1. Using Physical Movement
Design Question 5 - Element 27:
How do you use physical movement to maintain student engagement?

2. Before we begin…
Before we begin talking about element 27, let’s be sure there is an understanding about how the elements in Design Question 5 are related. This is important as you plan your lessons. While watching the below video, please take notes about how the elements in Design Question 5 are related.
Click here for the video.

3. How are the elements in Design Question 5 related to each other?
After watching the video, you should have noticed that all of the elements have one common goal and that is to engage students in the learning process. Each element provides a different tactic for meeting the same goal. We hope you also noticed that while all of these elements are contained under the category “Enacted on the Spot”, student engagement can and should be planned for in advance. However, you will still need to read your students and apply some of these strategies as you notice the overall energy of the group becoming low.
Now, let’s talk about element 27, specifically.

4. Review Teacher and Student Evidence NOTE: This list of evidence is not all inclusive but is instead a list of possible examples.

5. Review Scale for Element 27

6. Desired Effect in the Students
The desired effect is, “students cognitively engage or re-engage as the result of physical movement activities.” To receive an Innovating rating, the teacher must monitor and make accommodations so that every student in their classroom achieves this desired effect.

7. Let’s Begin with the Basics
First we need a complete understanding of element 27, using physical movement. As you watch the below video, please make a list of the variety of ways this teacher incorporates physical movement into her lessons/day. Identifying these strategies will go a long way in helping you to successfully implement element 27 in your classroom.
Click here for the video. Note: This video contains an explanation of two elements. You only need to watch until the 4 minute and 45 second mark to learn about using physical movement in the classroom.

8. Video Question
Q: What strategies did the teacher on the video use to incorporate physical movement into her lessons/day?
A: The teacher incorporated physical movement by having the students move from one center to another after carefully controlling the amount of time they were sitting at any one location. Even though she teaches students in a self-contained classroom, she has built in a transition time in which the students visit the FFA area and interact with the animals. She incorporates physical movement into all of her lessons. For example, when learning about the skeleton, the students listen to the skeleton song while standing and pointing to each bone as it is sung.

9. Task
While watching the below video, please identify what these preschool/kindergarten students are learning as their teacher integrates physical movement into their classroom.
After watching the video you will be asked to identify the teacher and student evidence to rate the teacher on this element.
Click here for the video.

10. Video Question
Q: What were the preschool/kindergarten students learning as their teacher integrated physical movement into their classroom? A: Through the use of different types of songs, the students were learning body parts, right/left, fine motor control skills, how to write, how to read, and prepositions like front and back.

11. Task
On the next slide is the teacher and student evidence. What evidence did you see and were able to document? Use this to rate the teacher as you walk through the next few slides.

12. Review Teacher and Student Evidence What did you see?

13. Review Teacher and Student Evidence What did we see?

14. How to Rate Teacher and Student Evidence
You can only give credit for what you see.
Teacher has students physically act out or model content to increase energy and engagement.
The teacher had the students snapping, moving their hands from right to left, and doing the Hokie Pokie to learn prepositions and body parts.
Students engage in the physical activities designed by the teacher.
Students were dancing, clapping, snapping, turning, and smiling!

15. Review Scale for Element 27

16. How we Rated the Teacher
We rated the teacher as Applying. The teacher used physical movement to engage her students. At the end of the video, you can see her and her aide helping students clap their hands behind their backs, which is evidence that she was monitoring them. They must have been having difficulty doing the activity on their own so she was assisting them. In order to receive an Innovating rating, she would have to ensure that every child was engaged through physical movement. There was a point in the video where one little boy was sitting on the floor, not participating in the dancing. If he was up and moving along with all of the other students then she would have achieved the desired effect for all students and received an Innovating rating.

17. Additional Resources You need to be logged into www.effectiveeducators.com.
Use this hyperlink to read about activities you can do in your classroom. If the hyperlink doesn’t work, copy/paste this link:
And here is another article:
Watch this video for a seventh grade example:
Watch this video for a fifth grade example:
How to: Close the Achievement Gap by Monitoring Students The video of Mrs. Hubbard’s music class is a great example of using physical movement. Then the video of Ms. Henriquez’s math class has another great example.

18. Is this element in your PGP? Then you need to…
sign into Click on the Growth tab and then click on the Plans option. Open your current plan and fill out a new Reflection Log, answering the appropriate questions.
decide how you will change your teaching as a result of viewing this module.
execute your change, reflect on its impact, and fill out another Reflection Log in iObservation.

19. Further questions?
Here are resources in case you have further questions:
Your evaluator
Another evaluator on your campus
Your school’s classroom practice mentor (CPM)