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Jordan Elementary Gets S.M.A.R.T. in What's Cool in Our School
For three years now kindergartners and first graders at Jordan Elementary School in Jordan have been running, jumping, crawling and bouncing for a half hour of classtime every day. It's not recess; it's S.M.A.R.T training, or Stimulating Maturity Through Accelarated Readiness Training. The program is available through The Minnesota Learning Resource Center.

Principal Stacy DeCorsey says since the program came to Jordan Elementary, test scores have gone up, and students are more focused in class.

What is it? First Grader Katie Hall says, "We do, like exercises in the room." Those exercises are more than just fun, though. They stimulate right/left brain connections, and reinforce class lessons through movement.

Teachers in other grades are also incorporating S.M.A.R.T. training techniques into regular classroom teaching, giving students in the upper grades exposure to learning through movement as well.

Learn more about the program at Jordan Elementary by viewing the news video on the Kare 11 Web site.(Copyright 2007 by KARE 11. All Rights Reserved.)




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