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My PIP project often included activities that supported cross-curricular connections. As many of
my team-building games occurred during Advisor period, I ensured that students also met
outcomes from the Health and Life Choices curriculum.
Grade 6 Health and Life Choices
Students will:
W-6.1 evaluate the need for balance and variety in daily activities that promote personal
health; e.g., physical activity, relaxation, learning, sleep, reflection
R-6.2 establish personal guidelines for expressing feelings; e.g., recognize feelings,
choose appropriate time/place for expression, identify preferred ways of expressing
feelings, and accept ownership of feelings
R-6.7 apply a variety of strategies for resolving conflict; e.g., practise treating
differences of opinion as opportunities to explore alternatives
R-6.8 analyze the influence of groups, cliques and alliances on self and others; e.g., at
home, in school, in the community
Advisor period was used initially to build team-building skills and allow students to
realize their unique strengths and skills while working with a variety of peers.
Students were asked to self-evaluate their greatest strength as a team member using
Howard Gardners theory of multiple intelligences.
During our unit on provincial government, students were organized into groups, or mock
provincial parties. Each party/team was balanced by including teammates with a variety
of skills and talents (creativity, athletic, writing, speaking)
Students researched the Alberta political parties and based on their research, created an
ideology for their group/party.
Students collaborated in their groups/parties for the rest of the unit and during Advisor
games and activities.
Each point students earned during an Advisor period activity was equivalent to one vote
for their political party.
At the end of each week, tally team points and announce the election leaders for that
week.
At the end of the unit, tally all points and allow the winning team to choose a movie and
snack for the final celebration. The winning team wins the election and will have special
seating for the movie, just as the Premier and his Cabinet Ministers have front row seats
in the Legislative Assembly.
I began my PIP project by introducing the concept of teamwork. Each week I planned
Minute-to-Win-It Activities in which students would compete in short brain wake up activities
with a variety of classmates. This allowed students the experience to determine who they worked
well with in a collaborative environment. Then, during my unit on Provincial Government I
explained to students that the whole unit would be infused with group-based activities similar to
the ones we had already completed. To set up a positive learning environment for my unit, I
looked into the work of Howard Gardner and his theory of Multiple Intelligences. I condensed
his theory into a lesson for my students and then asked each of my students to complete an online
survey, which assessed their strengths in accordance to Gardners intelligences. In addition to
surveying students strengths, I also asked them to engage in self-reflection and confidentially
disclose the names of students who they feel they work best with in group activities, and which
students they do not work well with. Using these two pieces of information, I divided each class
into groups of 4-5 students. These groups would be used for the entire unit. When revealing the
teams, I explained to the class that I took their survey results and their personal suggestions into
account while creating the groups to create well-balanced teams that display a wide array of
strengths.
Once students were grouped into teams, they were introduced to the concept of political
parties. I explained that each political party has a responsibility as a democratic citizen and this
also means to be a responsible citizen as a representative of our province. Students created team
names and began earning points in small team-building games. I structured my Social Studies
lessons with an activity either in the beginning as a lesson hook, or at the end as a concluding
activity. Each activity allowed students the opportunity to earn points for their team. Each point
earned was equivalent to one Alberta citizen vote. I found that the placement of these activities
within each lesson greatly motivated students to participate in the lessons and activities. At the
end of each week, the leading team would receive a small prize for their cooperation and teamwork during the week. I didnt expect the point race to be so close. Students consistently worked
hard each week to earn as many points as possible. As a result, the weekly leaders changed
allowing most students in the class to be rewarded for their hard-work.
My students were, for the most part extremely competitive and very active. Many of them
scored high on the bodily-kinaesthetic intelligence on their survey. They enjoyed interactive and
engaging activities which required movement and sound. This knowledge really helped me to
adapt my teaching strategies to include more active learning activities. My teacher mentor is a
firm believer in the benefits of physical activity in the classroom. With her guidance and ideas, I
was able to create a toolbox of activities that I used for teachers within the school. Many of these
activities are diverse and can be used both for DPA activities without curriculum links, or as a
way to integrate curricular and non-curricular activities within the classroom.
