Yoga... Rule 76- No Excuses Play Like A Champion

It felt great to be able to teach a class without being nervous or unprepared. I worked hard on preparing and setting up for today’s lesson and it had definitely paid off. In the beginning I thought I had a great opener, "Hello my name is Mike 'The Guru' Zarcone and I will be your Yoga instructor today"- It made everyone giggle which broke the ice. Also I added a movie quote on my Rules poster.. "Rule 76- No excuses, play like a champion." Again, I thought that was a great addition because people laughed. That laughter made everyone comfortable which in turn made the lesson better. I touched on the health benefits that yoga supports and I did this by making a poster board with fill in the blanks and have the students answer them, very effective.
I started my students off with a simple Yoga Freeze Tag. Two tagger (that I selected before class so I wouldn't waste time) trying to tag other students in a given area. Once a student gets tagged, they must go to the mirror and perform two poses we completed last class. This instant activity increases the students’ heart rate and also allows them to self-assess their poses in the mirrors.
Once the instant activity was over, I had them make a circle around me and follow me through the old poses with the addition of 3 new poses (Downward Facing Dog, Leg Lift Pose, Sitting Chair pose). In my circle, I gave the options of completing harder poses for the students that were strong and flexible. Also, gave easier poses for the students that were not comfortable with stretching. Once the review was over I had the students grab a partner and have them self assess with the mirrors provided and peer assess. Also, have them make up their own sequence of poses to show the class.
Students made up some interesting poses; some were very funny and others were serious. This was a plus because that showed me they were either enjoying themselves or taking it seriously, or both. One student wanted to show the class his poses he created, very entertaining and enlightening. As you can see at the bottom of this post, the video of the student performing his modified Sun Salutation sequence. I ended my lesson with going over the cues for one of the poses we did together. I asked everyone to perform the pose as I walked around to give feedback.

While the students were creating their own sequences I walked around giving positive and corrective My Feedback. Also, I planned my lesson to incorporate as much activity as possible while giving the proper instructions for a high success rate. This is How I Managed My Time.

My Yoga Lesson Plan

Things I should have done:

• Have music playing the whole class time.
• Give a cognitive test at the end of class.

Remember, WORK HARD and TEACH ON!

Explorer Scavenger Hunt Assignment

I really enjoyed the scavenger hunt because it involved the use of technology and gave our team hints with riddles instead of just telling us where the next location was. I would use this lesson in the future depending on the age limit of my students and the environment. The scavenger hunt that we had involved hunting for different buildings around campus so that means walking through parking lots, crossing streets, and not being supervised. However, a modified scavenger hunt will definitely be incorporated in my future lesson plans.

This activity has potential for an active heart rate (HR) depending on the students’ motivation and enthusiasm. If the student is running to their next destination then their HR is going to be higher than the student who doesn't excel themselves to the next location.

Raising your HR has benefits of
¨Decreases risk of cardiovascular disease
¨Increase in heart rate
¨Increases blood flow
¨Burns more fat
¨Increase endurance
¨Helps your joints
¨Strengthens your muscles
¨Gets you in shape

Remember, WORK HARD and TEACH ON!

Instant Activity: Falling Leaves

One of the best Instant Activity games I have taught. The object of this activity is to pretend you are leaf. That's it! It’s that simple. I was the instructor and gave directions on how to act. I felt like I was Five years old again. I let go and ran around the gymnasium acting like a leaf falling off a big Oak tree. As the class is 'falling off the tree branch', the wind would pick up and blow us around. So I had the class run around in all different directions pretending like they're getting blown around by the wind. Then I had them act like a Pine Needle, so they had to stiffen up and run around all stiff. Then a Maple leaf! And they waved their arms all over and ran around. Then the wind stopped and I had them lay on the floor and act like the wind was all over but then suddenly their was a twister and they ran in a circle pretending to be a tornado. All the students were laughing and really getting into it. I recommend games like this, very simple. You can modify this game to any of the seasons and not just Fall so be creative and have fun with it!!

Remember, WORK HARD and TEACH ON!

Mini-Conference

During the Mini-Conference at SUNY Cortland, the entire class welcomed staff, friends, visitors, teachers, and coaches with the beat from We Will Rock You by Queen. However, we did not say "We will rock you", we came through the doors singing "We Will, We Will Teach you!" It was very catchy and gave a comfortable vibe. Then we explained a few 'ice breaker' games and had everyone from the audience come down and introduce themselves. I walked around introducing myself and making small talk with almost everyone. Everyone was beginning to smile so I knew it was a success. After the introduction, the Mini-Conference began and great knowledge was told.

Sun Salutation Part II

The second part of my Yoga (Sun Salutation) teaching was successful. My partner, Michelle and I had the privilege of using the dance studio to teach our lesson. This was a plus because we were able to use the mirrors that surrounded us which helped with the self-assessment and peer-assessment. Also the foam mats were available for the class to use. Michelle brought in her soothing Yoga soundtrack that made the class relaxed and comfortable while I dimmed the lights. The environment was perfect.

We began the class in the gymnasium so I had to explain to my students that there were other classes going on around us and we needed to be extremely quit while walking in the halls. One student was acting up so I asked him to do me a huge favor and hold the door for all the students and that it was a very important job. He did a great job and felt important. I gave my safety statement but forgot to go over the class rules while in the dance studio, I will not forget next time. We went over the cues from last class and I added two more poses (Downward facing dog and Warrior I pose). I really stressed the breathing techniques and the proper way to breath during the Sun Salutation; Inhale going into the pose and exhale coming out of that pose, repeat with every pose. Then I had the students’ pair up and assess each other while I walked around giving positive feedback. The mirrors were available for the student’s who were performing the pose. Unfortunately I ran out of time so my closure was weak. I wanted to go over the cues and the new poses we did in class. I also had a small cognitive test for the student to take but I did not hand it out because of time. My management of time was good but I could have added more activity time. The fact that we didn't start in the dance studio messed up my strategy but next time I will be prepared. However, overall I fell that this lesson was a great success.

Remember, WORK HARD and TEACH ON!