My Feet, My Moves! OVERVIEW Authored by In this lesson, students learn that our feet are a basic form of transportation. They explore the many fun and creative ways we can use our feet to move. Students show off their favorite moves to get from one place to the next. Then they work with a partner to trace, cut out, and decorate their footprints. Students place their footprints in colorful patterns around the room to celebrate the many ways in which we can move skipping, dancing, shuffling, walking, running, etc. The class ends with students forming a train and moving together in various patterns around the room! KEY OBJECTIVES FOR STUDENTS: Identify that our feet are a form of transportation. List ways we can use our feet to move such as walking, running, hopping, and skipping. Build pathways to celebrate our feet as a mode of transportation. Discuss how people with mobility impairments have other creative ways to get around. ESTIMATED TIME NEEDED (MINUTES): 45 minutes GRADE LEVELS: Kindergarten PRIMARY SUBJECTS: Physical Education SECONDARY SUBJECTS: Arts, Environmental Education, General Science, Mathematics, Music, Reading or Language Arts TOPICS: Transportation, transport, walking, healthy habits, forms of transportation, travel, human movement METHODS: Brain-Based Learning, Multi-Disciplinary, Multiple Intelligences, Real-World Application, Technology Integration SKILLS: Collaboration, Communication skills, Creative problem solving VALUES: Curiosity, Empathy, Mindfulness Learning Lab: learninglab.usgbc.org Course author retains full copyright of all materials. 1
PREPARE BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOR TEACHERS: This lesson fosters the development of several key concepts of sustainable intelligence: Physical exercise is fun and healthy. Walking is a great way to get around. There are many different types of people in the world, and there is strength in diversity. We can do some really cool things together if we listen and cooperate. Getting around by foot is empowering! It s important to appreciate the things we can do, like move around! It s good to understand what it s like to walk in someone else s shoes. When we walk around our neighborhoods and schools and we pay attention, we can observe all sorts of wonderful things! PREVIOUS SKILLS NEEDED: Listening skills, agility, taking turns, cooperation IN ADVANCE: Before class, clear a large space in the classroom to allow for plenty of movement. You could make a collection of footprints ahead of time if you think you may need more with which to build paths around the classroom. Cut pieces of packing tape in advance so you can easily and quickly attach the footprints to the floor. You could ask students in advance to share their favorite songs for moving so you have them on hand to get the class excited about moving. Make sure you have the necessary equipment to play the music and that you test the equipment before class. If your class includes students with mobility impairments, plan the best way to safely accommodate their needs during the lesson. You may be able to celebrate different ways of moving in a wheelchair and even create wheelchair footprints and draw a special path for different types of wheelchair movement. You could also encourage mobility-impaired students to demonstrate and celebrate the different ways they can move their bodies around. For example, they could celebrate hand or arm movements or celebrate the foot movements of the person assisting them. During the final train activity, allow students with unique needs to set up and celebrate a separate path they can travel that parallels the path used by other students. MATERIALS NEEDED: Butcher paper or drawing paper Crayons, colored pencils, or washable markers Safety scissors (1 pair per two students) Clear packing tape Music to get students moving KEY VOCABULARY: feet traffic transportation travel walking movement SAFETY INFORMATION: Remind students that when they move around the room they should be careful of those around them and the furniture. Learning Lab: learninglab.usgbc.org Course author retains full copyright of all materials. 2
TEACH ACTIVITY OUTLINE: Time Exercise Description 5 min. Introduction Review the definition of transportation, and host a mime activity. 10 min. Move Our Feet Students model different ways to move on their feet. 15 min. Color Our Feet Students trace, color, and cut out their footprints 10 min. Away We Go! Use the footprints to create and celebrate pathways for student movement. 5 min. Wrap-Up Students take a moment to appreciate their mobility and reflect on the various ways they move around. IMPLEMENTATION: 1. Introduction: Ask students: Who can tell us what transportation is? (Transportation is a way to get from one place to another.) Ask: Who can identify some of the different forms of transportation we have available to us today? (bicycles, scooters, cars, boats, airplanes, submarines, rockets, etc.) 2. Call on volunteers, one at a time, to mime/act out a form of transportation we use on land, in the air, or on water while their classmates try to guess what their classmate is miming. Call for student volunteers until several forms of transportation and each mode (land, water, and air) have been covered. 