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Running Header: BRAIN BREAKS

Brain Breaks Effects on On-Task Behavior

Kara McGovern, Megan Geisel, and Emily Richwine

James Madison University

Abstract

This study’s goal was to investigate if incorporating brain breaks in an elementary school

classroom affected students’ on-task behavior after a long period of academic instruction. Brain

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breaks are defined as rest periods within a lesson that allow the student’s brain to re-energize and

refocus on the current task. The educational inquiry question that was specifically focused on

was, “How might brain breaks in the classroom affect students’ on-task behavior?” Our

participants included a total of eighteen students from kindergarten, first and second grade. There

were six students per grade level from two different elementary schools located in a rural area in

Rockingham County, Virginia. We administered surveys and exit slips to the students, and made

observations through seating charts, a time sample, field notes, multiple journal entries, and

through a collection of student work over a ten-week period. The data collected was extensive,

and allowed us to get a great sense of the success that our inquiry question had within our

classrooms. According to our results, brain breaks had a positive impact on students’ on-task

behavior and performance levels in the classroom. The students were able to remain focused and

stay on-task after the implementation of a brain break, positively influencing the students

academically.

The purpose of this study was to explore the various methods that can aid in maintaining

on-task behavior in a classroom. We defined on-task as actively working, sitting quietly and

following directions, during the desired work time; comparably, we defined off-task as any

negative motor, verbal or passive behavior being performed during the desired work time for a

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few consecutive seconds. The method that we focused on specifically was the use of brain breaks

after prolonged academic instruction. Brain breaks are rest periods within a lesson to allow a

student’s brain to re-energize and refocus on the task at hand. As pre-service teachers, we have

been in multiple practicum settings in classrooms from Pre-Kindergarten to sixth grade. We have

observed multiple occurrences of off-task behavior without a clear remedy enacted, which made

us consider the different ways to discourage off-task behavior. This topic is significant to

teachers and the education field because this is a problem that affects all types of classes, and

solving it can only benefit the engagement of their students. Theorist Lev S. Vygotsky aided in

the research of on-task behavior in present day classrooms through his claims that learning in the

classroom needed to occur through students’ collaboration and interactions with their peers. He

also described the importance of classroom instruction that featured student engagement in order

to meet their educational needs (Martin, 2011). Through this study, we hoped to find outlets of

refocusing in a variety of ways to minimize classroom disruptions, and keep students on-task

during academic instruction.

Review of Literature

Our process for retrieving the data we collected was both time consuming and conducted

through multiple trials and errors. Our main search engine included Google Scholar which

eventually led us to EBSCOHost, OnlineLibrary.Wiley, ERIC, and Link.Springer. Some of the

most helpful searches included those that were references of other articles that sparked our

interests. We played with keywords to find a vast array of peer-reviewed articles and studies

done by professionals interested in the field of education. The main keywords and phrases used

to help our research included; classroom management, school, tasks, teaching with the brain in

mind, responding to misbehavior, managing off-task behavior, keeping students on-task, on-task,

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off-task, brain-breaks, movement in the classroom, classroom engagement, physical activity,

breaktime, breaks, rest periods, physical position, the effects of incorporating movement in the

classroom, instruction, teachers, students, behavior, break, and distraction. The research garnered

from searching these terms revealed that student engagement is affected by self-monitoring and

praise through energizers, brain breaks, and other physical actions all of which can positively

reinforce on-task student behavior (See Appendix A).

Student Engagement

Teachers have tried a multitude of strategies to promote on-task behavior, some more

successful than others. Keeping students on-task during academic instruction goes hand in hand

with classroom management, which is an important skill that teachers need for effective

instruction. Students that are off-task frequently take away from instructional and learning time

of other students; therefore, teachers need effective approaches to keep both the compliant

students working and bring the off-task students back on-task (Riley, McKevitt, Shriver & Allen,

2011). Students that are engaged in lessons may have higher confidence in their work ethic,

which can positively affect their academic performance down the road. To keep students on-task,

teachers need to provide “brain breaks,” and create an engaging work environment with limited

distractions.

Research has shown that engagement is a strong outlet for keeping students on-task and

involved in their work. Multiple studies have reflected the benefits to student learning and

academic achievement through instructional strategies that focus on motivation and participation

(Amato-Zech, Doepke & Hoff, 2006). When the necessities to motivate students are refused,

they become off-task and disruptive to the entire learning environment. These students are also

more likely to forget material taught, which takes away valuable instructional time in order for

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the teacher to re-teach it (Almarode, 2008). Various strategies to keep students on-task have been

explored, and their effectiveness in students’ information retention and how they decrease the

amount of disruptive behaviors were compared. The procedure of self-monitoring has shown

positive changes with student achievement in behavior, and overall academic performance

(Amato-Zech, Doepke & Hoff, 2006).

Self-monitoring. One process in particular is the MotivAider, an “electronic beeper that

vibrates to provide a tactile prompt to self-monitor” (Amato-Zech, et al., 2006, p. 212). Self-

monitoring for students allows them to regulate themselves during specific working time because

they focus on their own behavior and make sense of it through self-recording. In this particular

study, observational sessions were conducted in a 45-minute period with seven students in both

third and fourth grades during Reading and Writing Centers. The amount of direct instruction

and independent work was consistent throughout the study, which allowed the teacher and

teacher’s assistants to more readily observe, which helped keep structure for the students. The

MotivAider went off for all of the students at the same time, which triggered them to look at

what they were or weren’t accomplishing, and record their thoughts on paper shortly after the

initial vibration. The amount of times per week that a student was directly observed by the full

time teacher, student teacher or substitute was not always the same, but still gave the general

consensus of that particular student’s behavior for that day or week (Amato-Zech, et al., 2006).

Throughout the course of this study, the behaviors of the students continued to become more

task-oriented compared to their behaviors during their baseline testing, because they were

unaware as to when the vibration would occur next. Overall, the response to this particular

means of increasing on-task behavior was positive, and created an acceptable learning

environment for the students and teachers.

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Praise. Through resulting in positive outcomes, student self-monitoring should not be a

teacher’s only strategy for increasing on-task behavior during instructional time. Specific

attention should include reprimanding students and redirecting them when they exhibit disruptive

behaviors, while praising those students that perform in an acceptable manner (Acker &

O’Leary, 1987). Praise is a useful classroom tool because it is free and, when it is used

appropriately, helps improve the relationship between the teacher and the students. Praise has

also been shown to increase on-task behavior as well as decrease problem behavior. Lampi,

Fenty, and Beaunae (2005) have condensed information taken from other research performed to

show that praise is also a way to increase positive and appropriate student behaviors as well as a

way to detract from further inappropriate behavior. The studies by Acker and O’Leary (1987),

and Riley, McKevitt, Shriver, and Allen (2011) illustrated the results of reprimands and praise.

Acker and O’Leary (1987) experimented on student and teacher interaction when students were

praised and/or reprimanded to view possible differences in the student’s on-task engagement.

The researchers conducted their observations through a one-way mirror as they watched students

and a teacher demonstrate a somewhat “typical” classroom setting. The amount of reprimands

and praise by the teacher varied throughout the experiment through trials of reprimands

accompanied by no praise, reprimands accompanied with praise, reprimands accompanied by

increased praise, and no reprimands accompanied with praise, and each showed a slight change

in the student’s work ethic. While these variations were over a few days, Riley, et al. (2011)

experimented the use of reprimands and praise during a fixed-time schedule. Here, the teachers

did not react after specific behavior cues, but on a five minute interval schedule which eliminated

negative behaviors solely to get the teacher’s attention. Regardless of the separate settings, they

actually yielded somewhat similar results. Acker and O’Leary (1987) concluded that the use of

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negative consequences to negative behaviors, and praise to those students that exhibited positive

behaviors resulted with on-task engagement for the students. Similarly, Riley, et. al (2011)

showed the behaviors of the participants increased drastically during the intervention of fixed-

attention on each student. While there was still redirecting during this time, the amount of praise

was increased and therefore students’ engagement and confidence increased as well. The results

of both of these studies show the importance of praising students for their achievements, but also

reprimanding or redirecting them when they become off-task or disruptive to others.

Movement

In primary school classrooms, the technique of movement in the classroom has taken a

backseat to test preparation and specific curriculum guidelines in the classroom. Not only has

this test-driven learning environment affected the teacher’s creativity in their teaching styles, but

it has affected the students’ creativity in their work ethic as well. According to an article by Eric

Jensen (2000), many of the problems that result in off-task and unengaged students is directly

linked to the act of sitting for long periods of time consecutively. The formation of one’s body

while sitting at a near ninety degree angle is what caused the most significant damage to one’s

ability to stay on task because it increased fatigue and decreased the ability to concentrate.

Having children sit for an extended period of time disengages them from the material that is

being learned. One of the main suggestions to alleviate such problems is to keep students moving

and at multiple times throughout the day. According to Braniff’s (2011) study, by incorporating

movement inside her classroom, students were able to remain on-task and were attentive to

classroom instruction. Depending on the grade level, movement can include anything from

having the students stand up and stretch to having the students perform a skit on the material that

they are learning (Marzano, 2011). While movement benefits most, it can be especially

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beneficial for students who may have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) because

it is an outlet for them to release their energy (Braniff, 2011). Not only does movement improve

on-task behavior in the classroom, but according to another study, incorporating physical activity

five to ten minutes throughout the day improves a student’s health and well-being (Gaus &

Simpson, 2009). This knowledge on movement helped teachers, and reinforced that it needed to

be administered often because the teachers have complete control over how they want such

activities to be done.

Energizers. One program that is very interesting and has been recognized for its success

is called the “Energizers Program.” In this study, conducted in North Carolina, 243 elementary

public school students from kindergarten through fourth grade participated in a program that

focused on the effects of students’ in-school physical activity levels on on-task behavior during

academic instruction (Mahar, Murphy, Rowe, Golden, et al., 2006). Energizers, such as jogging

in place, verb movements, and/or mimicking sport skills, were implemented within the

classroom once a day for no more than 10 minutes, and involved no equipment. The

incorporation of these energizers in the classroom over a twelve-week period resulted in an 8%

increase in students’ on-task behavior, while students who prior to the implementation of the

energizers were most off-task, improved on-task behavior by 20% (Mahar, et al., 2006). This

percentage was calculated through observations as well as a collection of students’ in-class

assignments and tests. From the data that was collected, they concluded that the students’

academic performance within the classroom increased, and there was less misbehavior amongst

the students (Mahar, et al., 2006). By incorporating some type of movement in everyday

instruction, children were more on-task during academic instruction, academic scores increased,

stress and anxiety was reduced, and the students’ health and well-being improved (Braniff, 2011;

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Mahar, Murphy, Rowe, Golden, et al., 2006). In addition, teachers themselves became energized

by the students’ increased success inside the classroom (Jablon & Wilkinson, 2006). The positive

results from various energizers served as a motivational tool not only for the teachers to succeed,

but for the students to improve themselves as students.

Brain Breaks. Movement and learning through movement were seen as main strategies

to be incorporated into the classroom; allowing a student’s brain to focus on something

completely different than the original task at hand provided the opportunity for the students to

understand the necessity of on-task engagement. This is often referred to as “brain breaks.”

Teachers who incorporated brain breaks had greater success in attending to students’ different

attention levels. According to Marzano (2011), the incorporation of movement or brain breaks

within the classroom can be related to the content being discussed or help focus on boosting a

students’ energy. Teachers have the ability to construct activities that stimulate both hemispheres

of the brain (Marzano, 2011). One example of a brain break is where a teacher lead students in

stretching by telling them to take the right elbow and touch their left knee, and to take the left

elbow and touch their right knee.

Brain breaks related to classroom instruction are also done through learning activities

such as drama and corner activities which can incorporate interaction, discussion, and kinesthetic

movements of the body to stimulate on-task behavior. Corner activities are activities where the

students are separated into groups, and placed at corners of the room to discuss a particular topic.

Amongst each group of students there is one student assigned to be the “recorder.” The recorder

summarized what their group discussed. After each summarizer presented, the students then went

back to their seats and engaged in a whole-class discussion on the specified topic. This not only

got the students working with one another, but allowed them to move throughout the classroom

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while completing assignments (Marzano, 2011).

Other. Similarly, the use of the Good Student Game allowed students to assess

themselves and others through the process of self-monitoring, as mentioned earlier; however, the

students were specifically focusing on targeted behaviors that were set by the teacher. The way

the game was played was that the teacher explained to the students the behaviors that he/she

wished to see of the students. He/She then gave positive and negative examples of these

behaviors, and modeled what the good behavior entailed, then the students played the game

(Babyak, et al., 2000). This game may be played individually or in small groups, creating the

illusion that it is more game oriented. Similar to some of the previous experiments, students were

to write down their behavior at a specific time interval on a monitoring sheet, or if they are in

groups, the groups monitored its’ members. During the working phase of the game, the specific

students or groups of students were praised for their good behavior, but there was no “calling

out” those that were behaving poorly, just redirecting their focus to their work (Babyak, et al.,

2000). The reason that this game yielded positive results was because it created an environment

of competition. The students wanted to be the ones praised throughout the lesson or work time.

This task specifically dealt with monitoring and reinforcing what appropriate behavior should

look like in the classroom, while keeping an exciting atmosphere for the students.

Literature Review Conclusion

The focus of our study was to explore the impact that “brain breaks” have on retaining

student on-task behavior in the classroom. Research has found that positive reinforcement, such

as brain breaks, is more effective than negative, such as punishments, in keeping students

engaged and on-task. Multiple authors described the effectiveness of praise and movement in

regards to student on-task behavior. Praise was shown to help improve the relationship between

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the student and their teacher. Movement was also very important to student on-task behavior

because, especially in the case of energizers or “brain breaks,” students were engaged and able to

release some of the energy they had stored over the course of the school day. This research

demonstrated key methods to creating an effective classroom environment to keep students on-

task and engaged in their learning. Thus, our question, “How might brain breaks in the classroom

affect students’ on-task behavior?,” allows the opportunity for concrete representation of how

effective these methods are towards students on-task behavior.

Methods

Main Wondering

How might brain breaks in the classroom affect students’ on-task behavior?

Sub-Questions

Do brain breaks improve work performance?

Which core curriculum class were students most off-task versus on-task?

How effective are brain breaks in primary education school?

The purpose of this project was to develop effective strategies to help students improve

their on-task behaviors in the classroom. This project took place over the course of the fall

semester, or about sixteen weeks. We were placed in two elementary schools within Rockingham

County, Virginia. Two of us were at Peak View Elementary School in Penn Laird, Virginia. Peak

View serves students in Pre-Kindergarten through fifth grade. At Peak View Elementary School,

we observed students in first and second grade classrooms. Peak View is a Title I school with

some student diversity. The students backgrounds include 75% Caucasian, 21% Hispanic, and

1% African-American. The second school-John Wayland, where we were observing

Kindergarten, is not a Title I school. It also lacks diversity in regards to race in comparison to

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Peak View Elementary School. John Wayland Elementary School contains 90% Caucasian

students, 7% Hispanic, and 2% African-American students.

