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Over the past few years, I have struggled and struggled with my students on their innate desire to stand up at the end of class.

I would make an almost daily reminder that they need to stay in their seats until the bell rings. I would get frustrated that just as it seemed that the procedure would "stick," it would slowly start to unravel if I wasn't on top of reminding them.

Finally, I started to ask my students why they liked to stand up so much. They said, "Ms. B, we are sitting ALL DAY. It feels so good to stand up and stretch!" Hmm...I reflected...they DO sit down nearly all day. Yes, they get four minutes for a passing period, and yes, they get movement built into many of their classes, but for the most part, they are sitting for a good chunk of their day.

I decided that instead of fighting my students' urge to stand, I should EMBRACE it. What if I planned out some exit activities that were movement based? I've compiled a list of 13 exit activities that build movement in. These activities are designed to take between 2-5 minutes, but can be easily adapted to fit a space of longer or shorter.

Review of Day's Lesson

Flock

Post the day's standards, I Can statements, activities or concepts on posters around the classroom. Each standard/I Can, etc. will have a separate poster and will be placed with enough space from the other posters to allow for students to "flock" to.

Ask students to "flock" to a standard based on one of the following criteria (depending on what you would like to use in class):

Alphabet

This is a play on the alphabet-based exit tickets. Instead of choosing a magnetic letter (or another seat-based variation), post the letters A-Z around the classroom. Depending on your wall space, you could potentially have the letters posted year-round, ready to go for this activity.

Students should stand next to a letter on the wall. Each student should stand next to a unique letter, unless you have more than 26 students. If that is the case, you could have blank letters up, you could ask students to pair up, or you could have duplicates of commonly used letters.

Students should share a word that starts with the letter they are standing next to. The word they share should relate to the lesson from the day. If students have a difficult time coming up with a word that starts with their letter, you could adapt the activity to share a word that has the letter in it.

Sketch

Post blank sheets of paper around the classroom. Students should form groups around each blank paper and sketch a drawing that reflects the standard(s) covered for the day. Depending on time, students can share their drawing with the class, rotate around the class to look at others' drawings, or save their drawing to share for bell work the next day.

A / B

Create a series of questions on a slideshow. For each question, label the answer choices A and B. For example, if you are studying independent and dependent clauses, "A" could be "independent" and "B" could be "dependent."

After showing the question, ask students who think the answer is "A" to stand, and those who think the answer is "B" to stay seated. Get through as many questions as you can until the bell rings.

Quick Fire

Students get into small groups. Post a vocab word on the board. Students get 60 seconds (or more time, depending on your class) to come up with a short skit or dialogue exchange to demonstrate the vocabulary word. The skit could be 2 lines long - it doesn't have to be elaborate. The skit or example just needs to show understanding of the vocabulary word.

Each group provides its example to the class.

Variation: Choose 3 students to be the judges. After deliberating (quickly), the judges get to call forward two groups to complement, and then they choose one winner and explain why.

Flashcard Race

Place a set of vocabulary flashcards at stations around the room. (Check out this set of blank flashcards to use for this activity.)

One person will be the group leader, holding of the flashcards, and the other group members will line up in a single line, facing the leader.

The leader will show the first flashcard to the first person facing him/her in line.

The person answers, and runs to the back of the line. The next flashcard goes to the next person in line, who answers and runs to the back of the line.

The first group who gets all group members through with no errors, rings a bell a buzzer , , or shouts out, designating them the winners.

A judge from the opposing groups will be monitor each group, making sure they answer each flashcard correctly.
If you would like, you could have a "key" ready for the judges to ensure they know if the answers are correct or not.

Modification: You can offer each group a certain number of "phone-a-friend" options, where they can ask the group for help, making sure they don't break their group's "streak."

Greek/Latin root review

Have all students stand up at their desks or stand against the walls of the classroom.

Post a Greek or Latin root on the board.

The first student (you decide where the line starts) should say the definition of the posted root.

Continue down the line, with each student saying a word that contains that root. The first student who can't come up with a word that contains that root has to sit down.

When the student (who can't think of a root or definition) sits down, post the next root, and the process will start again (definition, example, example, example, etc.).

Continue until there is only one student left standing.

Example: Post the word "dict." The first study says "speak or say." The next student in line says "dictionary," the next "contradiction," the next "diction," the next "ummm..." and that student sits down. The next student in line will get a new root word - for example, "bene." The process continues until only one student is left standing.

