Unit One/Teamwork 

Introduction

1. Learning About the Members of the Class
2. Learning Each Other's Names
3. Demonstrating Something You Know About
4. Being in Touch with Your Feelings
5. Putting Yourself on a T-Shirt
6. Knowing Everyone's Name
7. Developing Trust (1)
8. Developing Trust (2)
9. Learning Group Cooperation

Introduction

The Importance of Teamwork

The Teamwork Unit of the Resource Guide is a very important one. It is here that members of the class will get to know and to trust one another. Depending on the size of your class, you may not get to do all of the exercises. Choose the ones with which you will be most comfortable.

There are two parts to this unit. The first four lessons are meant for the classroom, to help the students get to know one another and practice their public speaking skills. The second part, numbers five through eight, is for learning cooperation and trust, essential to successful teamwork.

The cooperation and trust-building exercises were done in the pilot project as a day of leadership training with Outward Bound. We have tried to put together a series of activities that will help students bond as a group, and that are enjoyable. The give-and-take, the fun of these activities help to bring people together. We let down our guard and become part of the group as we did as trusting children. These exercises are intended to be fun and from that, the growth of self-esteem and a greater ability to cooperate within a group evolves.

Setting aside a block of time after school or on a Saturday would be great scheduling. Going to a local park or site away from the school makes these exercises a little more special. Additional adults or older students may be needed (depending on the size of your group) to assist with these exercises. You might reach out into your community for "graduates" of Outward Bound-type programs.

Public speaking is a very important life skill. Encourage students to stand and speak to their classmates from the very beginning. Videotaped recordings of the students' presentations would allow class members to review the progress of their work at the end of the year. Some of the exercises in this unit are drawn from Silver Bullets, by Karl Rohnke, an excellent source for these types of activities. See the Bibliography.

About two weeks should be spent on the Teamwork Unit.

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Lesson One

Instructional Objectives

• Learn the technique of interviewing as a means of getting acquainted

• Learn how to introduce someone to a group of people

Activities

• Introduce the topic. Tell the students they will be paired off to interview each other, then present the person they interviewed to the class in a 1- to 2-minute speech. Interviewers should take notes.

• Discuss the technique of interviewing. Ask the students:
  • What are some different kinds of interviews? ( job interview, interview for TV or a newspaper, oral history interview, interviewing prospective college roommate)

  • For an interview designed to help people get acquainted with one another, what are some important facts to look for?

  • What kinds of questions elicit important and appropriate information about a person? ( List them on the board so students can refer to them.)

• Ask students to pair off, and each interviews the other. Interviews should last 3 to 5 minutes. Interviewers should take notes.

• Discuss the art of introducing someone to a group. Ask the students:
  • How does one stand, look, speak, act? What things do you say, what things do you not say?

• Students present one another to the class. Presentations should last about 1 to 2 minutes.

Materials

• Paper and pens for taking notes

Conclusions

• Interviews can help people get better acquainted.

• Introducing people to a group is an important way of communicating.

Homework

• Write an introduction for yourself as if you had interviewed yourself and were making the presentation in class.
  
  

Note: This lesson is an opportune time to establish guidelines for classroom behavior. Students will be doing a lot of public speaking and audience etiquette needs to be discussed now. Let the students establish the rules and have someone make a poster and post it in the classroom.

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Lesson Two

Instructional Objectives

• Learn each other's names
• Share something special about ourselves with the class
• Practice public speaking skills

Activities

• Tell the students (in advance) they are to prepare a one-minute speech (stress importance of keeping to time limit) using an object to tell the class something about themselves. Example: a picture of someone, an object that reminds them of a special time in their life, etc. The teacher should participate in this exercise as well.

• On day of speeches, review guidelines for classroom behavior when some one is speaking, established during previous lesson on interviews.

• Assign class member to keep track of time. Give a warning at 50 seconds so student can wrap up his/her talk.

• Discuss what values were mentioned in students' speeches. How have these helped class members to get to know one another?

Pivotal Questions

• Can we learn something about someone in one minute?

• What values were being discussed? Was one mentioned more than others?

• Was the time limit difficult to keep?

• Will this help you remember your classmates' names and who they are?

• What makes us who we are? Is it more than our name?

Conclusions

• The more we know about someone, the easier his/her name is to remember.

• Sharing part of ourselves makes us feel closer to people.

• Keeping comments to one minute is a challenge.

Homework

• Write about two of the speeches that were given and why they were your favorites. Do you want to get to know these people better? Why?
  

