Movement in the Classroom

In school classrooms, we often put the cart before the horse. Before we can educate a child's mind we must tend to his bodily needs. A tired, hungry, uncomfortable child does not learn well.-Marilisa Kinney Sachteleben

Movement in the ClassroomWhy does this topic interest you?

Exercise activities throughout the day can:Encourage healthy behaviors-creating healthier studentsIncrease academic performanceIncrease attention and memoryIncrease moral and desire to be in schoolDecrease disruptive behaviors

OPENING ACTIVITY: CHA CHA SLIDEAre you worried that you cant dance?

Your kids wont know the difference

Using music with the steps/instructions built within will save time. You will not have to create the sequence of steps by yourself. However, my students love to suggest/create a movement daily. By the end of the week we have sequenced five steps that we now can add music to.

SCOOL MOVES: FOCUS MOVES VISION MOVES POSTER

This is an example activity that not only provides movement for students but improves:

Tracking from left to right

Ability to focus near to far and far to near while copying from the board or word walls

Rhythm, sequencing, and timing, which are skills linked to improvement in ADHD

These statements are taken directly from the back of the SCool Moves Focus Moves Vision Moves Poster.www.schoolmoves.com

By encouraging our kids to move and practicing this with them, we are taking steps to fight childhood obesity.Movement Encourages Healthy BehaviorsWe know that sedentary behavior plays a large role in the state our Nation is in regarding health5

Overweight is defined as a BMI at or above the 85th percentile and lower than the 95th percentile.Obesity is defined as a BMI at or above the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex.6

Current MT Issues

Current MT Issues

Childhood obesity results in:Type 2 diabetes- Youngsters with a condition called pre- diabetes are at almost double the risk of dying before 55 (Franks, P., Hanson, R. L., Knowler, W. C., Sievers, M. L., Bennett, P. H., Looker, H.C. , 2010)

Metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome isn't a disease itself, but a cluster of conditions that can put children at risk of developing heart disease, diabetes or other health problems. This cluster of conditions includes high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol and excess abdominal fat.

High cholesterol and high blood pressure. These factors can contribute to the buildup of plaques in the arteries. These plaques can cause arteries to narrow and harden, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke later in life.

Asthma and other breathing problems. The extra weight can cause problems with the development and health of lungs, leading to asthma or other breathing problems.

Low self-esteem and bullying.

Sleep disorders. Sleep apnea, may cause snoring or abnormal breathing when sleeping.

Early puberty or menstruation. Being obese can create hormone imbalances that can cause puberty to start earlier than expected.

Behavior and learning problems. Overweight children tend to have more anxiety and poorer social skills than normal-weight children have. At one extreme, these problems may lead overweight children to act out and disrupt their classrooms. At the other, they may cause overweight children to socially withdraw. Stress and anxiety also interfere with learning. School-related anxiety can create a vicious cycle in which ever-growing worry fuels ever-declining academic performance.

Depression. Low self-esteem can create overwhelming feelings of hopelessness in some overweight children. When children lose hope that their lives will improve, they may become depressed. A depressed child may lose interest in normal activities, sleep more than usual or cry a lot. Some depressed children hide their sadness and appear emotionally flat instead. Either way, depression is as serious in children as in adults. If you think your child is depressed, talk with him or her and share your concerns with his or her doctor. Childhood obesity results in:Brain Break! Inch Worm StretchStand upBend down and touch the ground with your hands. Bend your knees if you need to.Start inching your hands out in front of you. Your feet should remain in place. You will be moving your hands farther and farther out in front of you. More and more weight will be on your hands. Once you have extended yourself as far as you can go, keep you hands still and stat inching your legs forward until they meet your hands again. Try to keep your knees as straight as possible. Repeat.

11The body learns ten times faster than the brain and forgets ten times slower. If you want to change the brain, change the body.Modified from talk given by Dr. David RichoMovement Affects Learning

Exercise grows our brain better than any other factor we are aware of at the present timeExercise readies our nerve cells to bind more easily and stronger by increasing neurotransmitter activity, improving blood flow and producing Brain Growth Factors (Serotonin, Dopamine, BDNF).

Ratey, 2008Everyone wants to grow their brain to be smarter research has found exercise is one way to work towards this goal.13Exercise Increases Brain Cells(New Brain Cells Produced in Four Weeks)

Van Praag et al, 1999, Brown, et. al, 2003Physical Activities Change the Brain and Bodys ChemistryExercise increases: Adrenaline-provides energyNoradrenaline- enhances focusDopamine- thinking, working memoryCortisol-energy, memorySerotonin-attention, moodGlucose-energy, memory formationBDNF & NGF-growth factors

Movement Affects LearningA few studies that examine this claim:

California DOE 2001- nearly a million students (grades 5, 7, 9) showed a positive correlation between levels of fitness and standardized tests scores in math and reading.

