About the unit
In this unit children focus on swimming more fluently, improving their swimming strokes, and learning personal survival techniques.
In all swimming activities, children have to keep afloat and propel themselves through water. Learning to swim enables them to take part in a range of water-based activities.
Prior learning
It is helpful if children have:
- started to swim, with or without support and swimming aids
- learned how to move confidently in and under water
- used a variety of leg actions
- used a variety of arm actions
- learned how to behave safely in and around water
Core tasks
Following are core tasks the children could be asked to carry out.
Task 1
How fast can you swim:
- 10 metres?
- 25 metres?
- 50 metres?
Adaptations and variations on the task
Ask the children to:
- swim the distance using controlled arm actions or controlled leg actions
- swim on their front and their back
- see how few or how many strokes they need to use to cover the distance
- see if they can swim the distance using a certain number of breaths, eg one breath, three breaths, 10 breaths
- use the set rules for each stroke, to make the task harder
Task 2
Working as a team of three or four swimmers, how fast can you swim:
- 100 metres?
- 200 metres?
- 400 metres?
Only one person can swim at a time, and everyone in the group must swim part of the distance. No feet may touch the ground. Try the challenge four or five times over several lessons and try to get your team to swim the distance faster.
Adaptations and variations on the task
Ask the children to:
- swim using the same stroke or to swim using different strokes
- use at least two strokes
- swim as a team for a specific time, eg 1 minute, 2 minutes, and measure the distance they cover
- tackle obstacles or use skills, eg swim through a hoop, swim with a ball
Task 3
How long can you keep going around a personal survival obstacle course without touching the ground? Try to keep going for set lengths of time, eg 5 minutes, 8 minutes, 12 minutes. The course should involve:
- swimming on the surface
- swimming under water
- carrying equipment
- floating or sculling for a set period of time
- retrieving equipment from the bottom of the pool
Adaptations and variations on the task
Ask the children to:
- cover a certain distance, rather than to keep going for a certain time
- swim further or for longer, depending on ability
- tackle more obstacles and tasks, to increase the demand
- tackle fewer obstacles and tasks, to increase the speed
- work in shallow water near the edge and swim widths, if they are less able swimmers
- work in deeper water and swim lengths, if they are more able swimmers
- swim in relay teams
Where the unit fits in
In the next swimming unit, in the key stage 3 scheme of work, children will learn a wider range of strokes, in particular butterfly. They will learn how to use these strokes in different situations, including water polo and synchronised swimming activities. They will learn to swim further and for longer periods of time, developing their overall level of fitness. They will improve their personal survival techniques and take on specific tasks and challenges linked to work in outdoor and adventurous activities. They will also learn how to warm up and cool down for different types of swimming activity.
In other physical education units, especially outdoor and adventurous activities, children will develop problem-solving skills similar to those needed for personal survival tasks in this unit. Their work on safety and personal survival links with learning about safety in a range of subjects.
Expectations
When carrying out the type of activities and tasks in this unit
most children will be able to: swim between 50 and 100 metres and keep swimming for 45 to 90 seconds; use three different strokes, swimming on their front and back; control their breathing; swim confidently and fluently on the surface and under water; work well in groups to solve specific problems and challenges, sharing out the work fairly; recognise how swimming affects their body, and pace their efforts to meet different challenges; suggest activities and practices to help improve their own performance
some children will not have made so much progress. They will be able to: swim between 25 and 50 metres unaided; keep swimming for 30 to 45 seconds, using swimming aids and support; use a variety of basic arm and leg actions when on their front and on their back; swim on the surface and lower themselves under water; take part in group problem-solving activities on personal survival; recognise how their body reacts and feels when swimming; recognise and concentrate on what they need to improve
some children will have progressed further. They will be able to: swim further than 100 metres; swim fluently and confidently for over 90 seconds; use all three strokes with control; swim short distances using butterfly; breathe so that the pattern of their swimming is not interrupted; perform a wide range of personal survival techniques confidently; know what different tasks demand of their body, and pace their efforts well to meet challenges; describe good swimming technique, and show and explain it to others
Extension and enrichment
Out of lessons, at home and in the community, children could be encouraged to:
- swim regularly, to help them develop confidence
- go swimming with their parents or guardians
- swim after school and at weekends
- find out about going to local pools, and about swimming lessons in clubs and the community
Vocabulary
In this unit children will have an opportunity to use a range of words and phrases, such as:
- front crawl
- back crawl
- breaststroke
- float, scull
- surface diving
- pull, push, kick
- lie flat, streamlined
- breathe
- turning
Resources
- swimming floats
- armbands and other supports
- bricks and weighted hoops
- pool dividers
- floating markers
- balls and other floating equipment
- timing and recording devices
- a video on water safety
- laminated resource cards
Cross-curricular links
This unit could be linked to:
- science - investigating propulsion with arms and legs, exploring forces
- PSHE - finding out why swimming is good for your health
- English - evaluating, explaining and describing swimming activities; evaluation is highlighted as an appropriate activity in each year of the planning framework in Teaching speaking and listening at key stages 1 and 2 (QCA/99/391)
Section 1: Acquiring and developing skills
Activities
- Ask the children to show how they use their arms to propel themselves through water. Ask them to show different ways of kicking their legs. Help them to explore what types of stroke they can use on the surface and under water. Ask the children to perform combinations of strokes, swimming actions and skills.
