Lesson Topic:

Team Building- First day get to know you

Lesson Description:

Great for the beginning of the year for get to know you and building relationships and communication skills.

Learning Goals/Outcomes:

The student will be familiar with students in their class.

The student will be comfortable working as part of a team.

The student will be challenged to listen, focus while having fun.

Nebraska Standards:

Physical Activity Benefits

PE.7.5.2 Recognizes the benefits of physical activity for challenge.PE.7.5.2.a Generates positive strategies when faced with a group challenge in physical activity (e.g., offering suggestions or assistance, leading, or following others and providing possible solutions).

PE.7.5.4 Recognizes the benefits of physical activity for social interaction.PE.7.5.4.a Demonstrates the importance of social interactions by helping and encouraging others, avoiding negative comments and providing support to classmates

PE.8.5.2 Recognizes the benefits of physical activity for challenge.PE.8.5.2.a Develops a plan of action for challenge in physical activity and makes appropriate decisions based on that plan.

Teacher Planning:

Equipment/Materials Needed:

Long rope (30 foot rope for every 10-15 students)

Buckets that tie on head (refer to picture) Feel free to adapt and use what you have. (enough for each student)

2 15 inch strings attached to cup

a ping pong ball for each student.

Stop watch

Time Required for Lesson:

45 minutes at a minimum.  You may not have time for the knot game.

Diagram/Setup:

Technology Use:

_____ YES               ___X__NO

Instructional Plan:

Anticipatory Set/Pre-Activity:

When people enter hand out cards with a shape, color or some identifying marker on it.  There should be two of each. 

·               Make a circle

Benefits/Explanation/Real-World Connection:

It is important to be able to communicate in a group, be able to get what you want across and listen and comprehend what others are asking of you.

Activities (i.e. instructions, warm-up, lesson, cool-down):

Introduction: (5 - 10 minutes depending on size of class)

·               On go people need to find the person with the same identifying marker on the card.

·               Note: if there is an odd number the person facilitating will have to also play.

·               Facilitator will instruct group of the following:

o   Ask name

o   Department

o   Favorite Food

o   An activity you like to do in your free time

·               Give about 90 seconds to do this. 

·               Say stop and find a new partner

·               Now to your new partner you must introduce the person you just spoke with.  Reminder you are not talking about yourself, you are informing your new partner about the person you just spoke with.

·               90 seconds stop and find a new partner.

·               Now you are informing your new partner about the person you just learned about from your last partner.

·               After 90 seconds make a circle.

·               Now each person introduces the last person they learned about.  The person that is being introduced can fill in gaps or adjust facts as needed. 

 Game 1: Alphabet circle (8 mins)

·               Stand in a circle, this is circle 1

·               Have each person say their name

·               Look at who you are standing in between

·               On go make a new circle in alphabetical order of your first name

·               Say your name in the circle in alphabetical order. (this is circle 2)

·               Return to Circle 1

·               Say your names

·               On go some one will time as you get into circle 2

·               Say your names

·               Return to circle 1

·               Discuss with the group how to get your time faster.  What can you do to get into circle 2 as quick as possible, remember you must say your name in alphabetical order.

·               On go someone time as you get into circle 2.  Was your time faster?  Do you think you can be faster?

·               Return to circle 1

·               Discuss any changes you think you need to make, Final attempt and go

·               Go to circle 2.  Was your time improved?  What did the group do to find success?  What were the challenges?

Game 2: Brain Buckets (20 mins)

This is a great activity for exploring communication, particularly how we convey ideas to one another, understand the ideas from others, and what happens in between.

Learning Objectives:

·               Fun and play

·               Self awareness and self management

·               Social awareness

·               Relationship skills

Framing:

         “Have you ever struggled to get an idea across, to share your thoughts?  Have you ever felt that no one understood you?  Well getting your ideas across can be challenging and today you’re going to be invited to share your ideas with others, but it’s going to look a little different than what you might be used to.”

1.             Distribute a cup per person and tie securely on your head.

2.             The object is to pass an object (ping pong ball) from one cup to another without dropping it on the floor.

3.             Cups must sit on top of the head.

4.             Participants may not have contact with with the cups.  Participants may use the strings only to steady the cups to their heads.

5.             Provide a brief opportunity for participants to practice moving about while wearing the brain buckets.

6.             When the group is ready to move on, remind the participants of the difficult challenges associated with sharing ideas and place ping pong balls in the brain buckets of about half the group.

7.             Invite participants with ping pong balls to attempt transferring them into the empty brain buckets of other participants.

8.             Participants may not touch the cup or ping pong ball.

Reflection/Closure/Discussion

1               What was most challenging?

2               How did you communicate with others?  Was it effective? Challenging?

3               What strategies worked? Will those strategies help us when we are struggling to get our own ideas across?

Cool Down: Knot Race (5 mins)

Overview:

Knot race ideal for processing behaviors that are helpful and harmful to the success of a group.

Learning themes:

·               Relationship skills

·               Responsible decision making

Set-up:

Tie the two ends of the rope together.  Lay out the rope in a circle

Framing:

“What is the purpose of the rope?  How is rope used?  In this activity, you will get to use a rope in a whole new way.  It will be both an instrument for measuring progress and a way to communicate with one another.”

Procedure:

1.             Ask participants to pick up the rope without tugging at it.

2.             Tell participants that they are going to be presented with a series of challenges that involve passing the rope in a circle.

3.             Locate the knot that ties the two ends together.  This is their marker.  The knot is similar to establishing a baseline when doing goal setting.  It’s hard to know where you want to get to if you don’t already know where you are.  This in turn helps you measure progress.

4.             First challenge; pass the rope 360 degrees around the circle so the knot lands where it began.

5.             How quickly can you pass the rope around the circle?  How long do you think it will take?  Time it.

6.             After acquiring data; doing it a few times with time, discuss how you can improve your time.  Try a few times.

a.    Other challenges:

                                              i.     Pass to the right

                                            ii.     Pass to the left

                                          iii.     Pass with everyone standing on the inside of the rope

                                          iv.     Pass the knot around a figure 8 shaped track.  To create this, cross the rope circle over itself to create the     shape of a figure 8.

                                            v.     Pass the knot around with your eyes closed.  See if participants can guess when the knot has traveled all the way around the circle –ask them not to open their eyes until they think they have finished the journey.

7.             (Pass the knot Debrief) Ask the first question and tell participants to begin passing the rope around the circle.  Tell them that if the knot comes to them and they want to answer the question, they should stop the rope, hold the knot, and respond to the question.  If they do not they pass the knot.

8.             Allow the knot to travel all the way around the circle for each question.

9.             Continue for as many questions as you have.

10.         Questions should be based on what you hope t accomplish in your meeting.

Sample Questions:

         What is one thing your group did to be successful in this activity?

         What concepts could use improvement?

Closure:

Assessment :

Formative assessment is happening during the discussion questions.

(Formative/Summative)

Supplemental Information:

Modifications:

Be sure bucket sizes are appropriate and can be handled by students.  If you do not have buckets with sting to tie on the head have student hold bucket/cup on their head.

Safety Precautions:

Be sure when doing the knot game the circles have enough space between them so they do not run into each other.

Comments (adaptations for various grades/ages, teaching styles, etc.)

This can be done as team building at the HS level.