Complete Athletics & Track and Field Unit – 14 Lessons + Bonus Lesson | Lesson Plans, Station Activities, Assessment & Teacher Resources

Introduction

Take the stress out of planning athletics lessons with this complete 14-lesson Physical Education unit, including an additional high jump extension lesson and a comprehensive collection of supporting teaching resources.

Created by MrSportandPE, this ready-to-use athletics programme covers sprinting, jumping, throwing, hurdles, relays, pacing and competitive events.

Designed for middle school, high school and secondary school PE teachers, the unit combines technical skill development with practical activities, student leadership, peer coaching and performance assessment.

Rather than relying on traditional teacher-led instruction, students are encouraged to become active participants in their learning through structured stations, challenges, personal targets and competition.

With 31 editable Word documents, including detailed lesson plans, supporting activity packs, assessment sheets and teacher guidance, this resource provides a structured approach to teaching an entire athletics unit.

Learning Objectives

Throughout the unit, students will develop the ability to:

• Demonstrate correct techniques across a range of track and field events.

• Improve acceleration, sprint mechanics and running efficiency.

• Develop jumping and throwing techniques.

• Apply pacing strategies in middle-distance running.

• Perform effective relay baton exchanges.

• Demonstrate safe hurdle clearance.

• Measure, record and evaluate athletic performances.

• Use peer feedback to identify strengths and areas for improvement.

• Develop teamwork, leadership and officiating skills.

• Apply techniques in competitive situations.

• Set personal performance targets and monitor improvement.

Complete 14-Lesson Unit Overview

Lesson 1 – Athletics Baseline & Performance Profiling

Introduce athletics through practical sprinting, jumping and throwing assessments. Students establish baseline performances and identify personal improvement targets.

Lesson 2 – Sprint Mechanics & Acceleration

Develop running posture, arm action, knee drive and acceleration techniques through progressive sprinting drills.

Lesson 3 – Sprint Starts & Crouch Start Mechanics

Explore effective sprint starting positions, reaction speed, acceleration and the first steps of a sprint.

Lesson 4 – Relay Fundamentals

Develop baton exchange techniques, communication, teamwork and maintaining speed through the exchange zone.

Lesson 5 – Long Jump

Improve approach speed, take-off technique, flight and controlled landing through progressive jumping activities.

Lesson 6 – Triple Jump

Introduce and develop the hop, step and jump sequence, focusing on rhythm, coordination, balance and technique.

Lesson 7 – High Jump

Develop the scissors technique, including approach, take-off, vertical lift and safe bar clearance.

Lesson 8 – Shot Put

Explore correct grip, stance, power position and controlled pushing technique to improve throwing distance.

Lesson 9 – Javelin

Develop grip, approach, withdrawal, cross-step, blocking action and release mechanics, with an emphasis on safety.

Lesson 10 – Discus

Introduce controlled standing discus techniques, including grip, body positioning, arm action and release.

Lesson 11 – Hurdles

Develop hurdle confidence, lead-leg and trail-leg technique, clearance and running rhythm.

Lesson 12 – Middle-Distance Pacing

Explore pacing strategies, breathing, rhythm, split times and maintaining performance during sustained running.

Lesson 13 – Combined Events Circuit

Students apply techniques across multiple track and field stations, combining performance, scoring and personal challenge.

Lesson 14 – Athletics Competition Day

Conclude the unit with an individual or team athletics competition, allowing students to demonstrate their learning and celebrate progress.

Bonus Lesson – High Jump: Fosbury Flop

An additional high jump extension lesson introduces the Fosbury Flop, including curved approaches, take-off mechanics, rotation and safe landing techniques.

This extension is suitable for appropriately equipped settings with suitable landing mats, supervision and students ready for more advanced techniques.

What's Included?

1. Complete Lesson Plans

14 structured athletics lessons plus one bonus extension lesson.

Lessons include:

• Clear learning outcomes.

• Starter activities and warm-ups.

