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Mindfulness and Meditation in Science

The lesson plan introduces mindfulness techniques of yoga poses and breathing exercises to 20 third grade students over 60 minutes. Students will demonstrate three yoga poses and 30 seconds of mindful breathing. The lesson begins with a discussion of stress and anxiety. Students then practice mindful breathing and yoga poses with instructional videos. They are assessed individually on the poses and breathing. Before a test, students review past lessons from their portfolios with partners. The lesson accommodates students with different abilities.

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Topics covered

  • stress management,
  • group activities,
  • test preparation,
  • learning disabilities,
  • educational standards,
  • PA Standards,
  • reflective practice,
  • lesson structure,
  • community health,
  • accommodations
0% found this document useful (0 votes)
217 views6 pages

Mindfulness and Meditation in Science

The lesson plan introduces mindfulness techniques of yoga poses and breathing exercises to 20 third grade students over 60 minutes. Students will demonstrate three yoga poses and 30 seconds of mindful breathing. The lesson begins with a discussion of stress and anxiety. Students then practice mindful breathing and yoga poses with instructional videos. They are assessed individually on the poses and breathing. Before a test, students review past lessons from their portfolios with partners. The lesson accommodates students with different abilities.

Uploaded by

api-534693883
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Topics covered

  • stress management,
  • group activities,
  • test preparation,
  • learning disabilities,
  • educational standards,
  • PA Standards,
  • reflective practice,
  • lesson structure,
  • community health,
  • accommodations

Developmental Lesson Plan

Teacher Candidate: ​Sarah Miller Date: ​4/9/2021

Group Size: ​20 Allotted Time: ​60 minutes Grade Level: ​3

Subject or Topic: ​Science: Meditation

Common Core/PA Standard(s):


Standard - 10.2.3.A
Identify personal hygiene practices and community helpers that promote health and prevent the
spread of disease.

Learning Targets/Objectives:
The third-grade students will be able to demonstrate mindfulness by relaxed breathing and
three yoga poses correctly.
Assessment Approaches: Evidence:
1. Observation 1. Yoga poses and breathing exercises.
Assessment Scale:
The students will correctly demonstrate mindful breathing for 30 seconds. The students
correctly will demonstrate three yoga poses.

Subject Matter/Content: ​Mindfulness


Prerequisites: ​blood pressure, heart
Key Vocabulary: ​Stress - What you feel when you are worried or uncomfortable about
something. This worry in your mind can make your body feel bad. You may feel angry​,
frustrated, or scared, which can give you a stomachache or a headache.

Content/Facts:
● What is yoga?
○ Physical postures, breathing techniques, and meditation or relaxation.
● What is anxiety?
○ A feeling of fear about what is happening or what might happen.
● What is meditation?
○ Being in a relaxed state of mind and focusing on your breathing to become
calm.
Introduction/Activating/Launch Strategies: T​ell students to raise their hands if they have ever
felt stressed out. Ask them, “What does it mean to be stressed out?” Allow students to
answer. Then ask if anyone knows any ways to calm down when they are feeling stressed out.
After students answer, tell students that we are going to learn about two ways to help us calm
down when we are feeling stressed. Then I will read them “A Little Spot of Anxiety” by Diane
Alber. It talks about anxiety and how to prevent it from happening. After reading the book I
will tell them now we are going to look at more ways to help our anxiety and prevent it from
happening. Then tell them that we will have a little review and then take the test.
Development/Teaching Approaches
I Do
● Ask the students if anyone has heard of mindful breathing. Ask students if anyone has
heard of Yoga. Tell the students that w​hen they feel threatened, their nervous system
responds by releasing a flood of stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol,
which rouse the body for emergency action. Their heart pounds faster, muscles tighten,
blood pressure rises, and their breath quickens. Tell them that mindful breathing and
Yoga both help the body fight against these physical reactions and help them to feel
better.

We Do
● Take the students into the Gymnasium and have them spread out and sit on the floor.
Ask the students who remember how to measure your pulse. Ask the students to take
their pulse and try to remember the number they get. Play the audio of the YouTube
video Breath Meditation for Kids. Have students listen to the video and do the
breathing along with it. Ask students to take their pulse again. Lead discussion on
what happened to their pulses after they practiced mindful breathing. Take the students
back to the classroom and discuss how they felt physically after doing the mindful
breathing (Calmer, relaxed). Then tell the students that Yoga has the same effect on
the body during times of stress. Play YouTube Video Yoga for Kids with Animals -
Smile and Learn. Have students do the Yoga poses with the video.

