Description
What our Sports: Pickleball lesson plan includes
Lesson Objectives and Overview: Sports: Pickleball is a high-interest reading comprehension lesson plan. As such, students will practice various close reading and comprehension skills. In addition, they will learn about this fun and fairly new sport. This lesson is for students in 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade.
Classroom Procedure
Every lesson plan provides you with a classroom procedure page that outlines a step-by-step guide to follow. You do not have to follow the guide exactly. The guide helps you organize the lesson and details when to hand out worksheets. It also lists information in the yellow box that you might find useful. You will find the lesson objectives, state standards, and number of class sessions the lesson should take to complete in this area. In addition, it describes the supplies you will need as well as what and how you need to prepare beforehand. The activity of this lesson requires pickleball paddles and balls.
Teacher Notes
The teacher notes page provides an extra paragraph of information to help guide the lesson and remind you what to focus on. It explains that you can teach this lesson in a whole-class setting or as an independent, small-group activity. The blank lines on this page are available for you to write out thoughts and ideas you have as you prepare the lesson.
SPORTS: PICKLEBALL LESSON PLAN CONTENT PAGES
The Sports: Pickleball lesson plan contains three content pages. Have you ever watched a tennis match or played tennis yourself? Maybe you thought it would be a fun sport if the court were smaller. Guess what? There is a sport similar to tennis that people play on a smaller court! It’s called pickleball, and today, we will read all about it. Grab your paddles and get ready to learn all about this fun and fast-growing sport!
History and Fun Facts
Pickleball was created in 1965 in Bainbridge Island, Washington. Three dads, Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum, wanted to make a game their families could enjoy. They combined parts of tennis, badminton, and ping pong. They used paddles, a plastic ball with holes, and a smaller court. What started as a simple backyard game quickly became popular across the country and the world.
People now play pickleball all around the world, from the United States to Canada, India, and Australia. Tons of parks, schools, and community centers have added pickleball courts to meet the growing demand. There are leagues for players of all ages and skill levels. Major tournaments like the US Open Pickleball Championships draw top competitors from around the globe. Pickleball is a sport anyone can enjoy, whether they’re playing for fun or competing at a high level.
Did you know that the longest pickleball rally ever recorded happened on April 12, 2022? Emma and Liam Davis, two professional players from Florida, kept the ball going for 78 minutes straight! They hit the ball 35,791 times without stopping. Their incredible rally set a world record and showed how exciting pickleball can be.
Gearing Up
If you want to become a professional pickleball player, it takes practice, patience, and a lot of hard work. Most players start by joining local pickleball clubs and leagues to improve their skills. They focus on mastering serves, volleys, and different strategies. They may attend special camps or work with experienced coaches as they get better. Some players even have the opportunity to compete in national tournaments. With determination and practice, anyone can work up to the professional level.
Now, let’s go over the basics of the game. Pickleball is played on a court similar to a badminton court with a net (like tennis). You can play with either two players (singles) or four players (doubles). The goal is to hit the ball over the net and into the other team’s court. Players serve underhand, and points are only scored by the serving team. Games usually go up to 11 points, and the winner must win by at least two points. If the ball goes out of bounds or hits the net, the other team gets to serve. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins. In big tournaments, winners often receive trophies, medals, or cash prizes.
Pickleball 101
During a game of pickleball, you might hear some interesting words. For example, a “dink” is a soft shot that clears the net, and an “ace” is a serve the other team can’t return. The area near the net is called the “kitchen,” where players aren’t allowed to hit the ball in the air.
To play pickleball, all you need is a paddle, a pickleball, and comfortable clothes. Paddles can be made from different materials, such as wood or composite, depending on your preference. There are also other types of pickleballs designed for indoor or outdoor play. A good pair of shoes is essential, too, because pickleball involves lots of quick movements around the court.
Why It’s So Fun
Pickleball is a blast because it’s simple to pick up but still packed with fast-paced action. One reason it’s fun is that the smaller court means less running around. It’s perfect for friendly games, where you can laugh and enjoy time with others or get competitive in tournaments and test your skills. The thrill of making a tricky shot over the net or winning a long back-and-forth rally feels awesome.
So, there you have it, future pickleball stars! This fun sport has an exciting history, global popularity, and endless excitement. Grab your paddle, find a court, and get ready to become the next pickleball champion!
SPORTS: PICKLEBALL LESSON PLAN WORKSHEETS
The Sports: Pickleball lesson plan includes two worksheets: an activity worksheet and a practice worksheet. Each one will help students solidify their grasp of the material they learned throughout the lesson. You can refer to the classroom procedure guidelines to know when to hand out each worksheet.
PICKLEBALL GAME ACTIVITY WORKSHEET
For this activity, students will get to play a friendly game of pickleball! You will need to chalk off the “courts” ahead of time. Make sure all the students have paddles and each team has a ball. The worksheet provides the rules and how-to of gameplay.
PRACTICE WORKSHEET
The practice worksheet requires students to answer a series of 10 questions. These questions all relate to the content pages, so students will need to refer to them often for the answers. In addition, each question provides which reading tool the question corresponds to, such as text feature, vocabulary, or comprehension.
Worksheet Answer Keys
At the end of the lesson plan document is an answer key for the practice worksheet. The correct answers are all in red to make it easier for you to compare them with students’ responses. If you choose to administer the lesson pages to your students via PDF, you will need to save a new file that omits these pages. Otherwise, you can simply print out the applicable pages and keep these as reference for yourself when grading assignments.
