Lesson Plan
Relay Reliability Guide
Students will learn to differentiate reliability from honesty, set a shared team goal, and work together to complete a relay of tasks without dropping any, demonstrating dependable behavior.
Developing reliability and teamwork builds students’ social-emotional skills, fosters trust, and teaches them to follow through on commitments in the classroom and beyond.
Audience
3rd Grade Students
Time
30 minutes
Approach
Interactive discussion, goal-setting, relay activity, and peer reflection.
Materials
- You Can Count on Me Slides, - Relay Announcer Script, - Team Reliability Rubric, and - Relay Task Cards
Prep
Prepare Materials
10 minutes
- Review the slide deck: You Can Count on Me Slides
- Print and cut Relay Task Cards
- Print copies of the Team Reliability Rubric
- Familiarize yourself with the Relay Announcer Script
- Arrange desks or cones into relay stations
- Set up a timer or stopwatch
Step 1
Goal-Setting Warm-Up
5 minutes
- Gather students in a circle and introduce the day’s focus on reliability vs honesty
- Ask volunteers to share a moment they could be counted on by someone else
- Explain that teams will set one shared reliability goal for today’s activity
- Record each team’s goal on chart paper for reference
Step 2
Explain Reliability & Examples
5 minutes
- Define reliability: doing what you say you will do, and honesty: telling the truth
- Use slides to illustrate scenarios: reliable vs unreliable, honest vs dishonest
- Prompt students to give their own examples and discuss why reliability matters
Step 3
Team Relay with Task Cards
15 minutes
- Divide the class into teams of 4–5 students at relay stations
- Explain rules: each team member picks a task card, completes the quick activity, and passes the card without dropping it
- Emphasize no dropped tasks and encourage teammates to support each other
- Use Relay Announcer Script to call out each round and keep energy high
- Teacher circulates to observe and remind teams of their shared goal
Step 4
Reflection Using Rubric
5 minutes
- Distribute the Team Reliability Rubric to each team
- Have teams rate their performance on reliability indicators (e.g., teamwork, follow-through)
- Invite teams to share one strength and one improvement strategy
- Reinforce how reliability helped them succeed and how to apply it in daily class life
Slide Deck
You Can Count on Me!
Today we’ll learn what it means to be reliable and how it’s different from being honest. We’ll see examples, set team goals, and get ready for our Reliability Relay!
Welcome the students and introduce today’s lesson on reliability. Explain that throughout the slides, we’ll learn about reliability and honesty, look at examples, and get ready for our fun relay activity.
What Is Reliability?
Reliability means doing what you say you will do. A reliable person:
• Keeps promises
• Follows through on tasks
• Helps others when they need it
Define reliability clearly. Emphasize that reliability means doing what you say you will do. Ask students for a thumbs-up if they’ve ever counted on a friend or family member.
What Is Honesty?
Honesty means telling the truth. An honest person:
• Says what really happened
• Admits mistakes
• Shares accurate information
Explain honesty and contrast it with reliability. Honesty is about truth-telling, while reliability is about actions. Invite one quick example of an honest act.
Reliability vs. Honesty
Reliability focuses on actions—doing what you say you will do.
Honesty focuses on words—telling the truth.
Both help others trust you, but they are not the same thing!
Highlight the difference. Draw a quick two-column chart on the board if possible. Encourage students to suggest where a scenario fits.
Examples in Action
Scenario 1: Sam promises to return a book but forgets—unreliable.
Scenario 2: Mia admits she lost her pencil—honest.
Scenario 3: Leo tells the truth and finishes his chore on time—both!
Read each scenario aloud. After each, ask: Is this reliability, honesty, both, or neither? Engage the class quickly.
Relay Rules
- Teams of 4–5 students
- Pick a task card and complete it
- Pass the card without dropping it
- Support teammates and keep your team goal in mind
- The first team to finish with no dropped cards wins!
Explain the rules step by step. Emphasize teamwork and no dropped tasks. Show excitement and energy to pump up the class.