- Teach the children front crawl, back crawl and breaststroke. Help them to combine leg and arm actions to make their strokes smoother and better coordinated. Teach them how to breathe when they swim.
- Teach them to surface dive and retrieve objects from the bottom of the pool. Teach them to perform strokes and survival skills with control. Help them to explore a range of strokes on their front and back, using different arm and leg actions.
- Teach the children to float on the surface in a number of positions, with and without aids. Teach them to scull and tread water. Help them to lie flatter on the water, so that they are more streamlined when swimming.
Outcomes
- swim on their front and back, using arm and leg actions together with smooth coordination
- control their breathing and are comfortable on the surface and under water, swimming fluently and with control when using back crawl, front crawl and breaststroke
- use personal survival techniques, including floating, sculling and surface diving
- swim for more than 45 seconds and further than 50 metres
Objectives
- to consolidate and develop the quality of their skills
- to improve linking movements and actions
Points to note
- In every lesson, most of the children's learning should take place through physical activity relating to the core tasks.
- Most lessons should start with short warm-up activities that help the children remember what they did in the last lesson, and prepare them for what they will learn next. Most lessons should end with cool-down activities.
- Limit instructions and keep the children active, so they do not get cold.
- Set the children tasks that suit their ability - this may lead to grouping classes by ability. Give them the opportunity to take part in a range of competitions for individuals and groups.
- Use timing and measuring devices to set and record attainment targets, and to monitor children's progress.
- Make sure the children have an opportunity to watch high-quality performances by their peers and others, to talk about what they are doing and comment on their own and others' performances.
- Give the children specific guidance on the skills they need to use and how to use them correctly, as well as general feedback and praise.
- Give children information and ideas on laminated resource cards. Databases could be used to bring together information on swimming techniques, skills and styles, for groups to draw on in their own work.
- Children could learn how to use monitors to record their own and others' heartbeat and pulse rates.
Health and safety
- Is the space around the pool free from clutter?
- Can the less confident swimmers stand on the pool floor comfortably?
- Has the pool been checked for health and safety?
- Is a qualified lifesaver in attendance who can see all the children?
- Show the children a water safety video and talk to them about the dangers of being in and around water. Tell them what to do if they see someone in difficulty in water.
Section 2: Selecting and applying skills, tactics and compositional ideas
Activities
- Ask the children to show how far they can swim with and without aids, on their front and on their back.
- Ask the children to meet targets for distance and time, choosing a stroke that suits them. Teach them to pace their efforts to meet challenges. Listen to them talk about their ideas for challenges that they could set themselves and others.
- Encourage them to vary their strokes and use different skills to meet personal survival challenges.
Outcomes
- use a variety of strokes and personal survival skills to suit the needs of a task
- plan how to meet set challenges on their own and in groups
- recognise their own ability and the demands of different challenges, and choose safe and efficient ways to complete challenges successfully
Objectives
- to choose, use and vary strokes and skills, according to the task and the challenge
Points to note
- In every lesson, most of the children's learning should take place through physical activity relating to the core tasks.
- Most lessons should start with short warm-up activities that help the children remember what they did in the last lesson, and prepare them for what they will learn next. Most lessons should end with cool-down activities.
- Limit instructions and keep the children active, so they do not get cold.
- Set the children tasks that suit their ability - this may lead to grouping classes by ability. Give them the opportunity to take part in a range of competitions for individuals and groups.
- Use timing and measuring devices to set and record attainment targets, and to monitor children's progress.
- Make sure the children have an opportunity to watch high-quality performances by their peers and others, to talk about what they are doing and comment on their own and others' performances.
- Give the children specific guidance on the skills they need to use and how to use them correctly, as well as general feedback and praise.
