Medea E. Lamberti-Sanchez
The following three sample lesson plans are provided for teachers to use, modifying as they see fit according to their classroom makeup and time period. There is a lesson to represent each of the strategies present within the unit. The team building activities can be made by the teacher or they can be found on the internet websites like the ones I have listed, or any other social media site like Pinterest where the teacher might find great ideas for their classroom. I liked the activity that I found on http://www.cchealth.org/ because it was about students having the same interests, a major contribution to developing better classroom relationships. I did tailor it and modify it.
Activity One: An Exercise in Team Building- This activity was taken and modified courtesy of http://www.cchealth.org/
Objective: Students will identify common interests and understand how common interests play an important role in the organization of group discussions and developing relationships.
Sign Up Here
Materials: 6-10 pieces of large chart paper, tape, pencils, colored markers, and paper.
Preparation: Put pieces of the chart paper around the room. Choose topics that you would like the students to explore. There needs to be a different topic on each of the pieces of chart paper. You may also want to put a question alongside the topic to generate more responses from the topic. It is up to the teacher and the time that he or she has with that particular class. The list below gives the teacher some options for topics. One can use any of them, or come up with your own based on the age of the students.
Topics for Discussion are to be posted on the chart paper
I like to work on computers. (What programs do you know?)
I can speak a language other than English. (Which Language?)
I like to travel in the U. S. or abroad. Where have you Been?)
Making friends is an important part of my life. (Who are your best friends?)
My family is one of the things that make me happy.
There are things that I would like to change in this school. (What?)
There are things that I would like to change in our community. (What?)
I have helped with a classroom event, or outside activity (after-school program, church fair)
The teacher can sit his or her timer, and instruct participants to walk around the room, look at the different topics, and sign their name on any of the sheets that represent topics in which they have an interest, and answer the questions on each sheet.
Discussion
After everyone has had a chance to sign the sheets, ask one person to read the results of the chart paper topics. On a piece of chart paper, the students can chart the interests of the group and list all the different interest of the group. The teacher can prompt the students about the variety of interests that the students see on the chart paper. The teacher can ask the students which chart paper had the least amount of interests present and which had the most. The teacher can ask the students to discuss the interests of the students and talk about those interests.
Synthesis
The students will begin to explain with the help of the teacher how these skills are important for community organizing and how each skill will contribute to their interests in a group when decision-making, or collectively coming up with ideas that will be perused in the classroom. Students can talk about why having different interests are valuable and important for the culture of the classroom.
