Differentiation for Diverse Learners (Middle and Secondary Schooling)

Tiered Lesson – Physical Education

Specific Topic of Lesson: Anticipation - Volleyball
Year Level: Year 9 and 10
Name: Marley Fairclough - Student Number: 2151189
Lesson Context
The Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA, 2018) specify within the Achievement
Standards that ‘By the end of Year 10, Students apply decision-making and problem-solving skills when taking action
to enhance their own and others' health, safety, and wellbeing. They apply and transfer movement concepts and
strategies to new and challenging movement situations. They apply criteria to make judgments about
and refine their own and others’ specialised movement skills and movement performances. They work collaboratively
to design and apply solutions to movement challenges’
The current topic of Net and Ball Games focuses on transferable skills and actions between different sports.
Students have developed knowledge, skills, and understanding of Net and Ball games in different contexts over
the past semester, with sports including tennis and badminton. Students are currently in the middle of their unit
on Volleyball, whereby teaching is focusing specifically on the technical and tactical components of skill
acquisition. Students are working to reinforce movement concepts from previous learning in order to develop key
movement skills and patterns required for Volleyball. Through Critical and Creative Analysis students are
establishing increased ability to review, evaluate and implement strategies for effective play.
This lesson will follow a Game-Based Learning approach, with the incorporation of drill practice to enhance
technical and tactical understanding. Particular focus will draw upon strategies for enhanced anticipation, with
students working to compose and perform movement sequences that create space and appropriate timing for
attack and defensive structures. The lesson is based on a mixed year nine/ten class, students located within the
class have varying readiness levels, a majority of students are at the developing stage of skill acquisition, they
acquire knowledge and understanding of the skills required to perform actions, however are still working to
refine movement patterns in a open enquiry based environment.

Learning Objectives
Clear learning objectives are important in developing a lesson that caters to the students learning requirements.
Wiggin's and McTighe (2011) emphasise the importance of a ‘big idea as the basis for unified and effective
understanding.' When developing curriculum documents it is vital that teachers consider what they wish students
to come away with as a result of participating in the activity, lesson, and unit (Tomlinson, 2014). Drawing upon
connections understanding to the content of a particular topic, by the emphasis of a ‘big picture' learning
objective will, in turn, assist students in developing an overarching understanding that can be applied across
different learning areas (Tomlinson, 2014).
Learning Objectives have been adapted from the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority
(ACARA, 2018) year level nine to ten achievement standards. The focus area to be addressed is based on Games
and Sports and will aim for students to develop, implement and evaluate movement concepts and strategies
in selected movement scenarios to allow for successful outcomes (ACPMP101). Elaboration focus on
students ability to review, evaluate and implement alternative responses to movement situations based on the
outcome of previous performances (ACARA, 2018). Through participation in the sport of Volleyball, students will
further analyze the impact of effort, space, time, objects and people when composing and performing
movement sequences (ACPMP103).
As a result of engaging in this lesson, students will: Understand that:
 Skilled performance is determined by technical and tactical components
 Anticipation enables skilled decision-making, timing, and use of space to dynamically respond to the
performance context
 A player must be able to ‘Read the Play’ in order to effectively anticipate and perform movement
skills/patterns efficiently

Know Be able to
 Technical Components e.g. Skill Progression &  Demonstrate specific plays in attack and defence
Body Positioning  Apply specific skills to attack and defence
 Tactical Components e.g. Use of space to attack  Communicate deliberately to inform
and defend, read play to identify movement performance and execute appropriate plays
sequences
 The importance of Communication

Essential Questions
What strategies can be applied to anticipate movement?
How can we create space to enhance anticipation?