In the Kindergarten class, there were a total of twenty students; twelve boys and eight

girls all of which were Caucasian except for one. In first grade there were a total of fifteen

students; seven boys and eight girls. There were four Hispanics and two Asian Americans. Three

of the four Hispanics were considered English Language Learners. Lastly, in second grade there

were a total of twenty-two students, eleven boys and eleven girls, with a vast diversity in race.

There were five Hispanics, two African Americans, and one Russian. Amongst these students,

the Hispanic ones were considered English Language Learners, students whose first language or

language at home was not primarily English. Our participants included six students from each of

the Kindergarten, first, and second grade classes where we were serving as practicum students.

Based off of the results of our pre-intervention surveys we each chose six students whom we felt

would show the most growth through this process. Throughout the entirety of this project, we

each implemented two specific practices and strategies to help improve these student’s on-task

work time and behavior within the classroom depending on our grade level.

To see if brain breaks aided in the student’s classroom behavior, we administered specific

interventions to coincide with our classes; these depended on age, and number of students in the

classroom. Our intervention included taking short physical and/or mental breaks throughout the

school day, which mostly occurred during the core curriculum classes when students found

themselves to be most off-task. The factors that affected when we implemented brain breaks

were each day’s lesson, the students’ behavior, and varying time constraints.

Through our pre-intervention surveys, we discovered which core classes needed the most

attention in helping students stay on-task. Each grade featured the students off-task in different

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content areas; Kindergarten was most off-task during calendar and math time, first grade was

most off-task during literacy, and second grade was most off-task during math time.

The brain breaks taken from Energizers! 88 Quick Movement Activities That Refresh and

Refocus K-6 (Roser, 2009) consisted of “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” and “Clap, Clap,

Clap Your Hands” in Kindergarten, “Pass the Mask” in first grade, “Pop & Flop” and “Mash the

Potato” in second grade. The other brain break in first grade called “Simon Says” was taken from

the Family Education website (2013) (See Appendix M).

Before

Before we began our intervention, we collected preliminary data such as previous class

work, our own observations of the students who were off-task, a survey for the students, and

field notes on how our specific cooperating teacher handled any off-task behavior. This data

served as the baseline for on-task behavior before the usage of brain break implementation and

teacher proximity.

Student work. According to Dana and Yendol-Hoppey (2009), the benefit to examining

student work is that patterns can be identified through collecting and analyzing more than one

piece of a student’s work (p. 81). We collected two documents of each of the six student’s class

work within a core curriculum subject to gather a basic understanding of their individual work

ethic. We believed that the amount of off-task behavior directly affected the success and

achievement of the students’ work performance, therefore, by viewing the students work, we got

a better understanding of our strategies’ effectiveness (See Appendix L).

Pre-Intervention Survey. We used surveys to gain direct information from students

about their attitude towards particular aspects of a school day while we as inquirers hoped to

observe possible changes of these attitudes over time (Creswell, 2012). The pre-intervention

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survey contained questions that allowed students to reflect on themselves. The students were

asked when, if at all, they believed they were off-task throughout the day as well as whether or

not brain breaks have been implemented within their classroom before (See Appendix E).

Field notes. Our last strategy that we used to gather information before implementing

brain breaks was to collect field notes on off-task behavior. We first utilized a seating chart, and

marked when our participants were off-task. We used a symbol system to describe the students’

behaviors that we observed so we could have a visual of how often students became off-task. By

using a seating chart, we saw how students were off-task, and how often within that subject (See

Appendix H). In addition, we used a collection of field notes to gather information on the

teacher’s stance on off-task behavior and how she handled those situations in the classroom by

focusing on her dialogue and body language towards the students. The field notes were written

observations that were recorded when we saw teachers’ responses to off-task behavior at any

point throughout the day (See Appendix J). We conducted observations rather than interviews

with the cooperating teachers to provide us with more accurate information because we believed

that not everyone describes their responses to situations in the way that their actions show.

During

Once we collected preliminary data over the first few weeks, we implemented brain

breaks in the classroom and re-assessed the students through exit slips, a time sample, as well as

reflective journals, and seating charts.

Exit slips. Originally, we planned on doing exit slips that consisted of a few short

questions with the options of “yes” or “no” and having the students write a sentence or two

describing why they chose yes or no. After finding out our practicum placements though, the exit

slips were altered to fit students abilities in our classrooms. At all grade levels, we read our exit

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slips to the students and recorded their responses ourselves. This alteration was made because of

time constraints. Another alteration we made was to the format of the exit slips by including

pictures and visuals to help them answer the questions. In doing this, we hoped to gain a broader

understanding of the students reaction to the brain break as the process continued (See Appendix

G).

Time sample. A time sample is a type of field note where we recorded what was going

on in the classroom in continuous increments every five minutes, over the the course of the

subject, that the students appeared to demonstrate the most off-task behavior (Class Notes,

ELED 308, Fall 2011). Our time samples focused on students actions and the teacher’s reactions

to student actions, during a lesson. These observations allowed us to see the how the teacher

managed off-task behavior during direct instruction(See Appendix K).

Field notes. We chose to use seating charts as a means of collecting field notes during

the project to allow us to see even the slightest improvements amongst the students since the start

of the project. The seating charts were conducted every two minutes within a sixteen minute

period during the subject they were most off-task. The seating chart was adapted to desk

changes, and those changes showed differences amongst the student’s behavior. We made note

of students changes in location within the classroom, but used the same symbols during our data

collection (See Appendix J).

Reflective Journal. During the fifth week of practicum we began our intervention within

our classrooms, which was also when we began a reflective journal. We recorded how the brain

break went, what we believed worked, and what maybe didn’t work. Our observations of our

brain breaks were put into our own words, and helped us later in our data collections when we

completed our reflective journals. We began the reflective journals once we implemented brain

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breaks and continued them each day one was performed in the classroom. We then collaborated

our individual notes to create our reflective journals (See Appendix I).

After

Once we neared the end of our project, we collected data to gather our final results of

how brain breaks affected students on-task behavior. Again, we included a survey that was

similar to the original that was given out from our ‘before’ segment, and continued to collect

student work within their core class. By reusing these data collection methods, we were able to

receive more student feedback on how the process went overall. This was achieved through

similar re-questioning, as well as additional artifacts that showed students’ progress.

Post-Intervention Survey. The survey we conducted at the end of the project included

questions that dealt specifically with the student’s reactions to the semester and how they thought

the brain breaks went. “Yes” and “no” answers were provided for three specific questions that

were asked of the students. Similarly to the pre-intervention surveys, we read the questions aloud

to the students because of their abilities. (See Appendix F).

Student work. We once again collected classwork from the students so that we could

have physical documentation of any type of change amongst the students relating to their on-task

behavior to academic engagement (See Appendix L).

Reflective Journal. After we concluded our data collection, we finished with our

reflective journals so that we could put them into our own words and see how this process has

either helped or hurt the student’s success (See Appendix I). This method was challenging as

well, because we were forced to “capture our thinking” through reflection on our thought

processes throughout the entire project and through analysis of whether or not the decisions we

made benefited the students overall (Dana, 2009, p. 89). Reflection through journaling was one

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of the most important aspects to completing our inquiries because it allowed us to look back

upon our thinking as well as gain greater insight to how effective our intervention was.

Challenges to Data Collection

We found several challenges throughout our project that made collecting data more

difficult than anticipated. One of the biggest challenges we had to face was the idea of time

constraints within the classroom. We went into the semester believing that we were going to

have more observational time to complete the necessary aspects to this project. However, we

were more active in the classroom, which delayed the amount of data that was collected. With

this challenge came sparse amounts of information even within our various methods. And yet,

we believe that we were able to gain enough information to see the progress of implementing

brain breaks, and the effects it had on students on-task behavior. While these may have seemed

like challenges at the time, they allowed us to gain greater insight and learning experience within

the classroom.

Methodology Conclusion

At the various stages of this study, we implemented various practices and strategies to

help improve the student’s on-task work time and behavior within the classroom. During the first

stage, prior to our intervention, we collected student work, a survey, field notes, and a seating

chart to establish the levels of engagement and actions of the students. This helped to form a

basic understanding of which students were off-task versus on-task. In addition, it allowed us to

establish which core curriculum subject students demonstrated the most off-task behavior in.

During intervention, we collected exit slips that focused on the student’s reactions to the

implementation of brain breaks during academic instruction; as well as a time sample, seating

chart, and a reflective journal. The time sample was taken during the core curriculum class that

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we previously observed the most off-task behavior. During post-intervention, we collected

student work, a survey, and continued to write in our reflective journals reflecting on how we

thought brain breaks either helped or hurt our students.

While all of these methods were useful in collecting data, we have realized that some

were more beneficial than others. We found that the reflective journals were useful because they

gave us insight to what the students actions were before, during, and after the brain breaks. The

post-intervention reflective journal was also helpful in seeing the behaviors of the students

without the usage of brain breaks. Similarly, the pre and post intervention surveys gave us a

better understanding of the students views on brain break implementation. The exit slips were

effective means of adapting the brain breaks in response to students’ likes and dislikes and the

successfulness of the brain breaks on their behaviors.

Unfortunately, some of our methods were not as helpful as we originally planned them to

be. The time sample took us away for too long from instruction time that we were of use to the

cooperating teacher. Setting aside as much time as we had planned was deemed difficult for all

of us because it was expected of us to be more involved with the students rather than as just an

observer. Similarly, instruction time was not concurrent with the same locations within the

classroom everyday. Therefore, it made it difficult to use a classroom diagram to record student’s

behaviors during academic instruction. Collecting student work was not as effective either, and

didn’t hold the amount of information that we had thought it would. With the units and lessons

changing over time, it was difficult to judge whether the brain breaks were actually aiding in the

student’s on-task behavior. We realized that some lessons were understood better by some

students, and others were not which directly related to their behavior. In addition, the artifacts

that were gathered were from different parts within a lesson; collection from the introduction of

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the material or when it was nearing test time showed differences in students’ understandings.

Findings

Finding #1: Selection of brain breaks needs to be based off of students’ interests.

The brain break implementation process started with choosing particular brain breaks for

each classroom. Because we were placed in different grades, we needed to take into account the

student’s particular interests when deciding which brain breaks to use. After observing our

students the first four weeks of school, we were able to get a better understanding of what these

interests were and how they could be used to help choose specific brain breaks. For the most

part, our assumptions of what types of activities the students would enjoy were on point,

however, the Kindergarten and first grades did run into the occasional obstinate child. Student A

in Kindergarten and student A in first grade were two students that did not enjoy aspects of the

brain breaks and so refused to participate in them. Student A in Kindergarten said the brain break

was “boring” while student A in first grade stated “I don’t want to do it.” Both of these students

were chosen because they usually did not follow directions and were frequently off-task. When

these students did participate, they were able to focus more, however, their overall off-task

behavior in the classroom remained relatively consistent throughout the implementation process

(See Appendix I).

Despite these two exceptions, many of the students did participate wholeheartedly in the

brain breaks that we implemented and reflected greater on-task behaviors. We all wanted to

make sure that the brain breaks that were chosen were ones that allowed movement.

Kindergarten and second grade were able to also incorporate dialogue and vocals to go along

with movements, which helped to stimulate other areas during those few minutes. The usage of

songs and repetition, as many of the brain breaks showed, helped to further gain the student’s

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interest in that particular brain break. When we shared with the students that they were

performing a brain break, whether it was a new one or one that they had done previously, the

student’s excitement grew, and by the end of our implementations we had students asking,

“when are we going to do another one?” or “I think it’s time for a brain break, I miss those.”

Finding #2: Brain breaks need to be modeled to students in order for them to be effective.

All three of us realized that to effectively implement the brain breaks, we had to

appropriately model each one to the students prior to their enactment. To do this, we had to

familiarize ourselves with the dialogue and/or movements that were to be used. However, even

with this familiarization to the instructions, Kindergarten and second grade seemed to run into

confusion. In Kindergarten, the initial attempt to implement the “Clap, Clap, Clap Your Hands”

brain break was not modeled before its enactment, and many of the students seemed lost about

what to do. Six of the students were behind in the movements (marching, clapping, running in

place) and were quickly switching between movements to mimic the new ones that were being

performed. Some of the students were frowning and not following the movements precisely at

the beginning of the brain break. However, the repetition of the movements allowed the students

to adapt quickly and fall into the correct sequence.

Similarly, in second grade, a lot of the students became quickly confused with the “Pop

and Flop” brain break. They all possessed the knowledge to count from zero to ten and back

down, it was observed in their math class days before, but it’s incorporation to this activity was

difficult for them. When the students were to perform the “pop” portion of the activity, the

students kept forgetting what their ‘magic number’ was. They would continue counting, but

needed a reminder to pop at the correct times. This then slowed down the entire activity, and we

were unable to continue it to it’s fullest. But, it was still effective in the sense that it got the

Brain Breaks 21

students moving and their minds thinking in a different way for those few minutes. With these

few hiccups we were able to make modifications to our brain breaks the times that they were

implemented after, which was a great learning experience. The important part was that the

students were enjoying themselves during their break, even if they didn’t realize that they were

causing stress and anxiety for us as we stood in front of them.

Finding #3: Brain breaks should be implemented during the time of the day students are most

off-task.

In comparison to all three of our classrooms, the brain breaks were implemented at

different times of the day, based off of the results of the pre-intervention surveys. The student’s

views of when they found themselves to be more off-task during the day varied, so we each had

to take a general consensus of what time and subject would work best for our students. For

Kindergarten, this was literacy, calendar time, and math, for first grade this was language arts,

and in second grade this was around math time. We didn’t want to choose for the students when

we believed that brain break implementation would be more beneficial for them, which is why

we carefully looked at the survey results. This made it difficult for the Kindergarten group

because many of the students’ believed that they were off-task in more than one subject, and

these subjects varied for each student. Depending on the subject, the brain breaks were

implemented with either small group or whole group.

The brain breaks in Kindergarten were implemented at various points throughout the day

depending on occasions when the students were most off-task. Many of the subjects followed

one another or blended together. This led to variation for when brain breaks were implemented

as some brain breaks were implemented at different points (the beginning,the middle, and the

end) of the subjects. For example, brain breaks were implemented during math instruction but

Brain Breaks 22

also during the transition time between calendar and math. This change in time was primarily

due to focus on implementing brain breaks when the students were exhibiting the most off-task

behaviors. Also, the majority of the brain breaks were completed as whole group activities. On

the other hand, the brain breaks implemented in first grade were done in the morning with each

reading group which consisted of two to six students. Each reading group lasted for about thirty

minutes. A brain break was implemented about half way through the allotted time, or about

fifteen minutes and/or when the students were starting to display off-task behavior. In second

grade, mathematics took place in the afternoons on Tuesdays, and in the mornings on Thursdays

which was interesting to see the effectiveness of the brain breaks. It never seemed that the

students were more on or off-task during math at a particular time of day, but that they were

nearly every time around math time. As the weeks went on, the students found themselves to be

challenged more with the lessons that were being presented to them. With these challenges, came

frustration, confusion, and boredom.

