AFTER SCHOOL CREDENTIAL

Competency B
Lizandra Rivera lrivera@ymcamke.org (910) 467 3503

Comp B.3 Weekly Lesson Plans

Instructions: Submit at least three weekly lesson plans that were implemented with a
completed assessment sheet for each. Identify all content areas addressed, and discuss how
your assessment of each week was used in creating future plans.
In March 2015, my lesson plans involved different aspects of sports. I focused on
teamwork, good sportsmanship, honesty during games and activities, language and literacy
during group discussions, and learning about different sports including sports and games
from around the world (diversity). These lesson plans were given as a packet with
supporting documents to other school age sites. The packet included instructions for each
week for the activity, game, and discussion topics, a supply list, a physical fitness game
document which has all the rules for all the physical games or activities, the lesson plans for
the bulletin board for parents reference, and activity sheets.
The theme for the first week was Sportsmanship. I tried to keep it simple. I focused
mainly on the different aspects of sportsmanship by using the following questions: What is
sportsmanship? What is a sore loser? Why is it important to be a team player? The week
ended with a discussion on win without gloating/lose without pouting. I debrief my group
after each physical game or activity using our theme. Children had the opportunity to share
their thoughts about the games and activities done during the week and their thoughts and
experiences using good sportsmanship. I also had a few planned activities that included art,
literacy, and math.
The theme for the second week was Team Sports. Every day my group played a
different sport and we learned about the history of each one of these sports before we
played. I had fun facts about each sport and we discussed rules and listed them in our area
for display. Children expressed a lot of interest in the history of football and floor hockey.
Baseball was a little hard to play and we ended up playing kickball instead after 10 minutes
of trying to play baseball. The planned activities were fun and everyone participated without
urging. I had all the materials at a table and children went and did the activities as soon as
they arrived to program in the morning and in the afternoon they tried to finish their
homework quickly to do these activities.
The theme for the third week was Olympics. Our group discussion varied each day
and kept the children engaged as they shared thoughts and opinions. The physical games
were my favorite time of this week because children couldnt wait to go to the gym to play
and it went so well each day that we stayed longer. The only day that we played the game
in our lesson plan for 10 minutes and then I change it to Everybody Is It was on Tuesday.
Children were okay for a several minutes playing Flogger. However, they seemed bored
with the game so I changed it. I played Olympic songs during homework throughout the
week and I did a two art projects: an Olympic torch and coffee filter Olympic rings which
were displayed at my site.

AFTER SCHOOL CREDENTIAL

Competency B
Lizandra Rivera lrivera@ymcamke.org (910) 467 3503

The theme for the last week of March was Sports and Games Around the World. I
focused on diversity and how we could learn from other cultures. Children were encouraged
to find sports and games that are played around the world and to share during discussion.
Two children brought activities from their culture. For Mexico, a child shared the Pinatas
traditions during discussion. I researched the tradition and how to make pinatas. My group
made two pinatas which were not easy to do. Another child made a connection with a
German game we had played last month. The game is called Katz und Maus which it
means Cat and Mouse in German. The game is played by a large group of children, at least
12 children. One player is the Katz (cat) and the other is the Maus (mouse). The rest of the
children form a circle and hold hands. The cat tries to catch (touch) the mouse. The mouse
can run anywhere, including into or out of the circle. The circle helps the mouse by raising
their arms to let the mouse through, or lowering their arms to try to block the mouse. This
game was a variation of what we played last month, but it was equally fun.
Some of the content areas I focused and I was able to address with my group included
language, literacy, culture, global learning, and diversity. For example, as a group we read
the history of sports; had discussions on good sportsmanship, team player, sore loser,
winning and losing without gloating or pouting; learned about Olympics games and facts;
and about other cultures sports and games. Children were able to investigate cultures and
shared what they learned. As a group we gather and shared information, we expressed our
feelings, thoughts, and opinions. Children were encouraged to use their imagination and
creativity during arts and craft projects. For example, children created their own sports
pennants, baseball hats, Olympic torch, painted rocks, and built a tower using
marshmallows.

Originally, my thoughts were to not change anything on my lesson plans. I really thought about
the children in my program and how I could help them learn about good sportsmanship, team work,
honesty during games, and much more in a fun way as I plan each week. I intentionally picked games
that I could be tied with the theme and were easy to debrief. My thoughts were that everything was
perfect in my lesson plans. However, each week I found things I would change in creating future lesson
plans. For example, each week in the afternoon, I had lots of activities and games planned that very little
time was left for self-exploration and free choice other than center choices which it was about 10
minutes during checking in. I discovered how much my children love trivia questions and our group
discussions were meaningful and engaging as I intentionally planed and prepared for them. However, I
would add some transitioning down time activities next time to create a more balanced environment in
my program.