https://padlet.com/smcdermott27/34clxnbu60axpju6 en-us 2022-11-26 23:36:08 UTC 2022-12-09 03:45:14 UTC hello@padlet.com smcdermott27 https://padlet.com/smcdermott27/34clxnbu60axpju6/wish/2398795400 "This element involves the teacher engaging students in physical movement to maintain engagement. Research has shown that increased physical activity is associated with higher energy levels. Higher energy, in turn, allows students to pay more attention to what is happening in class. Additionally, physical movement increases blood flow to the brain, which facilitates thinking and learning "]]> 2022-11-26 23:39:10 UTC https://padlet.com/smcdermott27/34clxnbu60axpju6/wish/2398795400 smcdermott27 https://padlet.com/smcdermott27/34clxnbu60axpju6/wish/2398795763 1. Stand up and Stretch

Periodically, the teacher asks students to stand up and stretch. This activity is especially useful when students need to change their focus, concentration, or level of engagement, because it causes more blood and oxygen to flow to the brain. The teacher can also instruct students to stretch in their seats if they feel tired or unfocused during class. 

Examples of stretches:

• Side stretch: Stand with feet slightly more than hip-width apart. Raise one arm above head and place other hand on hip. Lean torso toward the side where the hand
• Hamstring stretch: Stand with feet about six inches apart. Bend forward and reach arms down toward toes. Make sure head and neck are relaxed; look down toward toes. 
• Quad stretch: Place one hand on desk for balance. Stand on one leg and bend other leg at knee to raise the foot behind the body. Use hand to grasp top of foot or ankle and pull gently up and forward to increase stretch. Be sure to stand up straight throughout; do not bend at waist or hips. 
• Whole-body stretch: Stand with feet hip-width apart. Raise both arms above head. Stand on tiptoes and try to touch the ceiling. 
• Lunge: Stand with feet hip-width apart. Take a medium to large step forward with one foot. Forward leg should bend at the knee, keeping the shin vertical, while the back leg stays straight. Keep the torso upright and place hands on hips or raise arms above head. 
• Triceps stretch: Raise one arm above head. Bend arm at elbow so that the hand touches the back of the same shoulder. Use the opposite hand to grasp the elbow and gently push back to increase the stretch. 
• Deltoid stretch: With arm straight at shoulder level, reach across body so that the upper arm touches the chest. Use opposite hand to grasp elbow and pull toward body to increase the stretch. 
• Neck stretch: Stand or sit with good posture (back straight, not supported by chair). Tilt head slowly to each side. Nod head forward as if touching chin to chest. 

]]> 2022-11-26 23:40:54 UTC https://padlet.com/smcdermott27/34clxnbu60axpju6/wish/2398795763 smcdermott27 https://padlet.com/smcdermott27/34clxnbu60axpju6/wish/2398796043 2. Vote with your feet

The teacher posts a sign in each corner of the room identifying responses to a true/false or multiple-choice question or reactions to answers to a question (incorrect, partially correct, totally correct). For example, if the question is multiple choice, the teacher would post signs reading A, B, C, and D in various parts of the room. Choices might also be statements of various opinions or perspectives on a topic. Students move to the corner that has the sign with the answer they think is correct. Before discussing the correct answer, the teacher asks one student under each option to explain why he or she believes that answer is correct. ]]> 2022-11-26 23:42:11 UTC https://padlet.com/smcdermott27/34clxnbu60axpju6/wish/2398796043 smcdermott27 https://padlet.com/smcdermott27/34clxnbu60axpju6/wish/2398796126 3. Corners activities

The teacher splits the class into four groups, which then rotate to each of the four corners of the classroom to examine four different questions related to key content. The teacher assigns a recorder to stay in each corner to summarize students’ comments about that corner’s question. At the end, each recorder reads the summary from that corner. ]]> 2022-11-26 23:42:35 UTC https://padlet.com/smcdermott27/34clxnbu60axpju6/wish/2398796126 smcdermott27 https://padlet.com/smcdermott27/34clxnbu60axpju6/wish/2398796183 4. Stand and be counted

