Artifacts

I will be discussing movement breaks on this page as well as refocus cues.

Movement breaks are important to include in a classroom. For any learner of any age to stay concentrated for 6 hours, breaks are a NECESSITY. It is important to give your body a break from sitting by making it do quick movements. It is also important for the mind to get a break by doing fun activities such as dancing, jumping, skipping, etc.

On this page, I will be referencing: The Kinesthetic Classroom: Teaching and Learning Through Movement by Lengel and Kuczala (2010). This book has various important points about the inclusion of movement in the classroom. The second purpose they explore is called: Provide Brain Breaks. They state: “The goal of a brain break is exactly what it sounds like: to give the brain a break from academic content” (p.7).

GoNoodle is a great website that provides multiple videos for teachers to use in the classroom. These videos provide movement breaks and brain breaks for students. This is something that is very important in a classroom.

• A video that has been often used in my current classroom is Pop See Ko. This video allows students to dance, jump, and sing to a song that they can repeat easily. Lenegel and Kuczala state “In 60 seconds or less, you can have your students participate in a physical activity, such as jogging in place, which can refocus their brain while giving it a burst of fresh oxygen” in the third purpose called: Support Exercise and Fitness (p.8).

Freeze dance is another good way to give students a movement break. Any song can be played for this game. You put the song on, students dance and when you pause the song, the students are supposed to not move anymore. This allows them to dance, move, jump and create any type of dance move they enjoy doing. They are still required to pay attention to what is happening around them because they need to listen to the music. However, it is a good way to give them a chance to loosen up and to have fun. The same statement used for Pop See Ko can be used here. 

La danse des pingouins is another good video on YouTube that can be used for movement breaks. It is a French song which is beneficial in a French immersion classroom. This song has the students copy multiple movements such as: jumping, twirling, dancing, singing, etc. As Lengel and Kuczala state: “The goal of a brain break is exactly what it sounds like: to give the brain a break from academic content” (p.7). This dance allows students to move around freely and to have fun and let loose.

Simon says is another great movement break tool. You can call it as Simon says or as the students call you (for example, Miss Ariana says). The students get engaged and they enjoy doing the silly movements that you create.  Also, when this game is played in a second language setting, it allows students to identify the words to the movement they are doing. If the teacher says to place their hand on their knee, the student will learn what the word knee is in the second language. The same statement used for La danse des pingouins can be used here. 

Just dance for kids: YouTube has a wide variety of songs and choreographed dances that are appropriate for children. The students love to find a spot in the room and to follow along with the movements. Clapping, stomping, jumping, twirling, and leg/arm movements are constant appearances in these videos.

Refocus Cues:

In my CT’s class, she has a few refocus cues that she has used with the students before. She uses:

She also does a count down for students to transition between activities.