WEEK ONE: ENJOYMENT. Theme: I didn t hear the whistle!

WEEK ONE: ENJOYMENT Theme: I didn t hear the whistle! Teaching Point: Teaching not just the beauty of enjoyment but also the importance of knowing how and when to pause. 1

SESSION AIMS Pupils develop their awareness of what enjoyment and absorption in play feels like Pupils develop their understanding of the relationship between enjoying something and knowing the right time to stop INTRODUCTION TO ON THE FRONT FOOT (5 minutes) Introducing the Club, yourself and rugby Over the next few weeks we are going to learn about rugby s five core values of enjoyment, teamwork, discipline, respect and enjoyment Asking what the golden rules in the classroom are / setting them if needed Pupils come up with some practical ways for blowing the whistle i.e. stopping our enjoyment when there is a good reason Pupils understand that trying and failing can actually increase the fun 2

PART 1: HAVING FUN (5 minutes) Rugby s fun: It s why we play, support and work in the game If you have footage from your Club please use it here A. QUESTION What do you enjoy doing and why? Chat in pairs. We love training, supporting and working behind the scenes Keeps us fit and healthy which makes us feel good. We make friends for life and these help us build our confidence through the team 3

PART 2: KNOWING WHEN TO STOP (25 minutes) A. ACTIVITY Arrange the class in table groups of 4-6 Provide pupils with some time for free play with games that the class teacher provides e.g. Jenga/Lego etc (avoid games on tablets/phones etc). Allow them enough time to get absorbed and for the energy levels in the class to rise (probably 10 minutes) Ask the class to stop, but not to pack away (keep an eye out for pupils who want to continue playing: you can use this to your advantage to explore how difficult it can be to stop doing what we enjoy) 4 B. QUESTION Did you enjoy playing the game? What did it feel like? What was it like when you were asked to stop: what did you feel or think? Are there other times when you are asked to stop doing something you enjoy? What s it like then?

PART 2: KNOWING WHEN TO STOP cont. C. QUESTION Is there ever a good reason for someone to ask us to stop doing something we enjoy? What are the times when they might have to stop doing something they enjoy? E.g. computer games, eating too much, staying up too late etc Why would we stop the game in rugby? Ask the tables to feedback some of their answers to the whole class to develop the class understanding of what it feels like to enjoy something and what it s like to stop doing something we enjoy when someone else asks us. 5

PART 3: KNOWING WHEN TO KEEP TRYING (10 minutes) A. QUESTION Have you ever given up on something? Ask the learners to write down 5 things they enjoy doing, either at home or at school. Why do we have to practice things? Ask the learners to think about what they enjoy about these activities, and give three Are professional rugby players as good as the moment they started? What would happen if they give up? tips to people who may be trying these activities for the first time. When in life do we have to practice things? Are things more enjoyable when we re better at them? 6 REFLECTIVE TASK (5 minutes)

PRACTICAL SESSION Ice-breaker games with a rugby ball, into a 1 on 1 skill acquisition into small sided games that applies the skills learnt. Suggested activities include. Stuck in the mud warm up game (with progressions when required) with rugby ball freeers who carry rugby balls. Players who are stuck, are freed by either being touched by a rugby ball or catching a passed ball Circle Sumo Tag (small groups in circles, each young person has a number, coach calls 2 numbers and those 2 numbers go into the middle of the circle and the winner is the first players to get both tags from the other player Team TAG Grab, Small sided groups, set time period, winner is the team with the most TAGs 7

WEEK 2: TEAMWORK Theme: Match winning moment Teaching Point: Teaching the joy of working together and the importance of being aware of what happens around us so the team can be successful. 1

SESSION AIMS Pupils develop their understanding of what it means to belong to and contribute to a team PART 1: RECAP LAST SESSION (5 minutes) What activities have learners done in the past week that they ve enjoyed? What did learners enjoy most about the last On the Front Foot session? Pupils develop understanding of the importance of noticing and gathering more information to contribute to good teamwork 2

PART 2: THE RUGBY TEAM (15 minutes) A. QUESTION Source a piece of VT or photo of your/a Premiership Club team which showing forwards, backs tall, short, big, slim. It can be a team line up or after game huddle. Diversity is key here. Find a photo of a prop / forward from your club. Put it up on the screen and use as a prompt for discussion: What does a professional athlete look like? What makes a professional athlete? What does it look like the prop does for a living? Do we ever make judgements about people s roles before we know them? B. ACTIVITY Ice Breaker Skills Share Introduce your key skills and attributes. Ask a classroom assistant or other staff in the room to do the same 3

