Dynamic Warm-Up & Relay

Overview

This is the final lesson (8 of 8) in the "Track and Field Mastery" unit designed for Year 7-9 students, running for 60 minutes with 30 students. The lesson focuses on teaching a dynamic warm-up and fundamentals of relay racing including baton passing, teamwork, timing, and communication. The lesson aligns with the National Curriculum for England's Physical Education programme of study for Key Stage 3.

National Curriculum Links

Physical Education Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9) - National Curriculum for England:

Pupils develop competence to excel in a broad range of physical activities.
Pupils are physically active for sustained periods of time.
Pupils engage in competitive sports and activities.
Pupils develop communication, collaboration and leadership skills.
Pupils understand the importance of health, fitness and wellbeing.
Pupils demonstrate knowledge and understanding of techniques and tactics.

Relevant Learning Objectives:

Apply knowledge of athletic techniques and strategies to improve performance in track events, specifically relay races.
Demonstrate effective baton passing techniques with accuracy and timing.
Develop teamwork, communication and roles within group activities to achieve shared objectives.
Participate in a sustained dynamic warm-up to prepare the body for physical activity.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

Perform a structured dynamic warm-up focusing on mobility, flexibility, and activation of key muscle groups relevant to sprinting and relay activities.
Demonstrate correct baton passing techniques including “up-sweep” and “down-sweep” methods safely and effectively.
Work collaboratively within relay teams, communicating timing and visual cues clearly to improve baton exchange success.
Complete a full relay race demonstrating teamwork, timing, and baton exchange fluency.

Success Criteria

Students participate fully in a dynamic warm-up, showing understanding of the purpose of each activity.
Students correctly execute baton passes with minimal drops or errors.
Teams successfully complete a relay race with smooth baton exchanges.
Students display clear communication and teamwork during race activities.

Resources Needed

Stopwatch or timer
Batons (enough for each group of 4-5)
Cones to mark relay exchange zones
Whistle
Access to a track or marked running area (minimum 100m straight line or 4 x 25m lanes).

Lesson Structure

Time (mins)	Activity	Description & Notes	Differentiation & Extension
0 – 10	Introduction & Dynamic Warm-Up	Teacher leads a 10-minute dynamic warm-up including exercises like: high knees, butt kicks, walking lunges, leg swings, arm circles, and acceleration drills. Explain why warm-up is crucial.	Support: Lower impact versions of exercises; visual demonstration. Advanced: Include plyometric exercises like bounding or mini hurdles.
10 – 20	Explanation of Relay Fundamentals	Explain baton passing techniques (up-sweep and down-sweep) using visual aids and demonstration. Emphasise safety and timing. Discuss teamwork and communication importance.	Support: Focus on practising grip and simple passing in pairs. Advanced: Introduce blind pass technique or alternate hand passing.
20 – 35	Relay Passing Drills in Groups	Split class into groups of 4-5. Practice baton passing in pairs, then sequentially with whole group across marked zones. Teacher monitors and provides feedback on technique and timing.	Support: Assign roles in relay to maximise each student’s strengths (e.g., anchor for fast runners, starter for confident starters). Advanced: Practice race pace exchanges with no visual handoff.
35 – 50	Full Relay Race Practice & Competition	Conduct relay races over 4 x 25m or 4 x 50m depending on space. Emphasise communication, timing, and baton exchange. Rotate positions within teams to experience varied roles.	Support: Smaller teams (3 runners) or staggered baton passes with longer exchange zones. Advanced: Time teams and record best exchanges; encourage strategies to improve split times.
50 – 60	Cool Down & Reflection	Guide students through a cool-down including light jogging and stretching. Conduct a plenary discussion reviewing key learning points – what worked, challenges, and importance of teamwork. Provide self and peer assessment against success criteria.	Support: Use visual prompts and sentence starters to support reflection. Advanced: Challenge students to identify performance improvements and set goals for next session/unit.

Differentiation Strategies

Skill Level: Assign relay roles according to ability (e.g., stronger sprinters as starters/anchors, others as mid-leg runners or baton handlers).
Physical Ability: Modify warm-up and drills to accommodate different fitness levels and physical needs. Provide alternate activities where necessary.
Communication & Learning Styles: Use clear visual demonstrations, cue cards for baton techniques and peer mentoring for students needing extra support.
Group Dynamics: Structure teams so students of mixed abilities support each other, promoting teamwork and inclusive participation.

Extension Activities for Advanced Learners

Train advanced baton passing techniques such as the “push” pass or the blind pass to increase speed and efficiency.
Introduce strategies for race tactics including acceleration zones, sprint technique refinement, and pacing during the relay.
Time trials to encourage competitive improvement and goal setting.
Leadership roles: Have advanced students lead warm-ups or teach passing techniques to peers.

Assessment & Feedback

Formative Assessment: Continuous observation during warm-up, drills, and relay races providing verbal and corrective feedback on technique, communication, and teamwork.
Peer Assessment: After the relay races, students evaluate their own team performance against success criteria using checklist sheets.
Summative Assessment: Teacher judges successful completion of a relay race with proper baton exchange and teamwork demonstration as evidence of achieving key learning objectives.
Self-Assessment: Students reflect on their own contributions and learning during the plenary.

Classroom Management & Behaviour Expectations

Maintain a stern, clear tone emphasizing safety, respect, and focus throughout the lesson.
Strictly enforce baton passing zones to prevent collisions and misuse of equipment.
Use whistle signals to direct attention during activities.
Address behavioural issues immediately and fairly, ensuring that disruptions do not affect the learning of others.

Reflection and Next Steps

Use student feedback and teacher observation to evaluate lesson success.
Consider follow-up sessions focussing on endurance running or other track and field events to build on skills learnt.
Encourage students to participate in intra-school or inter-school competitions for applied learning experience.

End of Lesson Plan

Teaching Instructions