You Do
● Split the class in half. Direct one half of the class to go to the rug. Direct the other
students to sit at their desks and begin to practice mindful breathing. Have the students
on the rug to demonstrate the cat pose, the dog pose, and the snake pose, one at a time.
Observe the students, helping with tips if needed. Record if the students can do the
poses correctly. Once assessed, tell them to keep practicing the poses and go to the
students at their desks, practicing breathing. Observe the students, helping if
necessary. Record if the students are able to do the breathing correctly. Then have the
groups switch and do the same procedure.
● After that tell them to all go back to their seats. Then tell them we are going to quickly
review before we take the test. After each day all of their projects, assessments, and
notes will be in a portfolio folder they have. After they are graded each day they get put
into the folder. I am going to hand out each student’s portfolio to them at their desks.
They are going to take out everything and talk to their partner about them. If they have
an answer wrong it will be corrected so they won’t be reviewing incorrect information.
They will talk to their partner going through each day about what they learned from
each lesson and talk about their assessments. For the assessment that were group or
partner work, I made copies for them to look at individually. They will have 8 minutes
to talk about each of their things then after the 8 minutes is up they need to switch
partners with somebody so they have the chance to hear different information and
ideas. Then before the test, they are allowed to pick one thing from the portfolio of
their choice to keep during the test.
Closure/Summarizing Strategies:
After they have picked their item to use during the test. I will go around and collect their
portfolios and tell them to have nothing on their desk but a pencil and the item they are using
during the test. I will start to pass the test out and as I am I will remind them to stay silent and
keep their eyes on their own paper. Tell them if they don’t finish the test to not worry about it
because they can stay after school or take it on Monday. Tell them if they have a question to
raise their hand I will go to them.

Accommodations/Differentiation:
If there is a child with poor motor skills you can help them with their balance while they are
doing the yoga poses.
For a child with a learning disability, they can use everything in the portfolio instead of just
one. During the review session, they can sit with me and I will help them go over things for the
test. They can sit in a different room to reduce distraction.

Materials/Resources:
Yoga Poses
[Link]
Breathing Exercises
[Link]
The students’ portfolios.
Unit Test
A Little Spot of Anxiety ​by Diane Alber
Reflective Response:
Report of Student Learning Target/Objectives Proficiency Levels

Remediation Plan (if applicable)

Personal Reflection Questions


Was it too much to fit another lesson in with the test? Would the students be overwhelmed and
have enough time?

Additional reflection/thoughts

Common questions

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The lesson plan incorporates individual learning by allowing students to practice mindful breathing and yoga poses independently and assessment through the observation of individual performance . Group learning is included through partner discussions and group demonstrations, which encourage peer learning and offer opportunities for students to share insights and correct misconceptions collaboratively . This combination of approaches caters to different learning styles and fosters a supportive learning environment .

Assessments include observing students' execution of breathing and yoga poses to ensure correct practices. Following the lesson, students discuss their performance and misunderstood areas with partners to reinforce understanding . The use of portfolios containing graded assessments aids in tracking individual progress and allows for targeted discussions and corrections. In cases of learning challenges, personalized support and alternative assessment environments are provided to maintain learning continuity .

External resources are utilized in the lesson plan through instructional videos such as 'Breath Meditation for Kids' and 'Yoga for Kids with Animals,' which offer structured guidance and visual demonstrations. These resources help students follow along and understand the exercises better, enhancing engagement by providing diverse modes of learning beyond traditional instruction .

The lesson plan ensures students remember concepts about mindfulness and stress management by engaging them in both interactive activities and reflective discussions. Following practical demonstrations of mindful breathing and yoga, students discuss their personal physical and emotional responses to these activities . They also review their portfolio of activities and assessments, and discuss with partners what they learned, helping reinforce and retain the information .

Physical exercises like yoga play a crucial role in the lesson's approach to teaching mindfulness by providing a practical method to combat physical stress responses. Yoga, combined with mindful breathing, helps to slow the heart rate, relax muscles, and lower blood pressure, making students feel calmer and more relaxed . It serves as a hands-on activity to internalize the concepts of mindfulness and stress relief .

The lesson plan incorporates strategies to handle student stress and anxiety by teaching mindful breathing and yoga. Students learn about stress and anxiety through discussion and the book 'A Little Spot of Anxiety' by Diane Alber . Mindful breathing and yoga are practiced to demonstrate their calming effects, as both are known to counteract stress responses such as increased heart rate and tightened muscles .

The lesson plan accommodates students with different learning needs by providing differentiated instruction techniques. Students with poor motor skills receive assistance with balance during yoga poses, and a student with a learning disability can use all portfolio materials rather than being limited to one resource . Additionally, students can review with the teacher and complete the test in a less distracting environment if necessary .

Practical activities in the lesson plan include having students measure their pulse before and after practicing mindful breathing to observe changes in their physical state. After practicing mindful breathing with a guided video, students are asked to take their pulse again to notice the calming effect. This is followed by performing yoga poses while watching an instructional video, allowing them to experience how these activities lower stress and anxiety .

The inclusion of reflection questions is important for the teacher's professional development because it allows the teacher to evaluate the effectiveness of the lesson, determine if the pacing was appropriate, and consider whether students were able to keep up without feeling overwhelmed . Reflective questions help in assessing the feasibility of fitting another lesson with the test and guide future lesson adjustments and instructional strategies .

The intended learning objectives for third-grade students are to demonstrate mindfulness through relaxed breathing and correctly perform three yoga poses . These objectives are assessed by observing whether students can perform mindful breathing for 30 seconds and demonstrate the three yoga poses correctly .

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