Kickball Rubric

Unit Outcome: The students understand and can play a game of kickball using striking and fielding skills learned in class.

Our rubric is designed to assess an individual's proficiency of the skills and knowledge required for kickball. The rubric is designed for students at a middle school level who have completed 4/5 classes in which these skills have been developed. The assessment material we have included is on a scale from 1-4, 1 being incomplete/not present and 4 being excellent. The criteria we are basing our assessment on are; understanding of rules/regulations, fielding, striking, cooperation, and participation. We have chosen to make assessments based on these elements as they are essential for a fun, efficient game of kickball. Participation from all students is required to ensure they are engaged and given the opportunity to demonstrate the skills learned/developed in previous classes. Participation throughout lessons and games ensure that the skills being taught are effectively applied, promoting time on task and repetition based learning. Ensuring all students participate to the best of their ability despite the drill/game and skill level creates a positive culture, where individuals feel safe learning new skills outside their comfort zone. For an individual to receive full marks (4) on participation they must be on time everyday, ready (proper attire), and participate in every activity to the best of their abilities. Individuals who receive an incomplete (1) would have not participated, showed up late, and be unprepared for class. Cooperation is a huge component in striking and fielding games such as kickball due to the team based nature of the game. In order to effectively play the game cooperation among teammates is essential. Cooperation in a team based game such as kickball can determine how well a team will perform. A team can be comprised of mechanically proficient players however if they lack team cohesion and communication the team will not be successful. For a student to receive full marks (4) they must be open and able to work with all students, communicate and listen to others effectively, and take a leader or follower role when needed. For a student to receive an incomplete (1) the student would be opposed to working with anyone, and does not communicate/listen effectively in a team setting. We chose striking as a main component of the rubric because it is comprised of fundamental movement skills that we have developed in previous classes such as kicking. To excel in this category, one must meet all criteria with regard to the above rubric and in addition have tactical awareness/game sense. Tactical awareness is the differentiator between a “meets expectations” (3) and an “excellent” (4) due to the fact that tactical awareness is not needed to play the game, but is a vital tool in facilitating elite gameplay. For a student to receive and “incomplete” (1), they are not in a ready position, they do not strike or they have an inconsistent strike, and they do not transition to locomotive skills (such as running between bases). The skills for striking and the expectations of the student’s ability to perform these skills comes from both personal experience and the “Developing Fundamental Movement Skills Manual” by Sport New Zealand.

The components of fielding can be complex; however, they work hand in hand with cooperation and teamwork. Skills needed for fielding can be seen in several other disciplines within education, for example when students learn about projectile objects in physics. Thus, including fielding can help incorporate different areas of study within their learning and help them conceptualize topics in everyday life. We saw it important to include fielding within our assessment as it is a critical aspect of all striking/fielding games and kickball specifically. Fielding incorporates several other key coaching points and aspects of the rubric. The evaluation of catching/fielding for kickball was based on the “Developing Fundamental Movement Skills Manual” by Sport New Zealand and knowledge we have acquired from past sport experience. To get a (4) the students must be in ready position, move towards the ball, strategically pass and catch and play defence. Where as a (1) where the student is not in a ready position, they do not seem to move towards the ball or fail to do aspects of fielding. Thorough understanding of rules and regulations by players is essential for any functional game. Students are required to demonstrate they have knowledge of how to effectively play the game. Rules are essential in keeping games fair and fun, but also emphasize a player’s tactical awareness and game sense. A student with an understanding of the rules and regulations will be more successful when compared to a student who does not. This can be attributed to the complexities and tactical awareness required of striking and fielding games such as kickball. Students with a strong understanding of the rules will be better able to utilize the skills they have developed and apply them in a tactical sense. To receive full marks (4) students must have a clear understanding of the rules so much so that they would be able to organize or officiate a functional game. For a student to receive an incomplete (1) a severe lack of understanding is required. They would be unaware of the basic rules or have no logistical understanding of how the game is played.