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Showing posts with label team building activities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label team building activities. Show all posts

Me, Too! Not a Movement, But a Team Building Game!

Me, Too!

I know what you're thinking... wasn't there a "Me, too" movement a couple of years ago?
Me, Too! Not a Movement, but a Team Building Game! Here's a fun way to get the students thinking about what they have in common with their classmates!

I never really thought about that term being used in the classroom until I saw this on Twitter!

This game is great for the beginning of the school year, but it's also great for those times when a child is feeling a little too "different" and feels he doesn't belong. 

Me, Too! Not a Movement, but a Team Building Game! Here's a fun way to get the students thinking about what they have in common with their classmates!


It's also a great Morning Meeting activity!


It all starts with one child saying something they like. It can be an activity, or a food, or a toy, or even a subject in school. 

Me, Too! Not a Movement, but a Team Building Game! Here's a fun way to get the students thinking about what they have in common with their classmates!


Those students who also like that interest call out "Me, too!" and walk over to form a group of all those who like that item.

Me, Too! Not a Movement, but a Team Building Game! Here's a fun way to get the students thinking about what they have in common with their classmates!


After a few rounds, children will be joining with a variety of groups and agreeing with a variety of interests.

Me, Too! Not a Movement, but a Team Building Game! Here's a fun way to get the students thinking about what they have in common with their classmates!

Soon they'll be learning about the interests of their classmates. 

Me, Too! Not a Movement, but a Team Building Game! Here's a fun way to get the students thinking about what they have in common with their classmates!

They'll be learning they have things in common with classmates they never realized they'd have anything in common with!

Me, Too! Not a Movement, but a Team Building Game! Here's a fun way to get the students thinking about what they have in common with their classmates!

After a few times, they'll realize, even though there are some interests they don't share with classmates, there are plenty of interests that they do share!

Me, Too! Not a Movement, but a Team Building Game! Here's a fun way to get the students thinking about what they have in common with their classmates!

Most important, they will develop that feeling of belonging!

Me, Too! Not a Movement, but a Team Building Game! Here's a fun way to get the students thinking about what they have in common with their classmates!

We all know that feeling like they're part of the team is the very beginning of the learning process! Acceptance matters!

Looking for more Team Building ideas? 

Try these posts:

How do you help your students feel like they belong?

Me, Too! Not a Movement, but a Team Building Game! Here's a fun way to get the students thinking about what they have in common with their classmates!



Party Talk, an Activity for Sharing Learning, Team Building, and Collaboration

Here's a fun way for students to share information, while enjoying a shared experience and bonding as a class! 

It's called "Party Talk!"

Party Talk, an Activity for Sharing Learning: This fun activity will help your students share research in a fun way while bonding and working together

I learned about this activity when I was working on my Master's program in Creative Arts in Learning. This particular class was a music class. Our assignment was to research a composer. 

I don't want to give away my age but this music assignment was when the internet was virtually unknown, and at the time, it was hard to find information about a composer that was still alive... at the time. We were given the assignment to learn about the composer, but we didn't know what we were going to do with that information until we came to class that day.

Party Talk, an Activity for Sharing Learning: This fun activity will help your students share research in a fun way while bonding and working together
Since I was working on a production of Company at the time, I chose to research Stephen Sondheim. (Yes, musical theatre is my thing. I played the part of April in this production!) 

 This isn't my production, but this "butterfly monologue" was one of my favorite scenes I've ever performed.

 Again, this isn't me, but I did sing this song in the production. (You may recognize the man playing Bobby!)

We showed up the day the research was due, and had no idea what to expect! The instructor told us we were going to have a "cocktail party" and gave us "Hello My Name is..." tags.

Party Talk, an Activity for Sharing Learning: This fun activity will help your students share research in a fun way while bonding and working together

Well, we put the names of our composers on our tags and started chatting with others at the "cocktail party."  I chatted with Beethoven, Vivialdi, Tchaikovsky, Handel, Mozart, and several others. What a great way to share the information we learned!

Fast forward many years... although most of my teaching has been in the primary grades, I did spend a couple of years in fifth grade. (Luckily I had some awesome colleagues to help me!) While teaching the Revolutionary War, we were due for a research project, and I remembered this activity. 

So we had a "Boston Tea Party." (I did make it clear we were going to drink tea rather than throw it in the harbor.) A parent volunteer made some awesome colonial themed nametags, we pulled of the "fine china" and they had tea (with plenty of sugar) while chatting with other colonial heroes. They used "cheat sheets, of course, and I gave them typical questions to ask each other. We modeled a few rounds on the days leading up to the event so they'd know what to expect. I had extra adults in the room that day to make sure they stayed on task and interacted with lots of classmates, not just their closest buddies. (Yes, children need a lot more guidance than adults, don't they?)