PART 2: THE RUGBY TEAM cont. C. QUESTION D. QUESTION What are my best skills? What do I want in a team-mate? In pairs, get the children to list positive skills about their partner Highlight to learners that each of them has a place in the team because they all have their own skills, and in rugby, each player has a role, no matter their size or shape. Use some of the learners skills they have written to demonstrate positions e.g. fast (wing); chatty (scrum half); creative (centre); supportive (forward) 4 Ask the learners to think about some teams they are in; sports teams; music groups; cubs/brownies Learners write down the skills and expertise they d like in their perfect team-mate (e.g. organizer, leader, listener, strong etc.) Ask the children to feedback and talk about which of these skills they (or classmates) may have

PART 2: THE RUGBY TEAM cont. E. ACTIVITY - BETTER TOGETHER (15 MINUTES) Arrange the class in groups of 4-6 Given each table the cut-out fifteen shirts in the worksheet attached, ask the learners to place them with the number facing up in a random order on the table (you can lay them out in a team-structure, if you like but make sure the numbers are random). After 10 seconds get most of the group to turn them over so they re blank. One person then attempts to turn over the shirts, one at a time in ascending order from 1-15 Repeat this but as a team; encourage the learners to develop a strategy (e.g. each person remembers three numbers in a row and their positions, or each person remembers what numbers are in certain positions) 5 F. QUESTION Was this task easier as a group or an individual? Why does having other people helping make this task easier? What strategies did you have to use? Did you concentrate on your own job or worry about what your teammates were doing? How easy is it to trust your teammates? Who in life can we trust to help us when we need to? When might we need them?

PART 3: REFLECTIVE TASK (10 minutes) Independently have the learners write down on a work sheet; 3 things they can do better as a team 3 people that are on their team in life 2 things they do better alone 6

PRACTICAL SESSION Introduction to teamwork. Starting with an ice-breaker teamwork game with a rugby ball; into an introduction to defensive and teamwork skills through games. Suggested Activities; DISRUPTION. Split the group up into 4 teams in 4 areas and number each child. Have the teams pass the ball to each other, shout out a number and that player from each team can go and disrupt the other teams. The last team to have hold of the ball gets a point (dropping the ball/ interception is the end for that team.) The defender(s) can go into any area they like, encourage defenders to work together as a team. PIRATES AND SAILORS TAG bulldog rehash KABBADI TOUCH TEAMWORK, PASSING AND STRATEGY GAME. 4 attacking players have a rugby ball each and have to touch the other players. When a player is touched with a ball, they join the attacking team. Progression 1; reduce the number of balls the attacking side has Progression 2; attacking players can t move with the ball 10 PASS GAME. Small sided teams, aim of the game is for each team to make 10 successful passes. Opposition can intercept the ball to turnover possession, dropped ball results in a turnover. 7

WEEK 3: DISCIPLINE Theme: It s not all about you Teaching Point: We can t always do what we want. There is a way of doing things that requires discipline and noticing the bigger picture 1

SESSION AIMS PART 2: RULES (10 minutes) Pupils to develop their understanding of discipline and the importance of following good rules Following on from the teamwork recap, describe that for a team to succeed they all need to follow the same rules. Pupils develop awareness of how it feels when people break rules and develop strategies for coping with these A. QUESTION What are the golden rules in this classroom? Why do we have them? PART 1: RECAP LAST SESSION (5 minutes) What activities did learners do as a team in the past week? Recap importance of diversity within the team, highlight that, by working as a team, you push in the same direction, for the same goals, in the same way 2 Who in your life sets the rules and laws? Why are there rules in rugby and other sports? If there are no rules what happens? Explain that in rugby the referee helps players to keep the rules. Sometimes players get carried away with wanting to win and break the rules. They do this to get what they want.

PART 2: RULES cont. A. ACTIVITY You re the Ref (15 minutes) Split the class in half. Appoint two children that will be referees, and give them their own red and yellow cards. Get the first group to come up, then split this group into two teams. Appoint one player who will be the focus of the role play, one captain who is responsible for talking to the referee/calming the situation and the rest of the group as support players for the two different teams. Pick one of the scenarios below and have the group act it out. Then do the same (different scenario) for the second half of the class. 3 Pick one player to have scored a try for one of the teams the referee has then disallowed it for no apparent reason One of the players has dropped the ball, a member of the other team has then laughed at them and called them rubbish One of the players has the chance to cheat whilst the referee is not looking and score a try for their team (in this situation the learner can either be caught, or not caught by the referee) One of the teams is about to score a try in the last minute when another player deliberately cheats to stop them How does it feel to enforce the rules and how it felt to listen to them?

