Lesson Plan: Annie Over
Subject Area: Physical Education
Grade Level: 5-6th
Amount of time needed: 20-50 min (depending on how long you have)
Objective/purpose: Students will better understand (physical) games, played by children their age, during the 19th century.
My Personal Stake: With today’s advances and technologies, students are unaware of how different it was even a 150 years ago. Games were played outside, instead of in front of a computer or TV. This activity will get students moving, and also build a sense of community amongst the classroom.
Materials needed:
· A soft ball.
· A tree or some other structure to throw the ball over.
Introduction/connecting to students: What activities do you think students, your age, participate in during the 19th century? Today we’re going to play a game that was commonly seen at schools during the 1800’s.
Teaching/learning procedure:
· Students will be put into small groups (roughly 3, divided up however suitable), and introduced to the lesson with the introductory question listed above.
· After the students have had an opportunity to brainstorm in their groups, as a class, we’ll come up with some ideas.
· Next, I’ll explain to the class a game that was commonly played during the 19th century called Annie Over.
o The class is brought outside to a shed or structure that is similar in size.
o Half of the class is put on one side, with the remainder or the opposing side.
o One side is randomly chosen to start with the ball.
o A person, from the side that starts with the ball, calls out “Annie over” and throws the ball over the structure to the other group of students.
o If someone catches the ball on the opposing side, then they sneak around to the side that threw the ball and try to hit the person that threw it.
o If that person is hit before they can reach the opposite side of the structure, then they are to join the opposing team.
o If they make it to the opposite side without being hit, then they stay on their original team.
o The person that throws the ball switches sides each turn.
o This same operation is followed until there are no people left on one side, or however long the group desires.
Closure: After the students have had the opportunity to join as a group, there will be a class discussion using the following questions: What did we like/dislike about the game? What are some things that we would change if we played it again? Why? What are some reasons that this might have been a popular game for students of this time?