Three-minute lesson breakers

• Organise the students into a circle with all of the students facing into the centre. Lead the group in oral counting chants, for example, counting by 2s, 5s, 10s or odds and evens. Ask a student to nominate a body action which the group can perform with each count
• Count the total number of body parts in the class by the appropriate number of multiples. For example, count the number of heads by ones, the number of feet by twos
• Lead the class in counting to reinforce multiples of three. On the first number in the sequence, instruct the students to touch their heads and think of the number, that is, not verbalise the number. Repeat the process for the second number in the sequence. On the third number in the sequence, ask the students to touch their knees and say the number out loud
• Think of a “secret number”. Allow the students ten questions in which they have to guess the “secret” number. Respond to the questions by answering yes or no
• Display a dot pattern card, for example a pattern to represent the number 8, and say: “I wish I had 12 . How many more do I need?” The students are to use mental strategies to solve the problem