• Technical teaching points.

• Progressive practical drills.

• Coaching cues and questioning.

• Opportunities for assessment.

• Lesson reflections and progressions.

2. Supporting Activity and Station Packs

Dedicated supporting resources accompany the main lessons.

These provide practical station activities, technical challenges, coaching guidance and opportunities for students to practise skills independently.

The station-based approach helps maintain activity levels while allowing teachers to support individuals and groups.

3. Assessment and Performance Tracking

The resource includes assessment materials such as baseline recording sheets, observation activities and sprint start scoring resources.

Students can record performances, evaluate technical development and identify areas for improvement.

4. Student Leadership and Peer Coaching

Students can take on different roles during lessons, including:

• Athlete.

• Coach.

• Official.

• Timekeeper.

• Performance recorder.

These responsibilities encourage independence, teamwork, communication and understanding of athletics rules.

5. Teacher Guidance

A dedicated teacher guidance document supports the delivery of the unit, including its overall structure, teaching approaches and assessment considerations.

Recommended Grades and Ages

Suitable for:

• Middle school Physical Education.

• High school Physical Education.

• Secondary school PE.

• Approximately ages 12–18.

• Grades 7–12, depending on ability and experience.

• Mixed-ability Physical Education classes.

Activities can be adapted for different ages, abilities, equipment and facilities.

Implementation and Teaching Format

This resource is designed for practical Physical Education lessons and can be delivered as a complete athletics unit or through individual lessons.

Teachers can use the lesson plans to structure their teaching while supporting activity packs provide opportunities for independent practice, peer coaching and group work.

The unit incorporates a combination of:

• Teacher demonstrations.

• Skill development stations.

• Individual technical challenges.

• Partner and group activities.

• Peer assessment and feedback.

• Performance measurement.

• Competitive athletics events.

Lessons can be adapted to available facilities, class sizes and lesson durations.

How to Use and Variations

Complete Athletics Unit: Deliver all 14 lessons in sequence, progressing from baseline assessment through technical development to a final competition.

Individual Athletics Lessons: Select specific lessons to support existing athletics or track and field programmes.

Station-Based Learning: Use supporting resource packs to create multiple activity stations and encourage student independence.

Personal Best Challenges: Allow students to record performances and work towards individual improvement targets.

Peer Coaching: Assign students coaching and observation responsibilities using technical cues and assessment activities.

Team Competition: Adapt the final athletics lesson into a team or house competition to encourage collaboration and participation.

Differentiation: Adjust distances, equipment, task complexity and performance expectations to accommodate different abilities.

Curriculum and Educational Standards

This resource supports widely recognised Physical Education learning outcomes, including:

• Movement competence and technical skill development.

• Physical fitness and performance improvement.

• Application of skills in competitive situations.

• Personal goal setting and self-evaluation.

• Teamwork, communication and leadership.

• Responsible participation and sportsmanship.

• Assessment for learning and peer feedback.

The activities can be adapted to support different national, state and school Physical Education curricula.

File Types and Contents

31 editable Word documents (DOCX) supplied in a downloadable ZIP package.

The collection includes:

• 14 main athletics lesson plans.

• 1 bonus high jump extension lesson.

• 13 supporting lesson resource packs.

• 1 teacher guidance document.

• 1 baseline lesson supporting resource document.

• 1 sprint start scoring sheet.

All documents are editable, allowing teachers to adapt activities, distances, teaching instructions and assessment materials to their own students and facilities.

Why Choose This Resource?

This complete athletics unit is designed to make teaching track and field more manageable, purposeful and engaging.

Rather than planning individual lessons from scratch, teachers have access to a structured programme that develops technical ability, student confidence, independence and competitive performance.

The combination of detailed lesson plans, station activities, assessment resources and teacher guidance provides flexibility for different teaching environments.

Less planning. More purposeful activity. Better skill development.

Created by MrSportandPE – practical Physical Education resources designed for real lessons.