Unit Plan 3 (Grade 7 PE): Advanced Agility & Evasion

Focus: Develop high-speed changes of direction, fakes, levels, and defender-reading skills through agility work, invasion-style tag, and 1v1 evasion challenges.

Grade Level: 7

Subject Area: Physical Education

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–55 minutes per session

I. Introduction

In this Grade 7 Physical Education unit, students build advanced movement skills for activities that require quick reactions, sharp direction changes, and controlled body movement under pressure. Through agility ladders, cone drills, Invasion Tag, and 1v1 evasion races, students learn how to change speed, level, and pathway to gain an advantage over defenders. The unit emphasizes that evasion is not just about moving fast, but about reading body cues, staying balanced, and choosing the right moment to cut, fake, or accelerate. By the end of the week, students should be able to move with greater control and confidence in dynamic situations while staying highly engaged in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.

Essential Questions

• How do speed, balance, and body control work together during quick changes of direction?
• How can fakes, tempo changes, and level changes help an attacker beat a defender?
• What body cues from a defender can help me decide when and where to cut?
• How can I stay active and efficient while practicing high-intensity agility and evasion work?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Perform locomotor skills such as sprinting, shuffling, cutting, and accelerating with control in fast-moving activity settings.
2. Maintain balance, stability, and safe body position while jumping, landing, dodging, changing levels, and turning under pressure.
3. Use pathways, tempo changes, levels, and feints to create separation from defenders or deny space effectively.
4. Read basic defender body cues such as hips, feet, reach, and momentum to make smarter movement decisions.
5. Participate actively in repeated agility and evasion tasks with consistent effort and reduced non-active time.

Standards Alignment — Grade 7 PE (SHAPE America-based custom)

• PE:S1.7a – Locomotor Skills with Advanced Speed & Change of Direction Perform locomotor skills (e.g., sprinting, shuffling, skipping, bounding) with control while making rapid changes in direction, speed, and level in game situations.
  • Example: In invasion games, a student sprints to space, plants and cuts sharply to lose a defender, then accelerates again to receive a pass.
• PE:S1.7b – Balance, Stability & Coordination in Complex Movement Sequences Maintain balance and body control during complex actions that include jumping, landing, rotating, dodging, and changing levels, even when contact or defensive pressure is present.
  • Example: A student keeps control while jumping to catch a pass, landing safely, and pivoting away from a defender in a handball or basketball-style game.
• PE:S2.7b – Using Pathways, Levels, and Feints to Gain Tactical Advantage Use a variety of movement options—pathways, levels, tempo changes, and feints—to create separation, deny space, or disrupt an opponent’s strategy.
  • Example: A student uses a stutter step and head fake before cutting diagonally to receive a pass, or angles their body to block an opponent’s lane to the goal.
• PE:S3.7a – Consistent Engagement in Moderate-to-Vigorous Activity Participate actively and consistently in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity for significant portions of class and show effort to reduce non-active time.
  • Example: During small-sided games and circuits, students stay engaged by moving between plays, participating in all reps, and keeping transitions quick.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can sprint, shuffle, stop, and cut with control at high speed.
• I can stay balanced when I jump, land, dodge, and change direction.
• I can use fakes, tempo changes, and level changes to get past a defender or protect space.
• I can watch a defender’s body and use that information to make smarter movement choices.
• I can stay active and give strong effort during agility and evasion activities.