Unit Plan 16 (Grade 2 PE): Striking with Hands & Paddles
Develop striking control and tracking with balloon taps and paddle rallies—helping Grade 2 students improve consistency, movement, and safe object control.
Focus: Develop striking consistency and object tracking by helping students tap lightweight objects upward with control using hands and paddles while adjusting body position to keep the object in play.
Grade Level: 2
Subject Area: Physical Education (Object Control • Striking Skills • Movement Concepts)
Total Unit Duration: 1 core session + 2 optional sessions (1–3 weeks), 50–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
Students build striking skills by learning how to make light, controlled contact with a moving object instead of swatting wildly. This unit begins with balloon taps using hands so students can practice watching an object rise and fall, moving under it, and striking it gently back into the air. Students then progress to Balloon Strike Rally, where they try to keep a balloon or lightweight object in play for multiple strikes using hands and then paddles or simple striking tools. Throughout the unit, students learn that successful striking depends on tracking the object with the eyes, using the right amount of force, and adjusting body position using different levels, directions, and pathways.
Essential Questions
- How can I strike a balloon or lightweight object with better control?
- What helps me keep an object in the air for more than one hit?
- How do high, medium, and low levels change the way I move to a striking object?
- How can I move safely while tracking an object that is floating in different directions?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Strike a lightweight object with hands or paddles using improving control and consistency.
- Track an object with the eyes and move body position to get under or near it before striking.
- Apply levels, directions, and simple pathways while following and striking an object.
- Participate actively in striking tasks while using safe spacing and station routines.
Standards Alignment — 2nd Grade (SHAPE America-based custom)
- PE:S1.2e – Object Control: Striking Strike a lightweight object (balloon, foam ball) with hands and long-handled implements (paddle, foam bat) with developing control.
- Example: Students strike a balloon upward with a paddle, trying to keep it in the air for several hits.
- PE:S2.2b – Pathways, Levels, Direction Apply movement concepts such as levels (high/medium/low), pathways (straight/curved/zigzag), and directions (forward/backward/sideways) while performing skills.
- Example: Students travel through cone courses using assigned pathways and levels, such as low-level zigzag pathways.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can tap a balloon or lightweight object with my hand or paddle using control.
- I can keep my eyes on the object and move under it before I strike.
- I can move high, medium, or low and in different directions to stay with the object.
- I can keep trying to get more than one strike in a row.