juggling
description
The Juggling unit is a unique unit. Although it is not the most physically demanding, it does help students in other ways. The obvious benefit it to the students' concentration and hand-eye coordination. As we all know, hand-eye coordination is important when throwing, catching, and striking an object. Studies have shown that juggling can actually increase the grey matter in the brain, which can lead to better brain function.
The students will beginning learning how to juggle by using plastic shopping bags. Juggling scarves, or shopping bags, are often used with beginner jugglers because they are lighter and tend to have a slower descent. Each student will be given three bags to practice with. First, students will learn how to toss the bag into the air and catch it with the other hand. I know it seems pretty simplistic, but it is very important once we begin to move onto the next step. Once a student has become proficient with one bag, they are allowed to move on to two. This consists of tossing the bags into the air in succession and catching them in opposite hands. Again, once students are ready, they are allowed to move on to three bags. Ultimately, the students should be able to start juggling other objects such as bean bags or small balls.
There is a checklist that the students must use in order to guide their learning. It consists of four basic juggling tricks: cascade, yo-yo, columns, and reverse cascade. The unit culminates with the students completing a brief juggling routine. The checklist and rubric can be found here.
Check out the Introduction PowerPoint here.
Library of Juggling is a great resource for anyone that is interesting in learning other tricks, or would like to practice the tricks we have reviewed in class. Good luck and have fun!
The students will beginning learning how to juggle by using plastic shopping bags. Juggling scarves, or shopping bags, are often used with beginner jugglers because they are lighter and tend to have a slower descent. Each student will be given three bags to practice with. First, students will learn how to toss the bag into the air and catch it with the other hand. I know it seems pretty simplistic, but it is very important once we begin to move onto the next step. Once a student has become proficient with one bag, they are allowed to move on to two. This consists of tossing the bags into the air in succession and catching them in opposite hands. Again, once students are ready, they are allowed to move on to three bags. Ultimately, the students should be able to start juggling other objects such as bean bags or small balls.
There is a checklist that the students must use in order to guide their learning. It consists of four basic juggling tricks: cascade, yo-yo, columns, and reverse cascade. The unit culminates with the students completing a brief juggling routine. The checklist and rubric can be found here.
Check out the Introduction PowerPoint here.
Library of Juggling is a great resource for anyone that is interesting in learning other tricks, or would like to practice the tricks we have reviewed in class. Good luck and have fun!
learning objectives
- Properly execute a variety of juggling tricks: cascade, reverse cascade, yo-yo, and columns
- Be able to work independent of direct teacher supervision. This requires a great deal of responsibility, self-motivation, and focus
- Be able to juggle plastic shopping bags and eventually advance to various sized balls or bean bags
- Demonstrate proficiency on a culminating peer assessment checklist
- Learn to provide classmates with feedback on their performance after completing the peer assessment
- Have fun!