Pre-assessment of Individual Student Readiness

Based upon the Australian Curriculum Assessment Reporting Authority (ACARA, 2018) Achievement Standards,
a practical Pre-assessment has been designed to determine students’ ‘Readiness’ levels. The assessment will
help identify technical and tactical competency, in order to guide planning for learning to targets the specific
learning requirements of each individual. Small sided games are a key tool for ongoing practical assessment, it
allows students’ progression of skills to be made evident and acts as a facilitator for creating further learning
tasks. When designing tasks that improve students learning activities must centre upon enhancing students’
skills and understanding of a topic. Thus tasks must not be beyond the reach of student capabilities; nor should
they be below that of their current understanding and ability (Tomlinson, 2004). When incorporating Tiering
within a lesson, Pre-assessment must work to establish differences in ‘Readiness,’ with activities focusing on
structuring Tiered groups so to meet the same overall objectives; it is about creating different pathways that
lead to the same desired outcome (Tomlinson, 2014).
In previous lessons, students participated in Modified 3v3 Small Sided Game, that required specific game
constraints. In teams, students had to perform a dig, set, and spike, in order to return the ball over the net to the
opposing team. This modified game provided students with the opportunity to refine their fundamental
movement skills in an uncontrolled setting. This student-directed game allows for appropriate time and the
ability for the teacher to conduct skills based Pre-assessment that determines the skills sets ready for the
following lesson (McTighe & O’Connor 2009). If further provides the opportunity for students to self-assess their
skill progression in a game situation.
As the lesson aims to enhance student anticipation, the focus will be placed on students transferring drill-based
learning into a game setting. The added complexity of a game setting required students to be placed into
appropriate group structures to ensure each individual is provided with the opportunity to succeed at there own
level. Appendix One and Two demonstrates a rubric where the teacher assesses each student’s ability to perform
particular movement sequences throughout a game situation. It will also include a rubric for students to self-
assess their own skill progression, as a means for teachers to reflect upon each individual’s areas for
improvement.
From Pre-assessment students will be divided into three Tiered groupings, dependent on there current
determined skill learning areas.
Group A: Am There – Higher Readiness (Students have great knowledge, understanding, and skills and can
perform movement patterns effectively in varying game situations)
Group B: Almost There – Middle Readiness (Students have knowledge, understanding, and skills of fundamental
movements, though are still working on transferring movements into a game context)
Group C: Not There Yet – Lower Readiness (Students knowledge, understanding, and skills are emerging and
require technical development in a closed environment to enhance skill acquisition)

Lesson Plan
Lesson Sequence Explanatory notes
Lesson Resources:
 6 x volleyball half courts set up (with padding)
 Bag of volleyballs (approx. 15)
 Whistle
 Whiteboard/Marker
 Markers (15)

Warm Up Activity:
Students will commence lesson with a 3v3 Half Court
Students are provided with the chance to revise the
Volleyball
content taught in the previous lesson.
This activity will allow students to practice
Helps reinforce fundamental skills in a game situation
fundamental movement patterns
Students will have the opportunity to play the warm- Stimulates guiding questions, aiming for students to
up game with students are all skill abilities before inquire about ways of anticipating movement patterns
separating into tiered groupings. and use space to attack and defend

Introduction to Task – Explicit Teaching

Lesson Objectives on Whiteboard
Students will begin the lesson with a brief
introduction to the concept of ‘Anticipation,' with
learning intentions being clearly outlined.
Students will be introduced to key terms of
‘Anticipation,’ with students being given the chance
to pose questions.
Students will focus on the current learning objective of
anticipation, whereby students are learning to ‘read
play’
Explicit teaching connects the warm-up activity to the
lesson objectives. Objectives are written on the
whiteboard to help students’ analysis their skill
progression during the lesson.

