Hook- American Ninja

Unit Plan

Day One- trust building exercises (ex. human knot, trust falls, wind in the willows, practice
walking across a beam) and spotting intro
Day Two- warm up with core and strength building (calisthenics), bring in expert to show some
basic parkour,
Day Three- indoor parkour course, rolls and falls skills
Day Four- vault skills
Day Five- vault variation and flow skills (Breathe Parkour Curriculum, 2016)
Day Six- outdoor parkour course
Day Seven- field trip to indoor parkour park
Day Eight- American Ninja relay (will be built by students)
Day Nine- time to work on video project
Day Ten- time to work on video project

A. Unit Title, Subject Area, and Topic

Unit Title: Risk taking in Parkour
Subject: Physical Education
Topic: Parkour
B. Reference to Alberta Education Curriculum or standards,
A20-1 locomotor
analyze, evaluate and modify performance of locomotor skills and conceptseffort,
space and relationshipsto perform and create a variety of activities to improve personal
performance
A 20 -3 nonlocomotor? (twisting, balancing, bending, landing)
A20-12 gymnastics
apply a combination of the basic skills in a variety of gymnastic and movement
experiences individually, with a partner, or in a group
A20-13 individual activity
develop and combine more challenging activity-specific skills in a variety of individual
pursuits; e.g., self-defense
C20-6 teamwork
identify and demonstrate positive behaviours that show respect for self and others
D20-2 effort
refine a personal plan that is self-motivating and encourages ongoing participation
D20-3 safety
develop and apply safety standards and rules in a variety of activities
D20-6 goal setting/personal challenge
determine short- and long-term activity goals and a timeline for their attainment that will
continue to provide personal challenges
C. Grade Level Physical Education 20

D. Unit Rationale
 The focus of this unit is to encourage students to take risk take risks through parkour. The
activity of parkour is an engaging way to incorporate gymnastics in physical education that
should appeal to more students. Parkour has become popular in recent years because of its
modern connections to society (ex. American Ninja, Assassin's Creed, Youtube videos) and its
connections to the urban arts. Theses urban arts connections include graffiti, tattoos, and
contemporary architecture. Engaging in parkour is a healthy way to connect with these
subcultures. We chose to focus on risk taking for parkour as it is an activity that will challenge
students risk tolerance through the dynamic movements you have to do. Risk taking is important
because:

Physically
Develop new skills
Promote attempting new skills
Encourage students to experiment with new skills
Encourage students to attempt skill refinement (Burrows, 2015)

Socially/Personally
Builds confidence
Encourage students to practice skills out of their comfort zone
A little risk helps to make hard tasks easier or fun
Beneficial for future careers
Learn about yourself
E. Learning Outcomes

Essential Question: How can students be stimulated to take more risks by engaging in parkour?

Goals
Students will:
Know the difference between perceived risk versus actual risk
Build confidence through taking risks
Learn how to take risk
Use teamwork through trusting their spotter(s)

Assessment: (basic framework for assessment)

Self-assessment
Exit cards given to students at the end of class where they can say what they learned that
day, how they felt they did in the skills, their goals for next class, what they would like to
do or improve on next class, and how they felt about risk taking that day (ie. did they feel
safe? Will they move on to harder skills next class? Were they able to try the skills? Did
they feel more confident?)
Learning benefits of taking risk (3,2,1)
o 3: Three things they knew
o 2: Two new things learnt
o 1: One question they have
Formative assessment
Feedback from teacher and expert
 Feedback from peers
Feedback of skills from video replay
Ability to sequence skills in a course
Summative:
The American Ninja Relay course will be created by the students. This will evaluate the
knowledge of parkour skills they have built up. It will also give them the opportunity to
be creative and engage with the unit material.
Final group presentation video of parkour skills similar to those found on youtube.
Students will be encouraged to creatively show the skills they have learned and the
abilities of the members in their group. They can video the skills inside and/or outside.
They can add in music or other effects in the video. This will be graded on a rubric made
with the students
Students will complete a final self assessment of their overall progress in this unit. They
can refer back to their exit cards to see how they progressed
Art project for students participating

F. Key Instructional Practices Procedures

Will the students work as a whole class, in groups, or individually?- pairs or small groups

How will you transition into different activities?- the students will warm up with trust building
and/or strength building activities. Parkour requires body strength to do the skills and also
trust in your spotter. We will then transition into a review of the last class followed by the
new skills for that day. After a couple classes of learning new skills we will sequence them
into a course either indoors or outdoors. Once students have these skills and knowledge they
can create their own American Ninja course.

How will you scaffold activities?- the students will first learn the activities with an expert. They
will then practice them with a teacher and do it with help from their peers. Once they feel
ready they will do the skills on their own.

How will materials be used?- The materials will be used in a variety of ways. They will be used
to create the apparatuses to do the skills, they will be used in courses, mats will be used for
safety, and an iPad or phone will be used to video the skills as well as for the student video
project.

