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Instructor: Mina Leierwood
Community: Pre-Kindergarten – 5th Grade, School Setting, 30 minutes
Plan Creation Date: January 1, 2015
Yoga Calm Principle/Lesson Goal: Strength
Title: Star / Purpose
Art Standards: Shapes – Star
Connecting curriculum: School word-of-the-month, PURPOSE
Overview: I used this with all classes on day one of my art school year. Since I have approx. 500 students, I repeated the lesson 22 times.
Lesson Plan:
Calm
- Intro – Invite students into circle, “Welcome to art. Nice to see you again. Before we get our seating assignments, I’d like to ask you to bring your attention to yourself and your body right now. This is your school, your brain and body, and your chance to learn as much as you can. Body and mind working together.
- Mountain Pose – “Everyone, please stand in Mountain Pose, straight up and down, back straight, head up, eyes straight ahead of you. Feet strong on the ground, steady as a mountain. Each one of you has grown over the summer. Feel your arms and legs, fingers and toes. Everyone is growing bigger and stronger, and smarter! Take a deep breath in, and let it out.
Activate
- Arm Swings – “Arms up, REACH!, arms down. Repeat 5 times.
“The stars are your dreams and goals. Don’t forget! They are up there.
‘Reach for the stars!'” - Star Pose – Now stand in Star Pose. Feet apart, arms stretching wide! Head up. Don’t bump your neighbor, adjust a little bit so everyone has room. You are a Super Star!
- Warrior 2 – Now, slowly turn your eyes and body toward the east wall where the big buffalo is. This is Warrior 2, what I call Star Warrior pose! Your eyes are pointing towards your goal. Your front arm is pointing towards your goal, like an arrow to a target! Your back arm is like bow that holds the arrow tight, pull back!!! Your front knee is slightly bent, don’t fall over. Back leg straight. Start Warrior!
- Mountain – Whew! Release. Let go. Stand like a mountain again. Now let’s repeat on the other side. (Repeat Star and Warrior 2)
Calm
- Child’s Pose – Excellent. Now everyone sit down. Collapse your star into a little ball. Down down down to the ground. Squeeze squeeze squeeze! Now relax your ball. Please sit criss-cross applesauce. Thanks! Let’s see how we can use this start shape in Art. And let’s find your assigned seat. Please listen carefully….
- Art Activity – Assign seats. Distribute paper with person doing the star pose (pre-K – 1) or plain paper (2-5) and pencils/crayons using helpers. Grades 2-5 draw the star shape and themselves as a star. Grades 1 -2 color themselves as a star. Everyone chooses to put their favorite things in the picture. Their favorite sport, favorite food, favorite book, and/or favorite animal. Clean up. Utilize helpers. Everyone can help too.
- Reflection/Closure – Bring your picture back to the circle. Share your favorite things with a friend! (one minute.) Now share your favorite things with the whole group. (Everyone holds paper up.) Cool!
- Evidence of Learning, measures of success – Is everyone participating in the yoga portion of class? In the drawing part of class? Sharing at the end? Feeling good and leaving art happily and peacefully?