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How do you perk up your students when their get-up-and-go is gone?
Here are some of your RESPONSES: movement breaks, scavenger hunt and some friendly rivalry.
Jami Antle
Check yourself and make sure you have high energy! Be a model for your children and always keep positive, create engaging lessons, and reinforce when they’re doing awesome work. Students are sponges, and if you aren’t on your A game, it is likely they won’t be either. So often teachers forget to reflect on their own practice and change up what they are doing.
Deb Gerow
When I was principal of a school in India, I purchased clocks for the classrooms so that the teachers would know/remember when periods ended. (There were no bells, just a drum at the end of the day.) They were worried that students would clock-watch. I told them that if I noticed my students doing that, it was a signal to me to change up the activities to get them engaged again.
Leslie Currie
I send my junior high kids on a silent scavenger hunt around the school. How many exit signs are there? What library book is under 300.8? How many cars can you see in the parking lot? etc. — I never really know the answers, but they don’t need to know that.
Steve Kirkpatrick
When I taught elementary, the good old rock-paper-scissor battle would be good. Kids compete against a classmate. If they lose, they follow the person who beat them around the room and cheer them on. Eventually there are two large groups cheering to see who will win.
Jennifer Black
Debate, Would You Rather, Kahoot!, snowball discussion, fly-swatter reviews.
Christine Ruten
Sing, dance, take a movement break, give them a snack, play our favourite playlist, play a few rounds of Would You Rather or read to them.
Elisa Waingort
Movement. Turn and talk.
Alison Stewart
Our school has implemented a 20-minute move-work-breathe break for all of our elementary students throughout the day. It’s proving to have incredible results!
Lorraine Ungarian
GoNoodle, stretches; if it’s just individuals, then I suggest they go get a drink so they can refocus when they get back.
Barb Larochelle
For high school English, I tried to imagine my long classes as three mini blocks, one of which would involve them getting out of their desks and moving to another part of the room or at least talking to others.
Rachelle Campeau
We stand up, do a stretch and then a quick gallery walk around the room to check out the progress. High-level classes can also engage in short critiques, either blind (sticky notes) or by a discussion at the end.
Rae Hawes
I give them a few minutes to talk to each other and to walk around! They often just need a quick break to do nonacademic work.
Erin Krysko
GoNoodle! My Grade 1 s love this one for some reason I don’t understand!
Learn more at GoNoodle.com
Alexis Bristow
Chair cardio!! Push ups, lifting the chair, squatting behind the chair! Then some deep breathing to get some oxygen pumping through their brain!! And some tunes as well!
