Weight Transfer

Overview

Students explore how moving their body weight changes balance and movement when working with a partner. This builds on Lesson 3’s simple balance and safe body control, preparing students for later challenges that require coordinated weight shift.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• identify how their body weight changes when they shift it in different directions (forward/back/side)
• practise safe partnering rules while taking turns during weight-transfer challenges
• use simple partner communication to help each other succeed (e.g., “your turn”, “ready”, “stop”)
• describe (or point to) what helps them stay stable during a weight transfer

Success criteria

Students will be able to:

• I can shift my weight without losing control or bumping my partner.
• I can take turns and follow partner safety rules.
• I can communicate with a partner using simple words/gestures to help during the challenge.
• I can show the difference between “ready”, “shift”, and “steady”.

Curriculum links

• Health and Physical Education: Interacting with others (students engage in peer interactions through short structured turn-taking activities)
• Health and Physical Education: Interacting with others (structured partner activity with adult support as needed)
• Personal and Social Capability: Working safely and independently (safe movement awareness of self and others, practise with a partner)
• Personal, Social and Community Health: Health Education (Identities and change can be revisited as students notice how their body feels and changes with effort, such as “strong/fast/steady”)

Lesson structure (50 minutes)

1. 0–6 min · Retrieval warm-up (Balance Tag). Teacher sets cones as “safe spaces” and demonstrates: step in place → shift weight to a side → freeze “statue”. Students play tag where taggers must freeze; both partners do “freeze statures” before moving again, using Spanish cues like “¡Alto!” and “listo”.

2. 6–10 min · Goals and safety. Teacher says WALT and shows 3 pictures: Ready / Shift / Steady. Students repeat the “ready–shift–steady” actions and practise the classroom safety rule: “Feet on floor, space between partners, stop on whistle.” WALT: We are learning to shift our weight safely with a partner and use turn-taking communication.

3. 10–20 min · I Do (Model + cues). Teacher models three weight transfers with a partner:

• Push-pass: standing with soft knees, step forward slightly, hands extend, then freeze steady.
• Side lean: hands on hips, lean to the left/right one step distance, then freeze.
• Back tap: small back tap with one foot, then steady freeze. Teacher uses simple cues: “Knees soft, tummy strong, look ahead, freeze steady.” Students watch, then copy the cues in place (no partner contact).

4. 20–27 min · We Do (Guided partner practice: Mirror Shifts). Teacher pairs students and provides a “turn-taking talk line”: Partner A does shift → Partner B mirrors → swap. Teacher circulates and checks for control and safe spacing. Students practise 3 rounds: forward shift, side shift, back tap, with teacher prompting Spanish: “tu turno / mi turno”.

5. 27–40 min · You Do (Partner challenges: Weight Transfer Stations). Teacher explains stations and uses whistle signals. Each station is 3 minutes with a 30-second transition.

• Station 1: “Beanbag Reach” (forward transfer) Students take a small step forward, transfer weight, reach to place beanbag in a target box, then freeze steady.
• Station 2: “Wall Shadow” (side transfer) Students stand near a wall mat (or line), lean weight sideways to touch a taped marker with fingertips, then freeze.
• Station 3: “Step & Catch” (back/forward control) Students roll a soft ball to partner after a controlled step and freeze before receiving. Teacher roams: gives quick feedback on balance and communication, reteaching “freeze steady” if needed.

6. 40–45 min · Show Me What You Know (Game-based: Turn-Take Transfer Relay). In groups of 4–5, students complete a relay: run to a cone, do “ready–shift–steady” to pick up a card (or point), then move to the next student’s space. The next student must wait for “steady” before starting. Students quickly explain to a partner one thing that helped them stay balanced.

7. 45–50 min · Consolidation + reflection (Quick check). Teacher asks: “Where did your weight go—forward, side, or back?” Students respond by pointing to the correct direction card. Teacher revisits “I can” criteria and praises safe turn-taking and controlled freezes.

Resources

• Cones and taped lines for boundaries and station set-up
• Whistle or clap signal
• Beanbags (varied sizes) and 2–3 target boxes/buckets
• Soft balls for rolling/catching (underarm only)
• Wall mats or taped markers for “Wall Shadow”
• Direction cards: forward / side / back
• Partner cue cards: “ready / shift / steady” (visual prompts)
• Safety bibs or small coloured pinnies (optional to identify roles)
• Simple timer for station rotations

Assessment

• Observe in stations: can students shift weight while maintaining a controlled freeze and safe spacing?
• Listen for communication: do students use turn-taking cues and stop on signal?
• Exit reflection: students point to the direction their weight moved and state (or gesture) one balance cue.

Differentiation

• Support: reduce travel distance (smaller steps), use wider stance, provide visual “Ready–Shift–Steady” cards, and allow teacher/EA to model with one group first.
• Support for communication: offer sentence starters/gestures: “tu turno”, “listo”, “stop”, “otra vez”.
• Safety scaffold: assign “space partners” (no touching) and use marked lanes to prevent crowding.
• Extension: challenge students to increase control by lowering the centre of gravity (slower shift), add a second step before freezing, or complete without hands-on-wall support at Station 2.
• Inclusion: for students with mobility needs, allow weight transfer in standing frame style (smaller range) or seated-to-standing assisted options as appropriate.

Spanish CLIL integration (used throughout)

• “¡Listo!” (ready), “Tu turno / Mi turno” (your turn / my turn)
• “Alto” (stop), “Estable” (steady), “Adelante” (forward), “Lado” (side), “Atrás” (back)