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Cooperation Crew: Working Together

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Lesson Plan

Cooperation Crew: Working Together

Young learners will understand how working together helps achieve common goals, fosters positive peer relationships, and makes tasks more enjoyable.

Cooperation is a fundamental life skill that helps children succeed in school, build friendships, and navigate social situations. Learning to cooperate makes tasks easier and more fun!

Audience

Pre-K, Kindergarten, and 1st Grade Students

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Simple, interactive group activities and storytelling to demonstrate the benefits of sharing, listening, and contributing.

Materials

Smartboard or projector for Cooperation Crew Slide Deck, Building blocks or LEGOs for Block Tower Challenge, and Picture book about cooperation (e.g., 'Stone Soup', 'Swimmy', 'The Little Blue Truck')

Prep

Review Materials and Set Up

15 minutes

  • Review the Cooperation Crew Slide Deck and practice the script (optional, but recommended for smooth delivery).
  • Gather building blocks or LEGOs for the Block Tower Challenge.
  • Select and prepare a picture book about cooperation.
  • Arrange students into small groups (3-4 students per group) for the activity and discussion.

Step 1

Warm-Up: What Does 'Working Together' Look Like?

5 minutes

  • Begin by asking students what they think "working together" means. Encourage them to share examples from their own lives (e.g., helping a sibling, playing a game with friends).
  • Introduce the term "cooperation" and explain that it's another word for working together.
  • Use Cooperation Crew Slide Deck to show the title slide and spark initial thoughts.

Step 2

Story Time: Cooperation in Action

7 minutes

  • Read a selected picture book about cooperation (e.g., 'Stone Soup', 'Swimmy', 'The Little Blue Truck').
  • Pause during the story to ask questions about how characters are cooperating or why it's important in that moment.
  • After the story, discuss the main message about cooperation using prompts from the Cooperation Crew Slide Deck.

Step 3

Activity: Block Tower Challenge

10 minutes

  • Explain the Block Tower Challenge to students: In small groups, they will work together to build the tallest, strongest tower they can using only the provided blocks.
  • Emphasize that they must share the blocks, listen to each other's ideas, and help each other.
  • Circulate among groups, providing encouragement and prompting discussions about how they are cooperating.
  • After the time is up, have each group showcase their tower and briefly explain how they worked together.

Step 4

Discussion: Sharing Our Superpowers

5 minutes

  • Lead a class discussion using the Sharing Our Superpowers Discussion prompts.
  • Ask students what they learned about cooperation during the block tower challenge.
  • Encourage them to share how they felt when they cooperated and how it helped their group.
  • Reinforce the idea that everyone has unique "superpowers" (ideas, strengths) that can help the group when they cooperate.

Step 5

Cool-Down: Cooperation Rocks!

3 minutes

  • Ask students to give a thumbs up if they think cooperation is a good idea.
  • Have them turn to a partner and share one way they can cooperate at school or at home tomorrow.
  • Conclude by reminding them that working together makes everything better!
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Slide Deck

Cooperation Crew: Working Together!

What does it mean to work together?

Welcome students and introduce the topic of working together. Ask them what they think the image means. This sets the stage for cooperation.

What is Cooperation?

Cooperation means working together!

When we cooperate, we:

  • Share ideas
  • Help each other
  • Listen to friends
  • Reach our goals!

Introduce the word 'cooperation'. Explain it simply as 'working together to help each other and reach a goal'. Give simple examples like sharing toys or helping a friend clean up.

Story Time: Cooperation in Action!

Let's read a story about friends who work together to make something amazing happen!

Show the book cover and tell the story. Pause to ask questions: 'How are the characters cooperating here?' or 'What might happen if they don't cooperate?'

Thinking About Our Story

  1. What did the friends do together?
  2. How did working together help them?
  3. How do you think they felt when they cooperated?

After the story, facilitate a brief discussion using these prompts. Connect the story to real-life examples.

Challenge Time: The Tallest Tower!

Get ready to build a super tall tower with your team!

Remember to:

  • Share your blocks
  • Listen to all ideas
  • Help your friends

Explain the Block Tower Challenge. Reinforce the rules of sharing, listening, and helping. Encourage students to think about how they can use their 'superpowers' to help their group.

Our Cooperation Superpowers!

  1. What did your team do well together?
  2. How did cooperating make building easier or more fun?
  3. What did you learn about working with others?

After the activity, lead a discussion using these prompts. Focus on the positive feelings and outcomes of cooperation.

Cooperation Rocks!

Working together helps us all succeed and makes everything more fun!

Let's be the best Cooperation Crew!

Conclude by reminding students that cooperation makes tasks more enjoyable and helps everyone succeed. Encourage them to practice cooperation every day.

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Activity

Block Tower Challenge

Goal: Work together with your team to build the tallest, strongest tower you can!

Materials:

  • A pile of building blocks or LEGOs for each team

Instructions:

  1. Get into your teams. Each team will have a pile of blocks.
  2. Talk about your plan. Before you start building, talk to your teammates. What kind of tower do you want to build? How will you make it tall and strong? How will you share the blocks?
  3. Build together! Start building your tower. Remember to:
    • Share the blocks with everyone.
    • Listen to your friends' ideas.
    • Help each other put the blocks together.
    • Take turns adding blocks.
  4. Show and Tell. When time is up, your team will show your tower to the class and tell us how you worked together.

Reflection Questions (for after the activity):

  • What was fun about building with your team?


  • Did anyone have a great idea that helped your tower?


  • How did you share the blocks and help each other?


  • What would have happened if you didn't work together?


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Discussion

Sharing Our Superpowers: A Cooperation Discussion

Goal: Talk about how we worked together and why it's important.

Discussion Prompts:

  1. During our Block Tower Challenge, what did your team do that showed good cooperation?


  2. How did it feel when you were working together with your friends? (Happy? Strong? Excited?)


  3. Why do you think working together made your tower better or building more fun?


  4. What are some of your
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Cooperation Crew: Working Together • Lenny Learning