A–B. Active Living and Movement Competence · Active Living and Movement: Train with Purpose, Play with Strategy

Know the Setting: Components, Rules and Etiquette Everywhere You Play

B2.1 1.4About 70 minutes

Learning goals

I can describe the components of a range of physical activities: movement skills, game structures, basic rules and guidelines, fair-play conventions and etiquette.
I can apply that understanding in indoor and outdoor settings: gym, fitness room, ice rink, pool, park, recreation facilities, and hiking and snow trails.
I can follow lane swimming, fitness-room, rink and ski-trail etiquette.
I can cooperate with others to share spaces fairly and safely.

Words to know

game structure
How an activity is organized: playing area, number of players, equipment, scoring, how play starts and stops.

etiquette
The expected, courteous way of behaving in an activity or place, even when it isn't a written rule.

fair-play convention
A widely accepted custom that keeps play fair, such as kicking the ball out when a player is injured.

circle swimming
Sharing a lane by swimming down one side and back on the other, all in the same direction.

classic tracks
Pairs of parallel grooves set in a groomed ski trail for classic (diagonal stride) cross-country skiing.

working in
In a fitness room, taking turns on equipment between someone else's sets.

Remember from Grade 9

In PPL1O you learned the four components of an activity (movement skills, game structures, basic rules and guidelines, etiquette and fair play), sorted activities into five categories (individual, target, net/wall, striking/fielding, territory), and practised trail yield rules, pickleball and disc golf etiquette.

Grade 10 adds the setting: the same person needs different etiquette in a pool, a fitness room, a rink and on a ski trail.

Hook: rules you never read

You walk into a community pool. Three lanes are marked "slow", "medium" and "fast". Nobody hands you a rulebook, but within a minute you can tell that swimmers go down one side and back on the other, that someone taps a foot to pass, and that nobody stops in the middle of the lane.

Every facility has written rules (posted on the wall) and etiquette (how people expect you to behave). Knowing both makes you safe, welcome and confident anywhere.

What B2.1 asks of you in Grade 10

Demonstrate an understanding of the components of a range of physical activities, such as:

movement skills;
game structures;
basic rules and guidelines;
fair-play conventions and etiquette;

and apply this understanding as you participate in a variety of activities in indoor and outdoor environments: the gym, fitness room, ice rink, pool, park, recreational facilities, and hiking and snow trails.

Etiquette by setting

Fitness room

Wipe down equipment after use; re-rack weights where they belong.
Share: let others work in between your sets; don't save machines with a towel or phone.
Use a spotter for heavy lifts; follow the facility's posted rules (some have age or supervision rules for teens).
Keep the floor clear of bags and loose weights.

Pool

Shower before swimming if posted; no running on deck; obey the lifeguard.
Choose a lane that matches your speed.
Circle swim in the posted direction (often keeping to the right); tap a foot once to pass; let faster swimmers by at the wall; don't rest in the middle of the lane.

Ice rink (public skating)

Skate in the posted direction; move to the side to stop or tie skates.
Watch out for young children and new skaters; don't race or weave through crowds.
Get up quickly after a fall; help others if you can do so safely.

Snow trails (cross-country skiing and snowshoeing)

Ski in the posted direction on one-way trails.
Walkers and snowshoers stay off groomed ski tracks (footprints ruin the tracks).
To pass, call "Track!" or "On your left"; slower skiers step aside when it's safe.
When you stop, step out of the tracks.

Parks and recreation facilities

Share courts and fields: take turns, play "next game" rotations, and keep pick-up games friendly.
Leave the space clean; respect posted hours, noise and dog rules.

Circle swimming: everyone swims down one side and back on the other (here, keeping to the right). To pass, tap a slower swimmer's foot once; they let you by at the wall. Always follow the direction posted at your pool.

A groomed cross-country ski trail often has classic tracks at the sides and a skate lane in the middle. Walkers and snowshoers keep off the tracks, and skiers call "Track!" to pass.

Fair-play conventions

Some fair-play customs are so common that players follow them everywhere:

In soccer, if a player is injured, the team with the ball kicks it out of play; the other team gives it back on the throw-in.
In self-officiated games (ultimate, pickleball, pick-up basketball), players call their own fouls and accept the other team's honest calls.
In tennis and badminton, you call the lines on your own side fairly; when in doubt, the ball is "in".
At the end of a game, teams shake hands or tap sticks or racquets and thank the officials.

Knowing these conventions is part of B2.1 and part of relationship skills (1.4).

Living skill: relationships and social skills (1.4)

The curriculum's 1.4 example for movement is following the accepted rules of fair play and sportsmanship and showing inclusiveness. Etiquette is really about respect: for other people's safety, time and enjoyment. A newcomer who doesn't know the etiquette needs a friendly explanation, not an eye-roll.

Worked example

Let's analyse lane swimming

Use the components to analyse lane swimming at a community pool.

