Every day when students come to school they have much more on their minds than academics. Many students wonder who is going to pick on them today or if their mother or father will be home when they get out of school. Our job as teachers is try to make the safest environment possible for our students; often times this job is very difficult one. Cooperative activities can be an excellent way for students to break the ice and work together as team. The following activity is a cooperative activity that involves physical activity, teamwork, cooperation, and basic spelling skills.
Title:
Make a Word
Content:
Language Arts
Purpose of Activity:
To have students work together to unscramble letters that will form words that relate to physical education. Once students become familiar with the words they will be able to use them in their journal writings and maybe in other activities. This activity will assist in the practicing of spelling words. Also students will be practicing cooperation and teamwork as well as various locomotor movements as they move from the starting line to the area where the scrambled letters are.
Materials Needed:
At least 10 full sets of laminated letters. 1 cone per group. Hula hoops (Depending on the number of groups)
Prerequisites:
Students will be given a list of possible words prior to implementation of activity. These words will relate to physical education.
Physical Activity:
Locomotor skills such as running, hopping, skipping, sliding, and bounding.
Description of Activity:
Students are placed in small groups (5-6 students) behind a cone at one side of the gym. The scrambled letters are placed face down inside the hula-hoop at the other end of the gym. When I say, “go,” one person from each group will travel to the hula-hoop in the way that is designated by the teacher (running, skipping). Each student will retrieve one letter and bring it back to their line. Once all of the letters are retrieved, the students must unscramble the letters to form a word in the shortest amount of time. Each scrambled word will be the same word for every group.
Variations:
Students may travel to the hula-hoop as a whole group and unscramble the word at the hula-hoop. The students have to arrange themselves properly with the letters, however, without talking to spell the word.
Assessment Ideas:
I will have the students use the word in a proper sentence. I will have the students define each word. Try to find words that have at least five letters in length. Students may also focus different strategies, such as getting all of the vowels first.