Safety-
Create guidelines about how students should act in class.
Before beginning an activity ensure the space you are using has no hazards.
Teach students the difference between taking a risk and being dangerous. Danger here
meaning doing something out of the physical limits of a student or using equipment
improperly.
Make sure students are aware of what is within their physical limits
Have students take take small steps toward a larger goal
Go to a controlled environment for the activity you are doing. For example trip to a
parkour park or an indoor rock climbing wall
 The teacher should be supervising students at all times
Use spotting in class. Teach students how to spot and develop trust between students
prior to these activities. Trust can be accomplished by doing these activities later on in
the semester and warming up with some trust building activities
Use a buddy system while doing activities so students are looking out for each other
Be trained and competent as a teacher in the activities you are doing.
Students should be prepared with proper activity wear
Proper equipment ex. Gymnastic mats, proper and stable vaults
(Flaming & Harbich, 2017)

G. List of Sources

Breathe Parkour Curriculum. (2016). Retrieved October 21, 2017, from

http://breathepk.com/curriculum-level-sheets
Flaming, S., & Harbich, K. (2017, September 24). How to Make Risk Taking Safe in the Classroom?
Retrieved October 21, 2017, from https://physicaleducation1.wixsite.com/risktaking/single-
post/2017/09/24/How-to-make-risk-taking-safe-in-the-classroom
Program of Studies (to be done soon)
Watson, S. (2017, June 4). Physical education adaptations for students with disabilities.
[web log comment]. Retrieved from
https://www.thoughtco.com/physical-education-for-students-with-disabilities-311139

H. List of Materials

Indoors:
Gymnastic mats flat or tilted
Square Plyometric boxes for vaults
Step up boxes
Exercise ball
Stabilizer ball
Gymnastics trampoline (small size)
Hurdels
Benches
Balance beams
Vault box
Chairs
Sit disc
Balance board
Plywood
Tennis ball
Rope

Outdoors:
Benches
Ledges
Playground (school or community)
Outdoor exercise park (community)
Staircase
Chairs
Railings
Parking lot barriers

Technology:
iPad
Phone
Computer to edit video

J. Learner Differentiation/Explanation of how the unit plan addresses all students needs

In order to achieve full engagement of all students it is important to focus on the range of needs
that are present in the class. It is important to realize that changes may need to be considered
when setting up a class. As teacher there are considerations that need to be made for those who
have special needs, those who are english language learners, the gifted, those who prefer group
work or individual and recognizing our connection to indigenous history and activities that may
fit in a activity.

Special Needs:
Provide video clips demonstrating the activity for students to follow
Use big and brighter objects for those that may have visual impairment
Alter height of apparatus to fit students ability
Buddy System
Allow extra time to move through activity
Provide clear and precise instruction
Be aware of lights and sounds in the gym.
When considering changes for students who require adaptations always ask these 6 questions
stated by Watson (2017),
1. How can I change this activity to suit the student?
2. How can I adapt this activity?
3. How can I modify this activity?
4. How will I assess the physical activity?
5. Can I involve a teacher's assistant or parent volunteer?
6. How will I ensure the rest of the class involves the student?

English Language Learners:

Provide an write up that explains all activities and moves in students first language
Provide a clear demonstration and instruction for each station
Incorporate the buddy system
o Within groups encourage students to share several words in native language with
partner. This allows local students to learn a different language and creates a
connection between partners. (e.g. jump, roll, yes, no in native language)
Select activities that ELL students will recognize. (Know cultures that are present in
class)
 Provide video clips demonstrating the activity for students to follow

Gifted:
Provide additional challenges (build on apparatus skill)
Allow for additional leadership roles
Encourage students to explain why and how they can complete the activity rather than
just performing the activity

Group Work:
Throughout the unit plan students will be given opportunities to work as a group or
partners. Parkour requires plenty of activities which having other classmates present is
crucial to the activity and safety of the student.
The chance of working as a group to complete a task will be present
Peer feedback opportunities

Independent:
Similarly, independent activities will be required as parkour is an individual sport
Provide the option for a student to work individually on activities that do not require
spotter

Indigenous game inclusion:

Arctic High kick activity
o The activity can be included as a warm-up or one of the skills/activity to be
completed during the class
o Three stages:
1. One foot kick: Jump off ground and attempt to touch the target with one
kicking foot. Once the kick occurs the kicking foot that hit the target must
land on the floor only.
2. Two foot kick:Jump off ground and attempt to touch the target with both
feet (pike) and land on both feet.
3. Alaskan high kick: Student is on the ground and holding one foot while
the other is used to kick up towards the target.
o Include activities that highlight and help encourage conversations towards
activities from other cultures.

K. Creativity and Innovation

In order to engage all students, the hook of this unit will be American Ninja. American
Ninja is a popular game show where participants have to run through a challenging relay.
Most students should be familiar with this show so by telling them that they will learn how to
do what the contestants but maybe even better, will engage them to participate in parkour.
Near the end of the unit there will be a day where students will run through an American
Ninja course which will further immerse them in this hook and motivate them throughout
the unit to learn and take risks.
 An expert on parkour from Breathe Parkour Calgary will be brought in during the second
class to teach students the proper and safe way of doing the skills. The parkour instructor will
demonstrate parkour and their skills will serve as a motivation to the students to inspire them
by showing what is possible if they take risks. During the sixth class the students will be
brought on a field trip to Breathe Parkour where they will see the expert again. The field trip
and seeing the expert again will serve as a way for students to see how they have improved in
parkour since the beginning of the unit. They will be able to see how they improved
physically and mentally. The field trip will also give students the opportunity to practice on a
professional environment that has been designed for parkour.

Technology will be included by the use of videos in a variety of ways to engage all
students. Students will watch videos showcasing parkour demonstrating the moves they will
do as well as some amazing parkour videos to motivate them to take risks. Videos will be
taken in class of them doing parkour so they can have some feedback of what they look like
during the skills and what they can do to improve. They can also use slow motion playback
when watching these videos for a more detailed feedback of what they need to do to improve
a skill. They will also make their own videos showcasing some of the parkour moves they
learned. They will be encouraged to be creative when making these videos and can use any
video editing skills they have.

Interdisciplinary methods will be included by the social connection of parkour through

urban art. This opportunity will be given to students in art class and any other students who
want to participate. They will design and paint the vault boxes and create murals of urban art
(graffiti) to place in the gymnasium or use outside during physical education class. The urban
art will immerse all students in the parkour experience and give them the opportunity to view
or create art. Students who engage in the art project will feel like they have contributed to the
school environment and will feel proud to participate in physical education class.