Variation: If it is too disruptive for students to sit down at their desks, you could have all students line up against the walls and take one step forward. Instead of sitting down when they can't come up with a word, they could take a step back and put their backs against the wall. The last person who is NOT against the wall is the winner.

A / B

Use the A/B activity (described in the previous section) with vocabulary words.

Definition: Post a definition with two potential choices of answers. Students stand if they think the answer is "A" or stay sitting if the answer is "B."

Connotation: Put a word on the board that has a positive or negative connotation. "A" will stand for "Positive" connotation, and "B" will stand for "Negative" connotation. Repeat the stand/sit for "A" or "B" (as described above).

Context Clues: Put a sentence on the board with an unknown word underlined. Students should use context clues to figure out the meaning of the word. For the "A/B" option, you could have "A" listed as one definition and "B" as another. Or, you could have "A/B" be potential synonyms for the word, and the students will have to decide which synonym most closely matches the underlined word.

Graph Gab

Post pictures of a graph on the walls around the classroom. A great resource for finding graph's is Turner's Graph of the Week.

Ask students to form a group around a picture. In groups, students should discuss the graphs.

Here are some guiding questions:

What is the subject of the graph?

Does the graph have a key? What are the elements of the key? How is each element marked?

What do you notice about the graph?

Do you notice any trends? What might account for that trend?

Do you notice any breaks in a trend? What might account for the break?

Students should discuss in their groups and share their observations with the whole class, depending on time.

As a variation to whole-class sharing, you could ask each student to point out something new about the graph. Go around the class, making sure each student gives a new comment (no one can repeat a previous observation). The activity will get harder and harder as the "easy" details are given first.

Quotes

Wall Sort

Have students get into groups around the classroom.

Each group should have a set of words or phrases that they will sort. They can sort them on the wall (with poster tack or velcro strips) or on a desk. Students can sort them into their own categories OR you can provide specific categories for students to sort the words into.

In addition to sorting words, students can also sort processes or timelines.

Debate/Argument

Line the walls

Have all students stand against the walls of the classroom (forming a loose circle).

After asking or posting a question, ask students who agree to take a step forward. This way, students can see who agrees and who disagrees. You could then ask students to support their opinions with reasoning.

Have students step back against the wall when you are ready to ask the next question.

If you want to create an additional category (agree, disagree, and it depends), you could have those who agree take two steps forward, those who say it depends, take one step forward, and those who disagree could stay against the wall.

Depending on time, you could ask a string of questions right in a row, with students stepping forward and back until the bell rings.

Face off

Pose or post a question. Students need to find a person who has the opposite opinion. Once students are paired up, they should each discuss their reasoning.

For topics where the opinions are more one-sided or unbalanced, students can form larger groups of like-minded students first, and then find an opponent.

To get a sense of the balance of opinions, you could start with "Line the Wall," as described above, and then pair up from there.

For a list of argumentative topics, check out the New York Times article: 401 Prompts for Argumentative Writing.
Do you have other exit activities that work well in your classroom?

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Over the past few years, I have struggled and struggled with my students on their innate desire to stand up at the end of class. I would make an almost daily reminder that they need to stay in their seats until the bell rings.

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Engaging techniques for effective teaching

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By EWD_Admin

Assessing students doesn't have to take all day.

It also doesn't have to be boring.

Some of the most valuable information I have learned from my students comes when I ask them an interesting open-ended question and give them just a few minutes to write down what they've learned.

If you're looking for some fun and engaging ideas to add to your assessment toolkit, I have a few I think you'll like.

Here are 10 of my favorite exit ticket ideas:

10 Words or Less - Have students write a summary of the lesson in 10 words or less. Students love the challenge of only being able to use 10 words and it really forces them to consider each word they are using. You can read through them quickly and you'll be able to see which students grasped key vocabulary, takeaways or processes from the lesson.

Draw. Label.Caption - Have students draw a picture based on what they learned in the lesson. Have them label all the important elements of their picture and then provide a 2-3 sentence caption. This works great especially for science or social studies, and it gives you the opportunity to see what details really stuck with your students.

#lessonslearned - This is a student favorite. Have students come up with 3 hashtags they would use if they were going to tag that lesson on social media. This is great for students who like to express themselves creatively and it really helps you see if students got the main idea/point of the lesson. As an added bonus you could have students draw an image they would post on Instagram that connects to their hashtag.

