Working+Well+Together

Unit Theme/Big Idea: Working Together, We Can Achieve More!
 * Lesson Plan Template**

Essential questions: How is it better to work together? What does being a “team player” mean?

Standards: I am aware of where I can find help and support. I am aware of my responsibilities at school.

Materials: Notecards, paper, scissors, crayons/color pencils, hole punch, string

Go Around/ gathering: Following the “hook”, ask students to think about a time that they worked together successfully in a group. Have them think about whether or not they were able to accomplish their goals more quickly than if they had independently. Why?

Body of the Lesson:
 * || Describe the activity: Students share ideas about working together then create replicas of themselves to share what skills they are good at. Teacher connects all replicas together, and shows how much strength a group has when they work together. Replicas are hung in classroom for student reference as needs arise. ||

Select one: _X Interviews Fishbowls Cooperative learning groups Concentric circles Others (please name)

What connections can be made between students’ prior knowledge and this lesson?

Students who have prior experience working in groups are given the opportunity to reflect on the power of group work. Those students who have difficulty recalling a time participating in group work, and/or the benefits, will have the opportunity to think/pair/share & interview a partner to gain a deeper understanding.

How will I begin this lesson? What is the hook?

Teacher holds up a cut-out replica of a human (i.e. paper doll cut-out). Teacher attempts to use single replica to carry the weight of an object (i.e. pair of scissors). Teacher demonstrates that it is difficult to do this with just one “person”. What can be done to help?

How will I demonstrate this new concept or skill?

1) Have students who were able to recall a time that working in groups was successful for them partner with students who had difficulty. Students who had difficulty use a note card to interview their partner, asking the two following questions: What was the goal you were trying to accomplish? Why did you find it easier to work in a group? 2) Ask for interviewers to share their interviews out loud with the group. Teacher scribes answers to questions on chart paper and/or board. 3) Teacher explains that working successfully in groups is being a “team-player”. Teacher uses basketball teams, Battle of the Books teams, or other team ideas to guide students to the idea that we each have different qualities and skills we can contribute to a team in order to help one another. Teacher shares that each student in the classroom is part of a classroom team, and all are working together to achieve a common goal. 4) Students trace and cut out individual people replicas, decorate to match themselves, and write three things they are good at. Teacher collects, hole punches and ties together, and then models picking up the object with the strength of all “students” working together. 5) Teacher hangs the replica of the classroom team in an accessible area for student reference when times arise that students need to call on each other for assistance.

Checklist: is the lesson geared toward multiple learning styles? (//Differentiation)// __X_ interpersonal__ X_ visual __X_ intrapersonal__ X_ auditory natural kinesthetic musical bodily-kinesthetic logical-mathematical _X

__ Reflection time: Students create responses in their personal journals regarding lesson dynamics and what was learned. __

__ Bloom’s Taxonomy: Which critical thinking skills did this lesson address? __

Remembering & Evaluating: How did working as a team work well in the past? Analyzing: What are your personal strengths? Understanding: What does it mean to be a team player? || ___X__ evaluating ___X__ analyzing
 * || How?

Whole class-debrief: Ask, what did you learn? What activity/knowledge/instructional mode/etc. helped you most with the lesson? What helped you least?