These reactions to new material in the classrooms resonated with all of us, but as we

continued our implementation, we started to see them diminish within our students. We came to

realize that the off-task behavior needed to be counter acted somehow, and the usage of brain

breaks did just that. They created a different, and more positive environment during times where

the students were more lackadaisical. We began to understand that the time of when brain breaks

need to be implemented is a student based decision, not a teacher one. When the students are

able to make this decision for themselves, even if they don’t realize they are doing it, they are

benefitting themselves in their learning and behaviors.

Finding #4: Students were off-task without the implementation of brain breaks.

The majority of students from the post-intervention survey said that they felt like the

Brain Breaks 23

brain breaks helped them pay more attention during the academic period they felt most off-task.

While not all of the brain breaks happened the ways that we had planned in our heads, we

realized that overall their implementation resulted positively with all of the students on-task

behavior. With young students, we noticed the effect long periods of instruction had on students

focus on the task at hand.

During post-intervention, we stopped implementing brain breaks to see the effect it had

on our students on-task behaviors. We all observed that students off-task behaviors increased,

and that brain breaks had a profound effect on students remaining on-task within the classroom.

Similar behaviors were exhibited in each classroom such as talking, fiddling with objects,

wandering around the classroom, and not completing work in a timely manner. The usage of

brain breaks, while not always effective for all students all of the time, did help allow for more

opportunities to refocus or showcase more on-task behaviors than without them. Through the

collection of student work and observations during this process we noticed the quality of work

changed at various points throughout this process. After implementation the quality of work

deteriorated by becoming more rushed and sloppy in comparison to the student work done during

the implementation of brain breaks.

For the last few weeks that brain breaks were not implemented there has been a negative

shift in behavior to more off-task performance. This trend was seen across grade levels, and

something that the students have picked up on as well. Student C in second grade, there has been

a specific view of this kind of behavior. Before implementation, student C was one that was

considered low performing in comparison to his peers, but he also wasn’t very confident, and

didn’t try hard to improve himself. This went on until about the second week of brain break

implementation when it seemed like a lightbulb went off in his head, that he was falling behind

Brain Breaks 24

because of his off-task behavior. As the process of using these brain breaks continued, the

behavior of student C seemed to change drastically. He was once a low performing student who

would look around, or say, “I’m bored and don’t want to finish now” and was becoming one one

of the most on-task students in the class. The cooperating teacher began to realize that she was

having to remind him to get back to work less and less, and that the quality of his work was

improving as well. This positive behavior went on for the weeks that the brain breaks were used,

and he seemed to be enjoying them and making the most of them. However, since the last

implementation to the most recent week, student C has been reverting back to his original

behavior. He has been falling behind in work, and finds himself having to complete unfinished

assignments at later dates. This was interesting because he was so proud of himself when he was

able to keep up with the rest of the class, “Look! I finished it all! I did it all today” was a

common phrase he used during the brain break implementation. Unfortunately, nothing similar to

that has been used recently, and at the rate at which he is falling behind, it doesn’t seem like it

will be back soon. The reactions within the surveys, our own observations, and the example of

student C all show that the implementation of brain breaks did promote on-task behavior within

our classrooms throughout our inquiry process.

Discussion

Through this process we have concluded that brain breaks do have a positive impact on

student behavior and performance in the classroom. Many of our respective students responded

well to the brain breaks we implemented and expressed interest in their continued

implementation. Our inquiry has shown us how influential brain breaks can be on our students

work performances as well as how to better incorporate them to fit the needs and interests of our

students. It was a very enlightening experience to see the parallels between the information we

Brain Breaks 25

found during research and our own classroom observations.

As we implemented our brain breaks, we noticed a few trends in the students’ actions

before, during, and after the brain break. The majority of the students that were engaged in the

brain break were able to refocus themselves following the activity and finish their work in a

timely fashion. However, there were some exceptions that we saw. Some students that were off-

task or disinterested in the brain breaks continued demonstrating off-task behavior. Both student

A in Kindergarten and student A in first grade exemplified this tendency by consistently refusing

to participate and only conceding once the other students participated. However, these students

continued to talk to other students and engage in off-task behavior throughout the brain break.

Neither student was able to refocus after these occurrences (Appendix I). This is similar to the

research by Riley, McKevitt, Shriver & Allen, (2011) that states how students that are off-task

more frequently distract others during instruction and take away valuable learning time.

Therefore, we see the validity of the statements made about how important it is for teachers to

employ effective approaches to keep both the on-task students working, and refocusing the off-

task students to the activity at hand. The brain breaks that we implemented did not interest the

students previously mentioned, therefore, they primarily did not change their off-task behaviors.

And yet, for those students that did enjoy the brain breaks, they were able to effectively refocus

on their work.

Even though for some students the brain breaks were not as effective, for many others the

brain breaks encouraged student engagement and utilized movement in a way that enhanced

student work performance. Our observations of the students and their preferences of brain breaks

stated on their exit slips confirmed the research that students’ interests are powerful outlets for

keeping students on-task and involved in their work (Amato-Zech, Doepke & Hoff, 2006). The

Brain Breaks 26

students that wrote that they enjoyed the brain breaks exhibited more on-task behaviors than the

students that did not like the brain breaks. The students that did not wish to participate in the

activities and demonstrated off-task behaviors described their dissatisfaction in their exit slips

using statements such as “It was boring” and “I did not like it” (Appendix G). This supports

research that illustrates how students become off-task and disruptive when they are not

motivated by what they are doing (Almarode, 2008). If we had tailored our brain breaks to our

students’ interests instead of choosing two at the beginning, the students may have been more

engaged and on-task because the activities were ones they wanted to do rather than ones they

were told to do. Similar to research by Marzano (2011), we noticed that the incorporation of

movement through brain breaks within the classroom helped focus on increasing students’

energy that faltered after prolonged time spent on an assigned task.

Research and our own classroom experiences during this process have shown that

movement does assist students’ work performances (Almarode, 2008). Giving the students in our

classrooms a momentary pause from their designated tasks enabled them to refocus and

encouraged on-task engagement. Marzano (2011) described that movement can be any physical

action that the students carry out such as stretching or performing a skit. The majority of the

brain breaks that were utilized in the classroom incorporated movement as its’ key facet.

Although one of the brain breaks, “Pass the Mask,” was stationary, it allowed the students to

focus on something new before refocusing on their work. The students liked the movement

because it gave them a respite from their assigned task. Many students stated that they saw brain

breaks as beneficial to their performance, and our observations confirmed that. During our

implementation, the majority of students were able to focus on their work and complete

assignments in a timely manner. In the post-brain break period, many of the students did not

Brain Breaks 27

focus as well as they had when we were implementing the brain breaks. Some students even

asked if we would be doing the brain breaks during this period and were disappointed when we

said no. Once we stopped implementing brain breaks in our classrooms, the off-task behavior of

the students greatly increased. This is reflective of research on how prolonged focus in a

stationary position is deficient to students learning because they are more likely to become off-

task or disruptive (Jensen, 2000).

It was very interesting to see how the actions we as teachers take can be impactful on the

students’ abilities to focus on assigned tasks. By implementing brain breaks that most students

were enthused about and participated in, they were able to showcase more on-task behaviors and

improve work performance. Our experiences in the classroom validated the research we found

that describes how influential movement and interest are on students’ work performances.

Through this inquiry we have concluded that brain breaks do have a positive impact on student

behavior and performance in the classroom, but need to be tailored to the classroom students so

that all may become engaged and on-task.

Conclusion

The use of brain breaks was such a success, that we have decided that their implications

in our future classrooms is imperative. There were some struggles in the younger grades when

implementing brain breaks, therefore we may be hesitant to do them with students in

Kindergarten and younger. However, the integration of movement and/or song within a lesson

would be a positive alternative. We also felt that when choosing to do brain breaks, they should

be done more often than only a few times a year. The same brain breaks should be used multiple

times throughout a week’s time. Changing up the brain breaks too often may cause confusion as

well, therefore, using only a few with the students throughout the year will probably yield the

Brain Breaks 28

best results.

We felt that our inquiry project as a whole was successful, and while it didn’t go as

planned every step of the way, it was a great learning experience. But, there were some questions

and ideas that we still had after the project was over. We questioned what kinds of brain breaks

we would then try to implement with older grades as a whole class. Before we had chosen the

brain breaks for our project, we didn’t know what age of students we were going to be working

with. When we found out they were the primary elementary grades, we were taken aback and

frustrated. We had originally requested older grades because we felt we would be able to see

more change in those students. Looking back on it however, all of our brain breaks were directed

specifically to the younger grades, and we don’t know how we would differentiate it to the older

students. Would we try to eliminate songs? Would we need to change our survey and direct it

more to their interests? Would there be more trial and error to find the brain breaks that they

like? We aren’t sure what kinds of interests students will have when they are participating in a

brain break. They should be able to relieve their brain completely, but it is sometimes hard to

keep older students from feeling like they are “too cool” to participate in goofy actions. We do

believe that the brain breaks will be just as effective with older grades, but the predicament will

be the types of brain breaks that are implemented.

Overall, the process of the project was laid out well and collecting data was consistent

and constant. We wanted to test to see how brain breaks affect the off-task behavior of students;

a problem that we have all seen in our past. Through surveys, exit slips, and our own

observations of the students we were able to get a sense of their thoughts and feelings on these

brain breaks. Across all three grades the brain breaks were a success. We were seeing positive

changes in the student’s behaviors as they were becoming more on-task in the subjects they had

Brain Breaks 29

previously identified themselves as off-task. The students became interested and enthusiastic

during the brain break implementation, and were improving drastically. Since the

implementation, the students have missed the brain breaks therefore have become more off-task,

and uninterested in the content being taught. The opportunity to work with the students in this

manner was positive for their behavior, but also in our personal experiences in our classrooms

and we will be sad when the time comes to say goodbye to them all.

References

Acker, M., & O'Leary, S. (1987). Effects of reprimands and praise on appropriate behavior in the

classroom. Journal Of Abnormal Child Psychology, 15(4), 549-557.

Brain Breaks 30

Almarode, J., & Almarode, D. (2008). Energizing students. Science Teacher, 75(9), 32-35.

Amato-Zech, N.A., Hoff, K.E., & Doepke, K.J. (2006). Increasing on-task

behavior in the classroom: Extension of self-monitoring strategies. Psychology In The

Schools, 43(2), 211-221.

Babyak, A.E., Luze, G.J., Kamps, D.M. (2000). The good student game:

Behavior management for diverse classrooms. Intervention In School and Clinic, 35(4),

216-223.

Braniff, C. (2011). Perceptions of an active classroom: Exploration of movement and

collaboration with fourth grade students. Networks, 13(1), 1-6.

Creswell, J.W. (2012). Survey designs. Educational research: Planning, Conducting, and

Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research (4th ed., p. 385-390). Boston:

Pearson Education Incorporation.

Dana, N.F., & Yendol-Hoppey, D. (2009). The reflective educator’s guide to classroom

research:

Learning to teach and teaching to learn through practitioner inquiry (2nd ed.). Thousand

Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Gaus, M.D., & Simpson, C.G. (2009). Integrating physical activity into academic pursuits.

Kappa Delta Record, 45(2), 88-91.

Jablon, J.R., & Wilkinson, M. (2006). Using engagement strategies to facilitate children’s

learning and success. Young Children, 61(2), 1-5.

Jensen, E. (2000). Moving with the brain in mind. Educational Leadership, 34-37.

Lampi, A. R., Fenty, N. S., & Beaunae, C. (2005). Making the three ps easier: Praise, proximity,

and precorrection. Beyond Behavior, 15(1), 8-12.

Mahar, M., Murphy, S., Rowe, D., Golden, J., Shields, A., & Raedeke, T. (2006). Effects of a

Brain Breaks 31

classroom-based program on physical activity and on-task behavior. Medicine & Science

In Sports & Exercise, 38(12), 2086-2094.

Martin, D. J. (2012). Elementary science methods. A constructivist approach (6th ed.).

Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Marzano, R.J. (2012). Art & science of teaching: A moving proposal. Educational leadership,

69(7), 88-89.

Riley, J. L., McKevitt, B. C., Shriver, M. D., & Allen, K. D. (2011). Increasing on-task

behavior using teacher attention delivered on a fixed-time schedule. Journal Of

Behavioral Education, 20(3), 149-162. doi:10.1007/s10864-011-9132-y

Roser, S.L. (2009). Energizers! 88 quick movement activities that refresh and refocus k-6. Turner

Falls, MA: Northwest Foundation for Children, Inc.

Simon says: Follow directions. (2013). Family Education. Retrieved from Pearson Education,

Inc.

http://school.familyeducation.com/preschool/activity/30334.html

Appendices

Appendix A: Empirical Chart

Citation Data Collection and Analysis Results/Findings

Acker, Maureen M., & O’Leary, Sample: Nine students (eight The different trials consisted of

Brain Breaks 32

Susan G. (1987). Effects of Reprimands and Praise on Appropriate Behavior in the Classroom. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 15(4), 549-557.

boys and one girl) attending a special summer reading program. One appropriate behavior in the classroom.Research?: Does the addition of positive consequences to reprimands at the beginning of classroom increase on-task behavior?Data: Visual observation of students and teachers daily in independent seat work, reading groups, and supervised seat work for a total of 1 hour and 15 minutes behind a one-way mirror. These observations were rotated randomly amongst the nine students.Analysis: grader, four second graders, three third graders, and one fourth grader.Purpose: Examine the effects of reprimands and praise on

reprimands with no praise, reprimands with praise, reprimands with increased praise, and no reprimands and no praise. No reprimands with praise and reprimands with praise were conducted twice to examine the prolonged affect of the intervention.For most of the time, the percent of students on task was between 70 and 85%. However, during the no reprimands/no praise and no reprimands with praise trials the student’s on-task behavior dropped significantly. This showed that when there was no reprimanding of off-task behavior, students were less hesitant to get off-task.

Allen, Keith D., McKevitt, Brian C., Riley, Jessica L., Shriver, Mark D. (2011). Increasing On-task Behavior Using Teacher Attention Delivered on a Fixed-Time Schedule. J Behav Educ, 20(), 149-162. doi: 10.1007/s10864-011-9132-y

Sample: Two 7-year-old elementary school students, one male and one female, and their teacher.Purpose: Examine the effectiveness of the delivery of fixed time attention to the increase in on-task behavior and co-occurring reduction in off-task behavior in general education students.Research ?: Does individual attention to students on a fixed-time schedule increase their on-task behavior?Data: The teacher provided attention to each student about every 5 minutes during baseline intervention. The teacher alternated providing attention to each student first.Analysis:

Throughout the baseline time, the rate of attention when giving praise and redirection was extremely low for both the male and female. Similarly, during the intervention, the rate of attention had immediate increase. The students enjoyed when praise outnumbered the amount of redirection being conducted throughout a lesson.

Almarode, J. & Almarode, D. (2008). Energizing students: Maximizing student attention and engagement in the science classroom. Science Teacher, 7(9), 32-35.

