Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Dodgeball in PE?

As a teacher candidate right now, I think that dodgeball should be played in PE classes. Many will argue against it saying that it's too dangerous of a game, but there are always modifications that can be made to avoid chaos. Fourth and Fifth grade is a little too young to introduce the game of dodgeball, but I think Sixth grade (start of middle school) is appropriate. Kids start to get bigger and stronger at around this age and not everyone will be at the same strength and athletic ability level in the class. Therefore, a couple ways to make dodgeball a fun and safe game is by using the Rhino skin foam balls, and having waist down as the target instead of the whole body. There are always a couple kids in class that are going to want to get crazy with throwing at other kids so explaining the rules before playing is very important. Other than that, dodgeball is a great way for kids to get a cardiovascular workout, and everyone knows that kids love to run so why vote against dodgeball in PE?