Grade/Subject: Grade 5 PE Lesson: Indigenous Longball Lesson Duration: ~45 min.

PROGRAM OF STUDY OUTCOMES

General Outcome A: Students will acquire skills through a variety of developmentally appropriate
movement activities; dance, games, types of gymnastics, individual activities and activities in an
alternative environment; e.g., aquatics and outdoor pursuits.

SPECIFIC OUTCOMES

- A5-5 select, perform and refine more challenging ways to receive and send an object with control
- A5-6 consistently and confidently perform manipulative skills by using elements of body and
space awareness, effort and relationship

ASSESSMENTS

Discussion: Key Questions:

- Do students demonstrate an understanding of the Holistic - Which aspect of the
model of sport and the importance of the four components in Holistic model was used
sport to promote a healthy life. the most in longball?
- Through this understanding, students should be able to - How were the other

identify the interconnectedness between all aspects of life components of the holistic

and the importance of this in FNMI culture. model used in longball?

- Why is it important to
Observations:
recognize the holistic
- Are students able to roll, kick, and throw the ball in different
model?
situations of the game in the direction that they are trying to
- What was the role of sports
send the ball.
in traditional and modern
- Do students understand the traditional values of the game and day Indigenous Culture?
the skills how the game would have been traditionally
played.

LEARNING RESOURCES CONSULTED

Resource #1: Alberta Education Program of Studies

- Physical Education (Grade 5)
Woodlands Games and Sports
 - http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/edu/ViewLoitLo.do?method=preview&lang=EN&id=11729

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

- Longball
o Kickball
o 2 Mats/Bases

PREPARATION AND LOGISTICAL CONSIDERATIONS

- Have PowerPoint ready to discuss holistic model, the role of sport in FNMI culture, and the rules
of the game
- Have mats and balls ready before students enter the gymnasium.

PROCEDURE

Introduction (~10 min.):

- Have the slideshow ready to go before students enter the class.

- Once students are all in attendance and seated, explain that they will be playing
a traditional game of Long Ball which is a game similar to Baseball, played by
the Indigenous Peoples of Canada.
- In class we will be playing an adaptation of the traditional game where students will kick the ball
instead of hitting a small leather ball with a bat, as it was played traditionally.
- Begin the slideshow which will first show the importance of sport in Traditional First Nations
culture.
o Culture, Hunting skills, Spiritual importance, Physical Abilities
o The four categories of the Holistic model are: Physical, Spiritual, Cultural, & Mental
o We will then have a class discussion where students will be asked to think of the
importance of sport in these four components of Indigenous culture.
▪ Physical: By engaging in sport, Indigenous people were able to practice and
improve their physical abilities in a fun and competitive environment
▪ Spiritual: Games were played to make peace with the spirits and practice
hunting skills that were a large part of First Nations Spirituality
▪ Cultural: Playing sports traditionally brought people together to either
 participate or spectate and cheer, today they are an important way to celebrate
and learn about first nations culture
▪ Mental: this can be both Mental-Intelligent (Sport requires us to think about
rules and strategies to help sharpen our intellectual skills) and Mental-Emotional
(Sport causes us to experience many different emotions and helps us deal with
our emotions)
o To understand the importance of sport in FNMI Culture, we must understand how these
four components are connected and used in sport. It should also understand how they
must be developed in order to promote individual health as a human being.
o The remaining slides will go over the rules of the game, it is important to acknowledge
that traditionally this game would have been played with a wooden stick and hard leather
ball, but for class we are modifying it to use a kickball to increase the safety of the game.
- Use this time to go over any question’s students may have before going outside

Transition to Activity: Have students help grab matts and ball to take them outside to the field

Activity (~25 min.):

- Longball: (Students have had rules explained to them inside via PowerPoint presentation
o Similar to baseball
▪ Infield
o Uses a kickball to kick into the field where the opposing team is standing.
o The kicker will get three attempts (strikes) to kick the ball.
o Once the ball is kicked, instead of the batter running, the kicker stays put. The rest of the
infield’s team must run to a designated line on the field, and run back to the to where the
kicker is standing
▪ Outfield
o The outfield team must catch the kicked ball and then throw it at the runners from the
opposing team.
o Once a runner is hit with the ball, it is considered an out. Three outs are required to
change from the field to the kicking position.
o A point is awarded for each team member who returns to the spot the ball was hit from, if
the ball has not touched them
Transition to Closure: Have student will ball return in to you and have all students “Look Sharp” to get
attention from class.

Closure (10 min.):

- Students will be brought back together into the center circle for a closure discussion.
- Discussion questions:
o What is the role of sport in First Nations Culture?
o How was longball traditionally played?
o What are the four components of the Holistic model of sport?
o Discuss the importance of the interconnectedness of the four aspects in promoting a
healthy life for each person.

- Social Studies:
o 5.2.1 Appreciate the complexity of identity in the Canadian context:
▪ Recognize how an understanding of Canadian history and the stories of its
peoples contributes to their sense of identity (I, TCC)
▪ Acknowledge oral traditions, narratives and stories as valid sources of knowledge
about the land and diverse Aboriginal cultures and history (CC, I, TCC)