Page 6
August 30, 2017
Movement Zones for Better Learning
Rosa Parks
students benefit
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Fourth grader Day’Anah is
stressed over a new teacher
and sometimes doesn’t want to
come to school. When she does
come to class, “sometimes I
get bored and need movement
to wake up.”
Day’Anah’s
recognition
that physical activity plays a
role in academics has fueled
her interest in the Rose Parks
Elementary Learning Center’s
new movement zone, devel-
oped by The Shadow Project,
a non-profit serving Portland
Public Schools.
“Many of my students like
Day’Anah are starting to gauge
what they are feeling, and they
know what they need to do to
calm down and focus, so they
can get back to class,” says
Rosa Parks Learning Center
Teacher Kim Giarelli.
Kids need regular movement
to be successful in school. In
addition to the health benefits
of physical activity, movement
breaks can help students reg-
ulate their behavior, and they
are then better able to engage
in class and retain information.
In Ms. Giarelli’s room, stu-
dents in grades four and five
now have access to a station-
ary bike, a fit board, a trampo-
line, and a crash pad for timed
breaks.
“The bike is my favorite,”
says Day’Anah. “It helps me to
concentrate at school.”
In another learning center
classroom, students in kin-
dergarten through third grade
Physical activity breaks up the day and helps Day’Anah keep
her focus at Rosa Parks Elementary’s new Movement Zone,
a literacy space developed by The Shadow Project, a non-
profit serving Portland Public Schools.
utilize a weighted lap pad, bal-
ance beam, trampoline, crash
pad, tunnel for crawling, and
squishy balls for shooting in-
door hoops.
“The movement breaks are
helping,” says Ms. Giarelli.
“I see the kids really exerting
themselves to improve, not just
going through the motions. We
are already seeing the bene-
fits.”