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6 October 2025 Inquiry

Movement-Based Literacy Activities

Chris Jobling, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This week, I researched different ways to incorporate movement into literacy learning with lower elementary students, and honestly, it made me wish I could go back to elementary school… or at least fast-forward to when I get to teach it myself!

1. Literacy Hopscotch

On a sunny day, draw hopscotchs with some chalk and add letters, sounds, or words in each tile. Take your students outside, group them and have them hop and read! If it’s raining, print the words on paper and lay them out on the floor in hopscotch format. Rotate groups so everyone practices all the target sounds or words. If hopping is tricky for some students, they can walk instead. For students with movement disabilities, print the words on paper and have them toss a beanbag or soft object onto a word. Ask a partner to then hold it up for them to read. A straight-line hopscotch is also easier to navigate, like in the video below:

2. Segmenting Words with Jumps

Practicing CVC or multisyllabic words? Use a syllable mat like in the video below. Students jump on each syllable while saying it aloud. You can have everyone do it at once or rotate in groups, up to you! You don’t even need a proper mat; hula hoops, laminated cards, anything works. And for students who struggle to jump, they can clap or stomp instead.

@poppingintokinder
Adding movement can make an activity so much more engaging! 🚥 I decided to spice up our phonemic awareness time by having students jump to segment words. To make these, I just cut up a few Twister mats! Super easy and SO FUN!!! #phonemicawareness #segmentingsounds #cvcwords #kindergartenphonics #kindergartenactivities #handsonlearning #engaginglittles #kindergartenteacher #iteachk
♬ original sound – Ashley | Popping Into Kinder

While exploring ideas, I found The Active Educator, who suggests an even more dynamic alternative with extra movement. This is perfect if your class has lots of energy or if you want a “finisher” activity to give them a mini workout. Just make sure all students can safely complete the exercises.

Voir cette publication sur Instagram

Une publication partagée par Andriana | Classroom Community (@the_active_educator)

She also created an Ultimate List of Engaging, Movement-Based Games for Phonics Learning, which includes even more incredible literacy-movement activities. Definitely worth a read!

3. Musical Chairs (or Tables!), Literacy Edition

Split your class, play music, and have students walk around chairs or tables. When the music stops, each student reads the word in front of them, either on the chair they sit on or the paper in front of them on the table, and then shows it to their group so everyone can try reading it or at least see it.

To avoid everyone shouting the word at once, write tiny numbers next to each word so students know who reads first, second, third, etc. And important note: no one gets eliminated!

You can even practice some kind sentences prior. For example: “Good job for trying ______! I think it’s pronounced _______. Want to try again?” Or if there’s disagreement: “If we’re not sure, let’s ask the teacher!”

5 October 2025 Inquiry, Topic Reflections

Pacific School of Technology and Innovation – After Thoughts

Photo by Lum3n

Visiting the Pacific School of Technology and Innovation was eye-opening, and also definitely confusing. I had, and still have, so many questions. After watching Most Likely to Succeed, I was fascinated by the concept, and I honestly thought it was one of the best ideas I had ever heard. I still think it is extremely innovative, inclusive, and interesting, but once the initial excitement settled, I decided to look at it more critically through my own lens as a future teacher, and according to my own personal believes, personality, and experiences.

For me, the big question is about balance. YES, students should be creative, think critically, follow their passions, work hard and learn to be autonomous. I love that this model seems to support all of that. But I also believe that school isn’t only about following our interests. Sometimes it means learning things even when we don’t naturally care about them. You might love space more than anything, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t learn about Canadian history. In fact, I think being exposed to a variety of subjects when you’re young is what helps you discover unexpected interests. Maybe you thought history was boring until one day you realize it’s actually not. Regardless, it’s important. I also believe that learning how to be bored or unmotivated and still follow through is an important life skill. I don’t think the Pacific School of Technology and Innovation model is for everyone. If I take myself as an example, I don’t think I would have had a strong enough passion at that age to research one topic all day, every day. Not all kids have a “thing” yet, and honestly, some people might never have one big passion, and that’s okay too.

