Unit 2: Hoops and Wellbeing

ᐧ Session Two: Developing Dribbling Skills

Unit Focus: Exploring basketball to build movement competence, collaboration, and holistic hauora understanding.
Curriculum Level: Level 4, Physical Education – Health and Physical Education Learning Area, The New Zealand Curriculum
Achievement Objectives:

• Movement Concepts and Motor Skills: Demonstrate consistency and control of movement in a range of physical activities.
• Relationships with Others: Describe and demonstrate responsible behaviours towards others in movement settings.
• Personal Health and Physical Development: Participate in and create physical activities to improve fītness and hauora.

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🕒 Total Duration: 45 mins

Class Profile:

• Year 9 students
• 25 learners, mixed physical confidence levels
• Access to full-sized school gym
• All students have basic basketball knowledge from previous session

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🎯 Learning Intentions

By the end of this session, students will:

• Practise and refine key basketball dribbling techniques (control dribble, crossover, speed dribble)
• Demonstrate improved spatial awareness under movement constraints
• Collaborate safely in shared spaces
• Reflect on how movement enhances aspects of their hauora (mental and emotional, social, physical)

Success Criteria:

• I can dribble with control using both hands
• I can change direction while dribbling without losing the ball
• I can work safely and respectfully in shared space
• I can describe how dribbling tasks impacted my mood and energy

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🧠 Kaiako Insight

This lesson builds upon initial Movement Concepts and personal identity exploration from Session One. Prior focus on whakawhanaungatanga means students should be primed for collaborative partner work and open reflection.

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🏀 Lesson Sequence

⏱ 0–5 min: Whakatau & Haerenga Purpose

• Gather students in a circle (seated)
• Use a whakataukī to ground session:
  “He oranga ngākau, he pikinga waiora.”
  (Positive feelings in your heart will enhance your wellbeing.)
• Recap last lesson’s learning (team passing, movement in space)
• Share today’s focus: “Today we’re sharpening our dribbling – not just with our hands, but with our minds, using space, focus, and rhythm!”

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⏱ 5–12 min: Dynamic Warm-Up

Purpose: Arouse heart rate, coordinate hand-eye movement, and simulate basketball movement patterns
Activities:

• Jog lines of court (2 mins)
• Dribble-walks: Students walk up and down the court bouncing a ball (1 min both hands)
• Dynamic stretches: High knees, lunges with twist, shoulder rolls
• "Dribble Freeze" Game (3 mins): Students dribble freely until music pauses. On “freeze”, they must hold the ball still and balance on one foot

Equipment: 1 basketball per student, speaker for music

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⏱ 12–25 min: Dribbling Technique Stations (Skill Focus)

Purpose: Develop specific dribbling skills through rotation-based learning
Organisation: 5 stations | 5 mins each | 5 students per group (rotate clockwise)
Instructions given clearly before rotations begin

Stations:

1. Control Dribble Maze: Navigate cones using low, protective dribble
2. Crossover Ladder: Perform crossover moves continually while moving through flat agility ladder
3. Mirror Dribble: In pairs – one student mirrors partner’s movements while maintaining a bounce. Encourages visual tracking
4. Speed Dribble & Stop: Dribble fast to a marked cone and stop ball under control before turning
5. Using Space Safely: Dribble randomly in half court, avoiding others (focus on heads-up dribbling and spatial awareness)

Teacher Role:

• Circulate, observe, prompt refinement
• Provide feedback linking movement execution to concepts of control and self-awareness
• Note ākonga exhibiting either difficulty or resilience

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⏱ 25–35 min: Group Task – “Chaos Court”

Purpose: Apply dribbling under movement pressure

• Whole class in one half-court
• Each student dribbles while attempting to ‘warm tag’ others (gentle tap with non-dribbling hand)
• If tagged, freeze and count to 5 before rejoining
• Game runs for 2–3 mins, repeat twice with variations (e.g. weaker hand only, crossover for escape)

Focus Skills:

• Spatial awareness
• Decision-making
• Movement control under pressure

Debrief with 1-minute Think-Pair-Share:

• “What helped you keep the ball under control when others were moving fast?”
• “Did that feel different to slow dribbling?”

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⏱ 35–42 min: Reflection & Hauora Check-In

Activity: 4-Wall Hauora Corners

• Each wall = one aspect of hauora:
  Physical, Mental/Emotional, Social, Spiritual
• Prompt: “Which part of hauora was most supported by today’s dribbling?”
• Students walk to chosen wall and share why with group (max 30 sec per speaker)

Ako Tip: Allow students to express connecting feelings (“I felt focused,” “I laughed with my friend,” etc.).

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⏱ 42–45 min: Wrap-Up & Next Steps

Prompted kōrero from kaiako:

• “Next week we add passing under movement pressure!”
• “How do you think ball control might help in other life areas – confidence in class, or staying calm under pressure?”
• Highlight one observed student strength (e.g. teamwork, skill growth, determined mindset)

Encourage voluntary leadership in next week's warm-up.

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🧰 Equipment & Resources

• 25 basketballs (1 per student)
• 10 cones (for maze setup)
• Flat agility ladder
• Bluetooth speaker for warm-up music
• Large court space

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📘 Teaching Notes

• Inclusion Consideration: Offer lighter balls or lower bounce options to less confident students
• Cultural Responsiveness: Acknowledge tuakana-teina moments in peer learning or when confident students support others
• Assessment for Learning: Informally note participation, coordination, and how students verbalise hauora links

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🔄 Link to Unit Progression

Previous Lesson (1/6): Foundational Movement & Team Cooperation with Passing
This Lesson (2/6): Dribbling Skills & Movement Awareness
Next Lesson (3/6): Integrating Dribbling and Passing in Transition Play

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🧭 Final Thought

“He tapu te tangata – every person is sacred”: As students navigate space with the ball, they also journey through understanding body, mind, and spirit – one bounce at a time.