Sample:?Purpose: The article describes one way to accomplish students paying better attention and remembering more of their learning is using energizers in the classroom. Using neuroscience research on how

Energizers not only add excitement and novelty to the science classroom but also are needed by student brains. They are easy to integrate into instruction and take up minimal instruction time. With content-based energizers even less

Brain Breaks 33

the brain focuses, teachers can apply specific strategies to maximize student engagement and attention.Research: This is tentantive brain research taken from multiple sources that could possibly change with new neuroscience evidence.Data: The student brain can pay attention for approximately 15 minutes before needing a break. The brain requires downtime to process, organize, and consolidate learning. When these limitations are ignored, students are more likely to disengage, become classroom disruptions, or forget the material (and teacher are more likely to become frustrated from having to re-teach!) Using energizers provides the brain with the break and neurologivcal jump start needed for further instruction. The use of energizers allows the classroom teacher to maximize student input and attentional systems, without exceeding the limitations on the brain. In the end, students will stay engaged and remember more of the material being taught. An energizer is a 1-3 minute activity that can be based on content or may be a complete break from instructional topics. The student brain likes energizers because they provide the necessary breaks for better learning. Energizers positively influence the brain in four ways: increasing blood flow, oxygen levels, and glucose, upping dopamine and norepinephrine levels, providing time off-task for the input system, and stimulating the attentional system of the brain. Energizers allow the input systems of the brain to relax and take time off. The “press” component of learning is the taking in of new information and the “release” is the energizer. When new info enters the brain,

instructional time is lost, and any lost time is made up in added student engagement and attention. Teachers can make disruptive students part of the activity by letting them select ant energizer, which may make them feel more a part of the classroom and thus more likely to stay engaged. Taking the time to use energizers will provide great benefits to both teachers and students in the long run.

Brain Breaks 34

time needed for that new information r to organize itself can be provided with energizers. When an energizer is novel to students, the attenional system of the brain, including the frontal lobes and hippocampus, are provided with a jolt of energy that allows for better focus and attention. In particular, the reticular activation system (RAS) located just below th base of the brain is more active in novel situations. One solution to teachers apprehension about implementing energizers is to break the energizer down into multiple, structured steps and do a little bit at a time. There are eight energizers that are quick and effective strategies that will meet the needs fo the student brain while easing some of the pressures felt by conent area teachers. These include stretch breaks, relocate, moving multiple-choice, human graph, ball toss, snowball fight, up close and personal, and spell it out.Analysis:

Amato-Zech, Natalie A., Hoff, Kathryn E., & Doepke, Karla J. (2006). Increasing On-task Behavior in the Classroom: Extension of self monitoring strategies. Wiley Interscience, 43(2), 211-219.

Sample: Three elementary-aged students in a special education classroomPurpose: Examine the effectiveness of a tactile self-monitoring prompt to increase on-task behaviors.Research ?: Would the use of The MotivAider as a self-monitor, and self-recording of behavior increase time on task?Data: Interval recording system through direct observations 15 minutes per day two-three times per week done by observer. Students self-reported themselves every time the MotivAider went off.Analysis:

Before the experiment took place, all of the participants displayed a constant lack of on-task behavior in the classroom. Each time the trials took place, all of the participant’s behaviors increased to above 90%.Overall, the effectiveness of the MotivAider not only helped the students to stay on task, but allowed for little stress on teachers. Much of the work was done by the students to self-monitor their behaviors throughout the day. In the end, the acceptability ratings were also very high amongst school staff.

Babyak, Allison E., Luze, Gayle J., Kamps, Debra M. (2000). The Good Student Game: Behavior

Sample: Three upper elementary classroomsPurpose: Implementing the

The intervals took place in 30 second intervals within the three elementary classrooms.

Brain Breaks 35

management for diverse classrooms. Intervention in School and Clinic, 35(4), 216-223.

‘Good Student Game’ to help students monitor appropriate classroom behaviors.Research ?: How effective is the ‘Good Student Game’ in keeping students in their seats and working quietly?Data: Observing how many students gain marks when they break a rule.Analysis:

During the baseline time, students exuding good behavior was just above 50%. However, every time the ‘Good Student Game’ was implemented, all of the classes participating had at least a 25% increase in their good behavior. Consequently, the behavior did not extend when the game was removed, and their behavior returned to baseline.

Braniff, C. (2011). Perceptions of an active classroom: Exploration of movement and collaboration with fourth grade students. Networks, 13(1), 1-6.

Sample: 19 fourth grade students from a rural, working and middle class community in the Midwest.Purpose: To examine how exercise and movement inside the classroom impacted students’ learning.Research: What strategies can teachers utilize inside of the classroom to improve student learning? What learning activities can students participate in to keep them on-task?Data: Observations, surveys & journal entriesAnalysis: Organized data into themes and/or categories.

-By incorporating movement inside of the classroom, students were able to remain on-task and “attentive” to classroom instruction (Braniff, 4). -Students’ quality of work increased through moving around the classroom to various locations to complete several learning activities. -Through incorporating “Energizers” in the classroom, stress and anxiety among the students was reduced.

Gaus, M.D., & Simpson, C.G. (2012). Integrating physical activity into academic pursuits. Kappa Delta Record, 45(2), 88-91.

Sample: Elementary school children of the 21st century.Purpose: To examine how we can incorporate physical activity across academic disciplines.Research: How can teachers incorporate physical activity/movement in all academic areas? What are the benefits of movement inside of the classroom?Data: N/AAnalysis: N/A

-Through implementing physical activity inside of the classroom children perform better academically. -By incorporating physical activity five to ten minutes a few times throughout the day inside the classroom, children’s health and well-being can improve. -By incorporating movement inside of the classroom, students’ tend to stay more focused.

Jablon, J.R., & Wilkinson, M. (2006). Using engagement strategies to facilitate children’s learning and success. Young Children, 61(2), 1-5.

Sample: K-3 teachersPurpose: The effect of implementing a variety of teaching strategies to keep students’ engaged.Research: What teaching

-As children progress through each grade level in school, disengagement of learning increases each year. -The use of engagement

Brain Breaks 36

strategies can be utilized inside of the classroom to keep students’ engaged and on-task? What are the characteristics of engaging experiences?Data: Observations, interviews & questionnaires.Analysis: N/A

strategies inside of the classroom assists children in building their confidence and skills, academically (Jablon & Wilkinson, 2006).

Jensen, Eric. (2000). Moving With the Brain in Mind. Educational Leadership, 34-37.

Sample: Students in classrooms that sit for long periods of time.Purpose: Examine the enhancement of on-task behavior through movement throughout the class day.Research ?: What is the role of movement in learning? What ways can be incorporated within a lesson?Data: Viewing the affect of student’s learning ability from sitting to standing.Analysis:

Learning while staying active has many more advantages than inactive learning.

Lampi, A. R., Fenty, N. S., & Beaunae, C. (2005). Making the three ps easier: Praise, proximity, and precorrection. Beyond Behavior, 15(1), 8-12.

Sample:?Purpose: This paperwill specifically address student praise and two types of positive behavior supports: proximity and precorrection.Research: other studiesData:?Analysis: The combined use of praise, proximity, and precorrection can: (1) reduce problembehaviors; (2) prevent the likelihood of recurring problem behaviors; (3) increase academic engagementtime; and (4) increase the number of positive interactions between students and teachers. The result is an overall improvement in classroom climate, which is beneficial for both studentsand teachers.

Praise is a useful classroomtool for several reasons. First, it is free. Second, when usedcorrectly, praise functions to improve teacher-student relationships. Besides being free and improvingteacher-student relationships, praise has been shown to both increase on-task behavior and reduce problem behavior. Research suggests that praise not only increases appropriate behaviors but also prevents further deterioration of students with inappropriate behaviors. The article discusses when and how to use good praise. Teacher/student proximity isreported in the literature as an effective classroom management strategy for keeping students on task, making smooth transitions from one task to another, and decreasing playground problems at recess (Colvin, Sugai, Good, & Lee, 1997; Lewis, Colvin, & Sugai, 2000). Teacher/student proximity has also been used as a way to effectively include students with emotional and

Brain Breaks 37

behavioral disorders in general education settings (Conroy, Asmus, Ladwig, Sellers, & Valcante, 2004; DePry & Sugai, 2002). classroom management strategy not only heightens the teacher’s awareness of the classroom but also increases the involvement level of the students. There are a number of ways that proximity contributes to a well managed classroom and decreases problem behavior in students. First of all, when a teacher is circulating around the room interacting with and monitoring her students, she is, bydefinition, more engaged and involved with her class. She can see if students are on task, if they are in need of help, and she can also see situations that are potentially volatile and prevent problems before they occur. . Proximity is also an effectivestrategy to use on the playground to decrease problem behaviorsand increase safety for students during recess (Lewis et al., 2000). When teachers and recess monitors use proximity as a playground management strategy, they are more available for students because they walk around the playground, mingle with students, and avoid extended conversations with other adults. Proximity also creates smoother transitions from recess back into theclassroom as teachers accompany students to their rooms, prompting them and preparing them to settle intotheir seats quickly. The article discusses how to use teacher proximity. Precorrection is the opposite of correction in that it is proactive. Precorrection is associated with what happens directly before an expected behavior, whereas correction is associated with what happens directly after an inappropriate

Brain Breaks 38

behavior (Colvin, Sugai, & Patching, 1993). The proactive nature ofprecorrection has several associated positive outcomes. First, precorrection decreases the amounts of time teachers spend in redirection and correction after mistakes and inappropriate behaviors have occurred. Second, recorrection prevents repetition of the wrong behavior. In order to promote good behavior, students should be practicing the appropriate behavior. Third, precorrection sets upsituations in which teachers can use praise to reinforce the appropriate behavior (Colvin et al., 1993). Finally, precorrection createsa more positive climate in theclassroom because less punitive methods are required. The downward spiral of inappropriate behaviors and corrections leads to more inappropriate behaviors and more corrections; on the other hand, the upward spiral of appropriate behavior and reinforcement leads to more appropriate behaviors (Fry, 1983). The article suggests how to use precorrection.

Mahar, M., Murphy, S., Rowe, D., Golden, J., Shields, A., & Raedeke, T. (2006). Effects of a classroom-based program on physical activity and on-task behavior. Medicine & Science In Sports & Exercise, 38(12), 2086-2094.

Sample: 243 elementary public school students from kindergarten to fourth grade.Purpose: To evaluate the effects of a classroom-based physical activity program on children’s in-school physical activity levels and on-task behavior during academic instruction.Research: What effects does incorporating an “Energizers” program in the classroom have on students’ physical activity and on-task behavior?Data: Classroom observations, LSD tests & the utilization of pedometers.Analysis: Data comparison

-Incorporating the “Energizers” program in an elementary based classroom proved to be effective on keeping students’ on-task during class time. -Incorporating the “Energizers” program in an elementary based classroom proved to be effective in increasing students’ physical activity throughout the school day. -From implementing the “Energizers” program, on-task behavior of students’ increased by 8% (Mahar, Murphy, Rowe,

Brain Breaks 39

amongst students in the control and intervention classes. The size of the mean differences was evaluated with Cohen’s delta. On task-behavior was calculated through repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA).

Golden, et al., 2006). -Students who were “the least on-task students improved on-task behavior by 20%” after the “Energizer” program was incorporating into the classroom (Mahar, Murphy, Rowe, Golden, et al., p. 2086).

Marzano, R.J. (2012). Art & science of teaching: A moving proposal. Educational leadership, 69(7), 88-89.

Sample: Researchers of this topic.Purpose: The affect on movement inside the classroom on students’ engagement, attention, and on-task behaviors.Research: How does moving in the classroom improve a student academically, physically, and socially? What resources can teachers rely on to incorporate “brain breaks” into the classroom in every subject?Data: N/AAnalysis: N/A

-Through applying brain research into activities that require movement, teachers can incorporate movement that will stimulate both hemispheres of the brain (Marzano, 2012). -Movement in the classroom keeps students’ engaged.

Wadsworth, D., Robinson, L., Beckham, K., & Webster, K. (2012). Break for physical activity: Incorporating classroom-based physical activity breaks into preschools. Early Childhood Education Journal, 39(6), 391-395. doi:10.1007/s10643-011-0478-5

Sample:To determine the effect of the activity breaks on physicalactivity levels in preschoolers we implemented this programin two rural, subsidized child care centers located inthe Southeastern United States.Purpose:Thepurpose of this paper is to provide a simple, cost-effectivemethod that incorporates structured physical activity intothe preschool curriculum through classroom based physicalactivity breaks. Results of a case study along with anoverview of the implementation of physical activity breaksare discussed.Research:We incorporated two, daily 10-min activity breaks (one inthe morning and one in the afternoon) into the preschooldaily schedule for childcare center A and one 10-minactivity break for preschool B. The morning activity breakwas implemented from 9:30 to

Although free play isimportant for young children, it is planned physical activitythat develops gross motor skills (Robinson and Goodway2009) and helps meet physical activity guidelines (Robinsonet al. 2010). Because most preschools utilize a center-basedcurriculum, classroom based physical activity breaks couldeasily be incorporated into the curriculum during transitionfrom one center to the next. Incorporating physical activitybreaks into the curriculum has shown increases in physicalactivity for elementary students during classroom activities(Mahar et al. 2006).The best time to implement a classroom basedphysical activity break is in-between two indoor activities,such as moving from small group activities to a large groupactivity. The physical activity breaks require little or noset-up depending on your

Brain Breaks 40

9:40 a.m. and the afternoonbreak was between 2:30 and 2:40 p.m. The breaksintegrated age-appropriate learning materials and involvedno physical equipment. The structure of the activity breaksconsisted of a 2-min introduction (warm-up), 6-min ofphysical movement, and a 2-min cool down.Data:Children wore accelerometers to determine the level ofphysical activity engagement during days that the breakswere and were not incorporated into the preschool curriculum.Accelerometers are small devices that detect theduration, frequency and intensity of movement. Objective measures of physicalactivity were frequently used at both child care centers andthe preschoolers were familiar with the protocol forattaching the elastic belts and were familiar with ourresearch team. Physical activity engagement was measuredover 4 days: two days with the breaks and two dayswithout the breaks. Parental consent and child assent wasreceived prior to participation.Analysis: Our results showed that the planned physical activitybreaks contributed significantly to time spent in MVPA. This case study approach showed that planned physicalactivity breaks contributed significantly to time spent inMVPA during the school day. The breaks contributed to amajority of time that children engaged in MVPA during theschool day, even though the children had outdoor free play.The children eagerly participated in the breaks and enjoyedbeing able to be active in the classroom. The breaks werenot disrupted and in fact helped

classroom space. Teachers willneed space for the children to move. Children need to be atleast an arm’s length away from each other. We dividedour breaks into three components: warm-up, physicalactivity portion and cool-down. The activities for thewarm-up are designed to increase breathing and heart rateslowly, whereas, the exercises for the cool-down portionare designed to return the participants to baseline or aresting state. The physical activity portion promoted age appropriatemovement activities. Keep in mind that theactivities were designed to elicit MVPA for this age group.Therefore, the primary goal of the physical activity breakswere about movement. Learning concepts such as listening,memory, math (i.e. counting) and language skills can beincorporated into the breaks, but the children should bemoving as much as possible. The children eagerly participated in the breaks and enjoyedbeing able to be active in the classroom. The breaks werenot disrupted and in fact helped children transition fromone activity to the next.

