Idea 1- Team Building Activity for The House on Mango Street
This unit will be the first unit of the school year. The novel revolves around a coming of age story, with the female protagonist facing many challenges and decisions my students (all female) will be able to relate to. We will start by getting to know the author and her work, aided by this author Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/sandracisnerosauthor/
I will use this unit to team build along the way and set the scene for future units that will focus on collaborative learning. Here’s how:
In intervals of the book I have students reflect on the reading. I can have them reflect together so they can team build and get to know each other. For example, in the book is a vignette about the protagonist’s name – its origins, its connotations in her life, how she feels about it, etc. This lesson as cooperative learning would look like this:
Lesson Day 1:
- Read vignette in class, focusing on elements of a vignette and writing style
- Give students 4 minutes to reflect on their own name, jot notes down
- Get into pre-assigned teams of 4
- Give 5 minutes to discuss their name reflections and give each other feedback/impressions based on brainstorming
- Assign “My Name” vignette. Each student completes this independently (complete for hw).
Lesson Day 2:
- Present vignette to the team (informal, read aloud in small groups)
- Peer edit vignettes in teams
- Make any adjustments/corrections
This type of activity allows students to reflect on the reading AND get to know each other better. Even if students are already friends, this will likely teach them something about their classmate they didn’t already know, even if it’s as simple as them being named after a relative. Plus, sharing this reflective information with each other will bring the students closer together.
I will repeat this activity, but with different reflective prompts, for the duration of the 3 week unit. The “easy” nature of the responses, all being opinion based, will give each student an opportunity to speak, share, and become part of the team. This will prepare them for the rest of the collaboration for the semester by letting them get comfortable with each other. For each reflective activity the groups will shift somewhat, so the whole class gradually gets to know each other and becomes comfortable together.
Idea 2 – Julius Caesar Co-op Co-op
For this lesson I will use the Co-op Co-op method. To do so, students will have the opportunity day 1 of the unit to brainstorm things they would like to learn in addition to reading the play, then they can gather that information and present it as we go along.
A team of 4 will be pre-assigned by me at the beginning of this unit.
As a team, students will decide on a sub-topic of the unit they want to explore. Examples include:
- Shakespeare’s life and background
- Roman arts and culture during the time of JC
- Focused historical study on one person – Antony, Caesar, etc.
- The globe theater and how the play would have been performed
Then, students will have time over the course of 2 weeks to gather information and make an informative presentation. This could be via Powerpoint, a poster, Prezi, or another presentation tool.
Students might be interested in this Crash Course Youtube video about the Roman Empire:
I will ensure success by having work days in class where I can monitor progress and participation. I will also have students begin by assigning responsibilities, so each student is collaborating equally. Each student will have to be an active participant in the presentation of the information, and peer/self evaluations will be completed at the end of the unit.
As students work I will walk around and monitor the class, keeping notes on how the students are working, and nudging students in the right direction if they get stuck or off track. This will also help ensure that one student doesn’t dominate the discussion and leave out quieter kids – I can model inclusion by asking opinions from those students to bring them back into the team.