Another downside in my opinion that I noticed, from my short observation, I noticed that most students were on their computers. Personally, that is not how I would want my students learning most of the time. I would definitely need to observe again before forming a strong opinion.

Despite my critics, I absolutely loved the idea of adapting learning to student interests, but, as I aim to work in public schools, I also question how realistic it is to expect one teacher to individualize everything for 30 students. That said, I am fully on board with pieces of it. I love the idea of genius hour. I also really like the idea of project-based learning where students still learn certain subjects but get to demonstrate their understanding in their own way, similar to what we saw in Most Likely to Succeed.

So overall, I am inspired but cautious. I do not want to romanticize something just because it feels progressive. I want to find a way to take the parts that, as of right now, I believe truly work and apply them in a classroom setting that feels balanced and realistic.

2 October 2025 Inquiry, Topic Reflections

Most Likely to Suceed – After Thoughts

After watching the documentary Most Likely to Succeed, I found the concept fascinating and thought-provoking. The opening scene, where students sat in a circle struggling to share ideas, opinions, or reflections, felt like a very powerful representation of our generation. Looking at some of those students also even felt like looking at a mirror. It highlighted how traditional schooling often prevents students from practicing their decision-making skills and critical thinking. Too often, education is structured around black-and-white answers, leaving little room for freedom, creativity, or personal opinions.

This great documentary captured both the challenges and the potential of giving students freedom and autonomy. The striking growth shown by some of the students was spectacular. Although it was difficult to clearly see the traditional academic development they achieved, or whether the prerequisites for university were fully met for all, the film strongly portrayed the development of important soft skills in many of them. Watching students evolve from shy and hesitant to outgoing and well-spoken made it emotional to vicariously witness their growth.

It was also extremely relevant that the documentary highlighted statistics about how little students actually remember in traditional schools. Knowledge is often memorized for the exam and forgotten for life. This made the school in the film feel idealistic, eye-opening, and difficult to argue against.

After watching, I was left with the impression that all high schools should provide at least one year of this type of learning.

29 September 2025 Inquiry

Active Brain-Breaks!

Photo by Niklas Jeromin

It’s hard to deny the evidence for the importance of physical activity in the classroom (See blog post Why Move in the Classroom?,) and just as hard to find a strong reason not to include it. The most common excuse is probably, “I don’t have time to find activities that involve movement.” I don’t take no for an answer, so here’s a starting point: three effective, active, and quick brain breaks/transitions that you can easily integrate into your classroom

1. Dance It Out!

Remember Just Dance? It was fun, sweaty, and felt like a party. In 2025, we’re bringing it back with DJ Raphi. Have your students move along to fun pop songs (always a hit), let out a smile or giggle, and of course, get their heart rate up. And remember: a higher heart rate means all those great brain-boosting effects kick in.

2. At your Desk Workout

@thesimpleot
Hi 👋 I’m a pediatric occupational therapist and I teach people about the brain and body! Specifically how to help with regulation and keeping attention and engagement throughout the day! Incorporating sensory breaks with motor movement activities (particularly heavy work) helps students regulate their energy levels, improve focus, and manage stress. 🧠Heavy work activities like pushing, pulling, or carrying weighted objects provide deep proprioceptive input that can have a calming effect, supporting self-regulation and increasing attention. These breaks help students release: ✨excess energy ✨mprove body awareness ✨enhance classroom performance ✨ultimately fostering a positive learning environment Try incorporating this sensory circuit in the morning before school drop off, during the day, or at night before dinner. ✅ Follow for more sensory circuit ideas 💡 #sensory #break #move #ot #school #kid #learn #teach #attention
♬ original sound – Hillel Barak

We all know technology can fail. One day your interactive screen might not work, no problem! You can lead this one yourself. Guide your students through a quick, at-your-desk workout that won’t bore them: quick feet (chair stomps), chair push-ups, water bottle pick-ups, book lifts, play-doh rolls, over-the-chair squats, arm circles, seated twists, seated leg extensions, desk drumming. The possibilities are endless, just remember to adapt activities to your students and keep them inclusive and accessible!

