I. PAUSE
Why
Pausing gives students the ability to intentionally tune out distractions.
Objectives
- Students will be introduced to the concept of mindfulness.
- Students will become familiar with the concept of pausing.
- Students will see and try Practice Position.
Time
20 min
Materials
N/A
Activities
pausing, practicing, breathing
INQUIRE (5 min)
Today we're going to start learning a new way to use our minds. It's called mindfulness.
Write the word "mindfulness" on the board.
We're going to learn some skills that will help us be more mindful of what is happening inside and outside of our bodies. We'll start with the skill of pausing. To pause means to take a break from what we are doing.
Often we pause because our bodies need something. Here are some examples. If we are running outside, we might pause to catch our breath. If we are stuck on a math problem, we might let our brains rest and come back to the problem later. Raise your hand if you can think of another time when we might pause.
Call on one or two students.
Summarize what you just discussed.
Pausing allows us to be mindful of what we need. When we pause, we can notice what is distracting us. Then we can better focus on what we were doing.
EXPERIENCE (7 min)
Explain and participate in the upcoming activity.
We are going to practice pausing by playing a game. When I say "pause" we are all going to freeze our bodies. When I say "release," we can move again. Ok, now let's stand up and wiggle our arms and legs.
Stand up and wiggle along with your students for around 10 seconds.
Pause. Take a slow breath in and a slow breath out.
Release. Great job. Let's do it again, and this time we'll take 3 breaths. Let's start wiggling our arms and legs again, and shake out some extra energy.
Wiggle along with your students for 5-10 seconds.
Pause. Slow breath in, slow breath out... Slow breath in, slow breath out... Slow breath in, slow breath out...
Release. Nice job. Now we are going to get into Practice Position. To get in Practice Position, let's face our chairs toward the front of the classroom and sit down. Let's plant our feel flat on the ground, then place the palms of our hands on the tops of our legs.
Demonstrate Practice Position in front of the room. Help anyone that needs help. Make sure everyone is settled in Practice Position.
We're going to do some breathing with our eyes closed, our bodies still, and our voices silent. I will ring the mindfulness bell when we start. After 20 seconds of pausing everything to just focus on our breathing, I will ring the bell again and you can open your eyes.
Some teachers like to see if their students have any questions or concerns before they begin.
Eyes closed.
REFLECT (5 min)
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SHARE (5 min)
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Going to start Me Time