Today’s world is a mass of inter-connectivity. Working collaboratively
is an essential skill that must be nourished and fostered in order to succeed in such an
environment.
How to work as a team does not come naturally to an egocentric
kindergartner. It is something that must be taught and practiced. Intentional “Teamwork”
activities allow students to work together for a shared benefit. Such
activities will not only provide collaborative experiences, it will build many
other social and emotional aspects of a student's self including: Self-management, social
awareness, self-awareness, responsibility, decision making, caring about
others, contributing, relationship skills, and more.
Today we had a lesson on “Teamwork.” After learning the vocabulary
words opinion and decision, we did some role-playing that provided opportunities
for students to practice coming to a group consensus. We then read “What’s the Big Idea Molly,” by Valeri Gorbachv. Next I divide the class
into groups and asked the groups to each make an animal that lives in the
jungle. I then reminded the students to
listen to each other’s opinions and decide how they would construct the animal.
At the conclusion of the activity we had a debriefing. I
asked the students what types of strategies their group used to complete the
animal. I listed their responses.
This was a great activity. And only one child cried! He was
pretty mad that his group made the lion a girl lion instead of a boy. This was
a great opportunity to talk about consensus. Even though it was not his
opinion, he could support the group decision. And, everyone loved the finished product!