Party Talk, an Activity for Sharing Learning: This fun activity will help your students share research in a fun way while bonding and working together

With adults, it's ok to call it a "cocktail party," but with the little ones, I prefer to call it "party talk." 

Party Talk, an Activity for Sharing Learning: This fun activity will help your students share research in a fun way while bonding and working together

 Can you imagine your own precious little ones doing this?

Party Talk, an Activity for Sharing Learning: This fun activity will help your students share research in a fun way while bonding and working together

As you know, children love to get dressed up and pretend to be someone (or something) else! Why not put that excitement into learning? Pretty much anything that can be researched can be presented in this way: biographies, careers, landforms, or even life cycles!

Party Talk, an Activity for Sharing Learning: This fun activity will help your students share research in a fun way while bonding and working together
 

They really do enjoy dressing up and pretending to be someone else... it's like getting a second Halloween! (without the candy, of course!)

Party Talk, an Activity for Sharing Learning: This fun activity will help your students share research in a fun way while bonding and working together
This is one of those activities that they'll always remember! Years from now, they'll remember which classmates were which characters. The brain remembers things like that... the brain is social, and tends to remember when emotions are strong. And yes, emotions run strong with a fun project like this!

 

Party Talk, an Activity for Sharing Learning: This fun activity will help your students share research in a fun way while bonding and working together

If you study Life Cycles, these are great for beginning researchers: The Life Cycle Collection

Party Talk, an Activity for Sharing Learning: This fun activity will help your students share research in a fun way while bonding and working together

If you think about it, you can do party talk at just about any time! They could even have their own name on their nametags, and just talk about themselves! (Great beginning of the year activity!)

Party Talk, an Activity for Sharing Learning: This fun activity will help your students share research in a fun way while bonding and working together

How can you use the "Party Talk" activity in your classroom?
Party Talk, an Activity for Sharing Learning: This fun activity will help your students share research in a fun way while bonding and working together



Seven Ways to Be the Teacher They'll Remember

I'll bet you have a teacher you remember from your own education. If you're anything like me, you want to be that teacher for your own students. Here are some suggestions!

Seven Ways to Be the Teacher They'll Remember: Remember that special teacher from your childhood? Here are some ideas to help you be that special teacher for your students!

Get to know them individually!
Seven Ways to Be the Teacher They'll Remember: Remember that special teacher from your childhood? Here are some ideas to help you be that special teacher for your students!

Each child has a special personality, special interests, and special families that love them. Getting to know all those parts to each child is no easy task. I find having a Morning Meeting sharing time helps getting to know them. I also have an end-of-the-day "High-Low" meeting (See THIS post and THIS post.) I also find that having private conversations, when possible, is also a great way to know them as individuals.
 

Let them get to know you!


Seven Ways to Be the Teacher They'll Remember: Remember that special teacher from your childhood? Here are some ideas to help you be that special teacher for your students!

Tell stories about yourself and your loved ones when you can fit it in. I always share at Morning Meeting as well as High-Low. I also share connections that I have with books we read and things we are learning. They particularly love when I tell about my cat!

Let them know you care!

Seven Ways to Be the Teacher They'll Remember: Remember that special teacher from your childhood? Here are some ideas to help you be that special teacher for your students!

I never miss an opportunity to let them know that I care. If someone is absent, that's my low of the day. If someone arrives late for class, I'll stop everything and let them know how glad I am to have them there. If someone is upset or hurt, I make it clear that it upsets and hurts me as well.

You may have heard it said before: they won't learn anything from you unless they know you care!
 

Be their biggest cheerleader!

Seven Ways to Be the Teacher They'll Remember: Remember that special teacher from your childhood? Here are some ideas to help you be that special teacher for your students!

Feedback is always important in the classroom. Most of the time, it should be positive. For some struggling students, that's not always easy, but I've found there's always something the child is doing well. Find that thing, and celebrate it! It doesn't even have to be academically related, but I'm sure there are plenty of those! Just a warning: not everyone wants to be singled out. Know these students, and be a private cheerleader for them. (Most students love getting notes celebrating their accomplishments!) This all reflects back to #1: Get to Know Each Child Individually!
 

Do fun things!

Seven Ways to Be the Teacher They'll Remember: Remember that special teacher from your childhood? Here are some ideas to help you be that special teacher for your students!

I'm sure you're already doing this one, along with most of the others! (Teachers who read educational blogs are always trying to make themselves better, agreed?) You probably already have a lot of tricks up your sleeve, but here are a few suggestions. 

