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| Grades 3–5 PE — Basketball (Teacher View)(Program View)

Standalone Lesson — Not part of a unit or annual plan

Grades 3–5 PE — Basketball: Passing and Moving Stations Lesson Plan

Fourth graders practice chest, bounce, and moving passes in four stations.

Students send chest and bounce passes inside four cone triangles, then pass to a moving teammate. A quick look at 6–8 students closes the period.

Grades 3–5

Not Part of a Unit

40 Minutes

30 Students

Half Gym

Low–Mod Risk

WHAT THE TEACHER PROVIDED

Lesson Inputs

Ed built this lesson from the following teacher-provided context. No annual plan or unit plan was used.

Lesson Setup

Grade	Grades 3–5
Class Size	30 students
Lesson Length	40 minutes
Facility	Half the gym, split into four cone triangles with a clear lane down the middle.
Topic Request	Basketball passing and moving stations for a Grade 4 class.
Equipment Available	12 cones, 8 basketballs

Planning Context

Standards Preference	SHAPE America
Student Context Chips	Large class · Half-gym stations · Limited balls · Predictable rotations
Additional Notes	Today's class is Grade 4. Four groups of 7–8 share two balls at each station, so only two students pass at a time.
Existing Plan	None — standalone lesson, not part of a unit or annual plan

STANDARDS MAPPED BY ED

Standards Alignment

Ed mapped these standards based on the lesson topic and the teacher's framework preference. In a unit or annual plan, standards would be inherited from the parent document.

Standard 1: Motor Skills & Movement Patterns	1.5.8 — Supports today's chest and bounce passes to a partner.
Standard 2: Movement Concepts & Strategies	2.5.2 — Supports passing into open space on the move.
Standard 4: Personal & Social Responsibility	4.5.1 — Supports calling a name and staying inside the station.

Standard 1: Motor Skills & Movement Patterns	1.5.8: Sends a two-handed chest or bounce pass that arrives between a partner's waist and chest, then receives with a jump-stop.
Standard 2: Movement Concepts & Strategies	2.5.2: Moves into open space to receive a lead pass and sends the ball ahead of a moving teammate.
Standard 4: Personal & Social Responsibility	4.5.1: Stays inside the station boundary, calls a teammate's name before passing, and retrieves a loose ball by walking.

STUDENT CONTEXT APPLIED

Student Context Applied in This Lesson

You selected 4 context considerations for this lesson. Ed applied each one to specific design choices below.

Large class Half-gym stations Limited balls Predictable rotations

Design Decision	How It's Applied	Driven By
Four groups of 7–8	Thirty students split across four triangles so no group shares a passing lane.	Large class
Half-gym triangles	Twelve cones mark four stations and leave a clear middle lane for the warm-up.	Half-gym stations
Two passers at a time	Each station keeps two basketballs, so the other students retrieve and rotate in.	Limited balls
Whistle rotation	One whistle freezes the ball. Two whistles means walk clockwise to the next triangle.	Predictable rotations

Note: These chips apply only to this standalone lesson. In a unit or annual plan, student context would be inherited from the parent document.

LESSON FLOW — 40 MINUTES

Passing Warm-Up 6 min	Chest-Pass Target 7 min	Bounce-Pass Lane 7 min	Give-and-Go 7 min	Lead Pass on the Move 7 min	Skill Check and Close 6 min

EQUIPMENT CHECKLIST — 30 STUDENTS

Cones — 12 (3 per station) Mark four triangles, about 10 feet on a side, and leave the middle lane open. Basketballs — 8 (2 per station) Place two balls inside each triangle. Balls stay at the station when groups rotate.

PRINTABLE SKILL REFERENCE CARDS — LAMINATE AND POST

Each card shows Level 1 / Level 2 options, form cues, and a safety note. Content matches this lesson's activity — not a fixed yoga set.

Chest-Pass Target

Level 1 Two-hand pass to a still partner at the cone.

Level 2 Step toward the cone and pass so it arrives at chest height.

Step, push, thumbs down.

Pass toward the cone, not a face.

Safety: Stay inside the triangle. Call the name before the pass.

Bounce-Pass Lane

Level 1 One bounce to a partner standing at the catch cone.

Level 2 Receiver jump-stops and shows two hands before the catch.

Bounce once, waist high.

Show a target with two hands.

Safety: Walk a loose ball back. No chasing into another triangle.

Give-and-Go

Level 1 Pass to the post, walk around the side cone, catch and stop.

Level 2 Cut around the cone and catch the return on the move.

Pass, then cut to space.

Jump-stop after the catch.

Safety: One cutter at a time. Hold the spare ball if the triangle crowds.

Lead Pass on the Move

Level 1 Pass to a partner jogging between two cones.

Level 2 Throw to the space in front and say their name.

Pass to the space, not the feet.

Say the name, then pass.

Safety: Receiver stays inside the cones. No fast breaks.

Half-gym stations

Equipment layout

Stay inside your triangle. Call the name before every pass. Walk a loose ball back.

Safety zones

LESSON SEGMENTS

Passing Warm-Up 6 min

The whole class spreads on the open middle lane. Balls stay in the triangles. Partners face each other about 6 feet apart, take an athletic stance, slide eight steps each way with a jump-stop, then rehearse an air chest pass: step, push, thumbs down, and say the partner's name.

Teacher Cues: Knees bent, hands up. Step toward your partner. Say the name before the air pass.