Draw on the whiteboard (Appendix 3) ‘Setting up
for Attack'
With the help of a student, this movement sequence
will be demonstrated on the court, with the teacher
acting as the feeder and student moving to the
positions required before receiving the pass.
Instruction will focus how to approach the ball and
where should your attention be when making contact
with the ball.
Visual and verbal instruction cues will be provided to
students to provide for each students learning
preferences
The whiteboard will be used to explain the game sense
activity with a physical demonstration of the drill
providing a visual understanding.
Students will then move into there tiered grouping,
whereby this movement sequence will be performed Connection to previous learning will draw emphasis on
by each group, however with varying complexity. performing movement skills in a game setting.
Learning activities have been designed to cater for
Tiered Activity
students’ readiness levels. Pre-assessment provided
Within each Tiered Group, students will perform information of students’ current skill acquisition. The
the same movement pattern sequence, however, assessment focused on students skill set when
the constraints when delivering spike over the net performing in a game setting. Groupings have been
will have differing complexity dependent upon tier created to allow each student the chance for success
level. dependent upon on their required learning needs.
Tier One focus on students whose readiness levels are at
Tier One Constraint a lower level of acquisition. Student’s knowledge,
Students will have to return the ball to the feeder in a understanding and skills are emerging and require
series of movements requiring them to perform technical development in a closed environment to
multiple dig passes, before performing their final enhance skill acquisition.
pass over the net to any area of the court using a
spike.
Tier One requires to focus primarily on performing the
skills in a closed environment, students do not have any
Tier Two
additional game like stimulus to control and focus
Students will have to return the ball to the feeder in a simply on performing the correct movement pattern to
series of movements requiring them to perform return the ball over the net.
multiple dig passes, before performing their final
pass over the net using a spike. On another side of the
Tier Two differs from Tier One, with additional
net, four cones will be set with the pass having to be
complexity added to enhance student active processing.
targeted at one of the particular cones. Students are
Student work to aim hit a target on the defensive side of
encouraged to change their aim upon each shot.
the net. Having the ability to hit to different areas assists
in defensive gameplay.
Tier Three
Student's will play same game sense drill, however
Tier three poses enhanced complexity to challenge the
- Students will be divided into groups of four, with
readier students in a more uncontrollable game-like
two players on either side of the court.
setting. Students will critically analyse and implement
- Each student will wear a different colour bib. On
effective anticipation strategies for enhanced defensive
the attacking side of the net player, 1 will be the
play. Students further experiment with body positioning
setter and player 2 will perform the spike over.
to perform movement skills in a sequential manner.
- On each pass, the setter will indicate which player
the pass must direct to, by shouting the colour of
there bib.
- Students in defense wearing tags must be moving
around the court at all times to simulate a game
situation
- This will be performed back and forth with player 1
and player 2 swapping positions after both sides
have performed three rounds each.
Concluding Activity – Anticipation Game
Students will be divided into equal teams, playing full
court.
Students will work together in their team to play a
game of volleyball.
This game has a focus on anticipation of both the
defense and attack. Students will work to identify the
appropriate movement patterns required for each
sequence of gameplay.
Game Constraint:
The person delivering the final pass over the net
must indicate where the spike or dig is going to be
directed

Lesson Closure/ Check for Understanding

Students will be brought back into the classroom, where the key idea of ‘Anticipation’ will be summarised in
relation to attacking and defending play in relation to game situations. Students will discuss methods for
effective play and how they communicate within teams to score against the oppositions. The discussion will
allow for students to critical and creatively analysis their skill performance.
Students will then be given an exit card whereby the following question will be asked: They will need to bring
this exit card to the following lesson, as a means to review tactical and technical understanding.
 What did you do during practice and game situations to anticipate an opponents movement patterns
effectively? How do you believe this helped your success in the game?
Possible Responses
 Reading the Play – Recognising opponents and team members movement patterns
 Watch the ball to helped move into the position to best receive the ball early
 Special awareness to work out where the other players are on the court
 Scan the opposing court for space just prior to hitting the ball

Explanation
Physical Education practices place significant emphasis on student engagement and understanding, with a deep
focus on catering to each student's varied needs and capabilities. Effective learning requires teachers to first
gain an understanding of ‘where the students are and where they are meant to be,’ in order for effective
progress to be made (Hattie, 2012). This lesson has been designed to focus on each student’s current Readiness
levels (Tomlinson, 2014). Pre-assessment processes have been incorporated in order to create differentiated
Tiered learning activities that present with a clear common set of learning objectives for each individual student
(Tomlinson, 2014). Based on the specific concept of Anticipation, Tiered learning activities have been further
structured accordingly to create inclusive opportunities for each student to achieve increased knowledge, skills,
and understandings.
This lesson aims to provide students with authentic learning opportunities. Mosston and Ashworth's (2002)
learning concept of Guided Discovery emphasizes the importance of active exploration of motor skills to help
transfer practice from a ‘closed’ repetition drill scenarios to uncontrolled game situations. The theory suggests
that shaping movement patterns through the exploration of modified game sense and game situations provide
students with the opportunity to develop greater technical and tactical skill performance (Mosston and
Ashworth, 2002). It can be established that a player must be able to ‘Read the Play’ to effectively perform a
movement in a game situation (Pill, 2016). Decision making, timing and use of space are vital to anticipation; by
having the skills to dynamically respond to the performance situation will provide students will skill to respond
to varying forms of play. Pill (2016) further suggests that ‘learners should practice in variable and random
situations when possible, to encourage enhanced exploration of movement opportunities.’ It is recognised that
randomised non-linear practice forces learners to actively and continuously process information, thus
enhancing coordination dynamics to effectively perform movements’ sequences with both technical and tactical
precision (Schmidt and Bjork, 1992).
When developing skill-based game sense and game situation activities Tier One aims to focus on students that
will benefit from a more structured step-by-step type instruction, as students are still working to develop
fundamental movement patterns (Jarvis, 2010). Students working within Tiers Two and Three will follow are a
more dynamic approach that aims to enhance the complexity of drill-like scenarios to mirror a game like setting
(Stolz, et al, 2012). Assessing learning objectives within Physical Education requires attention to students’
physical competency, along with their ability to analyze and evaluate technical and tactical movement concepts,
strategies and scenarios. The lesson closure requires students to critical and creatively reflect upon the tactical
and technical movement concept of anticipation; students are to provide knowledge and understanding of game
situations and formulate a response that provides both practical and theoretical perspective.

