3-6 Passing and Catching

FOCUS➤ PASSING AND CATCHING
Subfocus➤ Force, Levels

Grades 4, 5
The physically literate individual demonstrates competency in a variety of motor skills and movement
Standard 1 patterns.
Grade-Level Outcomes
•• Catches a thrown ball above the head, at chest or waist level, and below the waist using a mature
pattern in nondynamic environments (closed skills) (S1.E16.4)
•• Catches with accuracy, both partners moving (S1.E16.5b)
•• Throws to a moving partner with reasonable accuracy in nondynamic environments (closed skills)
(S1.E15.4)
•• Throws with accuracy, both partners moving (S1.E15.5a)
Critical Elements for Catching
•• Extend arms outward to reach for ball.
•• Thumbs in for catch above the waist.
•• Thumbs out for catch at or below the waist.
•• Watch the ball all the way into the hands.
•• Catch with hands only; no cradling against the body.
•• Pull the ball into the body as the catch is made.
•• Curl the body slightly around the ball. (Specific only to certain catches.)
Critical Elements for Throwing (Overhand Pattern)
•• Side to target in preparation for throwing action.
•• Arm back and extended, and elbow at shoulder height or slightly above in preparation for action;
elbow leads.
•• Step with opposite foot as throwing arm moves forward.
•• Hip and spine rotate as throwing action is executed.
•• Follow through toward target and across body.
Lesson Objectives
•• Catch a ball thrown by a partner
•• Extend to catch and curl to protect a caught ball
•• Pass a ball with reasonable accuracy to a partner
Safety Concern
Ensure that spacing is adequate for throwing and catching.
Materials and Equipment
•• Playground or youth-size basketballs, one per student
•• Variety of balls and objects for throwing, such as youth-size footballs, flying discs, hand-sized
balls, 6- to 7-inch (15 to 18 cm) foam balls
Teaching for Competency in Manipulative Skills ■ 159

Introduction
You have practiced throwing and catching earlier in the year and in previous grades. Let’s review the critical elements
of catching and the overhand throw. (Allow several minutes for student recall and review.) Today, we are going to
make the catching more challenging, much like in a game. We will use the term passing for our throwing. For passing,
some of the critical elements are the same as for throwing overhand and some are similar to throwing underhand.
When passing the ball in a game, you want to make sure that your teammate can catch it.
LEARNING EXPERIENCE: REVIEW OF CATCHING A LARGE BALL AT DIFFERENT

LEVELS
Use playground balls or youth-size basketballs. Students are scattered in self-space, tossing the ball
and jumping to catch it.
•• Students stretch to catch at a higher level.
Pretend that the ball is a rebound in basketball (emphasis on extension and timing the jump).
•• They continue practice of catching at high level, emphasizing pulling the ball in and curling body
to protect the ball.
Students travel in general space, toss high, extend, catch, and pull it in.
Cue: Curl and protect.
LEARNING EXPERIENCE: WALL PASS

Students push the ball with two hands from the chest, step forward, and catch the rebound off the
wall after one bounce. (Demonstrate the chest pass, using a pushing action with fingers spread on
the outside of the ball and thumbs in.)
•• Have students explore the force needed to make the ball bounce once and come back to them.
•• Students continue practicing the chest pass, extending arms to make the catch, pulling the ball
into the body, and curling around it, as if to keep an opponent from taking the ball from them.
LEARNING EXPERIENCE: PARTNER PASS

Partners face each other, approximately 10 feet (3 m) apart. They pass to each other, aiming for the
chest area, using the chest pass they just practiced. Allow several minutes for exploration of the force
needed for the ball to travel to the partner while allowing the partner to catch.
Cue: Accuracy is important. Aim for chest.
Note: Remind students of the two-hand push from the chest to the partner’s chest with the simul-
taneous step action. Receivers may need a reminder of ready hands—fingers spread, thumbs in, at
chest level.
•• After 10 combined catches, both partners take a step back and then continue to pass and catch.
•• They continue increasing distance to determine maximum distance for accuracy.
Self-Assessment
When both partners can pass accurately and catch 8 out of 10 chest passes, they have reached maxi-
mum distance.
•• Select a different object (football, flying disc, or other type of ball). Students repeat the passing and
receiving challenge, beginning at the original starting point and extending the distance as before.
•• Discuss with students the match between type and size of ball and type of throw: chest pass,
overhand throw, and underhand throw. (A few minutes of instruction and practice on throwing
a football or flying disc will be necessary here.)
Cue for receivers: Position hands as target.
Cue for throwers: Pass to target.
160 ■ Teaching for Competency in Manipulative Skills