Below you will find a list of activities and games that can be played either in a classroom,
or in a large space such as a gymnasium.
All Together
Materials:
An even number of students
a classroom or open area such as a hallway
Description:
Ask the group to find a partner and pair up. The pairs sit on the ground with their
backs to each other. The partners then reach behind their backs to link arms with
each other. When the leader says, Go, the partners attempt to stand up without
separating. The teacher can specify that the partners can't talk to make the activity
harder.
This is an easy activity to help introduce the concept of teamwork and
collaboration to students. Try asking students to switch partners once they are
successful with their initial partner.
Estimated time: 5 minutes
Alphabet Actors
Materials:
Alphabet list or spelling/vocabulary list
Description:
Divide players into groups of three or four.
The leader then calls out a letter, and the groups must then form that letter using
their bodies.
The groups can decide if they want to build the letters standing or laying on the
group.
You can have the different groups spell out words as well. This game works well to
practice spelling words or vocabulary terms.
An individual variation of this game is called butt-spelling. Students practice
spelling words using their hips to form the letters. Students can race to complete
the word by working in rows to speed spell.
Estimated time: 5-15 minutes
FFEACH
Materials:
List of charade topics
Description:
FFEACH is a charades race and the categories are Fast Foods, Electrical
Appliances, and Cartoon Heroes. Teams compete against each other to complete a
predetermined list of items.
1. Divide the group into 2 or more teams.
2. Have the group spread out so that they can't overhear the next team's
answers.
3. Ask one member from each team to come to the you.
4. Whisper the first word into the ears of the volunteers, and release them to
their groups at the same time.
5. Once a member of the group guesses the word correctly, someone new runs
to the instructor for the next word. Advise the group when you are giving
instructions that no one can come up for a word twice until everyone has
gone up once. This helps ensure that everyone participates.
6. The team members must tell the instructor what word their team just
guessed, and the instructor tells the new volunteer the next word on the list.
7. The object of the game is to be the first team to complete the entire list.
Here is a sample list - you can change the list as you see fit, based on participant
age, interests, etc.
FFEACH LIST
1. Superman
2. Curly Fries
3. Spongebob Square Pants
4. Curling Iron
5. Remote Control
6. Pepperoni Pizza
7. Incredible Hulk
8. Dishwasher
9. Microwave
10. McNuggets
Human Knot
Materials:
A large open area such as a gym or outdoor playing field.
Description
Have the group make a large circle. (This game also works well as a race between
several circles in larger groups.)
Have everyone put their left hand in the middle, and hold hands with someone in
the circle, not directly next to them. Repeat with the right hand, and be sure to hold
hands with a different person, who is not directly next to them.
Then the group must use teamwork to unravel themselves into a circle again
without coming disconnected.
Helpful Hint
To ensure that everyone is in the same circle, send a pulse. One person begins by
gently squeezing their right hand. The person who is squeezed gently squeezes
their opposite hand, which passes the pulse to the next person. Continue until the
first person has their second hand squeezed.
Estimated time: 10-15 minutes
Who Am I?
Materials:
Pre-made index cards with common nouns (or unit definitions/topics)
Tape
Description:
This activity requires students to use critical thinking skills in order to guess the
person or term that is taped to their back. Each student must get a card taped to his
or her back. The goal of the game is to guess the word on their back to win the
game. Students must check with the teacher to confirm their win.
Once all students have a card taped to their back, ask students to move around the
room, asking their peers to answer yes or no questions about their word. I found
that this activity worked well for Social Studies to review the different people/
representatives of provincial government (Premier, Speaker, MLA, etc). Students
could demonstrate their knowledge of the unit outcomes by asking questions based
on what they already know. This also is an important skill-building exercise in
deductive reasoning.
