Unit Plan 19 (Grade 3 PE): Wiffle Ball / Striking & Fielding

Focus: Develop beginning batting, fielding, and throwing-to-target skills while helping students learn safe routines for striking and fielding activities. .

Grade Level: 3

Subject Area: Physical Education (Striking & Fielding • Wiffle Ball Lead-Up • Throwing to Targets)

Total Unit Duration: 1 core session + 2 optional sessions (1–3 weeks), 50–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

Students explore wiffle ball and other striking-and-fielding lead-up activities as a way to build hand-eye coordination, safe equipment use, and game-readiness. In this unit, students begin with shadow swings and then progress to soft toss or tee-ball hitting so they can practice stance, swing path, and balanced follow-through before adding simple fielding and throwing tasks. They then rotate through Striking Stations that include tee hits, grounders to fielders, and throw to base activities, where they learn to strike with control, field the ball under their body, and throw accurately to a target. Throughout the unit, students focus on safe bat use, tracking the ball, combining strike-field-throw skills, and understanding that strong striking-and-fielding play depends on control more than power.

Essential Questions

• How can I strike a ball with better control using a bat?
• What helps me field a ground ball safely and successfully?
• How do I throw more accurately to a base or target?
• Why are safety rules especially important during batting and fielding activities?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Throw and catch with improving accuracy during fielding and throw-to-target tasks.
2. Strike a lightweight ball with a bat using improving control and useful direction.
3. Combine striking, fielding, and throwing skills during simple striking-and-fielding station work.
4. Adjust effort and force appropriately for hitting, fielding, and throwing activities.
5. Follow safety procedures and equipment routines consistently during batting and fielding practice.

Standards Alignment — 3rd Grade (SHAPE America-based custom)

• PE:S1.3c – Throwing & Catching in Games Throw (underhand and overhand) and catch objects with increasing accuracy and consistency in partner, group, and small-sided game situations.
  • Example: Students complete a sequence of accurate passes with a partner while moving in a small grid.
• PE:S1.3e – Striking with Implements Strike a lightweight object (balloon, foam ball, yarn ball) with hands or implements (paddles, short-handled rackets, foam bats) with developing accuracy and control.
  • Example: Students strike a ball off a tee into a designated field area or tap a balloon over a low net to a partner.
• PE:S1.3f – Combining Skills in Small-Sided Games Combine locomotor and object-control skills (run, dodge, throw, catch, strike, kick) in modified small-sided games.
  • Example: Students play 3v3 passing games where they must move to open space, receive a pass, and attempt to score in a goal zone.
• PE:S2.3c – Effort & Force to Match the Task Adjust speed, effort, and force (fast/slow, hard/soft) for successful performance in skills and games.
  • Example: Students throw softly to a nearby partner and with more force to a distant target in a throwing game.
• PE:S4.3a – Rules, Routines, and Equipment Safety Consistently follow rules, procedures, and safety expectations, including proper use of equipment and respect for boundaries.
  • Example: Students wait for the signal to begin, stay within play zones, and handle equipment appropriately.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can swing a bat with control and hit safely into the field area.
• I can get in front of a ground ball and field it safely.
• I can throw a ball to a base or target with better aim.
• I can change how hard I hit or throw depending on the task.
• I can follow batting and fielding safety rules every time.