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Lesson Three

Instructional Objective

• Outline a 3- to 5- minute demonstration speech showing how to prepare/make/fix something they know about

• Demonstrate this skill in 3 to 5 minutes

• Evaluate demonstrations of other students

Activities

• Distribute your own demonstration outline. Scan the outline form with students, making sure all aspects are clear. Explain that the actual demonstrations will take place several days later. Explain that the complexity of the topic will determine the number of steps and/or materials that the students will have to accomplish. Stress that the conclusion of the demonstration must include the finished product.

• Two to three days later, students present demonstrations.

• Distribute evaluation forms to students. Explain that after each demonstration, members of the class will complete the evaluations and give them to the teacher,who will later give them to the demonstrator.

Materials

• Demonstration Outline sheets – Worksheet #1 follows this lesson

• Demonstration Evaluation sheets (All other materials in demonstrations provided by students) Worksheet #2 follows this lesson

Conclusions

• Demonstrations require good communication to be effective.

• Evaluating demonstrations is a way of analyzing what makes for good communication.

Homework

• Write a paragraph (50 to 75 words) explaining how you felt before, during and after your own demonstration. Talk about your feelings (fear, anticipation, confidence, etc.). Be prepared to share this piece with the class.

Click here to download the worksheet for lesson 3.

Note: This exercise may take too long to do now. Use your own judgment as to whether you use it first or second semester.

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Lesson Four

Instructional Objectives

• Discover identity

• Become aware of feelings and values

Activities

• With students sitting in a circle, introduce the "I Feel . . ." worksheet, explaining that there are no right or wrong answers, only honest answers.

• Students complete sheets (15 to 20 minutes).

• In groups of 3 to 4 people, students discuss their responses. Which feelings were hardest to describe? Why?

• Each group compiles the results of their responses, then shares with the entire group.

Materials

• Two worksheets ("I Feel . . . ," "If I Could Choose to Be . . . ")

Conclusions

• Each person has a unique identity and has values.

• Understanding one's own identity and values self-knowledge—helps develop self-respect and build character.

• Talking with other people about their feelings and values is a way of getting to know them.

Homework

• Complete worksheet #2 on the following page ("If I Could Choose to Be . . .") Be prepared to share with the class.

Click here to download the worksheet for lesson 4.

Note: On the second day of this lesson, repeat the exercise to evaluate and discuss the results of the second worksheet. Save these worksheets and at the end of the year, have students complete the same forms and let them compare their answers and discuss the results.

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Lesson Five

Instructional Objectives

• Create personalized T-shirt

• Clarify the values that creation reflects

• Defend the choice of design

Activities

• Discuss what goes into designing a T-shirt reflecting one's personality, thoughts and ideas. Ask the students: What steps would be taken to design it? What elements of the self would it include? What color would it be? What would it look like?

• Hand out worksheet with T-shirt outline (not included) and give students 10 to 15 minutes to fill in their designs. Monitor their progress.

• When designs are completed, individual students will share with the class and explain how they decided on those designs.

Materials

• T-shirt worksheet, pens, pencils, crayons, collage materials

Conclusions

• It is important to understand oneself.

• Clarifying one's own values is a first step to understanding oneself.

• A T-shirt that reflects one's values is an honest statement about oneself.

Homework

• On a blank T-shirt worksheet (a piece of paper with the outline of a T-shirt on it), create a T-shirt that will reflect what you hope to accomplish in this class during the next months.

Note: This exercise could also be done in the Foundation unit to help students develop a focus for their foundation. Their logo could be put on a foundation T-shirt.

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Lesson Six

Instructional Objectives

• Learn the names of students in the class

• Have fun

Activities

• Discuss why it's important to know people's names.

• Have each student introduce himself/herself.

• Divide the group into 2 teams. You will need 2 volunteers to hold the divider (described below).

• Each group sits on the floor facing the other group. The divider is held up between them so they cannot see one another.

• The teams choose a member to sit in the front of the group, behind the divider.

• On the count of 3 the divider is dropped and the first person to say aloud the name of the other wins. Only the 2 sitting in front can say the name.

• The loser goes to join the other team. The team with the most members at the end wins.

Materials

• An opaque, blanket-sized sheet or other fabric to be used as the divider.

Pivotal Questions

• How does it make us feel when someone remembers our name? Or doesn't remember ?

• Are there tricks to helping us remember names?

Conclusions

• People's names make them special and unique and we should make an effort to learn them.
  
