Adam Dunn

ES 350 Unit Plan

April 7, 2014
Ultimate Frisbee
Central Organizer:
Ultimate Frisbee is a fast growing popular game seen from middle school all the way to college
campuses. More and more people of all ages are learning how to play ultimate Frisbee and it is
becoming a lifelong activity. Ultimate Frisbee can be played at all levels including a lower level
to learn the basic skills to a national level with very high competition. To master the skills in
ultimate Frisbee it is important that drills are designed to help improve core skills of catching and
throwing a Frisbee. Focusing during class activities about basic Frisbee skills can lead to
learning more about the game and improving upon a certain skill set.
National Standards:
Standard 1 - The physically literate individual demonstrates competency in a variety of motor
skills and movement patterns.
Standard 2 - The physically literate individual applies knowledge of concepts, principles,
strategies and tactics related to movement and performance.
Standard 3 - The physically literate individual demonstrates the knowledge and skills to achieve
and maintain a health-enhancing level of physical activity and fitness.
Standard 4 - The physically literate individual exhibits responsible personal and social behavior
that respects self and others.
Standard 5 - The physically literate individual recognizes the value of physical activity for
health, enjoyment, challenge, self-expression and/or social interaction.
Unit Goals:
1. The student will develop manipulative and physical skills that will allow the student to
be able to demonstrate the basic throws and catches with multiple objects.
2. The student will demonstrate the ability to throw and catch with accuracy and force.
3. The student will be knowledgeable about the rules and regulations of the game of
ultimate Frisbee, disc golf, and scooter ultimate Frisbee.
4. The student will be able to play all positions and be able to utilize/demonstrate all throws
and catches in a game of ultimate Frisbee.
5. Students will use a variety of offensive and defensive strategies during activities.

Essential Questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.

What are the proper steps to throwing and receiving a Frisbee?

What are the rules, regulations, and skills that are required to play ultimate Frisbee?
What are ways the ultimate Frisbee promotes lifelong physical activity?
How does learning offensive and defensive strategy impact the game of ultimate
Frisbee?

Pre-Assessment:
Pre-Assessments should give me an idea of where everyone is at pertaining to skill levels. The
first part of the assessment would be to have my students get into groups of no more than seven
or eight and let me know how many Know about ultimate Frisbee, has some knowledge of
ultimate Frisbee, and if they have no knowledge of the game. After students have met in groups
for about five to six minutes I will ask them to come up to a whiteboard and write down one
thing that there group discussed. Once all groups have gone I will briefly discuss some of the
ideas that the groups have come up with. After that I will pass out a KWL (What the student
knows, what the student wants to know, and what the student wants to learn.) chart and have
them briefly list one or two ideas for each. After I collect those I can see where the majority of
students are and what we may or may not need to focus on.

4.5
4
3.5
3

Has a full understanding of

Ultimate Frisbee

2.5

Has some knowledge of

Ultimate Frisbee

Has no knowledge of
Ultimate Frisbee

1.5
1
0.5
0
Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Group 4

KWL

Wants to learn how to throw

Knows how to throw
7%

Wants to learn the rules

10%

10%

Knows how to play

3%

Knows offensive and defensive

strategies

7%

Knows different types of throws

23%

10%

Knows how to use various types

of throws
Knows nothing

13%

17%

Wants to learn different types of

throws

After receiving these results I had to adjust my planning to meet the needs and wants of
my students. The largest percent (23%) of students were interested in learning the rules of
ultimate Frisbee so I will take the time in class to go over and review the rules and regulations to
ensure student comprehension. Also with 17% of students knowing how to play I will still need
to go over how to exactly play the game to ensure complete student understanding. There are
also students who want to learn and or do not know different strategies, throws, and some
students know nothing at all so I will need to start at a basic level and progress from there. I
could also adjust my lessons and put students who do not know the game or sport very well with
students that do have a good understanding to try to incorporate learning from another student.

Culminating Product and Rubric:

The culminating assessment would be a group project at the end of the unit. Students will
be in groups of seven or eight and come up with an alternative way to play ultimate Frisbee.
Since this will be the culminating event product, students will have a very good understanding of
ultimate Frisbee and how to play the game correctly. Their job, or group project, is to come up
with an alternative way to play the game and present it to the class. Taking the rules from
ultimate Frisbee, groups will need to come up with an alternative way to play the game. They
will need to present to the class for no less than five minutes and explain how we could
implement it into the game and what effects it might have on the original game of ultimate
Frisbee. The students will vote for their favorite alternative way to play the game and whoever
wins, their game will be played in this years or next years classes.
Guidelines for project:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Students must come up with an idea of how to change the game of ultimate Frisbee.
Students must report about what they have taken away or added to the game.
Students must show how the game would look before and after their adjustment.
Students must explain why their groups implementation to the game will make it better.
Students must defend why they chose that for their project if they think it is a beneficial
idea to the game.
6. Students must write out who did what work and what grade they would give themselves.
Rubrics:
Criterion
(Score 0 if
element is
absent)

Below
Expectations
(1)

Modification or
change made to the
game of ultimate
Frisbee

Describes what
the change is, but
cannot tell how it
is used or what
would happen in
large class
setting.

Describes the
change made to
the game. Has a
clear idea, but
does not address
how to
implement.

Has a clear
modification and
can describe how
the modification
is used in the
game.

The group only

explains the idea
to you but cannot
show how the
actual idea could
be applied.

The group
explains the idea
but lacks clear
instruction of how
to implement the
game and what
materials might
be needed.

The group clearly

states its idea and
can fully
demonstrate how
it would look
using an array of
explanations,
scenarios, and
demonstrations.

Demonstration of
how the
modification will
work.