Sentence.Phrase.Word - Have students write a detailed sentence that summarizes the lesson. Have them underline the most important phrase and then have them circle the one word that is more important in that phrase. This allows you to see if students can summarize what they learned and identify the key takeaway from the lesson.

Wise Words - Have students write 1-2 pieces of advice they would give to someone who is just learning this skill or topic for the first time. I love using this one during math because it allows me to see if students have found a strategy that works well for them. This is one of my favorites to have students share out loud. Many times their wise words are something another student needs to hear.

3-2-1 - I love using this one because it gives me so much information but doesn't take much time. At the end of a lesson I will have students write down 3 things they learned. This could be vocabulary terms, strategies, or just new pieces of information. Then they write down 2 questions or wanderings they still have. This helps me identify what I still need to teach on that topic. And then the last thing they write down is 1 thing they still need to practice. This helps me figure out who I might need to follow up with in small group.

Multiple Choice - I will ask students to write a multiple choice question and provide four answer choices that could be used as an assessment for the lesson/unit. Then I will actually pick 4-5 questions to create a formal quiz/assessment to give students. I will give students a bonus point if I pick their question to be included in the quiz. This is one of my favorites. When students have to come up with a question and answer choices it helps me see if they are able to think about how this skill/concept would appear on an end of unit assessment.

Extra! Extra! Ask students to use what they learned in the lesson to come up with a headline that would appear in the school newspaper. This is another one that appeals to students who are really creative. You could have students vote on the top 2-3 headlines and then as an extension activity to the lesson they could write an article that would connect to one of the top headlines.

In My Teacher's Shoes... Ask students to respond to the prompt: "If I were teaching this lesson, I would make sure to..." This is a great prompt to use because it gives me insight into each students learning styles. I'm always surprised at what my students share. Sometime it has to do with how something was taught or the amount of time that was spent on a particular part of the lesson. This one lets me see what the students think is necessary to teach the lesson and gives me ideas on how I can improve my instruction.

Brain Dump - I will set the timer for 1-2 minutes and tell students to write down everything they can remember from the lesson. This is great because I can see what words or phrases students write down, but also the volume of writing students are able to produce in 1-2 minutes tells me a lot about who really understands the new content and who doesn't feel like they have much to write about what they learned during that lesson.

I hope you're excited to try some of these in your classroom this week. Which one do you think you'll try first? Whether you're having a class discussion at the end of the lesson or having students quickly jot down their responses on a note card or sticky note, I hope you enjoy adding some new assessment tools into your lessons this week.

If you're interested in getting ready-to-print templates along with 20 more exit ticket ideas, check out my Exit Ticket Sticky Note Templates in my TPT store. I love having these templates printed and sitting on my teacher table so I can quickly grab and use them at the end of any lesson. And, as you can see from the pictures in this blog post, you don't have to use them only on sticky notes. Printing on regular paper works just as well and kids love using the pre-printed templates.

Happy Assessing!

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10 Engaging Exit Ticket Ideas for ANY Lesson

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By EWD_Admin Assessing students doesn't have to take all day. It also doesn't have to be boring. Some of the most valuable information I have learned from my students comes when I ask them an interesting open-ended question and give them just a few minutes to write down what they've learned.

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Must have Discovery Ed login

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Would You Rather Content Specific Questions (examples below)

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Would You Rather Content Specific Questions (examples below)

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I am one of those people who regularly figures out exactly what to say after the moment has passed. I will be deep in conversation with someone, sharing thoughts and bouncing around ideas. Yet, as the thoughts swirl, I'll have an unsettled feeling. Often it is not until some time later, when the ideas have marinated, that I realize what matters most to me and how to say it. I find that the flow of learning for many of my students matches my personal need for intellectual reflection.

A Classroom Example

Recently, we spent a chunk of one of my world history classes discussing an excerpt from The Power of Myth, a conversation that Joseph Campbell had with Bill Moyers about enduring myths and the human condition. The students read the text during the previous class and had done a writing exercise that helped them begin to explore some of the different ideas contained in the dialogue.

