September 2007

All Through The Day: The S.M.A.R.T. Way
Remember all the simple and quick ways to integrate S.M.A.R.T. and brain stimulating activities throughout the school day? With a new school year and a classroom of new students, we thought it may be helpful to review a brief list of some. Remember to start small and build...look over this list and perhaps select one or two ideas that feel manageable to you. Looking for a SMART way to use your transition times or offer more movement breaks?   Remember, movement anchors learning! Try one or two of these for starters! Feeling overwhelmed with the amount of content expected to be mastered by your students? Try integrating a few of these S.M.A.R.T. instructional strategies as a method to teach/review your content, remembering INPUT, INPUT, INPUT long before any OUTPUTS are expected. Print and post this list for future use. Good luck with your S.M.A.R.T. year!

Calendar Time
Near/Far Focus
Thumbkins
Swinging Ball on a String
Concept Cards
Domino Dot Cards
Fast Math Fact Cards
Cross Pattern Movements to Music Group Number Ladders with a Movement (e.g., days of the week, months, skip counting calendar numbers, etc.)
Auditory Discrimination ("Thursday/thirsty - same or different?" - remember to not show your lips)
Auditory Closure (e.g., "iday is Friday, iday is Friday, What is iday?")
Sound Blending (e.g., "Oc-to-ber is October, Oc-to-ber is October, What is Oc-to-ber?")
Auditory Memory (e.g., "Mary makes many malts and milkshakes on Mondays." - students repeat it back)

Transitions & Wait Times
Cross Pattern Walking (e.g., knees, elbows, shoulders, ankles, behind back to ankle, etc.)
Number/Word Ladders, Domino Dot Cards, Fast Math Facts, etc. (on a ring to take with you)
Visual Commands (students copy the motions of the teacher and then line up, OR students copy the teacher's motions walking down the hall)
Auditory Commands (students follow verbal directions and then line up)
Skip Counting (e.g., "As you go back to your desk/table we're going to skip count by 3's. You should be back to your seat by the time we get to 30. GO! 3, 6, 9...")
Thumbkins, Near/Far Focus, Flamingos, Wall Lean while waiting in lines

Movement/Brain Breaks
Helicopter Spins Reflex Activities: Superman, Popcorn, Giraffe Stretch, Rocking Horse Cross Pattern Movements to Music (variations with streamers, paper plates, etc.)
Visual OR Auditory Commands Balance Sequence Bilateral Jumping Jacks (symmetrical and asymmetrical)
Number/Word Ladders with Balls
Mental Math with Music/Movement Between Problems
Crossover Simon Says Beanbag Activities

Instruction
Concept Cards
High Interest Word Cards and Phrases
Number/Word Ladders with Movement
Cross Pattern Movements with Academics
Scanning Game
Rainbow Tracing
Airplane Writing
Domino Dot Cards
Fast Math Facts Cards
Creative Visualization
Black Light with Academic Inputs
Basic Vision with Academic Inputs
Card Games
Mental Math with Music/Movement Between Problems

Playground
Helicopter Spins (3-4 before and/or after free play)
Heel-Toe Balance Walking (on beams, curbs, lines/cracks, etc.)
Overhead Ladder
Swings
Slides
Teeter Totter
Hanging Tires Jump Rope
Chinese Jump Rope
Hopscotch
Pencil Rolling Down Hills
Bouncing, Tossing, and Catching Balls (off walls, with friends, alone)
Keeping a Balloon Afloat by Tapping (alone, with partner)
Number Ladders on a Wall with Bouncing or Tossing a Ball

by Cindy Harvey and Leslie Giese