Meets
Expectations
(2)

Exceeds
Expectations
(3)

Sco
re

TOTAL

Self-Assessment:
As part of their grade and assessment, I want every student to write down how much they think
they contributed, how well they worked with others, and what grade they think they deserve.
Name:
How much did you contribute to the group?
How well did you work with others?
What grade do you think you deserve?

Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

The game of ultimate Frisbee requires many skills, abilities, and knowledge of the game to play.
Essential knowledge that students should know are the rules, regulations, and offensive and
defensive strategies. Students must know the rules of ultimate Frisbee; otherwise the game will
not run smoothly. Having essential knowledge in offensive and defensive strategies will help
allow the game and students to be more actively engaged. Skills such as throwing and catching a
Frisbee are very important. Having the skills to perform a hammer throw, a regular throw, and
the backhand throw can have additional benefits to playing the game of ultimate Frisbee. Also
having the ability to make one handed catches, clap catches, and the crab catch can also benefit
students while playing the game. Having certain abilities in ultimate Frisbee can also have a
dramatic effect in the game. If students understand offensive and defensive strategies and have
the ability to apply those abilities into the game, they can ultimately have more success.
Essential Knowledge for an Ultimate Frisbee Unit:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Knows rules of ultimate Frisbee.

Knows how to position themselves on offense and defense.
Knows offensive and defensive strategies.
Knows benefits of health by playing ultimate Frisbee.
Knows how to apply combination of skills into a game.

Essential Skills and Abilities for an Ultimate Frisbee Unit:

1. Knowing when to use a certain type of throw (hammer, regular, backhand)
2. Having the ability to play offense and defense using correct form.
3. Having the abilities to catch a Frisbee using different ways. (crab, clap, one
handed)
4. Being able to stay balanced with your knees bent and body even.
5. Forehand throw:
-Have feet shoulder width apart.
-Be facing your partner.
-Have your thumb on top of Frisbee and index and middle finger underneath.
-Extend your arm and wrist back with Frisbee and proceed to go into throwing
motion.
-When the Frisbee is at the point of release let go and your arm should be pointing
to your partner.
6. Catching:
-One handed- this should only be used when you cannot make the two handed
catch.
-Crab catch- make hands into crab claws with the thumbs pointing down. Grasp
the Frisbee with both claws.

- Pancake catch- have one hand facing up the other facing down and when the
Frisbee comes your way you clamp both hands down to ensure the catch.

Learning activities and performance-based assessments:

Activity
Activity 1: Introduce and demonstrate the
pancake catch/ introduce the backhand throw.
Practice throwing and catching with a partner.
Pass to your partner 10 times.
Activity 2: Have a target set up in the gym or
outside. Have them get into pairs and work on
accuracy and proper mechanics of throwing
motion. Have the partner who isnt throwing
watching and looking for critical elements.
Activity 3: Have students in pairs again. Have
them work with each other on throwing to a
moving target. Throw to each other ten times.
Activity 4: Have partners practice different
types of throws learned in class. Students
should pass to each other 10 times.
Activity 5: Have students get into larger
groups of 5 and play 3v2 Frisbee while
working on offensive and defensive strategies.
Activity 6: Have students wear HR monitors
one day and monitor their activity levels
during a game of ultimate Frisbee.
Activity 7: Have students play a small sided
game of ultimate Frisbee. Game should not get
any bigger than 6v6.

Checklist with partner.

Peer observation assessment.

Self-Assessment form.

Peer observation assessment.

Group assessment. Have students get into a

group to discuss strategy and what worked
well and what did not.
Self-assessment. Have students assess their
own HR and see how long they were in the
zone for.
Group assessment. Have students get
together at the end to discuss strategies used
during gameplay.

Post Assessment Data:

Post Assessment
8

Proficient backhand

Proficient Forehand

Understands Rules to
Ultimate Frisbee

Proficient in Pancake catch

Proficient in lobster catch

Understand offensive and

defensive strategies

Can properly throw a

Frisbee

2
1
0

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Group 4

Pre-Assessment
Proficient backhand
4.5

Proficient Forehand

4
3.5
Understands Rules to Ultimate Frisbee
3

Proficient in Pancake catch

2.5
2
Proficient
in lobster catch

Understand offensive and defensive strategies

1.5
1
Can properly throw a Frisbee
0.5
0

Group 1

Group 2

Group 3

Group 4

The tables show a before and after of certain skills obtained during the unit. The groups have
seven students represented in each. The pre-assessment data shows that a number of students had
little to only some base knowledge of ultimate Frisbee and the components involved in each. We
can see from the graphs that we had considerable improvement in each category. Some group
members did not show a full understanding but did show great improvement through the unit.
Before the unit began I had each student display each category listed in groups where I evaluated
them. After gathering the data I compiled it to show that not many people had a good
understanding of essential skills needed to be successful in ultimate Frisbee. Once the unit had
concluded I evaluated students again by observing them in small sided ultimate Frisbee games. I
would evaluate one group per day. The data showed that there was improvement in a lot of
students but that some students did not show proficiency in certain areas. Even if the student did
not show that they were proficient in the newly learned skill, there was still a considerable
amount of improvement in those students.

Critical Resources:
Equipment: 28 Frisbees.
28 trainer Frisbees
Disc golf materials
8 cones
Facilities: Depending on weather I will use the gymnasium on too cold or rainy of days. If the
weather is nice then the students will be outside working on their ultimate Frisbee skills. I will
use the disc golf course behind the school for whenever we play disc golf.
Ultimate Frisbee Related Web Sites:
http://www.usaultimate.org/index.html
http://www.whatisultimate.com/what/what_game_en.html
http://ultimatefrisbee.com/