3. Ask: What can we use for transportation if we don t have a vehicle? (If we don t have a vehicle, we can move using our feet! For example, we can walk or run.) Encourage students to name some of their favorite ways to move their feet. (running, dancing, skipping, hopping, jumping, spinning, etc.) If you have any students who have mobility impairments, encourage them to share their favorite ways to get around, too, such as via fancy moves in a wheelchair or with crutches. Normalize differences as much as possible by encouraging and celebrating everyone s favorite ways of moving. 4. Move Our Feet: Set up two markers at the front of the room to distinguish a space about 3 m (10 ft.) long. Tell students you d like them to line up at the front of the class and move from one marker to the next in their favorite way. (If any student is uncomfortable with this activity, allow them to watch and cheer instead.) You might want to model one or more ways of moving to get the class started. 5. As students line up at the starting point, turn on some fun music. Then ask students to model their favorite ways of moving their feet, encouraging each other along the way. As students model walking, fast walking, slow walking, slow-motion walking, running, skipping, shuffling, dancing, etc., make a list of their different movement types on the board. 6. Color Our Feet: Have students find a partner, and give each student a piece of butcher paper. Give each duo a pair of safety scissors and access to crayons, colored pencils, or washable markers. 7. Call on a volunteer to come stand on a piece of paper you have at the front of the class. Model how to carefully trace around his or her foot. Then have students do the same, tracing around their partner s feet and trading off so that every student has a tracing of both of his or her feet. If time and materials permit, you could have them make two or three tracings of each foot. 8. Have students use the crayons, etc. to color and decorate the tracings of their feet. Then direct students to use the safety scissors to carefully cut out their foot outlines. 9. Away We Go!: Tell students that now we are going to build pathways in our classroom (and out in the hallway, if allowed) to remind us of all the fun and different ways we can use our feet as transportation. Collect all the footprints, and use pieces of packing tape to secure them to the floor in different patterns. For example, you could use 10 footprints to make a hopscotch board, or spread out six alternating footprints to make a pathway for skipping. 10. As each new path is created, have students practice their moves and suggest new pathways to add. Continue until all the student footprints are placed on the floor in a pattern that shows a particular form of movement. Finally, lead a train around your classroom over each path, moving your feet in each of the different ways as your students follow behind you. 11. Wrap-Up: Encourage students to sit in a circle on the floor to catch their breath and share their thoughts about this activity. Take a moment for students to appreciate how wonderful our feet are. You may wish to have students blow kisses to their feet or kiss their hand and place the kiss on their feet to offer gratitude for the privilege of movement. If you have any students with mobility impairments, encourage them to appreciate the way they get around, such as by patting their wheelchair or crutches. If you don t have any mobility-impaired students in the class, you could take a moment to talk about ways to get around when we can t use our feet, such as via a wheelchair. Encourage students to share any examples they ve seen of someone getting around without using their feet, such as different ways a wheelchair can move. Learning Lab: learninglab.usgbc.org Course author retains full copyright of all materials. 3
12. Use the Reflection Questions on the Assess tab help students further synthesize what they have learned in this activity. Learning Lab: learninglab.usgbc.org Course author retains full copyright of all materials. 4
REFLECT REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Use the following questions to guide students to reflect about the lesson. Why is it fun to move our feet in so many different ways? (Sample answers: It is fun because we get to be creative with our feet and our bodies. We get to play as we move from place to place! This is different than riding in a car where you have to sit still.) What are some of the places in your life that you walk to and from? (Sample answers: I walk around our school from class to class. I walk from school to the park to play. I walk with my family around the supermarket when we go grocery shopping.) How can we continue to use the paths we made in class today? (Sample answers: We can use these paths for fun and to play. They will remind us to use our feet in different ways to move from place to place. They show us that it can be fun to use our feet for transportation.) Why do you think people use their feet as a form of transportation? (Sample answers: People may use their feet because it is more fun than riding in a car or on the bus. When you use your feet, you see more of what s around you. For a long time, people only had their feet or animals, like horses or donkeys, to transport them. Now, people choose to use their feet because it can be healthier and more enjoyable than other forms of transportation.) When would it not be safe to use our feet for transportation? (Sample answers: It would not be safe to use our feet if we had to go a long way or had to walk on busy, dangerous roads. When we are near or crossing a street, we should always have an adult with us who will help keep us safe.) If we injure our feet or are born with a disease that won t allow us to use our feet, what can we