  

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Lesson Seven

Instructional Objectives

• Learn to trust someone

• Take responsibility for someone's safety

Activities

• Discuss what it is to be trustworthy and to trust someone. List characteristics of trustworthy people. Ask the students whom they trust.

• Assign pairs of students—boy/girl if possible and give each pair a blindfold.

• Explain that you will be going for a walk and that the sighted member of the pair is responsible for leading and alerting his/her partner about what is underfoot. Show them, with you as the sighted member of the team, how to communicate with their partners. Stress gentle communication!

• Choose a path in and out of the school, if possible; up and down stairs; in and out of cardboard boxes; under and over things. Make it varied but not too difficult.

• When the first group has finished, exchange the blindfolds and have next group take a turn. If possible, vary the route.

Pivotal Questions

• What were some of the feelings you had as a leader and a blinded follower?

• How did you communicate with one another?

• How do you feel now toward your partner?

Materials

• Blindfolds: these can be made from black plastic garbage bags. Cut strips 5" by 30". If you use the thin plastic bags, you will have to double them for adequate thickness. Cutting a 5" strip off the top of a bag may give sufficient thickness and length.

• Boxes and other obstacles: may be added at your discretion.

Conclusions

• We can build trust with people by working with them.

• Leading is a big responsibility.

• It's good to have people around you whom you can trust.

Homework

• Write about the person you trust the most.

• When did you need to trust someone?

• How do we learn to trust someone?

Note: Emphasize safety guidelines so that no one is hurt. If this doesn't go well, it will break down the trust in the group.

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Lesson Eight

Instructional Objectives

• Learn to trust one another

• Work as a team

• Take direct responsibility for another's safety

Activities

• Have a student stand at one end of a basketball court with his/her back to the wall. The person should assume the hands-up/palms-out, protect yourself position. Student is either blindfolded or has promised to keep his/her eyes closed and will be asked to jog toward the opposite wall at a steady unchanging pace.

• Most of the remaining students are spread out in a flanking line with their backs to the wall that the blindfolded jogger is approaching. The job of these spotters is to use their hands to stop the jogger before he/she encounters the wall.

• Place a few spotters 3/4ths of the way down the court on the sidelines to prevent wildly disoriented joggers from going into the wall or bleachers. Don't ignore this suggestion: disorientation happens.

• Don't allow any fooling around by the spotters. Trust is a fragile commodity and is easily broken. Ask the spotters to be as quiet as possible.

Note: Let each student take a turn to be blindfolded and "run blind."

Pivotal Questions

• How did it feel to be blindfolded? Did you trust your classmates to dotheir part?

• How did it feel to be a spotter?

• How do we feel when people trust us to do important jobs?

Materials

• Blindfolds: clean cloths or strips from a dark plastic garbage bag will do. Each strip should be 5" by about 30".

Conclusions

• We can be responsible for one another.

• We can learn to trust fellow students by working with them.

Homework

• Write a short story about a group of students who end up in a situation where they must trust one another. These can be shared in class.

• Write several paragraphs on how team sports rely on trust.

Adapted with special permission from Silver Bullets, by Karl Rohnke from Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company. Copyright 1984 by Project Adventure.

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Lesson Nine

Instructional Objectives

• Learning group cooperation

• Having fun

Activities

• Ask 2 people of approximately the same size to sit on the ground (gym floor) facing one another so that the bottoms of their feet are opposed, knees bent, and hands tightly grasped.

• Ask the duo to try to pull themselves from this position into an upright standing position.

• After their success, have each pair seek another partner to try standing up with 3 people, then 4, etc., until the entire group eventually makes an attempt.

• Criteria for a successful attempt are: 1) hands grasped so that an "electrical current" could pass through the group; 2) foot contact with the same aim of electrical conductivity; 3) all derrieres off the ground at the same time.

• An expanding group will soon find that the seemingly logical circular configuration of bodies cannot be continued beyond 8 or so. A change of thinking (initiative) must be employed to come up with a solution that allows large numbers (50 or more) to complete the problem.

• If the group is high from the experience and feels good about their effort and themselves, then they did it right.

• This can also be done back-to-back. Do not allow interlocked arms for safety reasons (shoulder dislocation possibilities).

Pivotal Questions

• What did you learn about working together?

• Was there a leader? A number of leaders?

• Was the activity hard to do? Why?

• Why did it work?

Conclusions

• Working together we can solve problems

• Everyone has to do his/her part for the project to be a success.

"Everybody Up" adapted with special permission from Silver Bullets by Karl Ronhke from Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company. Copyright 1984 by Project Adventure,Inc. See Bibliography to order.