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20 Ways to Start20 Ways to StartSchool DaysSchool Days22-23 Inspired Teaching Institutes:USING IMPROV TO GROW RESILIENCEwww.inspiredteaching.org 5614 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 258, WDC 20015Copyright © Center for Inspired Teaching 2022CONTENTS4 Ways to Welcome Students in the Door........24 Ways to Start Class with Movement................34 Ways to Start Class with Mindfulness.............44 Ways to Build Community..................................54 Ways to Connect Warm-Ups to Content........63 Ways to Check the Mood of the Room...........7Get #Inspired2Learn!Please click on the activity names throughoutthis guide, visit https://bit.ly/3xImtsd, or scanthe above QR code to visit the #Inspired2Learnsite. It is filled with full, detailed explanations ofeach activity, examples, applicable CommonCore Standards, and even more resources tohelp you become an Inspired Teacher!+ 3 Ways to Check the+ 3 Ways to Check theMood of the RoomMood of the Room

4 Ways to Welcome Students in the Door4 Ways to Welcome Students in the Doorwww.inspiredteaching.org Copyright © Center for Inspired Teaching 2022Discipline: The following activities can beapplied in any class or subject area though theydo not have direct ties to content. With somecreative thinking, you can make thoseconnections by choosing prompts or actionsrelated to what you are teaching that day. Age level: AllTime: 3-5 minutes (or longer if you build out some of the in-class writing possibilities) The very first thing we say tostudents as they enter class canset the tone for all that follows.2Puppet HellosThe puppet can simply say hello or you might try a question thatthe students have to answer like: “What do you think my name is?”or “What do you think my laugh sounds like?”Beyond HandshakesAs students enter class, greet them with a hello using different bodyparts. For example: try a fist bump, touch elbows, or eyebrow waves.Word (or Number or Color) of the DayMany people use interesting tools to help them set intentions forthe day or to guide their thinking as they set out on a particulartask. What if your students start class with a word that gets themin a particular mindset?Choose OneAs students enter, have them pick between two different thingswith a simple invitation like, “Which would you rather…?” or “Whatdo you like more…?”1.1.2.2.3.3.4.4.Click on the activity title to be taken to the detailed explanation on the #Inspired2Learn site.

4 Ways to Start Class with Movement4 Ways to Start Class with Movementwww.inspiredteaching.org Copyright © Center for Inspired Teaching 2022Starting class with movementcan make a world of differencein focus and attention. 3Discipline: These activities can be applied inmyriad content areas but lend themselvesnicely to math since they involve counting andconcepts like symmetry. They also can serve asgood examples of things we do with movementthat are good for our minds, which can tap intosocial-emotional learning or even brain science.Age level: AllTime: 5-20 minutes depending on the activityand what you do with it!Materials: Music can be a nice background forall of these movement activities and isimportant for 8 Count Dancing. We believe the very best way to start any learning experience is with movement.We encourage you to have students at least stretch for a few minutes at the start of class.Count Down Shake DownShaking hands and feet while countingdown aloud from 10 gets the bloodflowing and the brain-body connectionbuzzing. If students are able, theyshould stand for the activity but youcan modify the body parts that areshaking depending on ability. Bilateral SynchronizationSimilar to “What’s Shaking,” this activityinvolves doing things on each side of the body. But each side of the bodyfollows its own sequence of movements.Each side operates separately at first,then you put both together.What's ShakingStart by reviewing the right and leftsides of the body. Ask students tofollow along with your movements asyou provide verbal prompts that addand subtract shaking body parts. Everyso often, ask “What’s shaking?” to helpstudents keep track of what’s moving.8-Count DancingPlay a song and encourage studentsto move their bodies in time with themusic. Demonstrate your own simplemove, then call on a student to sharetheirs. Keep adding to the dance bylearning new moves and compilingthem together into a full routine.1.1.3.3.2.2.4.4.

www.inspiredteaching.org Copyright © Center for Inspired Teaching 2022Discipline: These activities can be applied inany class or subject area though they do nothave direct ties to content. With somecreative thinking, you can make thoseconnections - the activities involving senseswork well with science and descriptivewriting, and those with breathing can also betied to science and even math in theirsequencing and counting properties.Age level: AllTime: 3-5 minutesStarting class with stillness,attention, and deep breathing canset a peaceful tone for your day.44 Ways to Start Class4 Ways to Start Classwith Mindfulnesswith MindfulnessBox BreathingBox breathing can help sharpenfocus, and reduce anxiety and heartrate. It can be especially usefulbefore a test or after a stressful timeon the playground. While guidingstudents, pay attention to their bodylanguage. For younger children, keepthe 4-counts shorter since their lungsare small.1.1.Metta PracticeThis activity encourages students tonotice how kind thoughts towardothers can have a positive effect onourselves. Guide your studentsthrough the provided prompts,inviting them to focus on their breathand let the words fill their minds.2.2.4 Elements GroundingSimilar to Box Breathing, this activitycan be particularly helpful when younotice students are coming into classagitated, or there have beeninterpersonal clashes. Thisopportunity to pause and re-center can be very effective atlowering the temperature in theroom. Through verbal prompts, youlead students on a mental journeyrelated to the properties of earth,air, water, and fire.Sensory WalkThis activity is easiest in anoutdoor space where students canwalk freely within earshot as youshare the prompts, but it can alsobe done in a classroom. Followingthe guided prompts allowsstudents to pay attention to theirthoughts and how their body feels.3.3.4.4.Click on the activity title to be taken to thedetailed explanation on the #Inspired2Learn site.