do instead? (Wheelchairs are a great option for many people who can t use their feet directly; if we are injured, casts, crutches, and walking boots can help us get around.) ASSESSMENT OPPORTUNITIES: Monitor students as they work in pairs to trace and cut out their footprints. Evaluate their successful completion of the steps and their participation in the activities. Use the Reflection Questions on the Assess tab to evaluate how well students have understood the lesson and are able to apply it. The ideas on the Extend tab also offer excellent opportunities for assessment. STANDARDS ASSESSMENT: This lesson, with all components included, is linked to the following standards: Common Core State Standards (CCSS): Kindergarten: RL.K.1, RF.K.1a d, RF.K.2a, RF.K.3a d, RF.K.4, W.K.2, SL.K.1a b, SL.K.2 6, L.K.1b f, L.K.2b, L.K.4a b, L.K.5a d, L.K.6 Cloud Education for Sustainability (EfS) Standards & Performance Indicators: Pre-K 2: B7, B8, B12, H7, H9, H11 Estándares Secretaría de Educación Pública (México): Español: LIT.PE.1.3, 1.5, PTE.PE.2.2, 2.6, PCO.PE.3.1, 3.2, 3.4 3.7, 3.9, FUL.PE.4.2, 4.3, AL.PE.5.1, 5.2, 5.4, 5.5, 5.7 Ciencias: ACT.PE.2.4, HC.PE.3.2, AC.PE.4.2, 4.4, 4.7 Learning Lab: learninglab.usgbc.org Course author retains full copyright of all materials. 5
EXTEND COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS: Take students on a field trip to a local footpath in a park or neighborhood to walk in their community. Invite families to come on the walk. Ask students to point out things they can do and see because they are using their feet. Have students show off their moves and practice skipping, jumping, dancing, etc. while also pointing out the plants, local wildlife, people, and landscapes that can be seen on the walk. Encourage a walking campaign in which parents and guardians and their child/children join others in the neighborhood to walk to and from school. DIFFERENTIATION: If your class includes students with mobility impairments, plan the best way to safely accommodate their needs during the lesson. You may be able to celebrate different ways of moving in a wheelchair and even create wheelchair footprints and draw a special path for different types of wheelchair movement. You could also encourage mobility-impaired students to demonstrate and celebrate the different ways they can move their bodies around. For example, they could celebrate hand or arm movements or celebrate the foot movements of the person assisting them. During the final train activity, allow students with unique needs to set up and celebrate a separate path they can travel that parallels the path used by other students. The book Movement Stories for Children Ages 3 6 is an excellent resource for guiding students with autism to experience and appreciate movement. CROSS DISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS: Language Arts Working as a class, have students create a short story about the different ways they use their feet as transportation. Guide each student to compose a short sentence about someplace he or she has gone to and how he or she used his or her feet to get there. As you write the story on butcher paper, include your students names in the narrative, as well as the places they mention and landmarks around the school and community. When the story is finished, have students illustrate it to create a poster-sized story. Or have each student write and illustrate their contribution and then combine them all to create a classroom storybook. Read students a story about movement. Some examples are listed in the External Resources section on the Extend tab. After you read the story, lead students in talking about the different types of movement in the story and whether the tale has inspired them to think of new ideas for movement. Mathematics Have students walk out the steps they want to include in their pathway, counting how many of each step (left and right) they need to tape to the floor. Students can also practice counting how many steps it takes to get from their classroom to the cafeteria or the library. You could then create a classroom tally board on which you post the number of steps it takes to get to different places around the school. Tell students approximately how many steps are in half a kilometer (about 660) or a quarter mile (about 500), and have them count to see if they take that many steps throughout their school day. Science Research the footprints and tracks of different kinds of local animals. Show students pictures of these animals footprints and have them try to identify which type of animal left each set of tracks. Then students can try to move the way the animals move, based on their tracks. Art Have students remove their shoes and socks and paint their feet with washable paint. Students can then place their feet on a large sheet of butcher paper to make a footprint mural. They can decorate the area around the footprints and hang their mural in the school to celebrate all the fun ways to move using their feet. TECHNOLOGY: Show students how a pedometer or a smartphone step-counter can be used to track walking distance throughout the day. Choose a student to carry a device throughout the day, and check in with this student during class time to see how many steps he or she has walked. You could pass the pedometer around to let everyone give it a try. You can also use this technology to verify and complement the suggested Mathematics connection. Learning Lab: learninglab.usgbc.org Course author retains full copyright of all materials. 6