Motion in Action

Overview

Students explore what “movement strategies” are and how changing your approach can improve movement outcomes. They complete team challenges while recording their movement with fitness apps, then analyse which strategies helped most.

Learning intentions

• Students will identify and describe different movement strategies used during team movement challenges.
• Students will explain how strategy changes can influence movement outcomes.
• Students will use movement observations (from peers and app data) to justify why a strategy worked.

Success criteria

• I can list at least three movement strategies used in the challenges.
• I can describe the impact of each strategy on performance (e.g. speed, control, accuracy, teamwork, scoring chance).
• I can give evidence from my own movements or app tracking (e.g. timing, repetition, effort moments).
• I can communicate my strategy idea clearly to my team.

Curriculum links

• AC9HP8M02: design and demonstrate how movement strategies can be manipulated to improve movement outcomes.
• AC9HP8M02: selecting and applying successful strategies when solving new movement challenges.
• AC9HP8M03: demonstrate and explain how movement concepts related to effort, space and time can be manipulated to improve outcomes.
• AC9HP8M07: propose and evaluate movement strategies and skills that would be most effective in different movement situations.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–6 min · Hook (movement + app). Teacher plays a short dance/fitness segment (Just Dance or GoNoodle style) and asks students to think: “What strategy helps you perform well—repeat, watch the pattern, slow down, copy accurately?” Students record their movement (start/stop tracking in a fitness app if available) and do a brief “best attempt” run.

2. 6–12 min · Mini-teach: what counts as a strategy? Teacher defines “movement strategy” as a plan for how you move and make decisions (not just the movement itself), then shows 2 quick examples: “pass fast but predict space” vs “hold then pass when teammate is set.” Students turn-and-talk to match each example to an outcome (better accuracy, less energy waste, more possession).

3. 12–20 min · Team challenge 1 (record + observe). Teacher sets up a small space with cones and a “relay + points” task (e.g. travel to a cone, perform a movement action, return/tag the next player, score for correct action). Students work in teams of 4–5, run 2 rounds, and record one round using the fitness app; they complete a quick observation note: “Strategy we used + what happened.”

4. 20–28 min · Strategy manipulation round (change one thing). Teacher assigns each team one “strategy tweak” card (choose one per team): change starting position, change pace (effort), change pathway/space, or change timing (wait then move). Students apply the tweak, run 1–2 rounds, and log what improved or didn’t (e.g. smoother, faster handover, fewer errors).

5. 28–37 min · Team challenge 2 (compare and refine). Teacher presents a slightly different scenario (e.g. add a defender line or narrower lanes) and asks teams to select the most successful strategy from Round 1 and adapt it. Students run the challenge, record (if possible) one attempt, and update their list of at least three strategies used across both challenges.

6. 37–43 min · Gallery share (justify with evidence). Teacher posts a class “Strategy Wall” and models sentence starters: “We used… which helped because… Our evidence shows…” Students rotate in small groups, adding one key strategy description and impact statement to the wall.

7. 43–45 min · Exit ticket (quick assessment). Teacher collects a short exit ticket: “Name 3 strategies we tried and describe the impact of at least one.” Students complete the exit ticket independently.

Resources

• Mobile devices with fitness apps (or teacher device for projection if not 1:1)
• Cones, bibs, marker tape for boundaries
• “Strategy tweak” cards (effort, space, time/timing, pathway, teamwork decision)
• Clipboards or printed strategy record sheets
• Optional: projector screen or short clip for the hook
• Timers and stopwatch/phone timing
• Sanitiser and basic safe-warm-up equipment (if needed)

Assessment

• Formative: teacher circulates with a checklist—can students name strategies and link them to outcomes?
• Formative: team record sheets—does the “tweak” round show cause-and-effect reasoning?
• Summative (lightweight): exit ticket requiring 3 strategies + at least one impact explanation.

Differentiation

• Provide visuals and video demonstrations of the hook movements and example strategies (watch → copy → adjust).
• Sentence starters on record sheets for students needing language support (e.g. “We changed… so we could… then…”).
• For students needing structure: limit to one tweak choice and offer a “yes/no” success measure (e.g. “fewer missed actions”).
• Extension support for confident students: require them to add a “why” statement using effort/space/time language.

Extension (advanced learners)

• Students create a 30–60 second mini-presentation (slides or spoken) on one movement strategy used by athletes in a chosen sport, including:
• the strategy,
• the movement concept it uses (effort/space/time/objects/people),
• and the expected impact on performance.
• They then share one key takeaway with a peer team during the gallery share.