Health & Physical Education
Games
Outcomes
Knowledge and Understandings
Students know and understand health and physical activity concepts that enable
informed decisions for a healthy, active lifestyle.
Skills for Physical Activity
Students demonstrate the movement skills and strategies for confident and
competent participation in physical activity.
Self-management Skills
Students demonstrate self management skills which enable them to make informed
decisions for healthy, active lifestyles.
Interpersonal Skills
Students demonstrate the interpersonal skills necessary for effective relationships
and healthy, active lifestyles.
Attitudes and Values
Students exhibit attitudes and values that promote personal, family and community
health, and participation in physical activity (this outcome is embedded throughout
the other four outcomes).
Outcomes addressed are based on the Curriculum Framework Western Australia 1998.
Overview
Students will research and analyse sports and games played in Singapore. Using this
information they will select and demonstrate a modified game incorporating an
awareness of rules and strategies reflecting the multicultural nature of Singapore and
games sense.
© Access Asia and Department of Education and Training Western Australia, 2008.
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Background
The Sports Council of Singapore encourages sport, recreation and physical
performance as a way of life. Schools are equipped with modern sporting facilities;
land is reclaimed for golf courses and other recreational pursuits; and traditional
Asian activities, such as Tai Chi are practised daily in the open parklands and
gardens by people of all ages. All of which restore or maintain a healthy, active
lifestyle.
Games sense is a student-centred, inquiry-based approach to the development of
skills for physical activity within the context of a modified game situation. In
Singapore the Ministry of Education has mandated the Games Concept Approach
which is a variation of Games Sense. The emphasis in games is on cooperation vs
competition within this context and matches the Asian philosophy of harmony and
balance.
Task description by phase of development
Middle childhood (typically years 4–7)
Dragon Boat Racing
Task – Dragon Boat Racing.
Each of the ideas within the tasks has been broken down into the different outcomes.
These can be conducted concurrently or discretely. One of the most exciting group
(team) activities that can be seen in Singapore is Dragon Boat Racing.
Knowledge and Understandings
 Students research the origin of Dragon Boat Racing and the rules for serious
competition.
 Develop rules for conducting a land-based Dragon Boat competition on the school
oval. The competition is to maximise participation and fun for the day so the rules
are to be modified to create a fun filled day rather than serious, competitive racing.
 Investigate, design and develop a Dragon Boat for team racing on land. Make the
boat from large cardboard boxes then paint, decorate and name it.
Self-management processes/skills
 Allocate organisational roles for the competition and develop fixtures for the day.
 Mock awards and trophies are given at the end of the day to highlight participation
and fun rather than winners. Prizes could include: funniest runner, most capsizes.
 Role play various scenarios involving issues such as the better athletes in one
team did not win their race, give reasons (poor communication skills, lack of
cooperation).
© Access Asia and Department of Education and Training Western Australia, 2008.
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Interpersonal Skills
 Form a Dragon Boat club of six to eight students with varying athletic abilities.
 Cooperatively design a club logo. Remember to work collaboratively and listen to
all group members’ opinions and ideas.
 Develop strategies for training team members and tactics for use in the races.
Skills for Physical Activity
 Conduct a fun Dragon Boat Race day where students race their boats on the
school oval using their competition organization and team strategies in a round
robin competition.
 Using group co-operation skills select the best ways to direct the boat to the
target.
 Set up offence and defence moves through positioning of the Dragon Boat.
Early adolescence (typically years 8–10)
Ultimate – A Team Sport
Task – Ultimate.
A very popular game in Singapore is Ultimate – a team sport using a plastic flying
disc. Serious matches and casual friendly games are played in many of the parks
around the city. Teams often travel to overseas competitions.
The most important rule of Ultimate is the spirit-of the-game whereby participants
monitor their own on-field behaviour and performance. There are no umpires in
Ultimate. Thus this game requires that all players respect each other, their actions
and their calls.
Knowledge and Understandings
 Using a Jigsaw strategy, have different groups research the rules, equipment and
field layout for Ultimate. Complete a structured overview ensuring each group
member has every heading filled in.
 Using a Rotating Papers activity, develop a school code of conduct for playing
Ultimate.
 Prepare an equipment list and ensure all is available for the game.
 Students devise a series of appropriate warm up and cool down exercises to be
completed by each player.
© Access Asia and Department of Education and Training Western Australia, 2008.
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Self-management processes/skills
 Students are to maintain a reflective journal during the entire program in which
they track, monitor and respond to their skills development, emotions and on-field
behaviour. Particular note needs to be made of the concept of fair play and spiritof-the-game. List strategies used to temper emotional outburst, thoughts and
physical feelings throughout the unit.
 Employ motivational strategies to keep self and others going during a game.
 Review journal entries at the end of the unit through a five minute oral
presentation.
Interpersonal Skills
 Conduct a Communication Chain exercise within a mini game of Ultimate.
 Analyse each team member’s roles and responsibilities.
 Ensure that the code of conduct is adhered to.
 Complete a Y chart on what fair and reasonable behaviour in Ultimate looks like,
sounds like and feels like.
 Brainstorm conflict resolution strategies for possible conflict scenarios on the
Ultimate field.
Skills for Physical Activity
 Each student prepares a mini coaching lesson on any of the skills of passing,
blocking, stopping, marking and receiving required in Ultimate.
 Using a Focused Observation Chart, students monitor their own and their
teammates’ skills level in a game situation.
 Film an Ultimate game and conduct biofeedback analysis on own performance in
executing the specialised skills of the game.
 Using Inside/Outside Circles of approximately 12 students each, consider the
question of appropriate tactics within a game of Ultimate.
 Conduct an Ultimate tournament.
Late adolescence (typically years 10–12)
Developing a New Game
Task – Developing a new game following Chinese philosophy and guidelines.
This requires students to develop a game according to Chinese principles and teach
it to their peers monitoring and evaluating it within a games sense context.
Knowledge and Understandings
In groups:
 Research any physical activity that the Chinese philosophy advocates.
 Devise a game that adheres to the essence of mind/body balance.
© Access Asia and Department of Education and Training Western Australia, 2008.
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 Develop a behaviour charter for the game which embodies the spirit of the
philosophy.
 Select readily available equipment or consider using items commonly found in
parks and recreation grounds.
 Devise a series of coaching activities that link to the different phases of learning.
 Compile a checklist for evaluating coaching effectiveness.
Self-management processes/skills
 Conduct a discrete skills lesson for your new game and a mini modified game in
which you highlight and monitor participants’ skills level and performance.
 Use a Venn diagram for participants to compare and contrast their active learning
and enjoyment of each experience.
 Discuss and evaluate which was the best way to learn skills and why.
 Write a journal entry reflecting on your own coaching style as well as which skills
training method you thought best and why.
Interpersonal Skills
 On butcher’s paper draw the ideal coach.
 List their characteristics.
 Cluster these under headings such as personal, professional and other.
 Complete a Placemat of strategies to enhance each of these characteristics.
 Compile a class coaching handbook.
 Incorporate the principles of games sense in the development of a coaching
program for the new game.
 Discuss whether or not a Singaporean coach would manage teams differently
from an Australian coach – how and why?
Skills for Physical Activity
 Draw a map or plan of your game.
 Break the game down into the discrete skills required for each aspect of play.
 Use the Thinking Hats approach analyse and assess a coaching session of your
new game.
 List any modifications you might need to make to the game to ensure its viability,
safety and link to Chinese philosophy.
 Demonstrate each skill to a small group of students. Demonstrate those skills
within the context of the game ie ‘in play’.
© Access Asia and Department of Education and Training Western Australia, 2008.
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