Lesson Plan
Our Group's Super Agreements
Students will be able to identify and create group agreements that promote a positive and respectful learning environment.
Establishing clear agreements helps students understand how to interact positively, resolve conflicts, and work together effectively, making the group a safe and productive space for everyone.
Audience
2nd Grade Group
Time
30 minutes
Approach
Interactive discussion and collaborative agreement-setting activity.
Materials
Small Group Agreements Slide Deck, Agreements Brainstorm Worksheet, Agreements Creation Chart, and Markers or Crayons
Prep
Prepare Materials
10 minutes
- Review the Small Group Agreements Slide Deck to familiarize yourself with the content.
- Print enough copies of the Agreements Brainstorm Worksheet for each student.
- Prepare a large Agreements Creation Chart (e.g., poster board or large paper) to write down the agreed-upon agreements.
- Gather markers or crayons.
Step 1
Introduction & Warm-Up
5 minutes
- Greet students and introduce the topic of group agreements using the Small Group Agreements Slide Deck.
- Ask students what they think 'agreements' mean in a group setting.
Step 2
What are Agreements?
5 minutes
- Use the Small Group Agreements Slide Deck to explain what agreements are and why they are important.
- Discuss examples of agreements they might already follow (e.g., raising hands, listening when others speak).
Step 3
Brainstorming Agreements
10 minutes
- Distribute the Agreements Brainstorm Worksheet.
- Guide students to brainstorm ideas for how they want to act and treat each other in their small group.
- Encourage them to think about listening, sharing, respecting, and helping.
- Provide sentence starters if needed: 'I will...', 'We will...'.
- Facilitate a brief discussion where students share some of their ideas.
Step 4
Creating Our Group Agreements
7 minutes
- Using the large Agreements Creation Chart, invite students to share their best ideas from the worksheet.
- As a group, decide on 3-5 key agreements that everyone agrees on.
- Write these agreements clearly on the chart.
- Have each student sign or put a thumbprint next to the agreements to show their commitment.
Step 5
Wrap-Up & Commitment
3 minutes
- Briefly review the agreed-upon agreements.
- Emphasize that these agreements will help make their group a great place to learn and grow.
- Ask students to commit to following these agreements.
- Distribute the Group Agreements Cool Down for individual reflection.
Slide Deck
Our Group's Super Agreements!
Let's make our group awesome together!
Welcome the students and get them excited about building a great group together!
What are Agreements?
š” Ideas for how we act and work together.
š¤ Rules that help everyone feel safe and happy.
Ask students: "What do you think an 'agreement' is?" Let them share their initial ideas. Guide them towards the idea of rules or expectations for how we act.
Why Do We Need Agreements?
ā
Helps us learn our best.
š Makes everyone feel respected.
š Makes our group strong and happy.
Explain that agreements are like promises we make to each other. Discuss why having agreements is important for a good group.
Examples of Agreements
š Listen when others speak.
ā Raise your hand to share.
š Be kind to everyone.
Brainstorm some general examples together. "What are some rules you follow at home or in school?" Link these to the idea of group agreements.
Let's Create OUR Agreements!
š¤ What ideas do you have?
āļø We'll write them down together!
Introduce the idea of creating their own agreements. Tell them they will get a worksheet to help them think of ideas.
Our Group's Commitment
š We choose 3-5 super agreements.
āļø Everyone agrees to follow them!
Explain that they will now share their ideas and together choose the most important agreements for their group. Emphasize that everyone needs to agree.
Awesome Agreements, Awesome Group!
š We made great agreements!
š Let's use them to have a fantastic group!
Congratulate them on creating their agreements! Remind them that following these agreements will help them have a successful and enjoyable time in the group.
Worksheet
Agreements Brainstorm Worksheet
Name: ____________________________
Think about what makes a group work really well. What are some things we can all do to make our small group a super place to learn and have fun?
My Ideas for Our Group Agreements:
-
I think our group should always ____________________________________________________________________.
-
It would be great if everyone in our group ______________________________________________________________.
-
When someone is talking, we should ____________________________________________________________________.