The discussion was interesting but felt aimless. Some students were interested in the idea of learning deeper messages by reading the myths of others. Others were struck by Campbell's idea that we are all imperfect. For many, it was unclear if they found anything of meaning in the reading. The body language in the classroom was mixed. Some students turned to face whoever was speaking and eagerly responded, often referring to the text in front of them. Others were slouched in their chairs rarely looking at the text or at the speakers.

Students knew that this was the beginning of our religion unit and had spent time earlier in the week attempting to create a definition of religion, yet if felt as if no one knew how to successfully put these different pieces together into larger, coherent ideas with greater meaning. As teacher, I felt unsure about our status in this early part of our unit.

As the discussion slowed down and the clock began approaching the end of the period, I asked everyone to jot down a one-sentence final thought. After two silent minutes, we started in one corner of the room and quickly whipped around as, one after another, students shared final thoughts from the reading and/or discussion. It quickly became clear that a lot more deep and rich thinking had happened than I previously realized. "Religions are glorified myths," said a student who had been quiet all period. "We all need ways to find meaning in our lives," offered a young man who had previously seemed to find very little meaning in the discussion.

Deepening Learning

In his book Pedagogy of the Oppressed, the Brazilian educator Paolo Freire reinforces the idea that reflection is an essential part of learning and of becoming an agent of change in the world:

Within the word we find two dimensions, reflection and action, in such radical interaction that if one is sacrificed -- even in part -- the other immediately suffers . . .

Freire also reminds us that this process (that he has named concientizacion) involves a true exchange of ideas:

If it is in speaking their word that people, by naming the world, transform it, dialogue imposes itself as the way by which they achieve significance as human beings. Dialogue is thus an existential necessity. And since dialogue is the encounter in which the united reflection and action of the dialoguers are addressed to the world which is to be transformed and humanized, this dialogue cannot be reduced to the act of one person's "depositing" ideas in another, nor can it become a simple exchange of ideas to be "consumed" by the discussants.

The end of a class period may often feel like a time to slow down and regroup before another set of students arrives. An alternate view is that these last moments, which usually occur when ideas have had a chance to marinate, can be a time when quiet thinkers finally articulate their ideas and move toward Freire's idea of concientizacion. In these moments, students can deepen their own learning, and entire groups can share ideas and make meaning of content. Additionally, the time when a large piece of work is submitted is an important opportunity for students to articulate their own learning and self-evaluate in order to improve learning and the quality of their work for the future.

Closings and Reflective Activities

There are many different ways to integrate closings and reflective activities into classroom practice. Depending on the circumstances, closings and reflective activities can be quickly jotted down and shared out loud, or they can be larger writing assignments that are submitted with projects or posted as an introduction to blog posts of student work.

The following is a list of different reflection and closing prompts:

Share one thing you learned.

Share a question for future investigation.

Respond with a word.

What worked? What didn't work?

What is one part of your work that you are proud of?

How would you do this differently next time?

School is generally not structured in a way that easily accommodates ambiguity and differentiation. While this presents a challenge, the strategic integration of meaningful closings and reflection into classroom practice gives students multiple avenues for engaging with complex ideas and allows more students to find broader meaning in their work. Additionally, these activities help teachers to more deeply understand and adapt to the intellectual processes of our students.

In what different ways do you structure reflection and closings in your classroom?

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Let It Marinate: The Importance of Reflection and Closing

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I am one of those people who regularly figures out exactly what to say after the moment has passed. I will be deep in conversation with someone, sharing thoughts and bouncing around ideas. Yet, as the thoughts swirl, I'll have an unsettled feeling.

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PBL, a term you've probably seen a few times as a teacher. But what does it actually mean? And how do you use it in your classroom? PBL, or project-based learning. That's what this post is about.

Project-based learning - Definition

PBL or project-based learning is a learning method in which students identify a real-world problem and develop its solution. Students gain knowledge and skills by working for a longer period of time to investigate and respond to an engaging or complex question, problem or challenge.

Guide your students to identify, through research, a real-world problem of which they have to develop a solution using evidence to support the claim. They have to present their project through a multimedia approach based on a set of 21st-century tools.

Students show what they learn as they go through the unit, interact with the lessons, collaborate with each other and assess themselves and each other.

Why should you use project-based learning?

Project-based learning is not something new, teachers just didn't use it a lot when you were young. The ordinary way of teaching is teaching with disconnected lessons. Daily lessons that teach a skill which fits into a unit based on a topic or a theme. But, each lesson works independently and doesn't connect other units in a learning story.

