GRADES K-3
Specific Session Objective
Students will explore the elements and benefits
of good cooperation as well as the consequences of poor cooperation.
Session Materials
Boom Box Session Content
Soft Instrumental Music
A string Puppet
Session Content
1. Introduce the term cooperation and solicit definitions from the
students. If none are given, define the term for the students. Brainstorm
times in the students' lives when they had to cooperate with another person
or group of people. What are the benefits of cooperation?
2. Mirrors
Divide the class into pairs and instruct them to stand facing each
other. Decide who is A and follower - A is the leader and B is the
follower. A begins to move in slow motion while B copies the movements
exactly. A may use any part of his/her whole body. The goal is for
B to create a mirror image of A. This requires eye contact, knowing
your role and cooperation. Play soft music for the pairs to move
to. Allow and then switch roles so that B is the leader.
3. Puppet and Puppeteer
The players continue to work in pairs. Show the players the
string puppet and demonstrate how it moves. One player is the puppet
while the other is the puppeteer. Ask the players what position a
puppet might be in when the puppeteer is not handling it. Instruct
the puppet to get into that position. The puppeteer's job is to pull
their puppet's strings and direct them what to do. The puppet's job
is to do exactly what the puppeteer commands her/him to do. Be sure
to switch roles so that each player gets to experience being the leader
and the follower.
4. Yeah!
Have the players spread out around the room. The leader starts
by saying "Hey everybody, let's (names an activity) !" At "Hey everybody...."
the players all freeze to listen to the instruction. After the activity
is named all the students put their fists up into the air and shout "Yeah!"
All the players then do the activity in whatever manner they choose.
The players continue to do the activity until one of the players says "Hey
everybody, let's (names another activity) ." Any player may go at any time
during the activities. However, only one person may call out an activity
so the players must listen closely to their fellow players. The activity
continues until the leader ends it.
5. Pass the Clap
The students stand in a circle. The leader starts the exercise
by making eye contact with the player on her/his right and then clapping
at the player. The player on the right claps at the same time as
the leader. The player then turns to his/her right and makes eye
contact with the next player and passes the clap to her/him. The
receiver needs to focus on clapping at the same time as the sender.
The clap continues around the circle until the leader stops it.
Session Assessment
1. Discuss moments in the activities when people weren't cooperating.
What happens when people don't cooperate?
2. Ask how the students feel when others don't cooperate.
3. Discuss how eye contact, reading verbal and nonverbal cues and
good listening skills relate to
cooperation. Solicit examples from the
activities.
Relevant References in Goleman's Emotional Intelligence: pp. 263-64.
Designed by: Michelle Renee White
GRADES 4-5
Specific Session Objective
Students will cooperate to create machines, observe
their own behavior, and discuss situations in their lives in which they
have needed to cooperate with others.
Session Content
1. Introduction:
Explain "Machines": (Each person is a moving part of the machine.
Each part must have an action that repeats and an accompanying sound that
repeats. One person starts and then one by one, people add on, relating
to the parts already in existence, to create a human machine.) Emphasize
that machines have many parts that have to work together.
Model a machine with a few students (especially
if some or all of the class has not played before). Make sure to emphasize
that the parts must relate to one another even though it is not planned
in advance.
2. Lesson: Divide the class into groups of 3-4.
Have all groups practice making machines. Work
with different ways of moving and relating to
one another.
3. Re-assemble the class and discuss the playing.
Make sure to prompt students with questions such
as:
How did you decide who
would start?
Did the machine always
work? Why not?
If the machine broke
down did the group blame one person?
How did you feel when
things were weren't going well?
Etc.
4. Divide the groups into 2-3 large groups.
Have the groups make larger machines. This time,
the machines will have a task.
(It is better to have the tasks be simple so that cooperation is
still the focus. Some examples are a Peanut Butter Spreader
Machine, a Plant Watering Machine, Etc. Give the students suggestions
or, let them come up with their own idea.)
Give the students 5-10 minutes to practice.
Have the machines go one at a time so that
the rest of the class can watch. Have the class point out good illustrations
of cooperation in the machine. Is it clear what the machine's task is?
Session Assessment:
1. Once all groups have had a chance to go, everyone should gather and discuss times in their lives when they have had to cooperate, and work as a group. ('.e. sports teams, band or orchestra, school projects etc.).
2. As closure, the class may journal about a positive and a negative group experience. For each, the students should explain how the group either did or did not cooperate. The students should describe how they felt in those groups and for the negative experience the students should describe how they could have acted differently to help the group work better together.
Relevant References in Goleman's Emotional Intelligence: pp. 159-163.
Written by: Jason Goodstone
GRADES 6-8
Specific Session Objective
Students will explore group dynamics in the planning
of drama scenes, observe their own behavior in these interactions and recognize
such behavior in others.
Session Materials
Name tags (optional)
(If using name tags, distribute to the class, have them fill in
their names and put them on immediately)
Session Content
1. Warm up: Split the class into four groups.
"The Group Dynamics Race"
The rules of the race are that each member must stay in physical
contact with the group at all times but only one member of the group can
move his/her feet at a time. The groups are given 2 minutes to plan (actually
timed with a watch) and then the four groups race (across the room or any
other designated space that is available).
Then, combining the groups, the two large groups
race each other. They will once again be given two minutes to plan and
practice before they race.
** It is important to emphasize the creative
as opposed to the competitive aspects of the "race". If the class cannot
get past the winning/losing sing aspects of the race, make it a game with
the whole class participating together to solve the problem.
2. Following the races, the class sits down and discusses how their strategies were decided upon. Was there a leader? How were decisions made? Did everyone have input? What was different about working with a larger group? Did the strategies change during the race? Why? Who made those decisions? Were there a relationship between the planning and practice and the results of the races? Etc.
3. Lesson: Split the class into 3-4 groups (different groups than before)
The leader can give the groups a predetermined scenario, or, the
groups can make up a scenario of their own involving Setting (time and
place), Character, and Situation (action and conflict). The goal in either
case will be to come up with, and perform for the class; a 1-minute improv
scene based on the scenario.
The groups are ail given 5 minutes to plan and
practice their scenes.
The leader asks for a group to go first.
After the group has finished the leader asks the group to play the
planning and practice session that lead to the scene.
The leader then asks the group questions such as:
How did you feel during the planning?
Did the scene come out the way you planned?
Was there a leader?
How was the leader chosen?
Did you compromise to come to agreement?
Were you able to incorporate anything you learned
from the "Race"? Etc
Each group goes, presenting both their scene and then their planning
session. The third and fourth groups can switch name tags during the playing
of the planning session so that group members will play each other. Discussion
questions will then include:
Was that an accurate portrayal of what happened?
How did you feel in the situation as the other
person?
Was what you perceived to be happening different
from what actually happened?
Etc.
Session Assessment:
1. Once all groups have had a chance to share, everyone should gather to give feedback on the exercise, (what was learned, and what insights were gained).
2. As closure, the class can come up with examples from their own experience that illustrate positive/productive group dynamics, or the opposite and how the people involved could have acted differently in order to improve the group dynamic.
Relevant References in Goleman's Emotional Intelligence: pp.159-163.
Written by: Jason Goodstone