Brain Breaks 41

children transition fromone activity to the next. This is significant given thefact that the breaks incur no cost, require no equipment,require little effort by the teacher to implement, littletraining, and can be implemented in transition from oneactivity to the next. The goal of this case study was to determineif classroom based physical activity breaks are effectiveand can be implemented in a preschool setting. The findingsshow that the physical activity breaks were botheffective and feasible. The next step is to replicate thisstudy in a larger and more diverse sample.

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Appendix B: Consent Form/Summary

September 5, 2013

Dear Parent or Guardian,

As the graduate student in your child’s classroom from September 3, 2013 to December 5, 2013, I will be completing a required project that is part of the elementary teacher education program at James Madison University. The purpose of my project is to explore the types of ways to keep students on-task and engaged within their academics. Through my time in your child’s class, I will be conducting research in a variety of ways to gather evidence and eventually conclude final results. Recording or filming myself in the classroom is a valuable tool in studying the effectiveness of my own teaching. I am asking for your consent to photograph your child along with others in this class. I would also like your consent to copy samples of your child’s work with name omitted. The identities of your child, the teacher and school will remain confidential throughout my study. Not providing consent will not impair your child’s opportunities to participate in the project activities. Should you change your mind, you can rescind or activate this permission at any time. My project, possibly including pictures and/or video, will be shared with my professors, other teacher candidates and teachers. Once the original recordings have been studied, they will be destroyed. If you have any questions, you may contact me or insert cooperating teacher’s name at school or by email at _____(enter e-mail)______. My JMU instructor is Teresa Harris- harristt@jmu.edu and would be happy to answer any questions you have. Please complete the portion below and return it to ___(teacher’s name)____ or me by September 12, 2013. Thank you,

(Student name), (Cooperating Teacher name) (School name)

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Parental Consent Form

Please return to insert cooperating teacher’s name at insert school name by September 12,

2013

I, _________________________________, give consent for___________________________, (Parent/Guardian’s Name) (Child’s Name)

to be ( ) Audio recorded, ( ) Photographed.

( ) I also consent for samples of my child’s work to be copied for purposes of this project.

I understand that all recordings and copies will be used for educational purposes only. Names of

students, teachers and schools will be kept strictly confidential.

_________________________________________ _________________________

(Parent/Guardian Signature) (Date)

( ) I am interested in receiving a summary of the project.

Thank you very much!

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Appendix C: Explanation to Parents

To whom it may concern, I have compiled a summary of my project that I will be conducting in insert cooperating teacher’s name class for the fall that was requested. The purpose of this study is to explore the various methods that can aid in maintaining on-task behavior in a classroom. On-task is defined as actively working, sitting quietly and following directions, during the desired work time; comparably, off-task is defined as any negative motor, verbal or passive behavior being performed during the desired work time for a few consecutive seconds. The method I will focus specifically on is “brain breaks.” Brain breaks are rest periods within a lesson to allow a student’s brain to re-energize and refocus on the task at hand. As a pre-service teacher, I have been in multiple classrooms from Pre-Kindergarten to sixth grade. I have observed multiple occurrences of off-task behavior without a clear remedy enacted, and it made me consider the different ways to discourage off-task behavior. This topic is significant to teachers and the education field because this is a problem that affects all types of classes, and solving it can only benefit the engagement of their students. Thus far, I have just begun the process to completing this project, but the students have been completely willing to answer any questions that I may have for them. I am enjoying working with insert cooperating teacher's name and all of her students, and can’t wait to see what the rest of the semester has to offer.

Thank you for your concern with the project! [practicum student name], James Madison University

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Appendix D: Letter to Cooperating Teacher

September 3, 2013

Dear insert cooperating teacher’s name,

As part of obtaining my Masters in the Art of Teaching at James Madison University, I have to participate in an inquiry project with two other students this semester. The topic of our project is an educational question based on what we have seen in our practicum experiences thus far as well as our professional interest in the same educational field of inquiry. The question that we have chosen is, “How might brain breaks in the classroom affect students’ on-task behavior?” My group members and I specifically want to focus on the effects on students’ on-task behavior and academic performance after implementing brain breaks during a period of academic instruction. In order to answer this question, we plan to utilize a variety of strategies to obtain data throughout the semester including a collection of students’ classwork, observations, field notes and time samples. In addition, we plan to have your students complete surveys and exit slips in order to obtain our final results.

As a practicum student in your classroom, I will work with you on planning appropriate times for collecting data, implementing brain breaks, and sharing surveys and exit cards with your students. I do not want to interfere with your academic instruction, but I hope you understand the importance of my requirements associated with my Masters degree. In addition to learning from observing your teaching expertise with your class, I do want to utilize my inquiry project to better understand how to keep students on-task and engaged in their academic material throughout the school day. I want to thank you for welcoming me into your classroom, and I look forward to working with you this semester. If you have any questions in regards to my project, please don’t hesitate to contact me at insert email.

Respectfully Yours,

Insert your name & signature

Appendix E: Pre-Intervention Surveys

Kindergarten & First Grade

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Name_________________

Pre-Intervention Survey

1) How often does the teacher remind you to get back to your work?

a) 1-2 times

b) 3-4 times

c) 5-6 times

d) More than 6 times

2) Which brain breaks have you done in class before? Circle all that applies.

a) Songs b) Stretching

c) Dancing d) None of the above.

3) When have you done brain breaks?

a) Writing b) Reading

c) Math

4) Do you find yourself getting distracted in class?

a) Yes

b) No

5) a. If you get distracted in class, during what activity/subject do you not follow directions

the most?

b. If you don’t get distracted in class, during what activity/subject do you see students not

following directions the most?

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a) Writing b) Reading

c) Math

Second Grade

Name_________________________

1. How often are you reminded to get back to your work?

2. Have you done brain breaks in class before?

a. If so, when?

b. What kinds?

3. Do you find yourself getting off-task in class?

4. If you get off-task, at what time do you think this happens? How do you know?

Appendix F: Post-Intervention Surveys

Name________________________

1. Did you enjoy brain breaks (Yes/No)

2. Do you prefer this brain break or that brain break?

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3. Do you think that the brain breaks helped you pay attention more?

Appendix G: Exit Slips

Name_______________________

1. Did you enjoy the activity (Yes/No)

a. If yes, why?

b. If no, why not?

2. Do you think that it was long enough? (Yes/No)

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3. How would you have changed this brain break?

4. Did you find yourself more on-task or off-task after the brain break?

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Appendix H: Seating Charts

Kindergarten Seating Charts

*I did not utilize the seating chart template. My students move around the classroom frequently,

change tables for literacy centers, and meet at the carpet in unspecified spots for calendar time

and math. I originally attempted to use a seating chart but it was hard to track the students as they

moved around the classroom or changed positions on the carpet. It was easier and more effective

to record data using a table chart and recording what each individual student was doing at

specified times.

Subjects the students stated they were most off-task during)

A (stated “all” - Math, Literacy, Calendar)

B (stated “all” - Math, Literacy, Calendar)

C (Calendar)

D (stated none)

E (stated both Math and Literacy)

F (stated none)

Organizational Key to Table Chart

Looking around – L

Fiddling – F

Talking – T

Head down – H

Raised hand – ✔

Attempted to answer a question – ?

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On-task – ★

September 12, 2013

Calendar Time—sitting at carpet as Mrs. Ba does morning meeting, daily calendar, what’s

the weather chart, sentence of the day, and math content instruction

8:40, 8:42, 8:44, 8:46, 8:48, 8:50, 8:52, 8:54, 8:56

A: T, T, ★, T, ?, ★, ★, T, T

B: T, ★, ★, ✔,✔, ★, ★, F, T

C T, F, ★, ✔,F, ★, ★, ★, T

D: F, ★, ★, T, ★, L, ★, ★, T

E: T, ★, ★, ✔,?, ★, ★, ★, ★

F: ★, ★, ★, ✔,T, T, ★, ★, ★

October 10, 2013

Calendar Time—sitting at carpet as Mrs. Ba does morning meeting, daily calendar, what’s

the weather chart, sentence of the day, and math content instruction

8:40, 8:42, 8:44, 8:46, 8:48, 8:50, 8:52, 8:54, 8:56

A: ★, ★, ★, F, F, ★, T, ★, ★

B: ★, ✔,★, T, ★, ★, ★, T, ★

C: ★, ✔, ★, ★, T, ★,T,T, ✔

D: ★, ★, ★, T, T, T, L,★,★

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E: ★, T, ★, L, ★, ✔ ,✔,★, ★

F: ★, T, ★,L, ★, ★, ★, ★, ★

October 24, 2013

Calendar Time—sitting at carpet as Mrs. Ba does morning meeting, daily calendar, what’s

the weather chart, sentence of the day, and math content instruction

8:40, 8:42, 8:44, 8:46, 8:48, 8:50, 8:52, 8:54, 8:56

A: L, F, F, ★, ★, ★, ★, T, T

B: F, L, F, ✔, L, ★, ★, ★, ★

C: ✔, ★, ★, ★, ?, ★, ★, ★, ★

D: ★, ★, F,F, T,★, ★, ★, ★

E: ✔, ★, ★, ★, ★, ★, L, F, F

F: ★, F, ★, ★, L, ★, ★, ★, ★

This is the original attempt at creating a seating chart similar to the ones of my partners. The sporadic note taking and chaotic attempt to mark down the students’ movements made this seating chart less applicable to my classroom. The switch to a table chart was the most effective way to record data.

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Brain Breaks 54

First Grade Seating Charts

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Brain Breaks 56

Second Grade Seating Charts

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Brain Breaks 58

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Appendix I: Reflective Journals

Name: Emily Richwine Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes Weeks: 1 & 3

Daily Reflection

Week 1: My day was very busy. My cooperating teacher was performing PALS testing throughout the day so the assistant teacher was performing most of the lessons. As my cooperating teacher pulled students out to the hall for testing, I was working with students to complete assignments they had not finished and running a small group. I was unable to perform my brain break that day as I did not have the opportunity to work with each of the students in my sample. I was very disappointed about not having the opportunity to enact a brain break as this was the first day to do so.Day 2: I performed my brain break after lunch and before the students packed up their papers from the day. The students were loudly talking to one another and sitting at the carpet. I had them all stand up and began the brain break by telling them that we are going to do a fun dancing activity: Head Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. I asked if they had done this type of activity before and a lot of them verbally replied yes. I began the activity and many of the students participated with one exception. Later, when I asked Student A why he did not do the activity, he told me that he did not want to do it because it is “boring”.Week 3: I performed my brain break at the end of calendar time and during the transition to math time. The students were loudly talking to one another and sitting at the carpet working on finding the next part of pattern sequences. I had them all stand up and told them that we were going to do the brain break: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. I told them that I we were going to change it a bit. After moving pencils, clipboards, and worksheets to their tables, I had the class form a circle on the carpet and then gave a specific role to everyone. I told the first person to put their hands on their head. I told the second person to put their hands on their shoulders. I told the third person to put their hands on their knees. I told the fourth person to put their hands on their toes before beginning with hands on their head for the fifth person. I did this until everyone had a role and explained that we would sing that part of the song and when their turn came they had to do their role. The first time we did it, some of the students started doing other students parts but, the second time we did it, the students smiled and were all able to do their parts in sequence. I asked them at the end what the pattern was and many of them stated orally “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.” All of the students participated.Day 2: I was unable to perform a brain break during calendar time or math time

Brain Breaks 60

because there were technical visitors to the classroom there to teach the students how to use iPads for alphabet, counting, and pattern instruction. This took up all of the time until the students went onto the computer lab at 9:30.

Brain Break Evaluation

Week 1: NONEDay 2: Description of Effectiveness: The brain break was performed at the end of the day before everyone packed up.This was not the best time to perform the brain break because I was unable to really see how it impacted their focus during work. However, I do believe that it made the transition easier from lunch to packing up because they were able to get some energy out. On other occasions, packing up can be pretty chaotic with the students running around and talking loudly to one another. The majority of the students seemed calmer (not yelling or running to their cubbies) once the brain break was done. Also, the majority of the students were smiling or talking to one another.A: He refused to participate. He simply stood beside the other students and watched. He crossed his arms then looked at me and the other students as we danced. When he was packing up, he ran to his cubby (like he has done during my past two visits) and talked loudly to Ur.B: She sang and laughed when performing the brain break. After it was over, she went to her cubby and packed up still giggling.C: He went to the classroom bathroom and then later walked to the cubby to retrieve his items. At his desk, he put his papers in his backpack.D: She sang and followed along brain break. She packed up quickly while excitedly talking with Ka at her cubby.E: He smiled and performed the brain break but did not sing. He smiled and looked at the other students during the activity. He later walked to his cubby and packing up while talking to Sa.F: She smiled and followed along during the brain break but did not sing. She packed up quietly and efficiently. After the activity she quickly went to her cubby, grabbed her papers, and brought them back to her desk before putting them in her backpack.

Week 3: Description of Effectiveness: The brain break was performed during math time to help students with understanding patterns.This was an effective brain break because the majority of the students smiled, laughed, and participated in the activity. It also helped reinforce their concepts of patterns.A: This was the first time Student A participated in a brain break. He was on-task before the brain break by working quietly on his worksheet at the carpet.