PART 3: DISCIPLINE IN YOUR OWN LIFE (20 minutes) Explain how when we are angry it may make us want to hurt people that have upset us, what might they do? A. QUESTION; What happens when we re angry? B. QUESTION How do rugby players use discipline? To follow the rules of the game even when it gets very exciting How do you feel when you re angry? To go to training and push themselves even if they re tired and it s raining How does being angry impact the class or team? To eat well and not get tempted to eat lots of junk food How can we tell when people are angry? What would happen if we did these things in a rugby match? To stop this happening we need to use self-discipline and get ourselves back to being calm and relaxed. How can they do this? 4

PART 3: DISCIPLINE IN YOUR OWN LIFE cont. C. QUESTION When do you have to use discipline in your life? Do you sometimes have to do things you might not want to? Do you sometimes disagree with being told to do things? How easy is it to not do things we know are bad for us? PART 4: REFLECTIVE TASK (10 minutes) Learners write down five things they can do when they feel frustrated or angry, (examples include); Deep breaths Sing a song in their head Walk away Tell the person using nice words and calm voice why you are angry Tell someone else (teacher/coach) 5

PRACTICAL SESSION Introduction and demonstration of the benefits of using rules in games and the discipline required to learn and adhere to the agreed rules. Progressions comes through a familiar team work game (10 week pass game from last week), into end-ball and finally passing backwards and introduction to the offside line. SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES; 1 minute no rules game 10 PASS GAME. Small sided teams, aim of the game is for each team to make 10 successful passes. Opposition can intercept the ball to turnover possession, dropped ball results in a turnover. 6 NO STEP END BALL Teams try and get the ball to the other end of the pitch, player with the ball is unable to move. Progress to 1 step, 3 steps then unlimited steps. OFFSIDE OCTOPUS If a plyer is offside after a TAG is made, the player who has made the TAG will be in between the ball carrier and the supporting player. This is not possible if the defending player is onside. Players that are offside tend to jump up and down and wave their arms around, and so every time this happens, all the attacking players point at the offside defender and shout OFFSIDE OCTOPUS.

WEEK 4: RESPECT Theme: Sorry! Teaching Point: Having self-respect and respect for others. Showing respect by looking out for the feelings of others and listening to their reasons for doing things, as well as our own. 1

SESSION AIMS PART 1: RECAP LAST SESSION (5 minutes) Pupils to develop their understanding of what it means to show respect to themselves and to others Ask learners to provide examples of when they showed discipline in the past week Pupils to develop their understanding of the information and emotions that body language can give us Remind class on the importance of rules, and the importance of honouring these rules Pupils to appreciate the importance of listening to others 2

PART 2: RESPECT (10 minutes) A. QUESTION What does respect mean to me? Respect on the rugby pitch: In rugby we must respect; 1. The referee How do we show respect? 2. The opposition Why should we act with the feelings of others in mind? 3. Ourselves Who must we respect on a rugby pitch? Who do we respect in life? 3

PART 3: THE REFEREE/PEOPLE IN AUTHORITY (10 minutes) A. QUESTION Refereeing masterclass Why should we respect the referee? B. QUESTION What other character traits do we need to respect the referee? What happens if we don t agree with the referee? Why is the referee there? How can we try and understand the reasons for a referee s decision? How do we react if we know we ve done something wrong? What do we have to do to be respected/respectful? Source some video footage of refereeing. Ask the questions. How do we notice other people s feelings? How does the referee treat people? Is the referee aware of what other people need? How do the players feel about the decisions? How do the players react to the decisions? When in life do we disagree with people? What do we do when we disagree? 4

RESPECTING THE OPPOSITION/EACH OTHER. (20 minutes) A. ACTIVITY Split the class into groups Respecting Everyone In their groups give them a job role and discuss what they do and how they benefit the team Start by telling the learners there are no wrong answers for this activity Choose either roles within a rugby club, or roles within a school Explain that there are many people that make up a Premiership Rugby Club e.g. CEO, Chairman, Players,, Commercial Director, Groundsman, Cleaner, Kitchen. In order for a club to succeed everyone is needed. Who is the most important person? How can we tell? 5 Ask the groups to feedback and explain to the rest of the class why they are the most important Explain that everyone, no matter of their job or role should be respected, as everyone plays an important role Link this to their transition from year 6 to secondary school the way they treat younger children now, is the way they would want to be treated themselves

PART 4: REFLECTIVE TASK (10 minutes) A. TASK: Learners to write down five ways they can show respect to people when in a new situation. 6 Say thank you Do what we say we will do Listen Don t judge people Be polite Offer help when needed Compliment others And anything else!

