sitting while one student remains moving.
Suggested modification 1:
When It calls the corner number, for example Corner number 4, All students must run/sprint
to corner number 4. During this time, those in corner number 4 and It performs as many
jumping jacks, (or choice of exercise that they have been taught from a list of options like:
skipping, jumping, hoping on one foot, jumping jacks, push-ups, running in place, etc). These
modifications improves the game in the following ways:
1) No elimination so all students are moving
2) It moves as well
3) The running/sprinting aspects ensures that all students are exercising at a higher intensity
level during some parts of the game.
4) Options of the method of movement are still present while students move around the room
while It counts.
After 1-2 minutes the teacher selects another student to be It, draws a name from a hat, or
goes down the attendance list, ensuring that the It position is spread around.
Therefore, 4 Corners would be played in the following manner:

New and Improved 4 Corners Game Description

1) Each corner of the room has a number from 1-4. Put a piece of paper in each corner with the
numeral and the written French word or English if it is to be done in English. (1 un, 2 deux,
3 trois, 4 quatre). (Or 4 different words can be chosen, one word per corner).
2) One person is It- he/she goes to the middle of the room. It closes his/her eyes and count
from 1-10.
3) While the person who is It counts, the rest of the students move quietly around the room
from corner to corner.
4) When It has reached 10 he/she says Corner number 1 (or 2, 3, or 4) (if in French: coin
numro 1 (or 2, 3, or 4) and opens his/her eyes. Everyone runs to corner number 1 (or
whatever corner It called) is out. During this time, It performs as many jumping jacks,
(or choice of exercise that they have been taught from a list of options like: skipping,
jumping, hoping on one foot, jumping jacks, push-ups, running in place, etc).
5) The game continues in this manner. After 1-2 minutes the teacher selects another student to
be It, draws a name from a hat, or goes down the attendance list, ensuring that the It
position is spread around to different students.
Suggested modification 2:
Same as suggested modification 1 except when the It calls the corner number, It runs to tag a
student. That student is then it.
Good: it spreads out the person who is it more often
Bad: it might discourage students if they are having a hard time tagging another student.
Game 2: Fishes and Whales

Game Description:
1) One student is selected to be the Shark and goes to the middle of the gym
2) Remaining students are divided equally into two groups: fishes and whales.
3) Fishes go to one side of the gym and the whales go to the other side of the gym.
4) The shark calls either: fishes, whales, or ocean.
5) If fishes are called, all the fish run across the gym to touch the opposite wall where the
whales are standing (vice versa for if whales are called). Any fish that the shark tags
before they touch the wall become seaweed. Seaweed stand or sit in the spot where they
were tagged by the shark and try to tag fish or whales running by, who then become seaweed
as well.
6) If the shark calls ocean both fish and whales run across to the other side with the goal of
not being tagged while the shark attempts to tag as many people as possible.
7) When all but one has become seaweed (the last person in the game whether he/she is a fish
or whale) becomes the shark for the next round.
Good points about the game:

Students have opportunities to run quickly and have short breaks.

Students who do not become seaweed have ample time moving and running

This game would be good if students have been taught how to: run with good form, run
around/ manoeuvre between obstacles (seaweed) while being chased.

Bad points about the game

Elimination aspect of the game: the game progresses as more and more students become
seaweed, which means that less and less students are being active.

Elimination aspect of the game: discouraging for students who get eliminated early on
because they are not fast runners or have difficulty running around obstacles.

If the shark is slow, it may be discouraging if he/she cannot catch many people

Points that can fit either good or bad of the game:

Seaweed:

Good: seaweed help out the shark to catch more people

Bad: seaweed are stationary so they are not allowed to move

Good: rather than having students sit out when they are tagged they are still involved in the
game in the form of seaweed.

Bad: becoming a seaweed is being eliminated from full participation in the game, so it is still
elimination.

Major problems:

Elimination in the form of seaweed

Shark runs way more than the rest of the students. If the shark is not very fast, he/she may
get discouraged if it is difficult to tag the other students.

Modification:
Have 2-5 students selected to be sharks at the beginning of the game. Instead of students
becoming seaweed they trade places with the shark that tagged them. The goal of the game is for
all students to be tagged at some point to be the shark in the shortest amount of time possible.
The teacher can use a stopwatch to keep track of the times for each class. The class can try to get
a Class/collaborative Best time (instead of PB personal best) with the goal to have a shorter time
each occasion they play this game.

These modifications improves the game in the following ways

1) No elimination which results in maximum participation and movement for all.
2) Several sharks, so one student is not discouraged from not being able to catch others. It also
spreads the chasing role around so one student does not get extremely fatigued.
3) Students work together: sharks work as a team and fishes and whales are a team.
Therefore Fishes and Whales the New Edition would be played in the following manner:
New and improved Fishes and Whales Game Description:
1) 2-5 students are selected to be the sharks and go to the middle of the gym
2) Remaining students are divided equally into two groups: fishes and whales.
3) Fishes go to one side of the gym and the whales go to the other side of the gym.
4) The Shark calls either: fishes, whales, or ocean.
5) If fishes are called, all the fish run across the gym to touch the opposite wall where the
whales are standing (vice versa for if whales are called). If a shark tags a fish, they trade
places: that shark becomes a fish and that fish becomes a shark.
6) If the shark calls ocean both fish and whales run across to the other side with the goal of
not being tagged.
7) The goal for the sharks to to have tagged everyone in the class in the shortest amount of time
possible
8) However, the fishes and whales are still trying to run as fast as they can from the sharks.
9) This game could have a competition of time between sharks and the ocean creatures (fish
and whales). If the game is longer than a selected time the sharks win but if it is shorter than
that given time the fishes and whales win.