Kim Ward
wardk@ips.k12.in.us
Physical education/Wellness teacher and
ABL specialist for IPS District
Tracy Cutshaw
CutshawT@ips.k12.in.us
First Grade Teacher for IPS
Audrey Satterblom
satterba@ips.k12.in.us
Wellness Director for IPS
A Brain Teaser to
wake us up and
exercise the brain
• Quick! say aloud what COLOR you
see in every word, NOT the word you
read.
• Explanation: The Stroop test is used
in neuropsychological evaluations to
measure mental vitality and
flexibility, since performing well
requires strong attention and selfregulation capability.
In 2004 IPS was awarded a PEP
Grant
In 2005 Professional
development by Jean Blaydes
Madigan
In 2005 Kim, Tracy, Audrey, and
a principal attend Cathie’s
Summerford’s ACTION PACKED
CLASSROOMS workshop
In 2005 did a pilot study on ABL
Engaging kids bodies and minds
is more productive than
delivering a non-interactive
lecture to them; bringing
movement into the classroom
works!
If you bring ENERGY and
MOVEMENT into your
classroom, your
students will be
MOTIVATED and able
to RETAIN more
information.
Pilot study with Tracy’s
Title One First grade
classroom
We used her DIBELS test as a pre-test.
Tracy’s students came everyday to the gym
during my lunch and prep to go through the
lab.
They did this everyday for 1 month.
Tracy took her class through the lab
herself.
out of 16 were no longer
on the retention list
And
•
were longer low enough
to get Title One services
• At the end of the
month…Tracy’s students were
given a dibels assessment
again.
• The results were
• An Action Based Learning
specialist position was created
for the District.
• Kim Ward, physical
education/wellness teacher
gets 1 day off a week to devote
to ABL.
• IPS required all students K-6
to have 30 minutes of ABL in
Summer School
• Tracy and Kim did
presentations for Summer
School teachers
Continued work with
ABL
ABL in Summer School
continues
• Research Study
Does movement integrated with
academics really make a difference?
• Research under the direction of Lisa
Hicks, Department Head of
Kinesiology at University of
Indianapolis
• One 2nd grade classroom and one 3rd
grade classroom used the lab 2-3 x’s a
week.
• The lab consisted of 7 stations
• Each station had an academic
component
• The academic components
were:
Reading and spelling weekly test
scores
of both control and research
classes
 End of 9 weeks grade in language
arts and spelling for both control
and research classes
Semester grade for both control and
research classes
• Many IPS schools do not have an
extra classroom to spare to set a lab
up in anymore.
• Gyms that were once open during
lunch hours are now used for the large
class loads we carry.
• It takes extra time and effort to
change the lab and add the academic
components each week.
• A Movement in the classroom cart
was created.
• It is now being used in 3 IPS schools
• It contains the following equipment:
• 6 inch balls
scarves
• Nylon rackets
corelogs
• Ribbons
scooters
• Poly spots
balance boards
• Fluffballs
alphabet
mat
• Stepping stones
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/play
erIndex?id=7287548
Movement is especially
good for:
Kinesthetic learners
85% of school age children are
kinesthetic learners.
Our students struggle to sit
still for long periods of time.
Movement in the school day
gives students an AVANTAGE
for learning and therefore increases
student achievement
• Keeps kids FOCUSED
• EXCITED
• ENTHUIASTIC
• And READY TO LEARN
• By John Medina
• EXERCISE | Rule #1: Exercise boosts brain
power.
• ATTENTION | Rule #4: We don't pay
attention to boring things.
• SHORT-TERM MEMORY | Rule #5: Repeat to
remember.
• As a rule, ADD ONE MINUTE
to the average age of the
children in class. This is
about the length of time that
those children can maintain
concentration on a task.
• Studies of the astronaut training
programs indicate that daily
exposure to spinning improves
walking and motor skills.
Students who participate in
spinning routines show
significant gains in attention
span and reading.
•
•
•
•
Seated spinning on a scooter
Airplane spin on scooter
Stand and spin in a hoop
Hoppitty Hop spinning
• Spinning stimulates the
growth of myelin around
the neurons, insulating
them and allowing them
to make more
connections.
• Blood flow is increased in
all parts of the brain
• This helps the brain by
making it more alert and
energized for learning.
• Neural pathways are
made stronger!
•
•
•
•
•
•
Crosses or cross crawls
Windmills
Grapevine
Straddle cross
Hand clap patterns
Jumping rope…is one of the
best…both sides of the brain
synchronize when jumping
• Juggling
• Ribbons or streamers
• One of the reasons students
have trouble reading is because
of a lack of eye fitness.
• Tracking exercises helps the eyes get fit
to read.
• Physical education provides an avenue
for strengthening eye muscles
making the eyes FIT to READ.
• Stand about 10 feet
from a wall You should
be able to see all 4
corners by only moving
your eyes
• DVD of Tracy’s Classroom
• 1. Have 1 student pick a card
• 2. Student identifies the color
on the card and the whole class
does the activity that
corresponds with that color.
• 3. Do that activity for a certain
amount of time (10-15 seconds)
• Pick a new student
• BLUE==Crosses
• RED==Jump ropes
• YELLOW==Spin 3 x’s to
right and then 3x’s to the
left
• Green==scissor jumps
• Each student will have an
alphabet grid
• Students will spell the word by
doing cross-overs with their
hands and touching the letters
to spell the word.
• When the letter is on the right
side the student will use the left
hand.
2. Students will do that activity
until the music stops or the
teacher says stop.
3. The teacher will then call out a
spelling word and students will
work together to spell the word
correctly.
Repeat
Free time folder
Movement song
Get Funky
The Alligator Chomp
• Another benefit of adding
movement to the
classroom is for using it
as an intervention.
Students will partner up
Teacher calls out a physical activity:
Crosses
Jumps (2 feet)
Scissor jumps
Jumping jacks
Hopping (1 foot)
Jogging in place
How to get started:
Do a presentation at a staff
meeting of the importance of
movement and how it
stimulates the brain
Give teachers movement ideas
and brain breaks
Make movement Cd’s for the
classroom
• www.jamschoolprogra
m.com
• 1. Face chair and tap toes
• 2. Hands on hips, jump up and
down
• 3. Feet together, jump forward
and backward
• 4. Squat and stand
• 5. Windmills
•By weight, kiwifruit
has more vitamin C
than an orange and
more potassium than
a banana.
• Video
• We need to work together as a TEAM.
• Physical educators can incorporate
ACADEMICS AND BRAIN ACTIVITIES
into some of our lessons
AND
Classroom teachers can incorporate
MOVEMENT into their lesson plans.
• Eric Jensen says:
“It should be just as
natural for a math
teacher to use
MOVEMENT in the
classroom as for a
physical educator to have
students skip count.