Besides creating a learning story that connects everything to each other, there are plenty other reasons to use PBL:
1. PBL provides opportunities for students to use technology
Most students are using technology and apps almost every day. They are familiar with and enjoy using a variety of tech tools. As it happens, tech tools can be a perfect fit with project-based learning. With those tools and apps, teachers and students can find the right resources, information, create products and collaborate more effectively. They can even reach out to communities, experts and partners.
2. PBL promotes lifelong learning
Because technology is present, its use enables students, teachers and administrators to reach out beyond the school building. PBL also teaches students to take control of their learning, the first step as a lifelong learner.
3. PBL connect students and schools with the real world
Project-based learning enables students to solve problems and address issues important to them, their communities, and the world. Through PBL, students learn how to interact with adults and organizations. They are exposed to real workplaces and jobs so they will develop career interests. Even parents and other partners can be involved in certain projects.
4. PBL lends itself to formative and authentic assessment
Formative assessement allows us to systematically document a student's progress and development. Authentic assessment focuses on deep learning, asking thorough questions.

Why is this any different than any other class? Well, PBL encourages formative and authentic assessment by doing the following:

It allows students to demonstrate their capabilities while working independently.

It lets teachers have multiple assessment opportunities.

It shows the student's ability to apply skills such as doing research.

It develops a student's ability to work with other students, building teamwork and group skills.

The teacher learns more about the student as a person.

It helps the teachers communicate in meaningful ways with the student or a team. Being able to give meaningful feedback is very important.

5. PBL encourages students to be more engaged and to learn actively
The fact that students are working on a project that has to be the key of solving a problem, makes them more actively involved. A real project engages their mind and their hearts. It's a real world relevance for learning.
6. PBL builds skills for college, career and life
Success in life requires more than knowledge and skills. With PBL, students learn how to take initiative, be responsible and build a good attitude. They learn to build their confidence, solve problems, work in teams, and communicate ideas.
7. PBL encourages imagination and creativity
When you need to solve a problem, you have to be inventive and creative. PBL often asks to solve world class problems, so thinking out of the box is necessary. Because there are no real guidelines, visual design, drawing, and creating are very important elements within project based learning.

15 project-based learning ideas for in your classroom

Project-based learning has no magic plan you can use to guide you. It's flexible and it's a curriculum planning tool that's often used to "embed" other learning methods like game-based learning, blended learning, place-based learning, and so on.

This means you will need some inspiration to get a first taste of project-based learning. I went through some sites to find some challenging project-based learning examples. Here we go!

1. Plant and manage a garden to feed local homeless

2. Design an alert system to halt the spread of a deadly disease

3. Artfully illustrate the global history of civil rights

4. Film a documentary on a social issue few people see

5. Redesign the complete school, including new content areas, grading, collaboration and community involvement

6. Redesign public transport in your city

7. Create an interactive family tree with voice-overs from family members.

8. How to survive on a deserted island? What do you do?

9. Develop a brand new invention

10. Plan a school party

11. Work out a modern school library system that encourages students to read

12. Create and manage a YouTube channel for a self-determined and authentic purpose

13. Design a book with educative physical exercises to keep students moving during the day

14. Help local businesses increase environmental sustainability

15. Solve your parent's problem of being too busy.

These are just project-based learning ideas. You'll have to work them out and include several other learning aspects and materials. Take a look at this example: Island survival. If you scroll down on that website, you'll find a whole collection of project-based learning lessons, completely worked out for you.

Don't know how to really start with project based learning? Here are some tips.

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What is project-based learning? 15 PBL ideas fit for your classroom

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PBL, a term you've probably seen a few times as a teacher. But what does it actually mean? And how do you use it in your classroom? PBL, or project-based learning. That's what this post is about. PBL or project-based learning is a learning method in which students identify a real-world problem and develop its solution.

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Many kids are entering classrooms more nervous and apprehensive than ever before. Everyone is returning to learning after a traumatic year of learning to live in a pandemic. There are still so many uncertainties and unknowns. Building a school community is going to be extra important this year. Here are some suggestions for in-person getting to know you activities and virtual ice breakers to help build connection no matter what your classroom looks like this year.