This activity takes longer for unfocused topics like common nouns (flower, horse,
school) than on a focused topic that reviews particular curricular outcomes.
Search by Sound
Materials:
100 or more small objects such as pennies or macaroni
Description:
Before the players come into the room, the teacher scatters the objects about the room in
inconspicuous places. Use all of one object, such as toothpicks, macaroni or pennies.
Divide the group into even teams, with 5- 6 people per team. Give each team the name of
a different animal.
Each team chooses a captain. On GO, all teams begin to search the room for the
objects.
The special rule is this: only the captain of each team may touch and collect the objects.
Therefore, in order to attract the captain's attention, the team members must make the
sound of their team's animal.
The captains listen for their team's sound, and race to collect as many objects as possible.
The team whose leader collects the most number of objects at the end of a given time
limit is the winner.
VARIATIONS: Have several stashes of objects -e.g. 30- 40 toothpicks under a can, or
in a corner under a box. Team members will get VERY excited as
they try to attract their captain to collect the 'stash'.
Try blindfolding the captain. Using their ears, they must navigate the classroom towards
their animal sound. If using this variation, ensure that one group member silently
observes the blindfolded captain, steering them away from any obstacles and avoiding
collisions.
ADDITIONS: When the game is over, give each team five minutes to construct the figure
of their team's animal (eg. make the outline of a rooster, using the pieces of macaroni
collected by the rooster team).
Give each team 5 minutes to create a cheer or yell.
Estimated time: 15-20 minutes
People Machine
Materials:
Dry erase markers and mini white boards
Description:
Divide group into even numbered teams (4-8 participants are ideal). Advise teams
to make themselves into a machine, with as many parts (gears, levers, etc.) as they
can devise. The machine should have motion and sound, and include all team
members.
Give the teams five minutes to prepare their machine. Once the time is up, the
teams take turns presenting and guessing each others machine. Variations of this
game can include a moving appliance or household furniture.
To compliment point-based competition, use mini-whiteboards and dry-erase
markers to score teams on a scale from 1-10 based on their teamwork skills and
their ability to create a moving people machine.
Chimp Race
Materials:
Gym or large outdoor playing area
Description:
Organize students into two teams or small groups in the play area. Ask students to
line up single file along a line. The first person on each team is to bend over with
feet apart and grab their ankles. On go, they are to race down the course and
back without letting go of their ankles. Each person on the team repeats the relay.
The first team to have all players completed the relay and seated behind the
original start line is the winner.
Dizzy Basketball
Materials:
Basketballs
basketball hoops
baseball bats
Description:
Divide up players into teams of small to medium groups. Give each team one
basketball and one baseball bat. One player at a time from each team will go to
their baseball bat, bend over, put their head on the end bat and circle it 5 times
while in this position (They should be very dizzy at this point). Then they will go
pick up their basketball, dribble down to the hoop and shoot a basket with the ball.
Once they have done this they return the ball to its position by the bat and tag the
next player on the team to do the same. The first team done completing this
rotation is the winner. For point-based competitions, keep track of the number of
baskets and award points to the first finishing team, but also points for every
successful basket.
Musical Movement
Materials:
Soft ball such as a stress ball or koosh ball
Description:
Students will form a circle around the edge of the classroom or in an open space
such as a gymnasium. When the music starts, students take turns passing the koosh
ball around the circle. When the music stops, or a particular buzz word is sung,
students holding the ball must complete a pre-established activity. For DPA
activities, students can do jumping jacks or burpees, squats or star jumps. For
curriculum-based activities, try pausing the music. When the music stops, the
student left holding the ball must answer a review question related to the lesson
topics. This activity works great as a lesson hook to get students thinking about the
previous lessons concepts before the next lesson begins to check for
understanding. It can also be a fun formative assessment tool at the end of a lesson.
Bibliography