AI Literacy in Year 5 PE: Basketball Passing, Movement and Decision Rules
You already teach pupils to make quick decisions in games. A player looks at the position of teammates, defenders and open space, then chooses whether to pass, move or hold the ball. An AI system can also use information to produce an output, but it does not understand the game as a person does.
Where does AI fit?
- An algorithm is a set of steps or rules. Machine learning is a way of finding patterns from training data.
- If the examples are limited, or the rules miss something important, the output may be unhelpful.
- The safest habit is human oversight: a person checks the output and remains responsible for the decision.
What words need pre-teaching?
- Algorithm: a set of step-by-step instructions, like rules that tell a player what to do next.
- Artificial intelligence: a computer system that uses patterns in examples to produce an answer or prediction.
- Training data: the examples used to help a machine learning system find patterns, like practice passes used to teach a system what to recognise.
- Human oversight: people checking an AI system's output before trusting or acting on it.
Which frameworks does this hit?
- UNESCO: Pupils created or tested rules for a basketball-related AI system and applied criteria about accuracy, fairness and human responsibility when judging its output.
- OECD AILit: Pupils explained how rules and examples shape AI outputs and designed a human-controlled use of AI advice.
- PISA 2029: Pupils identified how missing camera information could produce an unfair recommendation and proposed responsible action before it affected team selection.
- EU AI Act: Pupils examined human oversight and accuracy checks for an AI system proposed for a team-selection decision.
A short selection. A full guide maps every activity to the frameworks you choose for your region.
Your activities
Open a card to see how to run it in class.
Human Passing Algorithm
Start here · Unplugged · 10 min · quick win
Pupils follow passing rules, test them against changing defenders and identify where human judgement is needed.
Say this to your class
"Watch how quickly a player must read the court before making a pass. We will now turn that decision into a short set of instructions, like an algorithm. Follow the rule exactly first, even when you think another choice would be better. Then we will change the situation and decide where human judgement is needed."
Questions to ask
- Which rule helped you make a quick passing decision?
- When did the rule produce a poor choice for the basketball situation?
- What extra information would a computer need before choosing a pass?
When it clicks
The concept has landed when a pupil says that a rule can guide a pass but cannot notice every changing feature of the game.
The QuickDraw Pattern Test
Plugged · 12 min
Pupils predict whether Google QuickDraw will recognise basketball drawings and explain why its guesses can change.
Say this to your class
"Keep your eyes on the shared screen and your prediction ready on your mini-whiteboard. I will draw a basketball-related picture in Google QuickDraw, but I will not tell you what the system is trying to recognise until we have made our prediction. We will compare the system's guess with the picture and ask which visual clues may have helped or confused it. Remember, a quick guess is not the same as a guaranteed answer."
Questions to ask
- Which part of the basketball drawing gave the system the strongest clue?
- How might the result change if the drawing showed a bounce pass from a different angle?
- Why should a coach check a computer's movement prediction before using it?
When it clicks
The concept has landed when a pupil explains that the output came from matching patterns rather than from the system understanding basketball.
Should the Tracking System Choose the Team?
Discussion · 14 min
Pupils represent basketball stakeholders and decide what checks an AI tracking report needs before team selection.
Say this to your class
"You have heard what happened at the school in the story. Take a quiet minute to decide which evidence each person in the hearing would use. Then speak from that person's role, not just from your own first reaction. We are not deciding whether technology is always good or always bad. We are deciding what checks are needed before this report influences a team decision."
Questions to ask
- Which part of the report might be useful to the coach, and which part might be missing?
- Should a player's recorded number of passes influence selection? Give one condition that would make the use more trustworthy.
- Who should be responsible for checking the report before a decision is made?
When it clicks
The concept has landed when pupils separate useful information from a final decision and name a human check before action.
Paper Prototype for a Passing Assistant
Creative · 15 min
Pupils sketch a passing assistant that offers advice while leaving the final basketball decision with the player.
Say this to your class
"You are going to design a paper version of an assistant for a basketball player. It may notice space, defenders or passing options, but it cannot play the pass or choose the team. Your design must show the information it uses, the advice it gives and the moment when the player checks the advice. A clear design is one that another pupil can understand without you explaining every part."
Questions to ask
- What information should the passing assistant use to make a helpful suggestion?
- How will your design show that the advice is a suggestion rather than an instruction?
- What should the player do when the assistant's suggestion does not fit the court?
When it clicks
The concept has landed when a pupil designs an advice screen with a clear check or override rather than an automatic pass button.
Reference & support
See which activities to start with
Ranked most to least accessible. The top entries are strong entry points for any class.
- Human Passing Algorithm: physical movement, clear rules and verbal rehearsal keep reading demands low.
- The QuickDraw Pattern Test: the teacher controls the screen while pupils respond by pointing, speaking or using mini-whiteboards.
- Should the Tracking System Choose the Team?: role cards, sentence starters and a written response offer alternatives to speaking in front of the class.
- Paper Prototype for a Passing Assistant: pupils can sketch, label, dictate or explain their design without using a screen.
Before using AI tools with students
The activities in this guide are designed to support your professional planning. Before using any AI tools with students, speak to your SLT and DPO, check tool age limits and your school’s Acceptable Use Policy, and never let students enter personal information (names, photos of themselves, school name, anything identifiable) into open or unvetted AI tools.