Clean-Up Verdicts: Right-of-Way Cases While Putting Gear Away

An active cool-down after a fencing lesson: groups collect noodles and cones while solving refereeing cases about right of way. It combines a useful task, a lower heart rate and a rules review.

How to play

1. Setup: each group of five gets a case card and an area of the schoolyard to clear (1 min).
2. Walking clean-up: while picking up and carrying gear to the boxes, the group discusses its case (who gets the touch?) (3 min).
3. Verdict: one spokesperson per group reads the case and gives the verdict with the director's signal; the others give a thumbs up if they agree (3 min).
4. Teacher correction on any disputed cases (1 min).

Rules

• Walk, don't run, while cleaning up.
• Store noodles without bending them.
• Each group argues from the rule, not from who won in class.
• The teacher's verdict closes the discussion.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: the student skips the clean-up and reads the case and speaks for the group.
• Visual impairment: the case is read aloud and clean-up is done in pairs.
• Reading difficulties: cases with a simple drawing and one short sentence.

Learning goals

• Lower intensity gradually.
• Review the right-of-way rule with real situations.
• Work together to look after equipment.

Equipment for a class of 25

• case cards: 12
• boxes: 2

Teacher tip

Laminate the cards once and they'll last the whole year. The usual mistake is groups cleaning up first and discussing afterward; doing both at once gives the calm pace you want.

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