A Team Approach

Overview: In this lesson, students work together in order to successfully complete a series of tasks. 

Grades: Preschool and K-2

Length of Lesson: 30–45 minutes

Learning Goals:

After completing this lesson, students will be able to:

• Describe the importance of working with others to achieve a desired goal.

Related Goals from the Space Racers^TM Curriculum:

Scientific Inquiry:
 
Observation: Looking carefully is one way to learn about things around us.

• Use any of the senses or a combination of multiple senses to gain information.
• Take note of a variety of properties and describe as accurately as possible (e.g., number, shape, size, length, color, texture, weight, motion, temperature, other physical characteristics, etc.).
• Inspect/investigate in detail in order to sort, group, classify, or sequence according to size or other characteristics.

 
A Team Approach: Collaborating with a team and then sharing what one has learned is often useful.

• Share observations and findings through pictures, graphs, charts, representations, and/or words.
• Communicate effectively with members of one’s own team, as well as others outside the team.

Materials:

• Legos, blocks or other pieces to build with- have one block or Lego piece per student.
• 6 large containers/bins (recycling bins, empty cardboard boxes, etc.)
• 6 objects in each of the following colors: red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple. See details in the “Prep” section.
• Color Cards handout (optional). See details in the “Prep” section.
• 4-6 blindfolds

Prep:

For Activity 1:

• Place the Legos/blocks in a bin so that there is enough for each student to have one Lego or block.

 
For Activity 2:

• In each of the 6 large bins, put one object of each of the team colors. If desired, use the cards in the “Color Cards” handout or sheets of construction paper to replace some of the objects. Activity 2 is a relay-type race, done in 4-6 teams. If you are playing with 4 teams, place 4 objects in each container. If playing with 5 teams, put 5 objects in each. For 6 teams, put 6 objects in each. Note: Each team should be assigned one of the colors featured in the “Color Cards” handout. Therefore, if you are playing with 5 teams, only use 5 of the colors featured in the handout and if playing with 4 teams, only use 4 colors.

• Bin 1: Plastic fruit and/or vegetables (red apple, cherries, strawberries, red pepper etc.; blueberries or the “blue” color card; yellow banana, lemon, corn, etc.; green pear, lime, green pepper, etc.; orange clementine, orange, etc.;  and/or purple grapes, plums, eggplant, etc.
• Bin 2: plastic shapes – one in each of the different colors
• Bin 3: toy cars, trucks or other vehicles – one in each of the different colors
• Bin 4: blocks, Legos, and/or stacking rings – one in each of the different colors
• Bin 5: assorted toys, stuffed animals, or the color cards – one in each of the different colors
• Bin 6: different balls – one in each of the different colors

• Write the numbers 1-6, each one on a different sheet of paper. Place one number on each of the containers. (Feel free to add additional bins, if desired, making sure to put one object for each team in each bin.)

 
Optional:

• Print out one copy of the “Color Cards” to use in Activity 2. Print out one copy of the color cards per student to use in Activity 4.

Lesson Activities:

Activity 1: Building Blocks

1. Give each student one block or Lego piece. Ask each student, working alone, to build a castle.
2. If students ask for more pieces, explain that they need to create the castle only with the pieces that you have given out. Tip: Conduct this activity outside or in another classroom where there aren’t any other Legos or blocks and bring just enough for each student to have one.
3. Now, tell your students that they can now work together to create a castle and share their pieces.
4. Give students a few minutes to work together to create a castle.
5. Ask the students to discuss what they had to do in order to successfully build a castle. (They had to share their blocks and work together with others.)
6. Optional: To reinforce the importance of sharing, view the Space Racers^TM Mine, Mine, Mine episode. After watching the episode, discuss the following:
   • What did Robin, Eagle and Hawk do in order to successfully get out of the cave? (Robin used the objects that each of them had brought—grippy tires, night vision glasses and a drill—and the advice she received from Hawk and Eagle, to successfully get out of the cave and get help.)
   • What did the Space Racers learn from this experience? (They got a lot more done by sharing and working together than by working alone.) 

 
Activity 2: Working Together

1. Divide your students into 4-6 teams. Assign each team to one of the following colors: red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple.
2. Place the 6 bins, labeled 1-6 (each featuring one object for each team) in different places throughout the room. (Note: This activity is also fun to do in a gym or outdoors.)  See “Prep” section for details about what to include in each container.
3. Have the teams line up next to each other, with each person on a team standing in front of and/or behind another member of their team.
4. Place a blindfold on the first person on each team. Tell the teams that team member #1 on each team needs to go to bin #1, while blindfolded, and pick out the object that has his/her team’s color and then bring it back to the team. The 2^nd person on the team must escort the blindfolded team member to the bin (by allowing team member 1 to hold on to his/her arm). Once team member 1 has arrived at the bin, team member 2 and/or other team members can verbally guide the blindfolded member to pick the correct object out of the bin.
5. Once the blindfolded team member has picked the right object, team member 2 must guide him/her back to the team, where team member 1 must place the object by his/her team.
6. Team member 1 then takes off the blindfold and gives it to team member 2, who puts on the blindfold. Team member 1 goes to the back of the line and team member 3 now guides team member 2 to bin #2, following the same procedure described above. This continues until each team has successfully retrieved all of its objects.
7. After all the groups have completed the activity, put the objects back in the bins and play again.
8. After completing the activity, lead a discussion about what the teams needed to do in order to successfully complete each task. Discuss the importance of working together and communicating effectively in order to successfully guide the blindfolded team member to get to the correct bin and select the correct object.

 
Activity 3: Dodo in Distress

1. View the Space Racers^TM Dodo in Distress episode. 
2. After watching the episode, discuss how the Space Racers worked together to find Dodo. (Hawk guided Robin and Eagle, from afar, to find Dodo and to successfully exit with Dodo to safety. Also, Dodo helped Robin and Eagle find him by shining his light.)

 
Activity 4: Book of Colors (Optional)

1. Give each student a copy of the “Color Cards” handout. Have each student cut out each of the cards and staple them together to make his/her own book of colors. 

Wrap-up

1. Lead a discussion about today’s lesson. Ask students to talk about what they learned.
2. Ask them to discuss how they had to work together to complete the activities in this lesson.
3. Ask them to think of situations in the real world when it is important to work together as a team to achieve a common goal.