www.inspiredteaching.org Copyright © Center for Inspired Teaching 2022Discipline: These activities can be applied inany class or subject area though they do nothave direct ties to content. With somecreative thinking, you can make thoseconnections by choosing prompts or actionsrelated to what you are teaching that day.Age level: AllTime: 5-10 minutes (Some of these activitiescan take longer depending on your goals.)The core of communitybuilding is about being seen,heard, known, and appreciatedfor who you are. 54 Ways to4 Ways to Build CommunityBuild CommunityUncommon CommonalitiesIn pairs, students take a few minutesto identify things they have incommon that it is unlikely anyoneelse in class will also have incommon. Have students share theirfindings with the rest of the class andinvite students to chime in if theyshare the uncommon commonalitiesas well. For added challenge, in afuture class consider the sameactivity with trios or groups of four.1.1.DJ for a DayCreating a class playlist can be anongoing project, and music is a greattool for getting to know each other.We offer a few suggestions for howyou can do this on #Inspired2Learn.2.2.3 Fun FactsThis is a good exercise to buildquestioning, listening, and retellingskills. In pairs, students intervieweach other to come up with threefun facts about one another thatthey’re comfortable having sharedwith the class. The interviewer willthen introduce the interviewee.Plan a Spontaneous TripStudents will work in pairs or smallgroups to explore this prompt: Youhave been given an all-expenses paid3-day trip to anywhere you like andyou must figure out where you’regoing and what you’ll do each day.Groups quickly plan a trip, workingtogether to come up with alocation and experiences thataddress everyone’s interests, thenshare their travel itineraries. 3.3.4.4.Click on the activity title to be taken to thedetailed explanation on the #Inspired2Learn site.

www.inspiredteaching.org Copyright © Center for Inspired Teaching 2022Digital SummariesThere is a genre of social media personalities summarizing movie and tv show plotlines and adding commentary unique to their perspectives. You can invite studentsto do the same by creating plot summaries of what they learned in class the previousday. It’s a good way to practice recall and see how well concepts are sinking in.Visual Thinking StrategiesThis flexible activity requires finding a compelling image related to what you areteaching and inviting students to look at it. Visual Thinking Strategies is anapproach to inquiry, discussion, and art/imagery appreciation. The point of thisis not to “get it right” but to continue to look deeper and deeper at an imagebuilding student expertise in their own perceptions.Creating a Sensory TeaserThe goal of this activity is to think outside of the usual way we expect students toabsorb content by appealing to different senses. For example, how might youinspire your students to write poetry using their sense of smell? Can you dive intoan exploration of experimental design using students’ sense of touch?Mental MathIn this activity, you will verbally walk students through a math problem step bystep and give them time to solve it in their heads. At the end of the problem, invitestudents to show how they feel about their answer with a thumbs-up approach.2.2.4 Ways to Connect Warm-Ups to Content4 Ways to Connect Warm-Ups to ContentDiscipline: Class openers don't alwaysconnection to content if, for example, your goalis to build community, gauge the mood of theroom, or get students up and moving. Butsometimes you want an opener that can launchyou into a course of study right from the start. Age level: AllTime: 5-10 minutes (Some of these activitiescan take longer depending on your goals.) Connecting your class opener tocontent creates continuity andinitiates flow.61.1.3.3.4.4.Click on the activity title to be taken to the detailed explanation on the #Inspired2Learn site.

www.inspiredteaching.org Copyright © Center for Inspired Teaching 2022How Full is Your Cup?This wellness checkup provides a simplevisual way to reflect on what students haveto give and what they need to fill them up.Emotion ContinuumStudents work together to create an“emotion continuum”: a wall of pictures thatrepresent the wide range of emotions onecan feel. Through this challenge, studentsbuild their vocabularies and build productivestrategies for communicating feelings andneeds to adults and to one another.Emotional MetaphorStart class with a question that asks studentsto share how they’re feeling through ametaphor. For example: If your feelings rightnow were a ____ what would you be andwhy? The blank can be filled anything likefood, color, season, etc. Students canrespond verbally, by writing, by drawing, etc.2.2.3 Ways to Check the Mood of the Room3 Ways to Check the Mood of the RoomDiscipline: These activities can be applied in anyclass or subject area though they do not havedirect ties to content. With some creativethinking, you can make those connections bychoosing prompts or actions related to what youare teaching that day.Age level: AllTime: 3-5 minutes (The Emotion Continuumtakes at least one class period to create but afterthat, it can be used for just a minute a day.) Gauging the temperature of theroom can give you a better idea ofwhat you’re working with.Join us at ourOctober Institute:71.1.3.3.20 Ways to End20 Ways to EndSchool DaysSchool DaysONLINEWEDNESDAY, OCT. 12 | 7 - 9PM ESTIN PERSONSATURDAY, OCT. 15 | 11:30AM - 1:30PM(BOTANICAL GARDEN)Register athttps://bit.ly/3SiwkNaPrepare students to return thenext day eager for more.Click on the activity title to be taken to the detailedexplanation on the #Inspired2Learn site.