Elementary Academics

1. ADVANCE NOTICE
Listen carefully to today’s information and
notice the modeling done by the instructor
At the end of the session, you will be
given tokens to play bingo on your Brain
Research Board. Participants must take
turns explaining the boxes during the
game. “Must Have” door prizes will be
available for good participation

2. BRAIN RESEARCH
Bingo Card
Change the State Novelty Water
Peppermint Sleep Humor
Emotion Respect Left Brain/Right

3. To Be Left-Brained or Right-
Brained?
That is the question
• Right Brain
• Creative, visual,
verbal
• Needing dance, art,
music, and creative
projects to send info
into long term
memory
• Left Brain
• Linear, Concrete, task-
oriented
• Needs focused
instruction with
governing rules and
formulas

4. Which are you?
You’re both! We all are right and left
brained at times. We cycle into one
and out of another every 90 minutes.
This enforces the notion that you
must you use both modes of
instruction at all times since you
don’t know which kids are on which
side at any given moment

5. The Social Brain
• Physical movement of talking about what
you just learned helps to internalize and
solidify new learning in nerve networks
• After presenting new information, allow
students to share verbally, with a partner,
how the info relates to them personally

6. Did you know?
Lighting effects concentration –
consider purchasing lamps with a
“nice light”
Plants and Ionization helpful also –
consider purchases as good
investments

7. RESPECT – A “no-brainer”
Stress has a negative effect on
learning
Students will be more receptive to
your lessons when they know you
care about them as people
Kids are very perceptive to how you
feel about them

8. EMOTION HELPS YOU
1. Name the 10 richest people in the world
according to Forbes
2. Name 3 teachers who had a profound or
positive effect on your life
3. #2 much easier – emotion is involved
4. Use of cartoon overheads such as Calvin
and Hobbs turns the brain into more active
gear

9. Humor
• Directly linked with Emotional Component
• When emotions are triggered such as a good
laugh, the brain is more likely to remember
the information taught

10. Sleep
• Your body cycles in and out of REM sleep
every 90 minutes
• Take your wake-up time and go back by 90
minute increments to find the optimum bed
time
• Plenty of sleep helps with memory retention
of material learned that day

11. Peppermint
• Sense of smell has the closest link to the
brain
• Scented oil in a diffuser, use of peppermint
candy, essential peppermint oil by Aveda
can be applied directly above upper lip
• Good practice to do all the time – during
learning – as well as during testing

12. Brain is over 80% water; body
is 70%
By the time you get thirsty, you’re
already dehydrated. Adults need ½
gallon per day
Students bringing water bottles to class
has been a successful practice at some
schools

13. You Change A Situation When You Change
A State Of Mind
There are no unmotivated
students, just students in
unmotivated states
M o v e m e n t , e x e r c is e , s t r e t c h in g
U s e o f m u s ic , fo o d , a r o m a s
S u r p r is e , N o v e lt y , S h o c k
R e - g r o u p in g
W a t e r
D e h y d r a t io n = b a d n e w s fo r y o u r b r a in
W a t e r m a k e s t h in k in g c le a r e r
C h a n g e o f lo c a t io n s
B r a in G y m E x e r c is e s
" B r a in B u t t o n s "
C r o s s C r a w l
H o o k - u p s
C h a n g e o f S t a t e
A m e t h o d t o m o t iv a t e k id s a n d d e - e s c a la t e p r o b le m s
T o n e o f v o ic e , v o lu m e , a n d p a u s e s
N e w R o le s a n d R e s p o n s ib ilit ie s

14. PROVERB
The longer the time spent in a chair,
the greater the depth of student
despair

15. NOVELTY
• The brain tunes out the ordinary – driving to
work/home is secondary over time
• Novel Approaches wake up the mind
– Lessons done outside or in new places
– Teach in different areas of the room
– Use of music to evoke emotion – fast music for small
group brainstorming/slow for individual work
– Use of color in overheads and worksheets
– Games, drama, or stories to music to increase retention

16. Metaphors
New information tries to connect with prior
knowledge. No link with prior knowledge =
no information stored in long term memory
Offer a concrete reminder: a token or
artifact for students to use to trigger a
memory of your lesson