After a lesson, students stand up based on their self-assessment of how well they understood the key ideas and concepts presented in the lesson. The teacher presents a self-assessment scale, gives students a moment to think, and then prompts students at each level of the scale to stand. For example, a teacher might present a 1–4 scale in which 1 indicates “I didn’t understand any of the concepts presented in this lesson” and 4 indicates “I clearly understand all the concepts presented in this lesson.” After giving students time to reflect and rate themselves, the teacher would say, “Okay, stand up if you gave yourself a 1 on the scale.” When students stand for a particular level, the teacher makes note of how many there are, asks them to sit back down, and then prompts students at the next level of the scale to stand up.]]> 2022-11-26 23:42:55 UTC https://padlet.com/smcdermott27/34clxnbu60axpju6/wish/2398796183 smcdermott27 https://padlet.com/smcdermott27/34clxnbu60axpju6/wish/2398796261 5. Body representations

Students create body representations in which they act out important content or critical aspects of a topic. For example, students could form cause-and-effect chains, physically act out key sequence elements, or represent vocabulary terms.


I am thinking that this could correlate with our sight word chants that have movements that go along with them. ]]> 2022-11-26 23:43:20 UTC https://padlet.com/smcdermott27/34clxnbu60axpju6/wish/2398796261 smcdermott27 https://padlet.com/smcdermott27/34clxnbu60axpju6/wish/2398796331 6. Drama related activities

Students act out an event being studied, taking the roles of various participants in the event. This works especially well with historical situations, current events, and events in literature. ]]> 2022-11-26 23:43:40 UTC https://padlet.com/smcdermott27/34clxnbu60axpju6/wish/2398796331 smcdermott27 https://padlet.com/smcdermott27/34clxnbu60axpju6/wish/2398801793 A lot of brain break videos can be found on YouTube! I am linking one of our favorite ones lately. This is a "Would you rather" video. You can "vote with your feet" and then it tells you whatever you chose, you have to do a certain exercise! 

You can also research "Just Dance Videos" or "Kidzbop Dance Videos" and get music that is more popular with your students. ]]> 2022-11-27 00:09:26 UTC https://padlet.com/smcdermott27/34clxnbu60axpju6/wish/2398801793 smcdermott27 https://padlet.com/smcdermott27/34clxnbu60axpju6/wish/2398801934 2022-11-27 00:10:11 UTC https://padlet.com/smcdermott27/34clxnbu60axpju6/wish/2398801934 smcdermott27 https://padlet.com/smcdermott27/34clxnbu60axpju6/wish/2398803421 I am listing some tips and tricks that I have just from my experience with this element in my classroom! Feel free to implement in your classroom!

1. Stand up and stretch: I use this technique a lot after direct instruction at my smartboard. I use a sing song tone and say "If you can hear me right now, touch your head. If you can hear me right now, touch your head. If you can hear my right now, touch your nose..then your toes. If you can hear me right now, fold your hands."  This gives students a quick little break from learning and gets them moving. We may even cut to a short Gonoodle video if we are transitioning from direct instruction at the smartboard back to their desks.

2. Vote with your feet: I have always referred to this as 'pick a side'. I never knew it had a real name for it. We use this a lot for voting opinions in my class during our creative writing. I present it in a "would you rather" form. You could google and research a lot of cool "would you rather" questions. 

3. Corners activities: This is great for task card activities where students rotate through each task problem. You could extend this with technology and have students scan a QR code to open the task card problem for them. 

4. Stand up and be counted: This could be a quick assessment at the end of a lesson. You could show a 4,3,2,1 scale and have students self assess themselves and their comfortability of a topic. 4 being independent and confident, 1 being struggling and needing further assistance. 

5. Body representations: I typed above that this can be used during our sight word chants. Last year I found a girl on tiktok that has incorporated chants and movement with her sight words. It has helped to increase their engagement and their retention of the sight word. Over my maternity leave in Jan last year, I recorded myself doing sight word chants for my students to follow along with each day that I was gone. My students received such high scores on their HFW assessment when I came back. I highly recommend sight word chants in your practice! 

6. Drama integration: I think reader's theatre is a great way to incorporate drama into the classroom, while encouraging reading fluency and practicing infliction. ]]> 2022-11-27 00:16:11 UTC https://padlet.com/smcdermott27/34clxnbu60axpju6/wish/2398803421 smcdermott27 https://padlet.com/smcdermott27/34clxnbu60axpju6/wish/2398804572 2022-11-27 00:21:19 UTC https://padlet.com/smcdermott27/34clxnbu60axpju6/wish/2398804572