Movement skills: front crawl, breaststroke or backstroke; breathing; turns at the wall (open turns or flip turns); push-offs and streamlining.
Structure: lanes labelled slow, medium and fast; several swimmers share each lane; a session has a set time.
Basic rules and guidelines: follow the lifeguard; no running on deck; shower if posted; swim in the posted direction.
Fair play and etiquette: choose a lane that matches your speed; circle swim; tap a foot once to pass; let faster swimmers by at the wall; rest at the wall to the side, not in the middle.

Lane swimming is an individual activity in a shared space. Its components show that skills, structure, rules and etiquette all work together so many swimmers can train safely at once.

Worked example

Let's solve a fitness-room problem

At a community fitness room, a student has been sitting on the only leg-press machine for 15 minutes, scrolling on a phone between sets. Someone is waiting. Two dumbbells are left on the floor. What etiquette is being broken, and what should each person do?

Etiquette broken: hogging equipment, long phone breaks on a machine, and not re-racking weights (a tripping hazard).
Student on the machine: finish the set, then let the other person work in, or move off to rest away from the machine.
Waiting person: ask politely: "Mind if I work in between your sets?"
Anyone who sees the dumbbells: re-rack them or tell staff, because they're a safety hazard.

Share equipment (working in), keep rests short or off the machine, and re-rack weights. Polite asking keeps it friendly.

Hands-on activity

Setting scout and etiquette cards

You need: a notebook or phone, a grown-up, and access to at least one community facility or space (a park, outdoor rink, pool, trail, community centre or school field).

Scout a setting (20 min): with a grown-up, visit a local facility or trail. Photograph or copy the posted rules (only signs, no photos of people). Watch for 5 minutes and note unwritten etiquette you see.
Component card (10 min): for one activity done there, fill in: movement skills, structure, basic rules, fair play and etiquette.
Do the activity (20 min or more): take part, following the rules and etiquette: lane swim, public skate, a trail walk or ski, or a pick-up game.
Partner task (10 min): with a family member or friend, set up a shared space at home or in the yard (for example, a mini circuit with only one skipping rope and one mat). Take turns and "work in" fairly for 10 minutes.
Reflect: which etiquette rule surprised you? How does it make the space safer or fairer?

Safety: swim only when lifeguards are on duty, skate only on supervised or maintained rinks, and go on trails with a buddy and a trip plan. Respect other people's privacy: don't film or photograph strangers.

Just for fun

Cross-country skiers shout "Track!" to pass. Runners on a crowded path have not yet agreed on a word, which is why they mostly just breathe louder.

Your turn

List the components of an activity named in B2.1.

Name four settings named in B2.1.

What is circle swimming?

How do you ask to pass in lane swimming?

Why should walkers stay off groomed classic ski tracks?

Give two fitness-room etiquette rules.

Describe one fair-play convention in soccer.

More practice: warm-up

What is etiquette?

Who is in charge at a public pool?

What do cross-country skiers call to pass?

Where should you stop to tie your skates at a public skate?

What does "working in" mean?

More practice: on your own

A slow swimmer is in the fast lane and three swimmers are bunched behind. What etiquette would help?

Analyse public skating using the four components.

In a pick-up basketball game at a park, someone calls a foul you disagree with. What convention applies?

You're snowshoeing on a trail that also has classic ski tracks. Where do you walk and what do you do when skiers approach?

Why does etiquette matter more in shared facilities than at home?

Challenge

Create a one-page etiquette guide for a school fitness room, with at least six points grouped into safety, sharing and care of equipment.

Compare the components of two activities from different settings: cross-country skiing on a trail and ringette in a rink.

A newcomer to Canada joins your public skate and keeps stopping in the middle of the ice. Write what you would say and do, showing inclusion and respect.

Check your understanding

Quiz

Which is not one of the components in B2.1?

In lane swimming, you ask to pass by:

Snowshoers on a groomed ski trail should:

"Working in" at a fitness room means:

A soccer player is injured. A common fair-play convention is:

Which setting is named in B2.1?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Expectation B2.1 asks students to understand the components of activities (movement skills, game structures, basic rules and guidelines, fair-play conventions and etiquette) and apply that understanding in many indoor and outdoor settings: gyms, fitness rooms, rinks, pools, parks, recreation facilities and trails.

How to help at home:

Take your teen to a community facility (pool, rink, trail, park) and read the posted rules together.
Ask them to explain lane-swimming or ski-trail etiquette to you before you go.
Model good etiquette: re-racking, waiting turns, stepping aside.

Common difficulties:

Thinking etiquette is optional. It keeps shared spaces safe and fair.
Assuming every facility is the same. Always read the posted direction and rules.

Safety: swim only with lifeguards on duty, skate on supervised or maintained ice, use the buddy system on trails, and don't photograph strangers.