  • Do STEM/ STEAM projects!
  • Play educational games!
  • Bring "Team Building" games into Morning Meeting. (Some ideas HERE!)
  • Include art projects and crafts!
  • Find a super fun way to present research projects!
  • Have them create puppets and put on shows!
  • Have an "Author's Night!"
  • Record and videotape educational activities! (Be careful who has access to this, of course!)
  • Do a class play!
This last suggestion is near and dear to my heart. Why? Well, not only because I enjoy performing in regional theatre myself, but also because of the excitement! Brain research tells us that memories are very much connected to emotions! (See THIS post for more information!) Whenever students come back to visit, they always mention the plays and performances we shared. Such a shared experience is also great for building teamwork and community! (Want some scripts? Try THESE, or if you want something curriculum related, try THIS!)

Keep a safe classroom!

Seven Ways to Be the Teacher They'll Remember: Remember that special teacher from your childhood? Here are some ideas to help you be that special teacher for your students!

We've all heard "Maslow's Before Blooms," and I truly believe this matters.
Seven Ways to Be the Teacher They'll Remember: Remember that special teacher from your childhood? Here are some ideas to help you be that special teacher for your students!

As classroom teachers, we probably won't be able to reach all these levels, but the very basic needs are essential before any learning is going to happen! If they don't feel healthy and safe (Physiological Needs and Safety Needs), we might as well just toss the curriculum out the window. That third level, Love and Belonging, is one we can work on as well! Again, Morning Meetings are great for building community and making each child feel like an important member of the classroom!

Be a role model

Seven Ways to Be the Teacher They'll Remember: Remember that special teacher from your childhood? Here are some ideas to help you be that special teacher for your students!

This is more of a responsibility as much as a suggestion. If the children remember you, you want that memory to be inspiring. Some suggestions:
  • Let them see you getting emotional when you read books.
  • Let them see you making mistakes, and responding appropriately.
  • Talk about something that bothered you, and what you did about it.
  • Let them see you showing kindness and respect to the other students as well as other adults in the school.
  • Write thank you cards for gifts they give.
  • Let them see you taking care of your health. Talk about the exercising you do and the healthy food you prepare.
  • Be a good listener.
  • Talk about how you stay organized.
  • Let them see you doing things you don't necessarily want to do... with a smile.
  • Be positive, even when times are tough.
  • Always say please, thank you, and all those other magic words!
  • Think out loud. Let them know the reasons for your actions.
  • Show extra respect to all the extra helpers in the building: secretaries, custodians, kitchen workers, and assistants. Let the children see that you appreciate what they do for your students.

 

Seven Ways to Be the Teacher They'll Remember: Remember that special teacher from your childhood? Here are some ideas to help you be that special teacher for your students!


 

Why Encourage Team Building in the Elementary Classroom?

Why should we encourage Teamwork in the Elementary Classroom? 

This post tells some benefits of Team Building activities in the classroom and some ideas for including these class bonding activities with your students.

I've encouraged children to work as a team in my classroom for many years. Although they're not necessarily going to score better on those high-stakes tests, working as a team helps children develop many important skills!
 
This post tells some benefits of Team Building activities in the classroom and some ideas for including these class bonding activities with your students.

Here are some of the skills children learn from team-building activities:

  • communication
  • collaboration
  • listening
  • time management
  • problem-solving
  • putting others first
  • conflict management
 
Interesting, some might say these are "life skills!" Yes, these are skills that children need to develop to be successful in life, which I feel is far more important than being successful on tests!

 

This post tells some benefits of Team Building activities in the classroom and some ideas for including these class bonding activities with your students.

These are some activities to encourage teamwork in the classroom:

  • morning meeting activities
  • shared stories
  • project-based learning
  • STEM or STEAM projects
  • put on a class play
  • relay races
  • team trivia
  • partner work
  • plan a class party
  • scavenger hunts 
  • educational games, played as teams
I'm sure you can think of plenty more, including activities connected to your curriculum! Make sure to mention that the goal is to "work as a team," and "look out for the others!"

This post tells some benefits of Team Building activities in the classroom and some ideas for including these class bonding activities with your students.
 
Most important, motivate them to encourage others! Make sure these words are used often! 
  • Good job!
  • You can do it!
  • Awesome job!
  • You are incredible!
  • You figured it out!
  • You're on the right track!
  • You make it look easy!
  • That's the way!
  • You've got this! 
  • I can see you're really trying!

Here's an idea: let them make a list of more encouraging words, and display them for children to use as a reference. Be sure to model using encouraging words for your whole class team!

This post tells some benefits of Team Building activities in the classroom and some ideas for including these class bonding activities with your students.

Here are some helpful resources:

Here are some links for more information about Team Building in the classroom:

This post tells some benefits of Team Building activities in the classroom and some ideas for including these class bonding activities with your kids.

Dramatics in the Classroom

Children learn in many ways. 
I'm particularly partial to the arts. 