In-person or virtual icebreakers that can be turned into deeper learning opportunities

Getting to know each other can lead to exciting learning opportunities. Use the interests you discover to guide curriculum. Classroom activities and virtual icebreakers can be the beginning of extensive lessons.

1. Intro speeches: Ask students to prepare a speech about themselves. They can share info about their interests, pets, family, goals, etc. These can be presented in person, live in a virtual classroom, or as a video upload.

2. Five nouns: Have students use five nouns (or adjectives, verbs, etc.) to describe themselves.

3. Collages: Have students make collages with 5 - 10 photos that best describe themselves.

4. "Me in a word": Students choose one word that describes them best and create a presentation around it. This could be artwork, a poem, a song, etc. that explains why they chose the word.

5. "What do we have in common?" Ask questions as prompts for students to find out how much they have in common. What's your favorite sport, color, food, TV show, musical artist, etc.? What's your birthday month? How many siblings do you have? What kind of pet do you have? Extend the in-person or virtual icebreaker into a math lesson by graphing the responses and making charts.

6. KWL: Put the tried and true KWL method to use! Ask what do you know about your classmates? (We're all in third grade. We all have the same teacher.) Then ask what do you want to know? Give students options for exploring those questions. Then review the favorite or most surprising things they learned about each other.

7. Rank it!: Have students rank 10 things from best to worst. Use the activity to get ideas for further discussion and lessons. (For example, students can also chart or graph these answers.) Suggestions for things to rank include pizza toppings, holidays, Disney movies, and vegetables.

8. Where do you wish you were? Have students share where they'd be if they could be anywhere right now. Use the answers to inspire research and writing assignments.

9. Question of the day: Pose a question each day for students to write their responses. (Younger students can draw their responses instead.) They can then share their answers with the whole class, in small groups, or with a partner. Here are some example questions: Who is the funniest person you know and why? What skill would you like to learn this year and how can you make that happen? What food could you eat every day and how would you prepare it?

10. Introduce a classmate: Have students team up in pairs to interview each other. Brainstorm questions to ask in advance. Give students time to conduct their interviews. Then they introduce each other to the rest of the class.

11. Show and tell: Show and tell is great for all ages! Give students notice so they have time to show up to class with their items.

Quick activities for in-person or virtual icebreakers:

Sometimes you need a quick activity to use as a brain break or transition. These are great opportunities to help students get to know each other.

12. How are you today? Emoji style!: Invite students to share how they're feeling today with an emoji. Remote learners can post the emoji in the chat. Students meeting in person can draw their emoji on paper and hold it up. (This is also a great option for students in a video classroom.)

13. Tell a story about something within reach: Have students share a few sentences about an item they own that is within reach. This might be a quick story about their shoes, pencil, bottle of water, or lunchbox. Encourage them to get creative and make up a wild story if they want!

14. 30-second dance party! Tell students that whenever they hear music, everyone needs to hop up and dance! This is fun for students virtually and physically in your classroom.

15. Favorite memes: Give students a couple of minutes to find and post their favorite meme to the chat. (Share some guidelines for what makes a meme inappropriate first.) If the students are with you in person, have them act out their favorite meme.

16. If I had a million dollars: Ask students what they'd buy if they had a million dollars.

17 Virtual high fives! Instruct students to find students they can see they have something in common with, such as they're both wearing Nikes, have on green shirts, or wear glasses. Tell students to point out the similarity to the fellow student and then exchange virtual high fives. The high five should be touch-free even if students are in person.

18. Collaborative story: Throw out an intro such as, "Once upon a time," and have students take turns adding to it by each adding a sentence.

19. Two truths and a lie: Students share two facts that are true about themselves and one lie. It is up to everyone else to guess the lie.

20. : Encourage students to tell their favorite joke.

21. Gratitude break: Go around and each share something you are grateful for. The benefits of recognizing gratitude include less aggression, stronger relationships, better health, and improved mental function.

Make sure you also participate in these activities whether they are in-person or virtual icebreakers. Your students need to get to know you as well in order to build connection. Engaging with students in a personal way shouldn't be limited to the first week of school. Keep the exploration going all year. Kids learn best when they feel safe, and connection is a keep component of that. We can all use that of communit y and connection even more than usual these days.

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21 Social Distance-Friendly and Virtual Icebreakers Students Will Actually Have Fun With

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Many kids are entering classrooms more nervous and apprehensive than ever before. Everyone is returning to learning after a traumatic year of learning to live in a pandemic. There are still so many uncertainties and unknowns. Building a school community is going to be extra important this year.

