The author talked about how when students are presented with new or complicated materials they need to be focused and calm. It recommended the use of brain breaks to stimulate 'increased activity in the prefrontal cortex where problem solving and emotional regulation occur'.
Who needs students that are ready to problem solve and emotionally regulated more than an ESL teacher? No one. So I read on.
The author suggested several potential brain break activities. I've taken the liberties of ESLifying one of them here and we'll add a few others to our growing list of things to post about in the future. The first on her list was called the 'Junk Bag"
Here's her description of the activity:
"I always carry a bag of household objects containing markers, scrap paper, and anything that one would find in a junk drawer** -- for example, a can opener or a pair of shoelaces. Pick any object out of the junk bag and ask students to come up with two ways this object could be reinvented for other uses. They can write or draw their responses. Once students have drawn or written about an invention, they can walk the room for one minute sharing and comparing."
Now there were a few of the things that I wanted to change about the task. First off, I don't always carry a bag of junk and when I'm headed to class I usually have more to carry than I have arms; so for now*** this needs to be more portable. Solution: a printable.
Second, reinventing the object seemed perhaps overly cognitive and underly communicative. Solution: instead of repurposing the household item how about renaming it and then trying to explain what it does while using its new name. Still could be too cognitive so to lessen the cognitive load let's randomly assign the object a name and script out the exchange. See second printable.
So the activity works like this: students stand up in pairs facing each other. Each pair is given a square with an object and a square with a nonsense word(verb). Like many of the objects pictured, the new nonsense name for the item is the "--er" form of the verb.
The tallest person in the pair is the salesman of this new object while the shorter person is the customer.
Each pair follows either the more advanced script or the less advanced script [see below] which is written or projected on the board substituting the nonsense syllable for the blank in the script.
For example, a pair receives the picture of the blender and the nonsense syllable "wub"
Customer: What is that?
Salesman: It’s a wubber.
Customer: A wubber?
Salesman: Yes, a wubber. It wubs things. Do you want it?
Customer: Yes please. I have many things I need to wub. Thank you!
Salesman: You’re welcome. I hope it helps with your wubbing!
The salesman hands the customer the picture of the item and the syllable card. The customer becomes a salesman, all the former salesmen become customers and find a new partner/salesman. The activity is repeated three or four times. The teacher collects the cards and could follow up by 'quizzing' the class as to what a particular item is and what it does.
Is your prefrontal cortex stimulated, yet? My guess it is.
I don't see why this activity couldn't be repeated throughout the semester anytime a brain break was needed. It would be appropriately the same (saving time) yet different (maintaining novelty) each time.
Level up by giving it a go sometime this week. Bonus lives if you send us pictures or comment on how it succeeds or if it falls short. Also if you think this is a good idea and you connect with other ESL professionals on social media give us some share wub. We would really wub it if you did.
*Spoiler Alert: A brain break is not watching puppy videos on YouTube.
**Oh so you mean a purse.
**Maybe I'll someday I'll work at a ritzy school that hires Sherpa for its teachers.
Basic Script:
Advanced Script:
Collages made at picmonkey.com
Pictures from: flickr.com
Non-sense syllables sourced: https://sites.google.com/a/saintelizabeth.us/learningspecialist/home/nonsense-words---printable-lists
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