An Energizer with an Academic Twist

“Interruptions” gets students up and shaking out the cobwebs—while enhancing their listening and literacy skills in a fun way! It’s especially good with K–3 students, but older children may also enjoy it.

[“Interruptions” is from Energizers! 88 Quick Movement Activities That Refresh and Refocus, by Susan Lattanzi Roser.]

Interruptions

(Teaching tip: When introducing this energizer, start with just one or two parameters and gradually add more.)

Read aloud to the children a short passage or poem or a paragraph or two from any book they’ve been working on together. As you read:

• Students clap when they hear a word that starts with the “s” sound (or another consonant you identify).
• Students snap when they hear the long “e” sound (or another vowel sound you identify).
• Students sit down when they hear the end of a sentence.
• Students stand up when they hear the beginning of a sentence.

Variations:

• Have everyone read the passage together.
• Have students make sounds for each type of ending punctuation. For example, students could say “shoombop” for exclamation points, “hmmmmm?” for question marks, and “zip” for periods.

 

Tags: Engaging Academics, Movement