I tried one of the Eight-Minute Energizers from Chapter 2.  I chose to try an idea the fits under both the Musical  and Kinesthetic Energizers.  I took my class out into an open space in our school and tried the activity that we learned about in our last class using the drum and a tambourine to be various creatures in the ocean.  Once we had brainstormed a variety of creatures and tried moving like those creatures, we then became either sharks or a school of anchovies depending on which instrument I was playing at the time.  The students were all fully engaged and had a great time.  They didn’t want to quit.  It was very interesting to me to see the different levels of participation.  Some were really into using their imaginations and performing, while others were more hesitant until they “checked out” what others were doing.   Sherri

I have tried several small things in my classroom that were inspired by my first time at Arts Academy.  I have had so much fun, and so have my students!  Hopefully, learning has improved as well.  It has given me a boost to try new things, or at least to teach an old concept in a new way that has enabled my students to get up and move and use their creative, dramatic sides.

Here is a list of some of the things I have tried:

1.  Instead of just discussing situations while learning about choices and consequences, I had the students get in small groups and act out their situation for the rest of the class, and then we discussed what they did.

2.  We sing every morning in our class.  I added dance and movement to several of the songs we have previously learned.

3.  I tried the “reflection” activity that Deb taught us.  I have only done it once, and they did pretty well, but I had to really coach them to slow down and move fluidly.  I would like to try it several more times.

4.  We water-colored fall trees for science.

5.  I taught them about cartooning (faces and expressions) and we made a class pumpkin patch.

6.  We danced to a variety of different songs and discussed how music can affect our mood.

7.  I played classical music during Writer’s Workshop.  The first day I had a boy who has some learning disabilities really be bothered by it and get frustrated because he couldn’t think and he asked to have it turned off.  The second time I played it I watched him, and while I don’t think he was enjoying it much, he didn’t ask for it to be shut off.  That’s at least improvement.  A number of the other students said they really liked having it on.  I plan on continuing this activity.

8.  We created some 3-D Halloween pictures with haunted houses that went along with an ad the students wrote to sell a haunted house.  They turned out really great!

I’m excited to attend again the end of this month, and can’t wait for what I will learn.

Sherri