Adapted PE Bowling Unit for Special Education | Grades 6-12 + 18-21

An adapted PE bowling unit for grades 6 to 12 and 18 to 21 transition programs: 6 lessons with Level A, B, and C (ramp, two-hand, and standard), gym lane setup, score sheets, and a plan for a real trip to a bowling alley.

Why I made this: Bowling is one of the few sports my students keep doing after they leave school, with family, friends, or a rec league. I wanted a unit that works in the gym with plastic pins and carries straight over to a community trip for our 18 to 21 students.

What's included:

• Teacher overview: what Levels A, B, and C mean, how I run the unit, and a 6-day calendar

• Equipment list (standard and modified) and a drawn gym lane setup diagram

• Safety and inclusion notes with a student setup chart

• 6 one-page lessons: grip and stance, the approach, aim and release, spares and pin setup, scoring, and league day

• Every lesson has an objective, warm-up, cue words, practice, a Level A/B/C table, a skill check, a teacher tip, and a cool-down question

• A 4-station bowling rotation, a skill check rubric, and a class record sheet

• A community bowling outing plan: before, at, and after the trip

• A simplified score sheet and a standard 10-frame score sheet with scoring rules

• Student self-rate cards

How I use it: We bowl in the gym for about two weeks, then take the transition class to a local alley. The outing plan keeps the trip organized, and the ramp and bumper options mean nobody sits out.

Who it is for: Adapted PE teachers, inclusive PE teachers, and transition teachers planning community recreation for grades 6 to 12 and 18 to 21 programs.

Every lesson, station, rubric, and game page in this unit is original to it. If you need a quick change on the fly, change the space, the task, the equipment, or the people, one thing at a time. The outing plan has no money worksheets, so pair it with the money skills materials you already use for paying at the alley.

What you download: one printable PDF, 17 pages, US Letter.

Also in my Adapted PE series: the Basketball, Soccer, Bocce, Track and Field, and Volleyball units, plus the Adapted PE IEP Goal Bank and Movement Break Timer Slides. Every sport unit uses the same Level A/B/C layout, so students know the routine when you move to the next sport.

Written by Jeremy D. Gooch, a transition coordinator with 20+ years in education. Part of the Adapted PE series from The Transition Cliff.

At a glance: grades 6-12, one-page lessons, Level A, B, and C on every lesson table, skill check rubric, class record sheet, and student self-rate cards. 17-page PDF, US Letter. Print and teach; equipment swaps are listed for gyms with very little equipment.