Teacher 'F' wanted to maximize playing time on the first day of a middle school football unit. He had students warm up by jogging for three minutes in the gym. Then the class walked a half-mile out to the far set of fields. He then formed two teams of 14 and played ultimate football the remainder of a 90-minute period following standard ultimate rules.

How well did the teacher accomplish the most important goal and structure the lesson in general?

Critique

Criticism 1: Playing time could be saved by having students jog to the football field, rather than jogging indoors and then walking to the field.

Criticism 2: More exercise and opportunity for skill practice would result from having four teams of seven players, instead of two teams of 14 players. Naturally, the size of the field should be adjusted for half as many players, but a smaller field does not produce any less activity, as long as the ratio of field size/players remains the same.

Criticism 3: While a few other modified rules may be necessary, here are two that significantly improve the game: Disallowing passes more than half the length of the field and disallowing a pass to return to the same person who threw it. When passes are shorter, it necessarily requires more passes to advance the ball from one end to the other. When a pass cannot be returned to the one who threw it, it necessarily requires that more people touch the ball. In addition to more opportunity, both modifications taken together results in more exercise for more people.

Criticism 4: Even with a goal of maximizing playing time, a 90-minute period provides plenty of time to practice skills and/or complete fitness activities in some structured manner. Roughly 70 minutes are available for instructional use, assuming 10 minutes are lost on the front and back ends for changing and taveling to and from the field. If students complete some fitness activity and/or practice ultimate-related skills, each for 10 minutes, they would still have 50 or 60 minutes, respectively, to utilize those skills in game play.