3. Breathe In, Breathe Out

“I want them to move, but I can’t have them bouncing off the walls after this!” In that case, Salamander Yoga may be the solution. It makes yoga fun, helps students stretch, and most importantly, calms them down while still keeping them physically active.

There you go: three easy brain breaks for your classroom that will keep students entertained, moving, and mentally ready to learn.

Lander, N. J., Contardo Ayala, A. M., Mazzoli, E., Lai, S. K., Orr, J., & Salmon, J. (2024). Beyond “brain breaks”: A new model for integrating classroom-based active breaks. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 95(4), 22–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/07303084.2024.2308253

28 September 2025 Inquiry

Why Move in the Classroom?

Have you ever heard someone say “physical activity is bad for you”? I’ll take a guess: no.

It is widely accepted that physical activity is paramount for improving both physical and mental health. Moving makes your heart beat faster, which means your cardiovascular functions are strengthening and your circulation is improving. Oxygen reaches key areas of the brain more efficiently, and your body releases “feel-good” chemicals such as endorphins. As a result, you feel less stressed, happier, and maybe even more confident! Being active will help students focus and get the work done, counterbalance fatigue, improve awareness of physical and emotional sensations, diminish behavioral problems, and specifically help your students who have ADHD (Braniff, 2011). Physical activity also helps counterbalance the negative effects of sedentary behaviour. (Lander et al., 2024)

Sadly, more than 80% of youth fail to meet the recommended 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day. (Lander et al., 2024)

In recent years, research has also further highlighted how closely physical activity and learning are interconnected. All the health benefits mentioned above are not the only positives of bringing movement into the classroom. Incorporating physical activity into learning can directly support academic performance.

“Physical activity has been positively associated with increased academic-related outcomes, including cognitive skills (e.g., executive functioning, attention, memory, comprehension), attitudes toward learning (e.g., motivation, self-concept, satisfaction, enjoyment), engagement in learning (e.g., on-task time), and academic achievement (e.g., standardized test scores).”
(Lander et al., 2024)

“Girls who get involved in school sports are 92% less likely to use drugs; they are 80% less likely to have an unwanted pregnancy; and their high-school graduation rate is triple that of non-athletes. The importance of school sports is underscored when you consider the fact that girls who do not participate by age ten have only a 10% chance of actively participating in a sport by age twenty-five.”
(Jensen, 2000)

Still not sure whether you should involve movement in your classroom? Stop fooling yourself and read this blog post again! Being active will keep your students healthy, both mentally and physically.

Braniff, Carrie Jean (2011) “The Effects of Movement in the Classroom,” Networks: An Online Journal for Teacher Research: Vol. 13: Iss. 1. https://doi.org/10.4148/2470-6353.1089

25 September 2025 Inquiry

Learning Through Moving your Brains and Bodies

by Pavel Danilyuk via Pexels — _{Photo by Pavel Danilyuk}

For this semester’s blog, I will be focusing on two of my greatest passions: education and being active. What I love about teaching in the elementary classroom is the chance to be creative; kids learn better when they’re playing, moving, and having fun.

To prepare myself (and maybe even other soon-to-be teachers), I will be building a “catalogue” of active routines, learning activities, and brain breaks that will get students moving their bodies as well as their minds. I want to find ways to involve physical activity in as many ways as possible in the classroom; through literacy, maths, instruction, brain breaks, and more.

Alongside the practical ideas, and to add credibility and stress on the topic, I will also explore the science behind it: How does physical activity affect students? How does it help with memory, focus, and emotions?

As I put this together, I’ll be asking myself: Can every student take part? Do I need modifications? How do I make sure no one feels left out?

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