Stand Up, Sit Down

• A pre-prepared list of words

Stand Up, Sit Down is an energizer that engages students as they use body movements to spell subject related vocabulary. 

1. Direct students to stand beside their chair.

2. Tell students that they are going to spell a word representing a current topic.

3. Say the word that will be used and spell it out loud.

4. Ask students to stand up when they hear a consonant and sit down when they hear a vowel.

5. Practice slowly with the first few words. Examples include:

   • • Collaboration

     • School

     • AVID

6. Repeat the process for as many words as needed.

To increase rigor:  

• Divide the class into groups to do different actions (when they hear a consonant, one group sits and one group stands). Do not post words for student to see.

To increase scaffolding:  

• Post the words so that the students can see them, indicating the consonants with capital letters (when they stand) and the vowels with lowercase (when they sit).

• Instead of sitting and standing, allow students to raise their hands up for consonants and lower them for vowels.

• Have students go back and forth between standing and sitting, alternating with each letter of the word.