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During the brain break he asked to be given the “Head” part. After I agreed, he fully participated in each round and smiled throughout the activity. After the brain break ended, he said he “liked that one” and “we should do more of that”. He grabbed his work from the table and continued to work on it quietly. B: She was on-task before the brain break as she was quietly working on her worksheet. She smiled when performing the brain break. After it was over, she gathered her materials, sat down on the carpet, and continued working quietly.C: He followed along with the brain break and smiled. Once it ended, he sat down quickly and waited for Mrs. Ba to begin the story.D: She was off-task before the brain break by talking to K when she was working on her worksheet. During the brain break, she smiled and performed each move but did more moves than her part. The instructions may have been confusing for her but she was able to get it the second time. After the brain break, she took her materials to the carpet and began working quietly on her work.E: He was off-task before the brain break as he talking to Student C while working on his worksheet. He smiled when performing the brain break and moved really fast both times during his part. After it was over, he gathered her materials, sat down on the carpet, and continued working but still talked occasionally to the other students.F: She was on-task before the brain break as she was quietly working on her worksheet. She smiled and looked around at the other students when performing the brain break. After it was over, she gathered her materials, sat down on the carpet, and continued working quietly.Day 2: None

Name: Emily Richwine Clap, Clap, Clap Your Hands Week: 2 & 4

Daily Reflection

Week 2: I was unable to perform my brain break as I was focused on giving a lesson and speaking to my supervisor following the lesson.Day 2: I performed my brain break during literacy time. The students were loudly talking to one another at the carpet a few minutes before Mrs. Bair was going to read a story. I had them all stand up and told them that we were going to do the brain break: Clap, Clap, Clap Your Hands. I asked if they had done this type of activity before and they all said no. I began the activity and all but one of the students participated. I realized after I began that I should have modeled the song before I did it because some of the students were frowning and unsure

Brain Breaks 62

of what to do at the beginning. After the students realized that they had to follow my lead, they were smiling and enjoying the break.Week 4: I performed my brain break during math time. Student Any of the students were talking to one another and some were not doing their assigned work: writing the number of spiders on their worksheets. I had them all stand up and told them that we were going to do the brain break: Clap, Clap, Clap Your Hands. I began the activity and all of the students participated. I had the students perform very physical activities such as marching, running in place, and jumping up and down. The students were smiling as they performed the brain break. Afterward, the students began to work again but with less talking.Day 2: I performed my brain break during math time as the students were playing the acorn ten-frame game and completing a worksheet. Some of the students were walking around the classroom while others were talking. I had them all stand up and told them that we were going to do the brain break: Clap, Clap, Clap Your Hands. I began the activity and all of the students participated. I had the students perform physical activities such as waving their hands, snapping their fingers, and clapping. There were fewer students smiling than on Tuesday (October 22, 2013) as they completed their brain break but that could be because they were doing more stationary movements. Afterward, the students began to work again but no outward change in talking or walking around.

Brain Break Evaluation

Week 2: NONEDay 2: Description of Effectiveness: This brain break was performed during literacy before Mrs. Ba read a book to the class.This was an effective brain break because the majority of the students smiled, laughed, and participated in the activity. The only exception was Student A. He sat in a chair and waited until it was over to come to the carpet and sit down.Student A: He refused to participate. He sat in a chair and waited until it was over to come to the carpet and sit down.Student B: She smiled when performing the brain break. After it was over, she sat down on the carpet and continued to smile.Student C: He followed along with the brain break and smiled. Once it ended, he sat down quickly and waited for Mrs. Ba to begin the story.Student D: She followed along with the brain break and laughed when she had to run in place. She sat down quickly once it was over and said, “That was fun.”Student E: He performed the brain break and smiled when was told to run in

Brain Breaks 63

place. He performed each motion really quickly and by the time the activity ended, he was breathing a little heavy but smiling. He sat down and waited patiently for Mrs. Ba to begin reading.Student F: She and Je faced each other and did the brain break looking at one another. When they were told to swing their arms, they laughed, looked at me to see the correct move, and then face each other to perform it.Week 4: Description of Effectiveness: The brain break was performed during math time.This was an effective brain break because all of the students smiled and participated in the activity.Student A: He participated in the brain break. He marched and ran in place really fast similar to many of the boys in the classroom. He was out of breath when he sat down at the end of the break. He was smiling so I believe he had fun.Student B: She smiled when performing the brain break. After it was over, she sat down on the carpet and continued to smile.Student C: He performed each movement really fast similar to many of the other boys in the classroom. Once it ended, he sat down quickly and continued working on his worksheet.Student D: She followed along with the brain break and laughed when she had to run in place. She sat down quickly once it was over and said, “That was fun.”Student E: He performed the brain break and smiled whenever he was told to run, march, and jump. He performed each motion really quickly. Once it was over, he sat down and continued working on his worksheet.Student F: She smiled as she performed it. She watched me the entire time and correctly mimicked my movements. After it was over, she sat down and continued working.Day 2: .Description of Effectiveness: This brain break was performed during math time.This was not as effective of a brain break because the students still talked and moved around similar to how they were doing prior to the brain break. This may have been because the movements were stationary while the ones on Tuesday had been very movement oriented.Student A: He participated in the brain break. However, he did not smile during the activity and talked to Ur during it. Once, the brain break ended, he did not immediately begin working but, instead, continued to talk to Ur.Student B: She smiled when performing the brain break. After it was over, she sat down on the carpet and started working. However, she would still talk to Student D, K, J, and Student F occasionally.

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Student C: He performed each movement as we did them as a group. He smiled as he performed them. Once the break ended, he sat down quickly and continued working on his worksheet.Student D: She followed along with the brain break and smiled as she did so. However, after she finished and sat down, she continued to talk to some of the other girls in class. Student E: He performed the brain break quickly and with a smile. Once it was over, he sat down and continued working on his worksheet but would occasionally stand up and wander around the classroom to do something else. Student F: She smiled as she performed it. She watched me the entire time and correctly mimicked my movements. After it was over, she sat down and continued working.

Name: Megan Geisel Simon Says Week: 1 & 3

Daily Reflection

Week 1: Today was the first day that I implemented a brain break in my first grade classroom. I was nervous, but also excited to see how the kids would respond to it. I implemented my first brain break during reading. From the pre-intervention survey reading was found to be the time of the day when the students felt most off-task. I implemented the brain break three times with three different groups of four to six students. I was with each reading group for about thirty minutes. After approximately fifteen minutes of instruction, I introduced my brain break, and implemented it with the students. After explaining and demonstrating the brain break, the students participated in doing one. I observed that the students were having fun, and that almost all of the students seemed to enjoy it. I was even having fun myself. After implementing the brain break, I went back to instructing reading to the group for the remainder of the available time. Most of the students seemed to refocus easily, and remain on-task. Day #2: Today was the second day that I implemented a brain break in my first grade classroom. It was the same brain break that I implemented the first day. The students seem to be enjoying “Simon Says.” The students seem to be really focusing on my commands in “Simon Says” because they don’t want to get out. Because this brain break lasts no more than one to two minutes, I have concluded through observation that the students are able to refocus and ease back into the learning activity easily after participation. I think if the brain break was longer, the students would be off-task and focused on wanting to play “Simon Says” again instead of returning to the instruction. I also think that if this brain break was implemented daily, instead of only Tuesday and Thursday when I am in practicum, the students would be more adjusted to it. They would consider it to

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be a part of their daily school schedule. Incorporating a brain break during reading groups is still very new to the students. I’m hoping during the next couple of weeks that the students adjust to the incorporation of brain breaks during their reading groups. Week 3: The third week of implementation was the best thus far. This week we did “Simon Says” again during reading groups. Because we were in the third week of implementation and they were now familiar with the game, the kids were not surprised during reading groups when I said approximately midway through the lesson that we were going to be playing “Simon Says.” The kids were enthusiastic, full of laughter, and overall having a great time. The brain break lasted no more than one to two minutes depending on the length of the game. After playing “Simon Says” the students were able to refocus and quickly get back to work with the exception of one-two students. I found the implementation of this brain break to be effective in refocusing the students in the continuation of the lesson with our reading groups. The only negative aspect that I have found thus far is not being in the classroom everyday to implement these brain breaks. It’s hard for students to see or benefit from the importance of a brain break when I am only in the classroom twice a week.

Brain Break Evaluation

Description of Effectiveness: I felt like the brain break was very effective in refocusing the students after a period of instruction. From the exit cards, the students all said that they felt on-task versus off-task after implementation. The students had fun and were able to get back to work after participating.Day #2- I felt that the brain break was very effective in refocusing students after a period of instruction. The students had fun and were able to get back to work after participating. The lowest reading group (which is a group of 3 boys and 1 girl) was the only group that I had a difficult time refocusing after the implementation of the brain break. At first two of the boys in the group refused to participate in the brain break. Once they saw however that two group members were participating and having fun, they joined in. However, afterwards they were rowdy, and it was hard to refocus them on continuing to work on the current task within their reading group (Note: They also didn’t want to work and/or do the learning activity before the implementation of the brain break)

Week 3: I felt like the brain break was very effective in refocusing the students after a period of instruction. The kids have adjusted to the fact that we do a brain break during reading groups. As each group came to my station this

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week, they immediately asked if we were going to be playing “Simon Says.” From reflecting on my lessons this week, I observed that almost all of the students were able to r-focus on completing their work after implementation. Student A: At first he didn’t want to do it. He crossed his arms and said, “I don’t want to play. I’m not doing it.” Once he saw all of his other classmates in his reading group doing it, and seeing how much fun they were having, he joined in. Day #2: At first he didn’t want to do it again. He crossed his arms and said, “I don’t want to play. I’m not doing it.” Once he saw all of his other classmates in his reading group participating, and seeing how much fun that they were having, he joined in. This is the second time that he has refused to participate until he saw all of his classmates involved in the brain break. He was not able to refocus after implementation, choosing to fool around instead. Week #3: He was absent the first day. On day #2 he finally participated in the brain break without any hesitation and/or refusal. He joined in right away in comparison to week one. He loved it! He was smiling the entire time. After implementation he was able to refocus on finishing his reading activity without goofing off or receiving any reminders by the teacher. Student B: Enjoyed the brain break. After implementation I asked a question regarding the reading that we were focusing on in reading groups, and she immediately raised her hand with an answer. Day #2: Enjoyed the brain break. After implementation she was able to refocus on completing her “Ordering Sentences” worksheet.Week 3: She was able to completely focus after implementation. She sat there quietly working on the reading activity. She didn’t seem distracted at all. She was on-task the entire time. Student C: He loved it! He was smiling the entire time and asked if he could be the next leader. I said that he couldn’t because “brain breaks” are only supposed to be one to two minutes long. After implementation he asked when we could play again. Day #2: He seems to be really enjoying this brain break. Both times I have implemented the brain break thus far, he has been able to refocus on what we’re working on. Week 3: Unlike last week during the implementation of “Pass the Mask,” he was very focused. After implementation he went straight back to work on completing the learning activity. Student D: She really enjoyed it. She was smiling the entire time, and her facial expressions and body posture demonstrated that she was concentrating very hard on listening to the words coming out of my mouth so she wouldn’t make a mistake. Day #2: She really enjoyed it. She was smiling the entire time, and her facial expressions and body posture demonstrated that she was

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concentrating very hard on listening to the words coming out of my mouth so she wouldn’t make a mistake. She was able to refocus after implementation of the brain break. Week 3: She loved this brain break. She was on-task the entire time (before and after implementation). Student E: She was full of giggles, and laughing the entire time. She said, “Miss Geisel, this is so much fun! Can we do this all of the time?” Day #2: Loved the brain break. You could tell that she was concentrating very hard on my commands so that she wouldn’t make a mistake. After implementation she was able to complete her worksheet and remain on-task.Week 3: Remained on-task the entire time (before and after implementation). Student F: I could tell he was really concentrating on not making a mistake by being eliminated from the game. His face and body posture demonstrated that he was focused and determined. At the conclusion of the implementation of the brain break, he said, “Miss Geisel, can we play it again?” Day #2: I could tell he was very focused on not making a mistake and being eliminated from the game. His face and body posture demonstrated that he was focused and determined. After implementation he quickly finished his worksheet while everyone else in his reading group was still working. He assisted students who needed help in finishing their worksheets. Week 3: Was on-task before implementation. After I implemented the brain break however, he had loved the game so much that he was still laughing and asking me if we could do the brain break again. It took me a few minutes to get him to refocus.

Name: Megan Geisel Pass the Mask Week: 2 & 4

Daily Reflection

Week 2: The second week of implementation went very well. I introduced a new “brain break” to each reading group today that they really loved. It was a “brain break” that was quiet yet fun. Each reading group is thirty minutes. I decided the best time to introduce and implement the new brain break was after 15 minutes of direct instruction with the students. After introducing and doing the brain break with the students, I found through observing the students that they generally were able to refocus. There was only one group that I had a difficult time with refocusing after the brain break. They were laughing and fooling around instead of focusing on the learning activity we had to finish. Overall, however, I felt the brain break was very effective. Week 4: The last week of implementation went great! The students have grown accustomed to brain breaks during reading groups, and I have seen results in regards to on-task behavior versus off-task. The students are able to

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refocus quickly to the current task after implementation. I have observed that after a period of instruction when the reading group is working individually, students are looking around the room, talking to friends, and/or not completing the work to their fullest potential. After implementing the brain break, however, I have seen their return to focusing back on the work to be positive. They seem to be concentrating in terms of completely focusing on finishing their current assignment. At times reading groups can be boring for the students depending on their interest regarding the activity that we’re doing and/or in relation to how they are feeling that day. By implementing these brain breaks, it not only gets them excited, but it also has positively influenced every student. Thus far the implementation of brain breaks has been a positive influence on these first grade students.

Brain Break Evaluation

Description of Effectiveness: I felt like the brain break was very effective in refocusing the students after a period of instruction. From the exit cards the students all said that they felt on-task versus off-task after implementation. In addition, several students quoted that they loved this brain break. I enjoyed implementing this brain break, but I feel like it will be more effective once the students have been exposed to it more than once.Week 4: I felt like the brain break was very effective in refocusing the students after a period of instruction. The kids have adjusted to the fact that we do a brain break during reading groups. Every time we do reading groups, the students know immediately that at some point during the thirty minute time period, we will be doing some type of “brain break.” They ask me questions like, “Are we doing a brain break today? Can we play this?” I have observed that thirty minutes for a reading group can be long and boring for students in first grade. From implementing this brain break it boosts their energy, and allows them to finish the task sufficiently and in a timely matter versus when there isn’t any brain break. I have also observed when no brain break is implemented that the students have to constantly be reminded to focus and complete their work because they get easily distracted by other students around them. Student A: Like the other brain break, he did not want to play at first. However, once he saw his group members playing, he decided to join in. After implementation, I felt like he was more off-task versus on-task. He was laughing, talking, and not focusing on the current learning activity. I had a difficult time getting his attention. Summarizing his behavior after the brain break, he became completely off-task and unfocused. Week 4: It’s hard to implement any type of brain break with this student. During this brain break he does inappropriate faces and fools around. I have

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observed that he is more distracted and off-task after implementation. He is laughing, and it’s hard for him to refocus. Student B: She was able to completely focus after implementation. She sat there quietly working on the reading activity. She didn’t seem distracted at all. She was on-task the entire time. Week 4: She was able to completely focus after implementation. She sat there quietly working on the reading activity. She didn’t seem distracted at all. She was on-task the entire time. Student C: Was very off-task before implementation. He was calling out, laughing, and talking over me. After implementation however, I observed that he became more focused. He was completing his learning activity quietly at a good working pace.Week 4: Unlike last week, he was very focused. After implementation, he went straight back to work on completing the current learning activity. Student D: She loved this brain break. She was on-task the entire time both before and after the implementation of the brain break. Student E: Remained on-task the entire time both before and after the implementation of the brain break. Student F: Loved this brain break! He was smiling, laughing, and overall seemed to be enjoying himself. He was able to immediately get back on-task after implementation.Week 4: Was on-task before implementation. After I implemented the brain break however, he loved the game so much that he was still laughing and asking me if we could do the brain break again. It took me about one to two minutes to get him to refocus.