Castelli, 2007- 259 third and fifth graders showed a positive correlation between aerobic fitness measures and scores in reading, math, and total academic achievement. Woodland Elementary School KS CityInner city school with 80% of kids on free lunch program.

2005 Fall PE once per week /50 minutes.

2006 Jan - JunePE4LIFE added:Cardiac monitored watches,Dance Dance Revolution,A few exercise bicycles/fitness machines.Five days a week /45 minutes.

RateyDISCIPLINARY Issues dramatically decreased17Johannes Skolen Copenhagen, DenmarkSchool PE was increased from once a week to 5 times a week for 250 students for three months.

ABSENTEEISM decreased by 38%.

CONCENTR ATION ABILITY was measured and it improved 33%.

Teachers reported, The increase in exercise had great effects on CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR.

Exercise had a major impact on GRADES; there was an average of 1.5 grade improvement across the board.

Ratey

Naperville Public Schools, ILA revolutionary PE program has transformed the student body into perhaps the fittest in the nation with Zero hour PE.Among one entire sophomore class, only 3% were overweight, versus the national average of 30%.In 1999, Naperville District 203 scored #1 in science and #6 in math on TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study)

RateyThe purpose of Zero hour is to determine whether working out before school gives students a boost in reading ability and the rest of their academic subjects.

The program has also turned these students into some of the smartest in the nation.In 1999, Napervilles 8th graders were among 230,000 students form around the world who took an international test called TIMMS which evaluates knowledge of math & science. In recent years students from Chain, Japan and Singapore have outpaced American kid in these subjects. The Naperville students finished 6th in Math & 1st in science . The Naperville students stand out as an extraordinary bit of good news.

19Standing appears to provide a 515% greater flow of blood and oxygen to the brain, thereby creating more arousal of attention (Jensen, 1995).

Brain Break! TenIn this activity, partners will put their arms out and display the correct number of fingers so that both add to 10.Stand up and find a partner. Decide who is A and who is B.Face your partner.Person A will put both arms together in one of these four positions: straight up, directly left, directly right or straight down and display a number zero to ten with his fingers and thumb. Now person B will put her arms out in the opposite direction as person As and display her fingers and thumbs to both total 10. For instance, if person A had their hands straight up and displaying 3 fingers total with both hands, then person B put their arms straight down and displays 7 total fingers. Do this as fast as you can. Once person A has led for a while, switch and have person B lead.

Standing appears to provide a 515% greater flowof blood and oxygen to the brain, thereby creatingmore arousal of attention (Jensen, 1995). Specific movements can stimulate the release of thebodys natural motivators, such as noradrenaline anddopamine, which wake up learners and help themfeel good, maximize their energy levels, and improvetheir storage of information and retrieval (Jensen, 2000).21Improving Classroom Achievement Through Physical Movement

GoalTime is short and the expectations are high. How do you fit exercise and movement in your classroom without giving up on instruction time? Students crave the chance to be creative while exploring what their bodies can do. Yoga poses, put together in a creative way, help the students begin to learn how to focus and concentrate and release tension that builds up from the busy day of learning. Yoga Animal Poses to Relax You and Your Students

Snake

Snake Pose: have the student lay on the floor on their bellies and stretch from head to toe. Have them pretend they are a snake in the grass and stretch in the sun. After holding this pose for a few seconds, the longer the better, I then ask them to raise their heads and shoulder and leaning on their hands, I encourage them to do a quiet "hiss" sound.

Crocodile-Locust Pose

Crocodile Pose: have them move arms back along side the body, raising head and bend upward from the waist, arching head back. Then like crocodiles, encourage them to open and shut their jaws several times. This is a fun imagination pose as I tell them, "We're crocodiles in the swamp or the river. What can we find to eat today. Look, get that frog or bug" as they snap their jaws open and shut. Feel free to be creative in your teaching yoga or flexibility exercises.

Cat-Cat Curl Pose

Cat Pose: have them raise their bodies till they are kneeling on all fours. Encourage them to keep their arms straight, with relaxed shoulders, raised heads. I let them make "meow" sounds, then have them arch their back like a cat who is mad. I encourage them to alternate between the raised head meowing position to the arched back silent position several times, breathing deeply when their back is arched.

Dog-Downward Facing Dog

Dog-Downward Pose: I encourage the kids to lift up their hips and keep arms straight as they become a dog. This is a harder pose for them to hold for very long so you can come to plank and then back up again after a break.