Research on the brain proves that the arts make strong connections with the memory. 
Today's post is about one of my favorite arts, dramatics!
Dramatics in the Classroom: There are many reasons to use dramatics in the classroom, and many ways to use it. This blog post explains HOW and WHY to use dramatics in the classroom!

There are many ways to use dramatics in the classroom, and many reasons to do it!  Here are some of the "whys!"


Yes, it's true. It's a great place for those shy kids! It sounds odd, but seriously, when you give a shy kid a character to play, they really come out of their shell! Did you ever hear that many movie stars are actually introverts? It all makes sense!

Dramatics in the Classroom: There are many reasons to use dramatics in the classroom, and many ways to use it. This blog post explains HOW and WHY to use dramatics in the classroom!

Reading scripts gives the children practice with reading skills. And, of course, children need to learn to speak clearly. Dramatics give them plenty of opportunities to practice speaking in front of others!

Actors depend upon each other when performing. If someone misses a line, that affects all the others. Therefore, if all team members live up to their responsibilities, they will all be successful.

Dramatics in the Classroom: There are many reasons to use dramatics in the classroom, and many ways to use it. This blog post explains HOW and WHY to use dramatics in the classroom!


When pretending to be a character, children need to put themselves in the shoes of the character, and think about how that character feels. They learn empathy!

 Actors must pay attention to the script and focus on what is happening in the performance.  


Dramatics in the Classroom: There are many reasons to use dramatics in the classroom, and many ways to use it. This blog post explains HOW and WHY to use dramatics in the classroom!

In the context of a performance, problems always arise. Children easily solve these while working together toward that common goal: a successful performance! 

Dramatics in the Classroom: There are many reasons to use dramatics in the classroom, and many ways to use it. This blog post explains HOW and WHY to use dramatics in the classroom!

Both verbal and nonverbal communication are important when putting on a play! Children learn to show their feelings with and without words. 

Dramatics in the Classroom: There are many reasons to use dramatics in the classroom, and many ways to use it. This blog post explains HOW and WHY to use dramatics in the classroom!

When children put on a skit or a play, or act out a scene, they work hard together toward a common goal. That's the kind of thing that builds confidence and self-esteem! When it's over, they beam with pride!


Now that we understand why dramatics are beneficial to children in the classroom, here are some ways to fit dramatics into your busy day!

Dramatics in the Classroom: There are many reasons to use dramatics in the classroom, and many ways to use it. This blog post explains HOW and WHY to use dramatics in the classroom!
Not only is it fun to act out stories of the past, but as the children act out different parts, their movements settle into their memories. I often had my students act out the Pilgrims on the Mayflower, including saying goodbye to loved ones, the constant rocking, eating the ship's food, seasickness, (they loved that part) seeing a newborn baby on the ship, and sighting land. As I described each detail, they went through the motions, and were totally engaged in the trip! The best part? They remember it because they were physically involved as well as emotionally involved.


Dramatics in the Classroom: There are many reasons to use dramatics in the classroom, and many ways to use it. This blog post explains HOW and WHY to use dramatics in the classroom!

Similar to the above, but this one doesn't have to be from factual information. It works particularly well with group read-alouds, or if a group is all reading the same book.  It might sound something like this, "Show what Wilber's face looks like when Charlotte wove her web." Or maybe, "Show Max's face when he realizes his dinner is still warm."
Having to recreate these moments helps them build empathy and develop feelings for the characters in their stories.


Dramatics in the Classroom: There are many reasons to use dramatics in the classroom, and many ways to use it. This blog post explains HOW and WHY to use dramatics in the classroom!

I remember having to memorize a list of vocabulary words every week. Do I remember those words now? Not many of them! Acting out the words makes them real. Plus, it works across the curriculum! Yes, even math!


Dramatics in the Classroom: There are many reasons to use dramatics in the classroom, and many ways to use it. This blog post explains HOW and WHY to use dramatics in the classroom!
Encourage writing stories that have characters having conversations! Kids are so creative, they might enjoy a writing prompt that encourages unusual "personalities" having a discussion, for example, "What would your pencil say to your paper?" or "What would your desk say to your chair?"  This really gets them thinking about conversations and personalities.


Reader's Theater is a favorite of the students as well as the teachers! Why? The kiddos like it because it's fun! The teachers like it because it incorporates so many important skills: reading, speaking, thinking, building empathy for others, and working together, to name a few! 

Here are a few Reader's Theater resources for you to explore:


Here's a series of character-building Reader's Theater where the children make up the ending:

Here's one more fun resource that the children love, especially when they can make up a voice for each character:

I hope you enjoy using dramatics in the classroom as much as I do!



Dramatics in the Classroom: There are many reasons to use dramatics in the classroom, and many ways to use it. This blog post explains HOW and WHY to use dramatics in the classroom!

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