References
 Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2018). Health and Physical Education. From
Australian Curriculum: http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au
 Contemporary and Classic Readings in Education, 174.
Stolz, S., & Pill, S. (2012). Making sense of game
sense. Active & Healthy Magazine, 19(1), 5-8.
 Den Duyn, N. (1997) Game Sense: Developing thinking players: A presenters guide and workbook. Belconnen,
ACT: Australian Sports Commission.
 Hattie, John 2012, ‘Flow of the lesson: the place of feedback’, in Hattie, John, Visible Learning for teachers:
maximizing impact on learning, Routledge, London, pp. 115-137.
 Jarvis, J. 2010. ‘Differentiation for the many, not the few’, SERUpdate, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 3-6. McTighe, J., &
O'Connor, K. (2009). Seven practices for effective learning. Kaleidoscope:
 Mitchel, S., Oslin, J., & Griffin, L. (2013). Teaching sports concepts and skills: A tactical games approach.
Champaign, Ill: Human Kinetics
 Morley, D., Bailey, R., Tan, J., & Cooke, B. (2005). Inclusive Physical Education: Teacher’s views of including
pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities in physical education. European Physical
Education Review, 11(1), 84-107.
 Mosston, M., Ashworth, S. (2002). Teaching Physical Education, 5th ed. New York, NY: Benjamin Cummings.
 Pill, S. (2013) Play with Purpose (edn 3) ACHPER. Australia
 Pill, S. (2016, January 02). Learning Through Sport: Play with Practice. From Blog Spot:
https://learningthroughsport.blogspot.com.au/2016/01/what-is-being-taught-in-senior-pe.html
 Schmidt, R. & Bjork, R. (1992). New conceptualisations of practice: Common principles in three paradigms
suggest new concepts for training, Psychological Science, 3(4), 207- 217.
 Siedentop, D., Hastie, P., & van der Mars, H. (2011). Complete guide to sports education. Human Kinetics
 Tomlinson, C. A. (2014). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners. Ascd.
 Wiggins, G. P., & McTighe, J. (2011). The understanding by design guide to creating high- quality units. ASCD
 Appendix One: Pre-Assessment Rubric – Teacher Skills Check List
Student Can they get Can they Can they Can they Does the
Name the ball over perform a Dig perform a perform a set student
the net in a on another Spike over the to another effectively
serve? player or net? player? communicate
over the net? with team
members?

Student Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Group A

Student Some Times Yes Yes – However Yes – However Sometimes

Group B requires greater needs to place
accuracy set higher

Student Skill developing Can perform Sometimes Sometimes No

Group C skill skill will
limiting
accuracy

Appendix Two: Pre-Assessment Rubric - Student Evaluation of Current Skill Level

As a player identify tactical and technical areas you believe your greatest improvement in volleyball will
come from – By identifying the area you wish to improve it will assist in development of drills and games
that will benefit your skill acquisition.
The biggest Tactical improvement in my volleyball will come from:
- Setting up to attack
- Setting up in transition
- Setting up to defend
- On the ball decision making
The biggest Technical improvement in my volleyball will come from:
- The Forearm Pass (Dig)
- The finger Pass (Setting)
- The Serve
- The Spike
APPENDIX THREE – Tier Activity ‘Setting up for Attack’
Aim
To perform movement patterns before returning spike over the net
Positions:
Player 1: Blue
Player 2: Yellow
Player 1 will act as a setter for player 2.

Instructions
Game Sense Drill will be played on a half court
Player 1 places the ball in the back left of the court, player 2 will return the pass with a digging pass
back to player 1.
Player 1 will then place the ball in the back right of the court, with player 2 running from back left
corner to return a digging pass back to player 2.
Player 1 will then place a set pass up high to the front right of the court, with player 2 running forward
to perform a spike pass over the net.
Each player will perform three rounds each before swapping positions.
Game Constraints will change depending on Tiered group.