Design Your Pentathlon: Rules, Safety and a Pilot Run

In groups, students design a five-event school combined competition with available equipment, including rules, a scoring system and a safety routine. Each group then pilots one of its events.

How to play

1. Present the challenge and conditions: five events, at least two jumps and two throws, school equipment and fair scoring (4 min).
2. Design in groups of five: each member writes up one event with measurement, attempts and a safety rule (12 min).
3. Peer review: another group reads the design and points out one risk and one improvement (6 min).
4. Revise and set up on the field the event the group chooses to pilot (6 min).
5. Pilot run: each group runs its event while the rest of the class rotates through the stations (14 min).
6. Debrief: which event worked best and what would you change? (3 min).

Rules

• Every throwing event must include a sector, a line and a retrieval signal.
• The teacher approves each setup before use.
• No events using equipment not meant for it (chairs, goals, etc.).
• Scoring can't reward only those who are already strongest.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: the group designs at least one event that can be done seated, and everyone tries it that way.
• Reading or writing difficulty: designs can use drawings and be explained orally.
• Injury: serves as the group's safety officer during the pilot.

Learning goals

• Plan a group movement project.
• Build safety rules into event design.
• Critically analyze the fairness of a scoring system.

Equipment for a class of 25

• foam javelins: 6
• medicine balls: 6
• hula hoops: 10
• cones: 25
• paper sheets: 12
• pencils: 12

Teacher tip

Give a template with sections (name, equipment, measurement, attempts, safety, points) so groups stay on track. If there's no time for every pilot, leave two for next class.

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