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Learn about the science and classroom applicability of these quick learning activities.

© Shutterstock.com/CWA Studios

Early in my teaching career, I was disturbed by a note left by the substitute teacher. She wrote that during the three days she was with my students, they were responsive during the first part of class, but that many of them became inattentive, distracted, and even disruptive after about 20 minutes of her instruction. When I asked the students what had happened, they were of one voice: "She didn't give us our brain breaks."

What Are Brain Breaks?

For students to learn at their highest potential, their brains need to send signals efficiently from the sensory receptors (what they hear, see, touch, read, imagine, and experience) to memory storage regions of the brain. The most detrimental disruptions to traffic along these information pathways are stress and overload.

Brain breaks are planned learning activity shifts that mobilize different networks of the brain. These shifts allow those regions that are blocked by stress or high-intensity work to revitalize. Brain breaks, by switching activity to different brain networks, allow the resting pathways to restore their calm focus and foster optimal mood, attention, and memory.

The Neuroscience of Brain Breaks

For new information to become memory, it must pass through an emotional filter called the amygdala and then reach the prefrontal cortex. When students' brains become anxious, highly confused, or overwhelmed, the activation of the amygdala surges until this filter becomes a stop sign. New learning no longer passes through to reach the prefrontal cortex and sustain memory. Even if students are not stressed by the pace or content of new learning, a point arises when the amygdala exceeds its capacity for efficient conduction of information through its networks into memory.

Brain breaks can be planned to restore the emotional state needed to return the amygdala from overdrive into the optimal state for successful information flow.

Brain Breaks Restore Brain Supplies

Neurotransmitters are brain chemicals that carry messages from one nerve cell to the next, across gaps between the cells called synapses. These message carriers are necessary to keep one's calm, focused attention and maintenance of a new memory. Neurotransmitters are in limited supply at each synapse and can deplete after as little as 10 minutes of continuing the same type of learning activity (attentive listening, practice drills, note-taking).

Brain breaks, by switching the type of mental activity, shift brain communication to networks with fresh supplies of neurotransmitters. This intermission allows the brain's chemicals to replenish within the resting network.

Timing

Brain breaks should take place before fatigue, boredom, distraction, and inattention set in. Depending on students' ages and focus development, brain break frequency will vary. As a general rule, concentrated study of 10 to 15 minutes for elementary school and 20 to 30 minutes for middle and high school students calls for a three- to five-minute break.

Brain Break Strategies

Brain breaks do not require disruption in the flow of learning. Simply stretching, moving to a different part of the room, or singing a song can revitalize the brain. Use your learning goals and students' responses to guide you in selecting the best type of brain break. You might decide to use the time to boost mood or motivation, as well as restore the brain's peak performance.

Mood

To restore the emotional state needed to bring the amygdala back from overdrive, help students build habits of emotional self-awareness and mindfulness. Prepare them for successful self-calming brain breaks by demonstrating and providing practice times as they build experience using mindful breathing or visualizations.

Read aloud from a relevant and engaging book.

Introduce physical activity such as jumping rope, singing a song with movements, or tossing a beach ball while students ask and answer questions to review the topic-these are all great dopamine boosters. They also increase the blood flow and oxygen supply to the brain.

Have students move in ways that they think a character in literature or person in history would at a designated event. Or move to imitate a biological, physical, or mathematical process.

Neuroscience has yielded information on activities that increase restorative neurotransmitters such as dopamine. Some of these activities, such as laughing, moving, listening to music, and interacting with peers, make great mood-boosting brain breaks:

Motivation

Tell a true anecdote about the author, historical persona, or scientist when they were the same age as your students. This will personalize the topic and boost interest and engagement.

Use dopamine boosts from personal connections and personal relevance by inviting students to share with partners something about how the learning relates to their lives or interests.

Especially when topics of study are necessary foundations but are not of high personal relevance to students, brain breaks can enhance their motivation to attend to a potentially tedious subject.

After just a few minutes, students' refreshed brains are ready to return to the next learning activity with a subdued amygdala and full supply of neurotransmitters. Both they and you will reap the benefits of this restoration.

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Using Brain Breaks to Restore Students' Focus

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Learn about the science and classroom applicability of these quick learning activities.