Lets Get Moving: Axial and Locomotor Movement

In preparation for our next two lessons we taught the students about axial and locomotor movement. After discussing all the different types of movements, we used green cards for the locomotor movements that move through space, and red for the axial movements that stay on the spot. We did a few exercises where we combine with the students would pick out a few different movement words and put them together. With the drum beat we started moving. The magic really happened when we split them into groups. We divided them into three groups and had each group pick four green cars and two red. They got to choose the order they did them in and how long. This was magical because I had been nervous about how well the third graders were going to work together. Would it turn out to be too chaotic? Were they going to be excited about it? And it was magical because they were SO excited. There was a group of boys and two mixed groups. I went around and asked them how long they had decided to do each movement. They were emphatic about their different lengths of time for each movement. 

LEAPING

 EXPLODING

SLIDING

Magnificent Movers & Super Scholars

Mrs Nuzman's class of magnificent movers and super scholars jumped in to multiplication and repeat addition. They weren't moving a lot but it was great to see some of the students, who weren't as excited about math the day before while doing math, excited about participating in this new way of conceptualizing multiplication.

We divided the groups each round into Magnificent Movers and Super Scholars. We would create a math problem on the board and then the Movers had to divide themselves up quickly and quietly into the number of equal groups we had written on the board. Afterward the Super Scholars would solve the problem on their whiteboards then hold up the answer.