•• Each time partners discover maximum distance, they switch to a different object for throwing
and catching.
•• Students change partners to discover force and distance for each new partner (Standard 4).
Discuss games play and importance of throwing passes so that receivers can catch them.
LEARNING EXPERIENCE: PARTNER PASS AND CATCH IN DIFFERENT LOCATIONS

AROUND BODY
With object of partners’ choice, receiver positions hands as target above the head. Thrower tosses
the ball in a curvy, rainbow pathway so that receiver can reach to catch.
•• Receiver catches at high level, pulls the ball into the body, and curls to protect it.
•• Receiver catches at low level with thumbs turned out, pulls it in, and curls to protect the ball.
•• Challenge partners to target throws to the left or to the right and to high or low levels.
•• Challenge them further to strive for personal best in distance, accuracy, or level.
Assessment
Students make journal entry with description of reason for success—accuracy and force.
LEARNING EXPERIENCE: PASSING AND RECEIVING WITH RECEIVER ON THE MOVE

(GRADE 5)
Safety Check: Spatial awareness is critical with partners moving; outdoor open field is best.
Receiver points in the direction of travel and takes two or three steps to the right; the pass is made
in front of receiver.
•• Review of leading the receiver as practiced in previous lessons. The target is now the space in
front of the receiver. Allow several minutes of practice because timing when to release the throw
is difficult.
•• Receiver reaches, pulls it in, and then prepares to become the thrower. (It is best to use a “break”
signal to help with timing of when to move.) Remind students that only the receiver is moving;
the passer is stationary.
•• Receiver repeats to the left, traveling two to three steps.
•• Receiver increases speed of going both right and left, each time providing a target.
•• Students explore different types of balls and a flying disc.
(Receiver is traveling only two or three steps. Emphasis is on throwing a lead pass and being accu-
rate for ease of catching.)
LEARNING EXPERIENCE: CATCHING AND TRAVELING

Partners stand side by side facing the same direction. Partner A is the first passer, and partner B is
the first receiver. The receiver combines a pathway design (combination of straight, curved, or zigzag
movements) moving away from the thrower and providing a target for the thrower. The thrower leads
the receiver when the target is signaled.
Safety Check: All students move in the same direction across the gymnasium or field.
•• After the reception, the receiver jogs back to the thrower and they change roles.
Catching over the shoulder with a twisted body shape. Repeat the preceding except this time the
receiver jogs slowly away from the passer traveling in a straight pathway. When ready, the receiver
twists the body and provides a two-hand target over one shoulder. The passer attempts to pass to
the receiver’s target hands.
Teaching for Competency in Manipulative Skills ■ 161

Cue for passer: A lead pass will allow the receiver to continue jogging.
Cue for receiver: Twist only the upper trunk so that the feet can continue jogging forward.
•• Students practice at a short distance and increase distance only with success. (Remind students
that accuracy, not distance, is the key to success.)
Assessment
Journal entry: Why do you need to alter the force based on distance? Why might you alter the force
with some partners or teammates?
Closure
•• Why is it important in some situations to curl around the ball after pulling it in?
•• What did you do differently in your throw when you were close to someone compared with when
you increased the distance?
•• What situation or object required you to face your partner when you were throwing? What situ-
ation or object required side to target?
Reflection
•• Are the students extending to make catches?
•• Do they pull it in and curl around it?
•• Are the students throwing with at least 80 percent accuracy?
•• Do they appear to have a functional understanding of how much force is needed in varying situ-
ations?
•• Are fifth-grade students leading the receiver and timing their throws?
162 ■ Teaching for Competency in Manipulative Skills

3-6 Passing and Catching

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FOCUS➤ PASSING AND CATCHING

Subfocus➤ Force, Levels

Teaching for Competency in Manipulative Skills ■ 159

LEARNING EXPERIENCE: REVIEW OF CATCHING A LARGE BALL AT DIFFERENT

LEARNING EXPERIENCE: WALL PASS

LEARNING EXPERIENCE: PARTNER PASS

160 ■ Teaching for Competency in Manipulative Skills

LEARNING EXPERIENCE: PARTNER PASS AND CATCH IN DIFFERENT LOCATIONS

LEARNING EXPERIENCE: PASSING AND RECEIVING WITH RECEIVER ON THE MOVE

LEARNING EXPERIENCE: CATCHING AND TRAVELING

Teaching for Competency in Manipulative Skills ■ 161

162 ■ Teaching for Competency in Manipulative Skills

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