-
If someone needs help, we could ____________________________________________________________________.
-
My most important idea for our group is to ______________________________________________________________.
Bonus Challenge: Draw a picture of our group following one of your agreements!
Cool Down
Group Agreements Cool Down
Name: ____________________________
1. What is one agreement our group decided on today?
-
Why is it important to follow this agreement?
-
How will you help our group remember and follow our agreements?
-
Draw a star next to the agreement you think is the most important for our group.
Script
Group Agreements Script
Introduction & Warm-Up (5 minutes)
(Teacher): "Hi everyone! I am so excited for our group time today. We're going to talk about something super important that will help us make our group the best it can be! Take a look at our first slide on the Small Group Agreements Slide Deck."
(Teacher): "Our lesson today is called, 'Our Group's Super Agreements!' Can anyone tell me, what do you think an 'agreement' might be? It's okay if you don't know, just share your best guess!"
(Teacher): "That's a great start! Sometimes an 'agreement' is like an idea or a way we agree to act."
What are Agreements? (5 minutes)
(Teacher): "Let's look at the next slide on our Small Group Agreements Slide Deck. Agreements are like special agreements, or shared expectations, for how we behave and work together in our group. They help everyone feel safe, respected, and ready to learn. Think about it: when you play a game, you have rules, right? Agreements are like our group's rules for how we treat each other and how we work."
(Teacher): "Can you think of any rules or agreements you already follow, maybe at home or in school? Like, 'we raise our hands before speaking,' or 'we listen when someone else is talking.'"
(Teacher): "Those are excellent examples! Now, let's talk about why these agreements are so important. (Advance to next slide)"
Why Do We Need Agreements? (5 minutes)
(Teacher): "Look at this next slide. Why do you think it's important for our group to have agreements? What happens if everyone just does whatever they want, without thinking about others?"
(Teacher): "Exactly! Having agreements helps us:
- Learn our best because we're focused and respectful.
- Makes everyone feel respected because we treat each other with kindness.
- Makes our group strong and happy because we all know what to expect."
(Teacher): "So, agreements help us work together like a super team!"
Brainstorming Agreements (10 minutes)
(Teacher): "Now it's your turn to think! I'm going to give you each a Agreements Brainstorm Worksheet. On this worksheet, I want you to think about what you want our group to be like. What kind of behaviors will help us learn and be happy? You can use the sentence starters like 'I will...' or 'We will...' to help you."
(Teacher): "Take about 5 minutes to write down your ideas. Don't worry if they're perfect, just write down what you think is important. If you finish early, you can start the bonus challenge and draw a picture!"
(Teacher): "Okay, let's share a few ideas! Who would like to share one agreement they think would be great for our group?"
(Teacher): "Those are fantastic ideas!"
Creating Our Group Agreements (7 minutes)
(Teacher): "Now, we're going to take all of our wonderful ideas and choose the most important ones for our group. I have a big Agreements Creation Chart here. As a group, let's decide on 3 to 5 'super agreements' that everyone agrees on. These will be our official group agreements!"
(Teacher): "What are some of your best ideas from your worksheet that we want to make sure we all agree to?"
(Teacher - facilitate discussion and write down 3-5 agreed agreements on the chart): "So, we have: (list the agreed agreements). Does everyone agree that these are the most important ways we want to act in our group? Thumbs up if you agree!"
(Teacher): "Wonderful! Now, to show that we are all committed to these agreements, I'd like each of you to come up and sign your name or put your thumbprint next to our group agreements. This shows you're making a promise to yourself and to the group to follow these!"
Wrap-Up & Commitment (3 minutes)
(Teacher): "Great job, everyone! We've created some amazing agreements for our group. Remember, these agreements will help us have a fantastic time together, learn a lot, and make sure everyone feels good. It's up to all of us to remember and follow them every time we meet."
(Teacher): "To finish up, I'm going to give you a quick Group Agreements Cool Down sheet. Please answer the questions about what we learned and how you will help our group follow our new super agreements!"
(Teacher): "Thank you all for your wonderful ideas and for creating such a strong foundation for our group!"