One of the things that I added to my classroom routine this year is a daily stretch. We are on a 4 by 4 block schedule, so students are with me for 90 minutes each day. While I am up and walking around for most of that hour and a half, my students are stuck in their desks taking notes and working problems with me. I find that i get all excited and into the lecture and before I know it, it is time to go. So I put a special slide and a short video into my PowerPoints. When the slide pops up, students “stand and stretch”.
I wanted to use popular music, but I only wanted the breaks to last 30-60 seconds. So I downloaded tv ads that use popular music. I started with those cute Kia hamster commercials (there are 6 of them). There are tons of commercials for water and athletic gear that use high energy music. This one is called “Baby in the Mirror”.
Several students have hung back after the bell to tell me how much they appreciate the “Stretch Break” and that they hope I continue it. Yay!! Way to make a teacher smile 🙂
If you like this or if you have any suggestions or variations, please comment below. 🙂
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Penny's Island Life 