Name: Kara McGovern Pop & Flop Week: 1 & 3

Daily Reflection

Week 1: Overall, the students took much longer than anticipated. We never got a chance to do the “flop” portion of the brain break, because the “pop”s took too long. Students couldn’t remember to start at 7 after “pop,” and many tried to start over with 1. In the end, students ended up being alone standing somehow, and I had to play with them. In the end, we all “flopped” in our seats together, because there wasn’t enough time to do it individually. This was done right after recess, so they were still wound up, but once it was time for their next subject, they seemed to be on task for the most part. Day #2: It went faster than the first day, but we still weren’t able to “flop” individually. However, when I brought up the “pop & flop” activity, they were all very excited about it. This time though, it took them longer to settle down into their core class; I had to say that the popping and flopping was now over for the afternoon and then they seemed to focus. I think next time I will just

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start from the pop position and focus on the students flopping, that way they end sitting down. This just all took much longer than anticipated.

Week 3: The students have become much more accustomed to doing brain breaks throughout the day. This week the students were extra rowdy, so I kept in mind that the all of the other days we played “pop & flop” that they got more riled up. But, the class was actually very quiet during math time; they sat still and worked hard for almost 20 minutes straight. So, my cooperating teacher and I thought that it was a good time to get them moving. I did it differently this time, where we only did the “flop” portion, so everyone finished in their seats, which definitely worked out nicer. I wrote the numbers 10-1 on the board vertically, and the students knew the magic number was the number 1 because it was last and starred. I explained the directions, and tried to have more of a path for the order of students so they knew who came before them.

Brain Break Evaluation

Brain Break Title: Pop & FlopDescription of Effectiveness: Week 1:I think that overall, this brain break was something that most of the students enjoyed, and something that kept them on-task after the brain break was implemented. While the execution of the brain break didn’t go as planned, I believe that it benefited the students for the rest of their afternoons than it did hurt them. Week 3: Doing the brain break the way that I did the second time around was definitely more successful. Not only did the students perform the brain break better, but they were able to stay more on-task after the fact. As a class, they calmed down much faster and stayed in the structured mindset. It also went a lot faster, but there were the same students that were more difficult to contain throughout. I enjoyed doing the brain break this way and it is definitely something I can foresee using in the future. Student A: He could never remember the number that he was supposed to say next, and when it was him time to “pop” he couldn’t remember to say it. He definitely tried, and paid attention the entire time. Student B: He is always quieter than the other students in the class, so he wasn’t very vocal when saying his particular number out loud. He also didn’t seem very excited about popping, but he later said that he enjoyed the brain break.Student C: He is always a lot more excited about things, especially things that are different going on in the classroom. He tried very hard to keep his attention the entire time, and was giggling the whole time. He was upset when it was his turn to “pop” because he wanted to keep playing. Student D: Tried to get a laugh out of her peers by purposefully messing up the number count. She was not paying close attention to what was going on, and eventually I became frustrated with her. Student E: She was one of the students that was leftover at the end, and I had to play with her. It definitely seemed like she was upset and felt left out that

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she wasn’t able to finish the brain break in the way everyone else did. Student F: She was out in the first few rounds, but stayed attentive to the rest of the students and tried to help out her table mates when they weren’t paying attention.

Name: Kara McGovern Potato Potato Week: 2 &4

Daily Reflection Week 2: Today was a great day for this brain break because it was an indoor recess day, so this was the only time the students were able to move around. They definitely seemed more excited about this brain break than they did the “pop & flop” one. I found it interesting that they all wanted to get really close to me as we did it together. After they saw me do it first, for the most part they thought it looked really fun. As a group, we did it a total of 3 times. I wrote the words form, grate, and mash on the board, so they knew what order the words were going in. Every time, the anticipated the mashing part and they would get ahead of the words. I did it before their Social Studies lesson because they were really well behaved during their math lesson. I know that the lack of outdoor recess in the afternoon was going to set them off.

Week 4: This week, the students took their Native Americans test, so my teacher and I decided that after the test would be the best time to perform the brain break. I told them that this would be the last brain break, and they actually sounded bummed about it. When I told them that it was ‘potato potato’ though they seemed a lot more excited. I had them all stand in the back of the room instead of the front, which I had done in the past. One student who is very particular about things did not like that he was standing so close to other students. So, I told him that if he wanted to stand in the middle of the circle he could, and surprisingly he did. I asked who remembered the words, and who remembered the moves, and nearly all did. Another student acted like he didn’t want to take part, but he liked the mashing of the potato. When we did it twice in the beginning something sounded off, and that was because they knew the right tune that I taught them the first time and I accidentally changed it. We all corrected it, and then did it two more times, and the last time was whispering. Then they whispered back to their desks to get ready for writing time.

Brain Break Evaluation Week 2: I ended the brain break with one big “mash” since it was obvious that that was their favorite part. Then, on the way back to their seats they could quietly “mash” the potato by quietly

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stepping on the ground.

Week 4: At the end of this brain break, even though we realized we had messed up in the beginning, it all ended really well. During writing time, after the brain break, they all seemed to work well. They were all able to brainstorm together as a class for the writing prompt of all of the things we have done the first nine months of school. They were all able to write and draw in their journals for the rest of the afternoon. Student A: He really loved the brain break, and he was really into quietly mashing the potato back to his seat.Student B: He didn’t seem to enjoy this brain break as much as the first. He didn’t like how loud the class got, and would have preferred to stay in his seat.Student C: He stood near a group of boys during this and he got riled up during the mashing part. But, he is one that tends to get off task easily, and his eyes wander but he seemed very focused during the Social Studies lesson.Student D: She also didn’t seem to like this brain break as much as the last one. She was able to pay somewhat close attention to the Social Studies lesson after, but tried to share personal stories at odd times.Student E: She got right next to me during the brain break and seemed to really enjoy it in comparison to the first one. She pay lots of attention during the Social Studies read aloud and answered the questions my CT asked of the class.Student F: She seemed to complain in the beginning of the brain break because she didn’t think that she was going to have enough room. I think this kind of set her off for the rest of the afternoon because she was just itching to move around during the Social Studies lesson, but was still trying to focus the best she could.

Post-Intervention Journal Entries

Kindergarten

I believe that the brain breaks were effective in allowing the students to release some of

their energy. I noticed that my students in the two weeks after initiating the brain breaks that the

students were more off-task than they were when I was implementing brain breaks. The students

would work hard on their assignments but would often start talking to other students, fiddling

with pencils and other manipulatives, as well as be more likely to wander the classroom (moving

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around to different areas on the carpet or to walk around the classroom and be recalled). I believe

that the brain breaks I implemented helped the students release some energy before refocusing on

work whereas not having the brain breaks made the student more restless and likely to be

distracted. However, there are some factors that could also have impacted the students and made

them more restless. The students had Monday, October 28th and Tuesday, November 5th were

both days the students did not have to come to school. Wednesday, October 30th, the students

attended a school wide assembly which changed their schedule for a few hours. Thursday,

October 31st was Halloween and their normal schedule was changed drastically so that the

students could do fun activities in other classrooms. Each of these factors may have attributed.

Some activities they did not finish and really had to finish their work during their big center time

allotted for dramatic play, blocks, iPads.

First GradeDuring the last two weeks without implementing any type of brain break in the reading

groups I have noticed a difference in students’ behavior in relation to staying on-task for the

entire time period. The students have been very talkative. In addition the students have not been

finishing their assigned learning activities within each reading group time of thirty minutes.

Typically there is a ten to twelve minute period of instruction by the teacher, and then a two

minute period for modeling to the students what they are expected to do for their learning

activity. The rest of the time is designated for students to do individual work. Due to the fact that

the students have been talking and have not been paying attention during the time of direct

instruction by the teacher, available work minutes for some of the reading groups has decreased.

In addition, verbal reminders and warnings given by the teacher has also lessened the time

available for learning activities. Therefore, out of the four reading groups, I observed that three

of the four reading groups have become more off-task versus on-task. The fourth reading group

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has remained on-task throughout pre and post intervention and during intervention.

I believe if a brain break were implemented for one to two minutes every day during

reading groups, it would benefit each student on re-focusing on the current task. Through

implementing brain breaks twice a week, I have observed that the students are able to focus

more. Six and seven year olds can get off-task easily, especially when having to go to three

different reading stations that are each thirty minutes long. Through the implementation of brain

breaks during my reading groups Tuesday and Thursday, the students had fun, but were also able

to rest their brain, and re-energize their focus on what needed to be done during the rest of the

academic period. I believe that through using brain breaks during reading groups, the students’

work performance was positively influenced in relation to having their full focus on the

completion of the learning activities through the decrease of negative influences (i.e. talking)

which took away from available instructional time.

Second Grade

During the final few weeks in my second grade class and not implementing brain breaks

with the students around math time, I have noticed some very interesting aspects to their

behavior. At first, the students expected brain breaks, but when I sadly informed them that I was

going to be doing them anymore, I assumed that was going to be the end of their on-task

behaviors. Unfortunately, my assumption was more correct than I wanted it to be. The students

have not been able to stay on-task on their own throughout a math lesson since the brain break

implementation. The students have been exhibiting similar behaviors that they did before the

brain breaks; talking, looking around, falling behind. I have taken into account that they have

moved on to a more difficult unit, money, but that shouldn’t hinder their individual behaviors.

There have been many more reprimands, and instruction stoppage to eliminate the negative

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behavior of the students.

While there are students that have exhibited going back to their negative behavior, not all

of the class has done so. I have noticed that the students who were on-task and engaged in math

before, have continued their behavior after the brain breaks. These students seem to show more

interest in the topic, and seem to perform better than those that are acting out. However, there

does seem to be a general consensus of ingratitude towards the fact that the brain breaks have

stopped altogether. While the brain breaks were being implemented, there was much more

engagement from the students, and a better atmosphere during the math time. This leads me to

believe that the brain breaks helped the student’s academic performance and on-task behavior

only for that short amount of time; there were no prolonged positive effects. While they did work

during the math instruction time, I felt that they made the students a little rowdy during the

implementation. In the future, I would like to see brain breaks being used more often, over a

shorter period of time, and only when the teacher felt the students needed it, not on a schedule.

This is because I feel older students would be able to handle themselves better during a brain

break, it wouldn’t take away too much from instruction time, and so that the students didn’t feel

dependent on them at the same time everyday.

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Appendix J: Field Notes

Kindergarten-September 19, 2013- Mrs. Bair takes a very active and direct role in her

management of off-task behavior. When one of the students was walking around the classroom,

she asked them to sit down on the carpet. When students were talking during the moment of

silence, she said, “Be super quiet for the moment of silence.” When students were playing with

toys, she would tell them to put them in their cubbies. She also would call their name to gather

attention and then tell them what they should be doing instead of playing. If students moved

around the room while she was teaching or giving directions, she would call the students’ names,

ask them what they are doing, ask them what they should be doing, and then tell them to focus

on the task at hand. If students were talking and she wanted their attention, she would raise her

voice over theirs to gain their attention. She would also compliment and reward the students that

were on-task in order to motivate off-task students to being on-task. She would also whisper to

an individual child and tell them that they should get back to the task at hand. During her read

aloud when students were talking instead of listening, she closed the book and told them that she

would wait until everyone was quiet before she continued reading. Another way she responded

to off-task behavior would be to tell the students that their off-task behavior made her “sad” and

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she would feel better if they stopped doing it.

September 24, 2013-I was absent on September 17th so I took field notes on September 24th.

In response to student off-task behavior during whole group work, Mrs. Bair told the group that

she was proud of how well some of the children were behaving and rewarded them. When asked

by others who were not on task if they would also be rewarded, she told them that she would

only giving pompoms to those she saw doing what they needed to do. When one of the students

kept interrupting her as she taught her lesson, she said, “You’re interrupting me. I can’t talk to

you if you don’t raise your hand.” When one student was facing away from her while she was

giving directions, she told him to turn his body around to face her. She also told a student that

refused to do his literacy work that if he did not do it at that time then, he would sit quietly at the

table and complete the worksheet later on during big center time. She also asked a student that

was arguing with another if he had had control of the other’s body and then, once being told the

answer, suggested how to have better resolved the conflict. She said, “Are you in control of

Ayd’s body? No? Then you should not be telling him what to do. If something bothers you, you

need to tell a teacher.” Another instance of off-task behavior occurred when several students

were misbehaving in the hallways by screaming and running that they would have to sit out for a

few minutes at recess.

First Grade- September 17, 2013- Today my students had a practice evacuation drill in which

they had to get on a school bus and go to the local middle school down the road. This was new to

the students. Two of the students in my classroom were actually scared and were crying because

they didn’t understand that this was only practice and not a real emergency. Before the

evacuation drill my teacher told the students that this drill had to be taken seriously. In addition

she told them the rules that they would have to abide by. As we were waiting in line to get on the

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bus, two students chose to ignore what the teacher had said in the classroom. They were picking

grass, kicking dirt, laughing, pushing each other, and were talking. My teacher had to remind

these two students several times that there should be no talking and to stop picking the grass.

After the evacuation drill upon entering the classroom, my teacher stated that the class overall

did a great job, but there were a few students who did not, and would have to move their cards

from green to yellow. The two students who were disobeying the rules earlier, and who had to be

reminded several times to behave, had to move their cards. A yellow card results in walking for

five minutes outside at recess, and a talk with the teacher about his/her behavior. All the rest of

the class who did not get in trouble each received a “super warm fuzzy” from a jar filled with

fuzzies. A super warm fuzzy is earned for outstanding and fabulous behavior and/or work. My

teacher handles off-task behavior by reminding the students two to three times what her

expectations are. If the students continue to misbehave, she will ask him/her to change his/her

card. Students who were on-task and didn’t receive any form of reprimands, are rewarded with

fuzzies which they can accumulate to receive prizes at the end of each week.

September 19th, 2013

During a math read aloud in the morning the students were all on the back carpet. As the

teacher was reading, she was constantly looking at the students. In one instance she reminded a

student that he should not be lounging and sitting against the cushioned storage unit, but instead

that he should be on the carpet or boat as she calls it and sitting “crisscross applesauce” like the

rest of his classmates. Two other times during the read aloud she had to tell two different

students that they needed to be paying attention, and that their eyes should be up front focused on

the book. Afterwards they played a math game on the back carpet. One student who constantly is

walking around the room or going to the bathroom every time that they do a learning activity on

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the back carpet was told that he was going to be timed during his bathroom visit. During the

game one student was not following directions. My teacher became frustrated that the one

student was not listening and said, “You need to listen and play my game correctly.” In dealing

with off-task behavior I have observed that my teacher has to remind students about their

behavior in the classroom, and what they should be doing.

Second Grade- September 17, 2013- Today was an interesting day in the elementary school,

and in my classroom in particular. The school had an evacuation drill in the middle of the

morning where the entire school actually left the building and had to be put into the nearest

middle school. Their tasks for this part of the day were much different than what they have been

used to, especially for the students that have never taken part in an evacuation drill before. There

was one student who continuously throughout the evacuation could not obey the rules of walking

in a line quietly, facing front, and listening to directions. Therefore, as we were on our way back

to Peak View, my cooperating teacher threatened to put the student’s name on the board. A name

on the board is a result of at least five minutes sitting out of recess time. Thus far, my

cooperating teacher’s form of reprimanding students quickly has been to just put their names on

the board and take away their recess time.