Fitness Embed: Basketball-ready feet: two rounds of defensive slides and jump-stops, then the air pass. Students should feel warm in the legs, still able to talk.

Thirty students are not sharing eight balls yet, so the passing pattern is learned with feet and hands first.

Chest-Pass Target 7 min

Groups of 7–8 take one triangle. Two students chest-pass toward a cone, not at a face, and catch at chest height. After five catches they become retrievers and the next pair steps in. Students remain at their spots while the teacher demonstrates from the open middle lane.

Teacher Cues: Step, push, thumbs down. Pass toward the cone.

Bounce-Pass Lane 7 min

One whistle freezes the ball. Two whistles: walk clockwise and leave both balls in the triangle. Cones mark the start, the one-bounce spot, and the catch. The pass hits the floor once and arrives at the receiver's waist. The receiver shows two hands and jump-stops, then the line rotates.

Teacher Cues: One bounce. Catch at the waist. Jump-stop.

The same two-ball rule keeps seven or eight students from crowding one passing lane.

Give-and-Go 7 min

A post player stands at the middle cone. The passer sends a chest pass, cuts around a side cone, receives the ball back while moving, and jump-stops. One cutter at a time. If the triangle feels crowded, use one ball and hold the second as a spare.

Teacher Cues: Pass, then cut to space. Jump-stop on the catch.

Lead Pass on the Move 7 min

The receiver jogs from cone to cone inside the triangle. The passer throws the chest pass to the space in front of the receiver and says their name. The receiver catches on the move, jump-stops, and passes back. Watch 6–8 students during the last minute of this station.

Teacher Cues: Pass to the space. Say the name, then pass.

Assessment: Note whether the pass leads the receiver and whether the catch ends in a jump-stop.

This is the only station where the receiver is moving, so it is the check for the learning target.

Skill Check and Close 6 min

Bring the class to the middle lane. Each group sends two students through one lead pass while you mark Starting, On track, or Secure. There is no worksheet. Students then point to the cone they passed toward and tell a partner what their feet did. Return balls by group: groups 1–2 first, then 3–4. Groups wait at their triangles until called.

Teacher Cues: Starting means the pass arrives. On track means it is chest-high. Secure means it leads a moving teammate.

Staggered return keeps thirty students from rushing the ball cart at once.

TODAY'S ASSESSMENT FOCUS

Formative observation during Lead Pass on the Move. Watch for a two-handed pass to open space, the receiver's name called first, and a jump-stop on the catch. Note 6–8 students. This is a standalone lesson, so there is no full rubric pack — use Starting, On track, and Secure only.

PLAN B

If equipment or space changes: If basketballs drop below eight, run each triangle with one ball and keep the second spot as a retriever line. If cones are short, mark the four triangles with floor tape and keep the same passing tasks. If the half gym is lost, use the station tasks only when every pair can pass without contacting another student; otherwise move to another approved space and drop the moving cut.

SAFETY PROTOCOLS

Safety Protocols

Emergency Protocol	Follow the school's established emergency procedures. Review the designated PE evacuation and line-up location with students if this is the first time they've had PE in this space.
Station Boundaries	Stay inside the three-cone triangle. One cone-length of open floor stays between neighboring stations.
Pass Direction	Pass toward a cone or open space, never at a face. Call the receiver's name before every pass.
Ball Retrieval	Walk a loose ball back to the triangle. Do not chase a ball into another group's station.
Personal Space	Students must have enough personal space to extend their arms and perform the assigned shape without contacting another student or equipment.
Rotation Control	One whistle means freeze and hold the ball. Two whistles means walk clockwise. No fast breaks between stations.

DIFFERENTIATION

Lesson Differentiation

Equipment	A student who needs a lighter pass uses a foam ball from the same station count, or passes with two hands from a shorter distance inside the triangle.
Space	Shorten the pass by moving the catch cone closer. Keep the change inside the triangle so the next group still has its lane.
Rules	Level 1 catches a still pass. Level 2 adds the step or the moving lead. Both count as practice toward the same target.
Individual Participation Supports	A student can be the named receiver, the retriever, or the post at the middle cone. Offer a seated pass across a shorter gap in the clear middle of the triangle, not against a wall or hoop support.
ELL	Post the four station names and the cues “step, push, thumbs down” and “say the name.” Pair a student with a classmate who can model the pass before the first turn.

GRADE-BAND ADJUSTMENTS

Grade 3	More modeling of the chest pass, shorter distances, and an extra freeze before the first rotation.
Grade 4	Use as written.
Grade 5	Shorter instructions, student-led rotation calls, and peer coaching inside the triangle.

Why This Matters Beyond the Gym

SAY THIS DURING COOL-DOWN

When you said a teammate's name before you passed, you made sure they were ready. That same habit helps when you hand someone a heavy bag, cross a busy hallway, or start a group job. Look first, say what you are doing, then move.

Skill → Life connections:

Skill Practiced Today	Where It Shows Up in Real Life
Calling a name before the pass	Checking that someone is ready before you hand them something or start talking in a group.
Passing to open space	Looking ahead on a sidewalk or in a hallway instead of walking into the person in front of you.
Jump-stop on the catch	Stopping your body before you change direction on stairs, curbs, or a crowded lunch line.
Rotating on a signal	Waiting for a turn and moving when it is called, the way a line or a classroom job rotation works.

Grades 3–5 PE — Basketball · Standalone Lesson · Generated by Ed