Task A.

1. I think the differences in motor behavior and social behavior between the St. Mary's students depended greatly on grade levels. I began working with students ranging from grades 3 to 6. They had no problem socializing. They actually tended to be the ones to come up to you and want to start a conversation. There motor skills were also at a higher level. This differed a little in gender with the fact that the boys tended to be a little more agressive. Overall, the motor skills between the boys are girls didn't differ a great amount. I had talked to a few students that were soccer or basketball players. This tended to show a little skill more during the game of knockout and soccer compared to the students that were not involved in either sport. When all the students came into the gym, I got a chance to interact with the younger students. I noticed that it was a little harder to get them to socialize with me. Some of them seemed to be more shy or afraid. There were a few that I noticed that had no problem socializing. I feel that the more you tried to talk to them and hang around the more they opened up. Also, the younger children were less developed with their motor skills than the older students. I think that that has much to do with their age and just beginning to interact in the activities. I feel that age and ability has an influence on motor development and increases with age along with involvement. There muscles and understanding of certain skills increases. I also believe that some students tend to have more ability than others which can differ with certain activities. With gender, from what I saw, a majority of the girls were just as developed as the boys, and there were some that were not. They also seem to be developed better in certain tasks. For example the girls tended to be able to perform a cartwheel better than some boys, while some boys tended to shoot a basketball better. But there were both boys and girls that could do the same things equally. Overall i feel that motor development along with social development is influenced by age, gender, and ability.

2. With the group that I was working with a few fine motor activities that we performed were card games, playing with legos, and putting puzzles together. When observing theres activities I noticed that the students all had a high sense of what they were doing. With my group, I didn't notice much a difference with age, or gender. I feel that it may have been easier for some students to build with legos because it is something they like to do and tend to do a lot of. With this, I noticed that some students were able to build something that was more advanced than what someone else was building. I also noticed that it was easier for some students to find a puzzle piece and put it where it belongs. Others took longer and with more concetration. With the card games, some students were able to grasp the concept easier while others it took some time. With all of these, I didnt feel that females were more advanced than males. I also didnt feel that the third graders were less advanced then the sixth graders, although some may have been, it wasnt very obvious. What I did notice is that some activities came easier to certain students than it did for others. I believe that this is based on ability and interaction with the activity.

There has been a lot of controversy with the game dodgeball because it is believed that it promotes bullying. There is also the chance of someone getting injured while playing the game. I think that with the correct modications and rules dodgeball could potentially be a game for students to enjoy. I believe that dodgeball is an activity that involves a good overall workout. It consists of running, throwing, catching, and attempting to avoid the ball. The game can be beneficial in the fact that it helps with hand-eye coordination. It can also have social benefits. It involves communication and teamwork with those who are on your team.

I think a good way to modify the game would be to use a soft foam ball. Using this type of ball would be positive because one, it wouldn't hurt as much when you are hit by it. Two, it would be easier for one to catch. And three, the ball wouldn't travel as fast as a rubber ball. Another modification would be to either make the target below the waist or another object like a cone or something other than a human target. If one is hit above the waist, the person who threw it would be out. I believe that these modifications would prevent one from being injured along with making it impossible for one to bully. Hopefully everyone would want to participate.

Dodgeball can also be very competitive. Everyone, mostly everyone wants to win. With dodgeball, no one wants to get out either. It is always nice to be the last one standing. One who gets out first may not feel as good or respected. You could make it so that you must get hit three times before you get out. Or play other versions where a teammate can get you back in the game. I do believe that dodgeball is a game that could and should be used in physical education classes. Whatever it is that you do, make sure the students are safe and having a good time.