Sixth Graders Need A Movement Word . . . Maybe?

So, I was looking on the tpt blog and I came across something called a movement word.  Basically the way that it works is that you have students freeze (stop moving), you give them directions, and they cannot move until you say the movement word. Simple right. . . but is it too simple or childish for sixth grade?

I was skeptical at first.  Kindergartners would love silly movement words.  First graders would love movement words.  Second graders would listen, but how would my sixth graders react. They are so impulsive.  The second you give them one direction, they are moving before it is finished; so forget two and three step directions. So, I did what every other sixth grade teacher would do, I tried using a classroom behavior strategy that I would use with K-2 students

Guess what? It worked.  I use a silly movement word like taco, chinchilla, or bungee with a flourish of my voice after directions, and they are magically more on track with accomplishing tasks.  No more,  "Mrs. Eller what do I do?" 10 times.  Okay, so I still will have 1 to 2 per class, but it is still better than three times that amount. So, for now, this week my word is taco, and next week I may be onto Cattywampus. The sillier the word out of context, the better.

If you can think of any other ideas for silly movement words, please share below.

No comments:

Post a Comment