Five Minute Physical Activities for High School Classrooms
Physical activity can profoundly affect your high school students’ concentration and memory retention. Even without a physical education program at your school, there are ways to incorporate exercise into your classroom. Several five-minute exercise regimens exist, allowing you to choose the one that is right for your students.
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Affects of Physical Activity on Academic Performance
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The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) published results from nine separate studies examining the effects of physical activity on classroom performance. Students were instructed to perform 5- to 20-minute activities once per day. Though some of the studies used exercises that reiterated classroom topics, other exercises were strictly physical in nature. Despite these differences, eight of the nine studies found evidence that physical activity in the classroom greatly affects academic performance.
Nancy Ochs, an English teacher at Roosevelt High School in Wyoming, applied this technique to her classroom and saw vast improvements in her students. After having her lower-level reading class do 20-minute daily exercises in her classroom, her students' reading levels improved quickly, with three of her students jumping two reading levels in nine weeks.
How Classroom Physical Activity Affects the Brain
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Exercise raises the amount of neurotransmitters in the brain, which help to channel thoughts and feelings. Also, when muscles are in motion, they produce proteins that make their way to the brain, thus ensuring smooth thought processes. Classroom physical exertion also helps to relieve stress and anxiousness. The CDC found that classroom physical activities increased blood flow, oxygenation, neurotransmitter levels, brain tissue volume and nerve cell growth in the hippocampus (the memory and learning part of the brain). These physical changes lead to improved attention span, information processing, coping skills and self-esteem.
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How Classroom Physical Activity Affects the Body
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Not only does physical activity in the classroom affect the brain and improve performance, it also provides benefits to the body. For example, physical activity helps promote muscle growth and strengthen muscles. Physical activity performed in the classroom also leads to an increase in bone strength. The CDC also cites that physical activity reduces craving sensations and dulls pain.
Types of Classroom Physical Activities
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There are a variety of physical classroom activities that can be applied to your high school classroom. Kristina Honken, the wellness coordinator at Roosevelt High School, has students perform bear crawls, jumping jacks and lunges. To spice things up, she sometimes adds stomach and side crunches. Other options involve utilizing aerobics, dance, karate or self-defense.
If you are looking for a classroom game, try dodge ball (using small, soft foam balls) or schoolroom tag. For a more educational twist, the grammar race is another option. Divide your class into teams by the number of students in each aisle. Give a piece of chalk to the student at the front of each aisle. Recite a sentence, and have the first person in the aisle rush to the chalkboard and write out the first word, then the second person gets the chalk and writes out the second word and so on until you reach the last student in the aisle, whose job is to finish the sentence. Award 25 points to the team that finishes first, 25 points to each team that spells the sentence correctly and 25 points for the team with the most legible handwriting. Whoever gets the most points wins the game.
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References
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