Renee Heiss

The Kinetic Classroom: Activities That Move Students to Learn Renee Heiss

When children move, they increase the rate that oxygen circulates throughout their bodies, including their brains. Help your students to learn better, be more enthusiastic about your lessons, and get higher grades on testing by using the strategies in this book. Included with the tips on supplementing traditional methods of instruction are ways to maintain an orderly learning environment during these active sessions. Each active lesson carries a prep-meter that indicates how much extra preparation is needed by the teacher - some take only a few minutes, others take an hour; none are overwhelmingly difficult to produce. And most take everyday items found in any classroom or easily obtainable and inexpensive in local stores. Many of the activities require more effort by the students than the teacher! The strategies in this book are applicable for any grade from kindergarten through senior high. Because of their general nature, they can also be implemented for any subject. They have been tested in a 3rd grade, 8th grade, and a senior high classroom. Included with some active strategies are ideas for specific curricula. Since the book is divided between indoor and outdoor activities, the weather need not be a problem when planning lessons around these strategies. An appendix provides directions for making paper airplanes, a giant die, and beanbags, plus additional resources for the classroom. This book will become a valuable part of any teacher's weekly plans especially if active learning has been mandated.