Lion

Lion Pose: lean back on their knees and lift arms completely off the floor, hanging down beside their bodies as a lion. In lion, they lift their chests, open mouth wide and from the abdomen, roar like a lion, breathing in and out and stretching their tongue out as they roar. This also can be rather difficult, but the tongue being stretched out relaxes the neck and facial muscles, so encourage them to be silly with "sticking their tongues" out.

Butterfly

Butterfly Pose: have the students sit on their bottoms, legs flexed in a triangle shape in front of them with the soles of their feet touching each other and hands on their ankles. They then move their legs up and down, in a "flapping butterfly" motion. Encourage them to float and flap slowly and deliberately, being silent like a butterfly.

Monkey-Tip Toe Pose

Monkey or Tip Toe Pose can be noisy if you choose. They stand on their feet, bend their knees and squat down close to the floor with their feet body-width apart. Have them touch their hands to their chest and then raise and lower their elbows while making a monkey sound. Let them use their imagination as to what a monkey sounds like. Encourage students to have spatial awareness at all times.

Turtle-Childs Pose (Arms Extended Forward)

Turtle is a good way to begin to quiet down. Have the child kneel and sit on their heels. Then lower their upper bodies so that their forehead touches the floor. Have them slide their arms forward above their head while keeping their bottoms curled up on their heels in a small hunched turtle pose. Have them hold inside their shell so no one can see them.

Mouse-Childs Pose (hands by heels with palms up)

Last kids yoga pose is the mouse pose for quietness and stillness. From the turtle position, have the children slide their arms back alongside their body toward their feet. They keep their bottoms on their heels and place their arms by their sides so that their hands are along their entire body ending at the feet. I encourage them to remain "quiet as a mouse" for as long as they can, usually at least 30 seconds.

CLOSING MOVEMENTCan you follow directions? We are about to find out!

Track Name: The Previous Command Body Jive CD by Ambrose Braz Brazelton

This CD is available at www.edact.com. It has a very helpful pdf file recorded within the music CD. This file has objectives written for each song, as well as illustrating movement images. Moving to Music! MacarenaCupid ShuffleCha Cha SlideTootsirollYMCAChicken DanceHustleHokie PokieElectric SlideCotton Eyed JoCongaBunny Hop

CDs/DVDs to check outNo Worries: Songs for Sensory Modulation (K-4th grade)Body Jive by Ambrose Brazelton (middle grades)Kidz Bop music/dance videos ages 5-12Hip Hop dance moves for kids on ehow.com (video)

What ever the source, music or video, remember to preview before. Although videos and music may be advertised for kids, use your judgment and decide whether it is appropriate or not. I have not previewed the Kidz Bop videos and am not certain if they would be appropriate.

Break Breaks DVDBrain Gym Teachers Edition www.braingym.org Energizing Brain Breaks Booklet http://brainbreaks.blogspot.com FitDeck Yoga Exercise Playing Cards www.fitdeck.comHealthy Kids, Smart Kids by Yvonne Sanders-Butler, Ed.D.Mind and Body Activities for the Elementary ClassroomRecess in Action bookletScool Moves for LearningSpark, by John J. Ratey, MD Supersize Me DVD (school version)Resources to Check out from the CARE LibraryOther Resources to Explore:

Hip Hop Dance Moves for Kids Video Series www.ehow.com Star Power for Preschoolers by Andrew Oserwww.schoolmoves.com/index.htm Student Wellness Website- District site under Student drop downVideos to watchwww.brainrules.comhttp://www.learningreadinesspe.com/index.html http://brainbreaks.blogspot.com/

Contact InformationKendra Fanning- 4th grade teacher, West Elementary Kendra_fanning@gfps.k12.mt.us ex. 7194

Michelle Peterson- Health Enhancement teacher, Sunnyside Elementary michelle_peterson@gfps.k12.mt.us ex. 7140

Allison Struber- Student Wellness Coordinator allison_struber@gfps.k12.mt.us ex. 6782

ReferencesNational Center for Health StatisticsFranks, P., Hanson, R. L., Knowler, W. C., Sievers, M. L., Bennett, P. H., Looker, H.C. (2010). Childhood Obesity, Other Cardiovascular Risk Factors, and Premature Death. N Engl J Med 2010; 362:485-493 Castelli, D., Hillman, C., Buck, S., & Erwin, H. (2007). Physical fitness and academic achievement in third- and fith- grade students. J Sport Exerc Psychol, 29(2), 239-52.California Department of Education. (2005). California Physical Fitness Test: A Study of Relationship Between Physical Fitness and Academic Achievement in California Using 20 Test Results. Californa Department of Education, Sacramento, CA. (http://www.asep.org/files/Grissom.pdf)Ratey, J. SPARK: The revolutionary new science of exercise and the brain. Little, Brown Company, New York, NY.Chart14200With ExerciseWithout Exercise1700

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