- Give children information and ideas on laminated resource cards. Databases could be used to bring together information on swimming techniques, skills and styles, for groups to draw on in their own work.
- Children could learn how to use monitors to record their own and others' heartbeat and pulse rates.
Health and safety
- Is the space around the pool free from clutter?
- Can the less confident swimmers stand on the pool floor comfortably?
- Has the pool been checked for health and safety?
- Is a qualified lifesaver in attendance who can see all the children?
- Show the children a water safety video and talk to them about the dangers of being in and around water. Tell them what to do if they see someone in difficulty in water.
Section 3: Knowledge and understanding of fitness and health
Activities
- Ask the children to show how they can control their breathing. Ask them to describe how swimming affects different parts of their body, including their heart and lungs.
- Listen to the children talking about their ideas on how to warm up at the start of lessons. Teach them activities that they can use to warm up for swimming.
- Talk to the children about why swimming is good exercise and will help to improve their fitness and health.
Outcomes
- describe why swimming helps them to be fit and healthy
- explain why their body reacts differently to swimming different distances and times
- describe how swimming affects their heart rate and breathing, and recognise that it is important to control their breathing when swimming
Objectives
- to know and describe the short-term effects of exercise on the body, and how it reacts to different types of activity
Points to note
- In every lesson, most of the children's learning should take place through physical activity relating to the core tasks.
- Most lessons should start with short warm-up activities that help the children remember what they did in the last lesson, and prepare them for what they will learn next. Most lessons should end with cool-down activities.
- Limit instructions and keep the children active, so they do not get cold.
- Set the children tasks that suit their ability - this may lead to grouping classes by ability. Give them the opportunity to take part in a range of competitions for individuals and groups.
- Use timing and measuring devices to set and record attainment targets, and to monitor children's progress.
- Make sure the children have an opportunity to watch high-quality performances by their peers and others, to talk about what they are doing and comment on their own and others' performances.
- Give the children specific guidance on the skills they need to use and how to use them correctly, as well as general feedback and praise.
- Give children information and ideas on laminated resource cards. Databases could be used to bring together information on swimming techniques, skills and styles, for groups to draw on in their own work.
- Children could learn how to use monitors to record their own and others' heartbeat and pulse rates.
Health and safety
- Is the space around the pool free from clutter?
- Can the less confident swimmers stand on the pool floor comfortably?
- Has the pool been checked for health and safety?
- Is a qualified lifesaver in attendance who can see all the children?
- Show the children a water safety video and talk to them about the dangers of being in and around water. Tell them what to do if they see someone in difficulty in water.
Section 4: Evaluating and improving performance
Activities
- Help the children to work and plan in pairs and small groups. Encourage them to watch and describe the swimming actions of others. Ask them to look at how movements start and finish. Give them checklists for observing, so that they know what to look for.
- Talk to the children about the language they can use to describe different parts of a stroke. Ask them what they think makes a good swimming stroke. Ask them whether they know what they do well. Encourage them to recognise what they need to concentrate on to improve their own swimming.
Outcomes
- use a range of language to describe what they see and give concise explanations of what they do well
- identify aspects of their work that need improvement and suggest ways to practise
- realise that smooth swimming demands concentration and good control of arms, legs and breathing
Objectives
- to describe and evaluate the quality of swimming, and to recognise what needs improving
Points to note
- In every lesson, most of the children's learning should take place through physical activity relating to the core tasks.
- Most lessons should start with short warm-up activities that help the children remember what they did in the last lesson, and prepare them for what they will learn next. Most lessons should end with cool-down activities.
- Limit instructions and keep the children active, so they do not get cold.
- Set the children tasks that suit their ability - this may lead to grouping classes by ability. Give them the opportunity to take part in a range of competitions for individuals and groups.
- Use timing and measuring devices to set and record attainment targets, and to monitor children's progress.
- Make sure the children have an opportunity to watch high-quality performances by their peers and others, to talk about what they are doing and comment on their own and others' performances.
- Give the children specific guidance on the skills they need to use and how to use them correctly, as well as general feedback and praise.
- Give children information and ideas on laminated resource cards. Databases could be used to bring together information on swimming techniques, skills and styles, for groups to draw on in their own work.
- Children could learn how to use monitors to record their own and others' heartbeat and pulse rates.
Health and safety
- Is the space around the pool free from clutter?
- Can the less confident swimmers stand on the pool floor comfortably?
- Has the pool been checked for health and safety?
- Is a qualified lifesaver in attendance who can see all the children?
- Show the children a water safety video and talk to them about the dangers of being in and around water. Tell them what to do if they see someone in difficulty in water.
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