Trust & Communication Skills
•Year 8
•Outdoor Adventurous Activities
•Place at starting positions with string already attached for efficiency
Alternative: Hula hoops, rope tied in circles
Securely tie to curtain hoops before lesson, check knots are tight
Alternative: Thin rope, cord, or ribbon
Must be small enough to balance on curtain hoop opening
Alternative: Small rubber balls, juggling balls
Any medium-sized ball suitable for passing
Alternative: Footballs, netballs, basketballs
Need to be portable and clearly visible on floor
Alternative: Carpet squares, paper plates, chalk marks
Check mats are clean, dry, and have no tears or damage
Alternative: Gym mats, foam tiles (must be portable)
Must be soft enough for safe throwing at close range
Alternative: Foam balls, soft dodgeballs
To distinguish pirates from sailors in game application
Alternative: Different coloured headbands
Generating original and innovative solutions to problems by thinking beyond obvious answers
The process of identifying a challenge, planning approaches, testing solutions, and evaluating outcomes
A planned approach or method for achieving a specific goal or overcoming a challenge
Working cooperatively with others, sharing ideas, listening, and supporting one another to achieve a common goal
Taking time before acting to discuss, consider options, and agree on an approach as a team
Changing or modifying your strategy when the original approach isn't working effectively
Working together harmoniously, taking turns, and valuing everyone's contributions
Guiding and coordinating team members, making decisions, and ensuring everyone is included and heard
Understanding where pupils are coming from and where they're going
Oracy skills: articulating ideas clearly during planning discussions, active listening to team members, explaining and justifying strategies during debriefs. Technical vocabulary acquisition and usage (strategy, adaptation, cooperation, etc.). Giving instructions clearly and in logical sequence. Debating and negotiating when groups have different ideas about approach.
Problem-solving processes mirror mathematical thinking: identify problem, plan approach, test solution, evaluate and adapt. Strategic thinking about resource allocation (how to use limited floor spots or mats efficiently). Spatial reasoning when planning mat placement and distances. Sequencing and ordering when choreographing who moves when during mat challenges. Measurement concepts: estimating distances between mats, calculating optimal spacing.
Force and motion: how pulling string with different tensions affects spider web balance. Friction: why mats slide on some surfaces but not others. Levers and fulcrums: weight distribution on mats affects balance. Human body systems: cardiovascular system working harder during activity, respiratory rate increasing, need for recovery and cool-down. Physics of projectile motion during throwing in Pirates game.
Design thinking process mirrors today's problem-solving: identify challenge, brainstorm solutions, prototype (test strategies), evaluate, iterate and improve. Considering user needs: which team member is best suited to which position. Testing and refinement: trying approaches, identifying flaws, making improvements.
Spatial awareness and mapping: visualising problem-solving space from above like reading a map. Navigation concepts: planning routes across swamp, considering obstacles and resources like reading terrain. Directional language: left, right, forward, backward, adjacent. Decision-making considering environmental factors (hall layout, surface type).
Teamwork and cooperation: working harmoniously toward shared goals, valuing all contributions. Resilience: persevering when challenges are difficult and strategies fail. Managing emotions: handling frustration constructively, staying calm under pressure. Communication skills: listening actively, expressing ideas clearly, giving constructive feedback. Leadership: emerging leaders showing decision-making, delegation, encouragement. Fair play and sportsmanship: accepting outcomes gracefully, respecting rules and opponents.
Position yourself at corners or side walls during activities to maintain visual access to all groups simultaneously. Avoid standing in the centre where you can only see some groups. During Pirates game, position on side wall at midpoint between start and pirate end to observe entire playing area. During debrief discussions, position within seated circle where you can make eye contact with all students. Move between groups during active work to provide close-up observation and feedback, but frequently return to vantage points for overall safety monitoring.
HEAD (Cognitive): Watch for strategic planning discussions before action, adaptation when strategies fail, analysis of what worked/didn't work, applying learned strategies to new contexts (floor spots learning applied to crash mats). HANDS (Physical): Observe balance and coordination during mat activities, controlled movement not rushing, spatial awareness of other groups and equipment, safe lifting and equipment handling. HEART (Social-Emotional): Monitor inclusive communication where all voices heard, encouragement versus blame when challenges arise, leadership emergence and distribution, resilience when facing setbacks or failures, cooperation between groups not just within groups during Pirates game.
SAFETY: Intervene immediately for any unsafe behaviour (mats placed dangerously far apart, throwing too hard in Pirates game, running carelessly with equipment). INCLUSION: Step in if you observe a student being excluded or marginalized by their group - ask direct questions to ensure everyone contributes. FRUSTRATION: When groups become stuck and frustration escalates, provide scaffolding questions without giving solutions ('What options do you have?' 'What worked for you in the earlier challenge?'). RULES: Enforce rules consistently and immediately - if floor touched in swamp challenge, send group back; if pirate steps over line, call it out. PACING: If activities completing much faster or slower than planned, adjust on the fly. DIFFERENTIATION: If core activity too easy or too hard for certain groups, implement support or extension modifications mid-lesson.
Use volunteer groups/students for demonstrations rather than demonstrating alone whenever possible - this models teamwork and shows age-appropriate performance. Demonstrate concepts without giving complete solutions - show the beginning of spider web strategy but let groups discover the full approach. Use exaggerated movements during demonstrations so all students can see clearly from distance. For crash mat challenge, demonstrate wrong approaches as well as right to help students recognise errors. Point out successful strategies during activities by pausing everyone to watch a group briefly. During cool-down, model breathing and stretching with clear, slow movements. Use think-aloud protocol during demonstrations to verbalize thinking: 'I'm thinking... so I'm going to try...'. Always check for understanding after demonstrations: 'What are the three key rules?' or 'Who can tell me what we're trying to achieve?'
Large indoor hall (minimum 20m x 30m) or outdoor hard surface area. Requires significant space for multiple groups to work simultaneously on mat-moving challenges without collision risk. Clear space free from obstacles, apparatus, or clutter that could create trip hazards during dynamic movement.
CRITICAL: Floor must be clean, dry, and non-slip. Check for water spillages, dust, or any substances that could cause slipping, especially when using crash mats that might slide on polished floors. Outdoor surfaces must be even without cracks, holes, or uneven sections that could cause trips or falls. Mats must lie completely flat - curled edges are trip hazards.
In event of injury: Use STOP signal immediately to freeze all activity. Assess injured student while maintaining visual supervision of others. For minor injuries (small bumps, scrapes): Apply basic first aid, rest student on sideline, monitor. For more serious injuries: Send responsible student to get additional adult support immediately. Keep other students calm and supervised in seated positions. Follow school's specific first aid and emergency protocols. For medical emergencies: Call for emergency services via school protocol, provide first aid as trained, keep student calm and still, clear other students from immediate area while keeping them supervised. Document all incidents according to school accident reporting procedures.
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