Our Team Goals
• Team 1 Goal: ____________
• Team 2 Goal: ____________
• Team 3 Goal: ____________
• Team 4 Goal: ____________
Fill in your goal and keep it in mind!
Invite each team to share the goal they set during our warm-up. Prompt them to say their goal aloud before starting the relay.
Ready, Set, Go!
Now that we know about reliability and our team goals, let’s start the Reliability Relay! Remember: you can count on each other!
Wrap up the slide deck. Transition to the activity by inviting teams to stations and distribute task cards.
Script
Relay Announcer Script
Setup & Reminders (Before the Relay Begins)
Teacher: “Okay, teams, let’s gather around our relay stations and stand behind your team cones. I’ve placed a stack of Task Cards at each station. Remember, our goal today is to work together, complete each task, and—most importantly—pass your card without dropping it! Don’t forget your team goal. Keep that in mind as you race!”
Teacher: “Any last questions before we start?”
(Pause for questions, then move on.)
Starting Signal
Teacher: “On your marks… get set… GO!
”
Round Announcements & Transitions
Teacher (after about 30–40 seconds): “Round 1 complete—hands up if you’ve finished! Look at those steady hands. Team 1, great job passing without drops! Team 3, keep that same energy!”
Teacher: “Okay, teams, pick up your next Task Card. Ready? Go!
”
Teacher (midway through): “Keep it up, everyone! Remember your goal—help each other stay reliable. Team 2, I see you cheering each other on—that’s exactly the teamwork we need!”
Teacher (when most teams finish): “Round 2 is wrapping up—hands up if you’re done! Fantastic focus!”
Teacher: “Grab your third card… and GO!
”
Teacher (encouraging halfway point): “You’re doing amazing—steady passes, no drops! Team 4, you’re almost there!”
Teacher (finish of Round 3): “Hands up if you’ve completed three rounds! I love that reliability!”
Final Round & Cheer
Teacher: “Last Task Card for everyone—this is your final push. Remember your team goal and pass the card carefully. On your marks… get set… GO!
”
Teacher (as teams finish): “Team 3, you’re across the finish line—perfect passes! Team 1, you’re right behind them—keep it up!”
Closing the Relay
Teacher: “Time’s up! Put your cards down and gather back here on the carpet.”
Teacher: “Let’s give ourselves a big round of applause for being so reliable and working as true teammates!”
Transition to Reflection
Teacher: “Now that we’ve completed our Reliability Relay, let’s grab the Team Reliability Rubric and share one thing our team did well and one way we can improve next time.”
Teacher: “Great job, everyone! You showed what it means to be truly reliable.”
Rubric
Team Reliability Rubric
Use this 4-point rubric for teams to reflect on how reliably they worked together during the relay. Circle the number that best describes your team’s performance in each category.
| Criteria | 4 – Exemplary | 3 – Proficient | 2 – Developing | 1 – Beginning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teamwork | Consistently collaborated—everyone communicated clearly, shared tasks equally, and made decisions together. | Generally worked well—most team members contributed, and communication was good with only minor lapses. | Some collaboration—effort to work together but tasks or talking dominated by a few members; communication was inconsistent. | Little to no collaboration—few students participated, communication broke down, and most tasks were done by one or two people. |
| Follow-through | Completed every task on time with no dropped cards; always kept the team goal visible and top of mind. | Finished almost all tasks neatly with ≤1 dropped card; usually remembered the team goal. | Completed tasks but had multiple drops or slow transitions; sometimes forgot or ignored the team goal. | Tasks were often incomplete or dropped; team frequently lost track of their goal. |
| Support | Proactively encouraged and helped teammates at every step—stepped in even before being asked. | Often supported others—helped teammates when asked and offered encouragement regularly. | Provided limited support—helped only when prompted; encouragement was infrequent. | Rarely or never helped teammates; little to no encouragement or assistance offered. |
After rating, discuss:
- One strength your team showed:
- One way to improve next time:
Great work reflecting on how your team demonstrated reliability!