The premise of this game is for the students to understand that it is dangerous for animals when they leave their shelter. There are predators out in the environment looking to eat those animals. In addition, there are natural features of the environment that can cause injury and death if not navigated through correctly. However, the animal has to leave the shelter for food. Animals compete for food and resources but do so with significant risk to themselves. The students will play as the apex and secondary predators, while sports balls will act as lower-level predators.

This game can be adapted for any type of animal and biome study. Initially, I used it for a polar biome when I created the game. Most of the students were seals that lived on an ice landmass in the middle of the playing area. They had to leave the ice mass and hunt for fish (sports balls) in the water. However, some orcas lived in the water. When the seals entered the water, they could be eaten by the orcas, but if they returned to the ice mass, they could not eat them. The ice mass shelter acted as a “base” in a traditional tag game. I will use the example of a polar biome for the presentation notes, but this is just one example of a biome study that could be adapted for this game.

After you download the lesson plan, make sure to click on this link to see the video tutorial. You can also find many other video tutorials in the Members Area!

Materials: 

·      Lots of dodge balls or small soft balls

·      Lots of orange cones

·      A large playing area (gym or field)

·      Colored pennies or jerseys

·      Hula hoops

Minimum Required Students for the Game:  You could play this game with as few as five players (2 orcas and three penguins), but this game is much better with a whole class (20+).

Age: Lower Elementary