Later this same day, the students had to take a test on continents, oceans, and major

landmarks in the United States. After their morning being completely different than what they

were used to and throwing off their schedule, they were really unable to remain engaged and on-

task throughout the rest of the day. My cooperating teacher had to repeat directions for the exam

many times, and the students just weren’t as focused as they should have been. At one point she

had all of the students drop their pencils, and had them take a deep breath, focus on the task at

hand, and then ask any questions that needed to be asked. The students understood that they

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needed to get their acts together and start to try harder, especially during this exam, and from

then on seemed to calm down and do their work.

September 19, 2013- During reading time, students were not paying attention or engaged

in the story that they were reading as a class. When my teacher caught on to this, she asked them

a question based off of the book to see who was paying attention. To get all of the students

engaged though, she told the students that she was going to be able to pick on any person in the

classroom whether they had their hands raised or not. When she announced this, all of the

students started collaborating in their groups to come up with something to say in case they were

called on. During this collaboration time, the students were getting louder and louder, so my

teacher did the universal signal for getting quiet-putting her hand in the air- and the students

began talking softer. Overall, they needed to be told a few times what they needed to be focused

on, but they soon understood what the expectations were of them.

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Appendix K: Time Samples

Kindergarten: I observed the six students during literacy centers as I walked around the room.

Mrs. McA, Mrs. Ba, and Mrs. Nor were each leading a different center. Mrs. McA was leading

reading groups and having them answer questions on a worksheet. Mrs. Nor was leading a

writing station where the students practiced writing the letter B. Mrs. Ba was leading a writing

station where students were cutting and pasting pictures of objects that began with the letters

B and M.

Time Notes

10:40 Student A: He used too much glue on his paper. I had to tell him to stop and use a paper towel to clean up some of the spillage.Student B: She is playing with her literacy paper. She drops it on the floor and picked it up three times. MRs. McA tells her that they would wait for her to finish before starting again, she stops playing and refocuses on the task at hand.Student C: He places his hand on his mouth and watches Mrs. McA as she explains the directionsStudent D: She is in the bathroom.Student E: He eats a marshmallow snack quietly and drinks a juice box.Student F: She is sitting quietly writing her numbers at Mrs. Nor’s center.

10:45 Student A: He is standing at a table, gluing cutouts on a worksheet.Student B: She is playing with a finger grip and talking with Cam.Student C: He is talking with Kate and not tracking each word as they read the page.Student D: She is drawing a flower on the back of her sheet.Student E: He is eating a snack and listening to Miss Ashley read The RiverStudent F: She is playing with her pencil at her seat.

10:50 Student A: After being told by Mrs. Nor that he cannot push Emma out of his chair, he sits down and puts his head on the table. He lays his head to rest in his arms on the table. He sits up and writes his name on his paper after being prompted by Mrs. Nor.Student B: She is eating a marshmallow snack at the snack table.Student C: He is grapes at the snack table.Student D: She is spinning in her chair. She is told by Mrs. Ba to sit down and then she does.Student E: He is gluing cutouts to a worksheet.Student F: She is looking at Mrs. McA and sitting quietly.

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10:55 Student A: He is sitting with his legs crossed on the carpet reading a book.Student B: She is watching Cam play on a classroom iPadStudent C: He is in the bathroom.Student D: She is tracing pictures with a stencil at the writing center.Student E: He is writing with a marker at the writing center.Student F: She is talking to Kate while sitting on at the carpet.

11:00 Student A: He is sitting on his knees in a chair. He is flipping through pages of a book at Mrs. McA’s center.Student B: She is cutting out pictures and pasting them to her worksheet.Student C: He is cutting out pictures and pasting them to her worksheet.Student D: She is putting grapes in cup and counting them as she does so.Student E: He is writing with a marker and stencil at the writing center.Student F: She is drinking her juice box and sitting quietly flipping through a book.

11:05 Student A: He is talking with Urian while sitting at the carpet.Student B: She is sitting at the carpet and talking to Student C.Student C: He is sitting at the carpet and talking to Student B.Student D: She is talking with K while walking around the classroom.Student E: He is writing at the writing station a letter to Mrs. Ba.Student F: She is sitting quietly and looking at a book at the carpet.

First Grade: My cooperating teacher is delivering instruction on a whole class language arts

learning activity in the morning. All of the students are seated at their assigned desks. Each

student has a pencil and a paper labeled “Bats can, Bats have, Bats are.”

Time Notes

8:45 My cooperating teacher says to the class, “We have just read two books about bats. Now we are going to write some good first grade sentences as a class about what we have learned. Everyone should have a pencil and the paper I just handed out. Who has a sentence for bats can? What can bats do?” My teacher calls on Student E to answer first. At this time the class as a whole seems very attentive and focused on the task.

8:50 Student E gives an answer, and my teacher writes it on the whiteboard in the front of the room for the students to copy down on their worksheet. All of the students are focused on copying down the sentence from the whiteboard onto their sheet of paper.

8:55 The students finish writing the sentence, and my teacher asks for one more, “Bats can” sentence. Ms. T says, “It is okay to include more than one detail or fact in a sentence.” A student raises her hand and shares another sentence.

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My teacher starts writing it on the whiteboard under the first sentence. As she is writing on the whiteboard, I see student A turned around in his seat staring and making faces at another student sitting right behind him.

9:00 Ms. T turns around after writing the sentence on the whiteboard, looks straight at student A and says, “You need to be turned around and not looking at Y. You need to be writing like the rest of the class.” He starts writing immediately. As the students copy the sentence from the white board, my cooperating teacher circulates around the room looking at each student’s paper as he/she writes.

9:05 As she circulates, she stops at student C’s desk and says, “C, you need to be spelling the words correctly. The sentence is written on the board.” The student shows a facial expression of disappointment, and starts erasing what he wrote utilizing his right hand. The teacher continues to circulate. She looks around the room and observes that almost every student is finished with writing down the second sentence. “Okay, let’s go onto the next one. Bats have, what? What do bats have? What is another fact that we learned from our stories?” Remember we need a good solid first grade sentence. Remember that a first grade sentence is a “handful.”

9:10 Student F raises his hand and shares a sentence to Mrs. T. As I look around the classroom, there are two students, including student A, whom are still writing down the previous sentence. Student A says, “Wait up! I still have to finish writing down the last sentence.” Ms. T verbalizes back that she won’t erase the previous sentence yet, and that she will keep it up in order for the two of them to catch up.

9:15 All of the students are writing down the next sentence. Every student seems to be concentrating and on-task as they are writing. My teacher circulates around the room to check upon the students as they write. She stops at one student’s desk and says aloud, “I like the way G is writing her sentences on the lines.” Some students look up when Ms. T starts to talk, but then continue to work.

9:20 Ms. T moves on to the next sentence. A student raises her hand, and says, “Bats are nocturnal.” Ms. T asks the student how we can expand on that to make it a first grade sentence. The student then says, “Bats are nocturnal because they don’t sleep at night.” The teacher compliments the student and starts writing the sentence on the whiteboard. After completing the writing of the sentence, she compliments the class on how well they are doing. “Boys and girls, you are doing a great job writing down these sentences. Keep it up, and everyone will receive a “fuzzy” for your hard work.” Some of the students smile while others are very focused on writing down the sentence onto their sheets.

9:25 Ms. T tells the class that they will finish writing the last two sentences later

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that day after recess, and to put the worksheets into their desks because it is time for reading groups. Four students are still writing down the last sentence. The other students put their sheets away in their desks. Ms. T has me come around with the fuzzy jar. I give a fuzzy to each student.

Second Grade: I was working with individual students at the back of the room while the rest of

the class was working with my cooperating teacher, which made gathering data for this time

sample difficult at many times.

Time Notes

11:00 My cooperating teacher explains what is going to be done today during the math lesson. There are some students working with me, and some with the larger group of the class.

11:05 My cooperating teacher is explaining the directions of the task they will be accomplishing. One corner of the room, that has been more talkative of the morning, continues their conversation. My cooperating teacher glares their way to signal to stop.

11:10 My cooperating teacher is at her own desk while the students are working. I am at the rainbow table with “P.”

11:15 My cooperating teacher passes out unifix cubes to the students, and asks them to leave them up by their name tags.The first few students are already fooling around with the cubes, so the lesson is stopped until they are on-task.

11:20 I let “P” go back to her desk, and then “Q” comes to work with me. My cooperating teacher is going through the first page of the math worksheet as they learn a new skill of identifying even and odd.

11:25 My cooperating teacher stopped and looked around when no one was answering her question to the class. She restated the question- “what are the numbers to look for when you are deciding if a number is even or odd?” Then, about six students raised their hands. They all did a lot of work with unifix cubes to show visuals of math problems.

11:30 “Q” went back to his desk, and then “A” came to work with me for a short time. My cooperating teacher was moving to the inside page of the worksheet with the rest of the class. She read the directions, and allowed the students to do the first problem on their own, then asked for feedback from the students of which answer was the correct one.

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11:35 “A” was back at her desk, and then I was working with “J,” “B”, and “S.” My cooperating teacher was going back to the other inside page while explaining the directions and observing everyone’s work.

11:40 I was with my three students, there was a silent work time with the rest of the students to finish their workbook page.

11:45 My cooperating teacher moved to the last page of the workbook and went over everything carefully showing them exactly what key- words to focus on.

11:50 The last directions were for the students to finish the last page on their own, and put their paper on the rainbow table, and then wash their hands for lunch.

Appendix L: Student Work (PICTURES)

Kindergarten

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First Grade

Second Grade

Appendix M: Directions to Brain Breaks

Kindergarten

Brain Break #1Title: Head, Shoulders, Knees & ToesGrade Level: K-3Skills Practiced: Self-control, balance, coordination Materials Needed: None

Preparing Students for Success

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Discuss and practice ways to be safe while moving quickly.

Words and Actions Sing the words while placing hands on each part of the body as it’s named.

Heads, shoulders, knees and toesKnees and toesHeads, shoulders, knees and toesKnees and toes...and…Eyes and ears and mouth and noseHead, shoulders, knees, and toesKnees and toes!

Ankles elbows feet and seatFeet and seatAnkles elbows feet and seatFeet and seat...and…Hair and hips and chin and cheeksAnkles elbows feet and seatFeet and seat!

Brain Break #2Title: Clap your HandsGrade Level: K-3Skills Practiced: Focusing, listening, self-controlMaterials Needed: None

Preparing Students for SuccessTalk with the children about ways to safely swing their arms and move around while keeping everyone safe.

Words and ActionsChildren do each movement as they chant it.

Clap clap clap your handsClap your hands together!

Swing swing swing your armsSwing your arms together!

March march march march aroundMarch around together!

Jump jump jump up and downUp and down together!

Continue with various movements, working with the children’s energy levels. Some possibilities:

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Bend your kneesSnap your fingersClick your tongueSing a songSit right downWhisper softlyShh!

First Grade

Brain Break #1Title: Simon SaysGrade Level: K-6Skills Practiced: Focusing, listening, self-control, balance, coordination Materials Needed: NoneProcedure

● Explain how to play "Simon Says." (Tell children that you will give directions for them to follow. If you say "Simon says" first, they should do it. If you do not say "Simon says" first, they should not do it.) Tell children to listen carefully and follow directions.

● Start the game with "Simon says, put your finger on your chin." Help any children who are having difficulty by pointing to your chin and putting your finger on it. Continue with commands that include up, down, and out.

● Once children are comfortable following one-step directions, give them two-step directions to follow. For example, ask them to stand on their right foot and hop in place.

● Teacher Tip: Experienced players of "Simon Says" are often "out," or excluded from the game, when they make a mistake. Young children and English Language Learners should keep playing even when they make mistakes, so that they can improve through play.

Brain Break #2 Title: Pass the MaskGrade Level: K-6Skills Practiced: Focusing, listening, self-control, dramatic expression, creativity Materials Needed: None

Preparing Students for Success

Brainstorm various facial expressions that might accompany an emotion. List the kinds of emotions on a chart for reference during the game.

Actions

The leader makes a face-for example, eyes and mouth wide open to show surprise-and then turns to the child next to him. The second child acknowledges the gesture by assuming the same expression. She then assumes a different expression and passes it to the next child in the circle,

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who imitates, chooses another to pass to the next child, and so on.

Continue around the circle until everyone has had a turn to put on a mask.

VariationsChallenge the group to go all around the circle without repeating any masks.Simplify by passing the same mask all around the circle.

Second Grade

Brain Break #1Title: Pop & FlopGrade Level: K-6Skills Practiced: Focusing, listening, self-control, mathMaterials Needed: Optional- Chart with numbers

Preparing Students for SuccessGo over with the students the chosen number between 1 and 10. Model and practice the actions when “popping” and when “flopping.” Share ways to maintain self-control while standing behind their desks.

ActionsSelect a number from 1 through 10- for example 4. Begin with everyone sitting, either in a circle or at their desks.First child: 1Second child: 2Third child: 3Fourth child: popping up (jumping to a standing position)- 4!Starting again at 1, the children still sitting continue counting around the room or circle, until all have popped up.

VariationsChild popping up calls out Pop! instead of the chosen number.Do in reverse- begin standing and end up sitting. The child with the chosen number can call out Flop! and sink into a sitting position.Adapt for older students by using prime numbers, multiples of 7, numbers divisible by 12, etc., as the number to pop on.

Brain Break #2Title: Potato PotatoGrade Level: K-3Skills Practiced: Rhyming, oral language, rhythm, self-control, left and right, creativity Materials Needed: Optional- Chart with words

Preparing Students for SuccessPractice saying the chant together.Model and practice actions for each movement; specifically, make sure each child has room to

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do a standing split at the end.Share ways to maintain self-control while staying in one place.

Actions

Form the potatoForm, form the potatoStart standing and slowly squat down low, curling into a round potato-like figure.

Grate the potatoGrate-grate the potatoScrape right hand twice against left arm and then left hand twice against right arm.

Mash the potato Mash-mash the potatoStamp feet while slowly standing and tapping one first atop the other.

Appendix N: Final Summary Letter to Parents

December 3, 2013

Dear Parent or Guardian,

Throughout the semester I have examined the use of brain breaks as a way to help students stay focused on class assignments as part of a required project for my elementary education degree at James Madison University. Brain breaks are defined as rest periods within a lesson that allow the students’ brains to re-energize and refocus on the current task (e.g., playing “Simon Says” and/or engaging in some type of physical movement).

Through the use of brain breaks I observed that the students were more on-task which meant that they were actively working, sitting quietly, and following directions during the desired work time. I also noted that the students’ quality of work and performance levels improved.

As a future teacher young students can only sit and focus through a period of academic instruction for a set amount of time; therefore, I recognize the impact of giving the students’ brains a rest in order for them to refocus on the current task and complete their classwork to the best of their abilities. I plan on incorporating brain breaks in my future classroom because

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I have seen the positive outcomes that they provided students academically.

Thank you for your support this semester!

Respectfully Yours,

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