PRACTICAL SESSION Respect to be taught by each young person adopting up to 3 different roles throughout the session, namely, player, coach and referee. Staff will support young people in these roles to assist delivery of the session Young person to adopt up to 3 roles to highlight respect. Player (listen and adhere to the rules) Coach (watching others play, giving positive feedback and areas to work on) CIRCLE SUMO TAG As in Week 1, except a third number is called and that young person becomes the referee of the game of 1 on 1 TAG this should be a good introduction to small sided, controlled refereeing for a short time. NO STEP, THREE STEP, FIVE STEP TAG GAMES. As in week 3, this time refereed by participants. Everyone should have a turn refereeing and coaching. Referee (understand and apply the rules, make clear decisions and clearly communicate those decisions) 7

WEEK 5: SPORTSMANSHIP Theme: They were all young once Teaching Point: Recognising that sportsmanship comes from the decisions we make about the person we want to become 1

SESSION AIMS Pupils to develop their understanding of sportsmanship Pupils to understand how our thoughts, speech and actions form habits and character over time 2 PART 1: RECAP LAST SESSION (5 minutes) Remind class of the importance of respecting people, who do we respect and why? How have they shown respect in the past week? And to who?

PART 2: SPORTSMANSHIP (5 minutes) A. QUESTION B. QUESTION What is sportsmanship? What does playing sport teach us? What do we need to do to be a good sportsman? Does it matter if we win or lose? How should we treat people on the pitch? What do we think of other people during a match? Discuss how sportsmanship involves enjoying sport with proper consideration for fairness, ethics, respect and the feelings of the other competitors, both opponents and teammates. 3 How do we treat people during the match? Rugby teaches us how fair play on and off the pitch is at the heart of what we do, because it s the way we would like to be treated ourselves

PART 3: CAPTAIN S CHOICE (15 minutes) A. ACTIVITY At the start of every rugby game the two captains toss a coin to decide who kicks off. Toss the coin again, and then tell everyone whether it s heads or tails Learners get into pairs. They re each captains of their own team Ask the winners to put their hands up. You can now separate the and ask them to decide, in their pair, who is heads and who is tails At the front of the class the coach flicks a coin, calls heads or tails meaning half the room wins, whilst the other half lose class into 4 equal groups. Those who won 2 games, those who lost 2 games, those who lost and then won, and those who won, then lost Re-arrange the class so that everyone who won is on one side of the room and everyone who lost is on the other side. Tell the children to pair up again within these groups. (So a winner must play another winner and a loser must play a loser ). Again, in their pairs they should decide who is heads and who is tails 4

PART 3: CAPTAIN S CHOICE cont. B. QUESTION How does it feel to win and to lose? Winning. Is there a right way to act when we win? Do we consider other people s feelings when celebrating? What can we say to people after we win? Learners all stand up and choose, silently, without telling anyone whether they want to pick heads or tails Count down from three and flick the coin. Announce what it is and tell everyone that guessed wrong to sit down as they are out the game Game continues until there is one overall winner Watch for and praise; Losing. Who can help us when we lose? What do we need to do if we lose at something? Is it easier to give up or try again? 5 Honesty/Fair Play task. People being honest and admitting when they lose People supporting each other/consoling when they go out People encouraging each other

PART 3: CAPTAIN S CHOICE cont. C. QUESTION Is it easier to lie/cheat when there is more at stake? Was it harder to tell the truth at the end of the game? Were we tempted to stay in the game sometimes? PART 4: BECOMING A SPORTSMAN (25 minutes) As this is the final part of the classroom activity for the course, this part of the session should focus on reflecting on the learner s character traits (both good and bad) and how they make us who we are. Discuss in pairs How did it feel to be honest but lose? Who are your role models? Would you like to win knowing you cheated? What are their character traits? What values do they show to make them a good sport? 6

PART 4: BECOMING A SPORTSMAN cont. A. ACTIVITY Character Kit Individually, and on a large piece of paper, have the learners draw themselves wearing rugby kit Ask the students to think about what specific character traits/skills that they have that helps make them a good sportsman PART 5: REFLECTIVE FINAL TASK (5 minutes) Ask the class to reflect on the rugby lessons from the past four weeks and talk about how the previous activities/lessons also develop and show sportsmanship Ask the learners to think about the person they would like to be and write down three character traits they would like to improve to help them become that person. Then have them think about their teammates/classmates and ask them to write down positive things that they admire in other people on post it notes and stick them on that person s picture. This will become their character kit 7

PRACTICAL SESSION Week 5 is the session you would deliver in the week leading up to a TAG rugby festival, the difference being here is that you should have a third team that will adopt a supporting or coaching role. You should also use a young person as a referee as in week 4. CIRCLE SUMO TAG As in week 4 with a young person as a referee. Every time a player loses, s/he must congratulate the winner with a handshake, and the winner has to thank the loser for taking part. SMALL SIDE TAG RUGBY GAMES Group split into 3 teams, 2 playing and 1 watching. During each game the watching team is split into two, to support one of the playing sides each. Coaches can set roles for these supporting teams cheering or coaching. Try and get the watching team to look for examples of good sportsmanship in the game. If any player showboats or celebrates a try too much then the try should be disallowed. If the winner does not do this, they will be declared the loser. 8