But how do you end the brain booster cleanly? I find it very difficult to go from one group or noisy activity back to silence to listen to me or a student. My period is 1 hour and 40 minutes, so I would love to have these “breaks”, but my classroom management is not up to the task.
Also, I have the 7th graders the last period of the day, in a classroom with very thin walls…
Great advice from Anne here--go slow to go fast! Modeling goes a LONG way here and if you can get it off the ground, students begin to value it enough to "protect it" from bad behaviors. And many of the games are quiet--poison dart frog is one of them.
Finally with a class that long, I would consider 2, actually. Perhaps the second one hinges on meeting transition time goals in the first.
I have found brain breaks, or any high-energy strategy, works best when paired with a proactive reset routine that’s taught before students need it.
One example I used is Press Pause: I raise my hand and count down (“Pause in 5…4…”), followed immediately by a deep breath students hold for five seconds while pressing an imaginary pause button on their hand.
It takes about three minutes to proactively teach, but when practiced alongside movement, it reliably carries over to transitions back to listening. This can be done without yelling or waiting for silence.
When structure is paired with fun and challenge, moving back to silence becomes habit forming.
The same way we teach any protocol! 1. Explain the directions and define what it should look/sound/feel like 2. Have a small group model 3. Have the class give feedback on the look/sound/feel chart 4. Practice as a whole class. 5. Give feedback on the whole class attempt. 6. Teach them what to do when we the time goes off (silent, back to your seat in 10 sec or less). 7. Be ready to shut down the activity if students don't uphold the norms you've practiced together.
Love your video! You obviously have done a lot of evolving since the days of keeping kids in desks.
Saved to read soon!
But how do you end the brain booster cleanly? I find it very difficult to go from one group or noisy activity back to silence to listen to me or a student. My period is 1 hour and 40 minutes, so I would love to have these “breaks”, but my classroom management is not up to the task.
Also, I have the 7th graders the last period of the day, in a classroom with very thin walls…
Great advice from Anne here--go slow to go fast! Modeling goes a LONG way here and if you can get it off the ground, students begin to value it enough to "protect it" from bad behaviors. And many of the games are quiet--poison dart frog is one of them.
Finally with a class that long, I would consider 2, actually. Perhaps the second one hinges on meeting transition time goals in the first.
Good luck!
Thank you. Go slow to go fast is good advice.
I have found brain breaks, or any high-energy strategy, works best when paired with a proactive reset routine that’s taught before students need it.
One example I used is Press Pause: I raise my hand and count down (“Pause in 5…4…”), followed immediately by a deep breath students hold for five seconds while pressing an imaginary pause button on their hand.
It takes about three minutes to proactively teach, but when practiced alongside movement, it reliably carries over to transitions back to listening. This can be done without yelling or waiting for silence.
When structure is paired with fun and challenge, moving back to silence becomes habit forming.
The same way we teach any protocol! 1. Explain the directions and define what it should look/sound/feel like 2. Have a small group model 3. Have the class give feedback on the look/sound/feel chart 4. Practice as a whole class. 5. Give feedback on the whole class attempt. 6. Teach them what to do when we the time goes off (silent, back to your seat in 10 sec or less). 7. Be ready to shut down the activity if students don't uphold the norms you've practiced together.
This book is THE best guide to building a classroom that is grounded in collective discipline: https://www.amazon.com/Classroom-Discipline-Adolescents-Responsible-Independence/dp/0938541137/ref=sr_1_1?crid=26P3TXPWEE4PX&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.V0i8RLSEaDWzpyLeqjMBnzQ-48TTU9GounbywugrQPXNX7Y__KWgdekyjJjZigsdxgV987LoH9NJppec1aPoJi-jnInvYekLTU1792Yq3Vc09PFzjf2S1PEhbcAiqTX6xOTmO2dAXPQCc3pPs8GAZfDZODqHCo73FDtTqcCzj9rAlT9LjkOvuQtiQaTGIG5W.m-23pKhqHJVks1wFNcFEYLZum79kluTr11wQxwywVss&dib_tag=se&keywords=classroom+discipline+guiding+adolescents&qid=1766089799&sprefix=classroom+discipline+guiding+adolescents%2Caps%2C133&sr=8-1
Thank you!