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lenny

Team Up, Power Up!

April

Tier 1
For Schools

Lesson Plan

Cooperation Lesson Plan

Students will define cooperation, identify its benefits, and practice working cooperatively with peers during classroom activities.

Understanding and practicing cooperation is a fundamental life skill that helps students succeed in group tasks, build positive relationships, and create a supportive classroom community.

Audience

2nd Grade

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Interactive discussion, collaborative activity, and a fun group game.

Materials

Cooperation Power Slides, Cooperation Kick-off Discussion, Build a Tower Together Activity, Cooperation Challenge Game, and Building blocks or cups (for activity)

Prep

Gather Materials & Review

10 minutes

  • Review the Cooperation Lesson Plan and all linked materials: Cooperation Power Slides, Cooperation Kick-off Discussion, Build a Tower Together Activity, and Cooperation Challenge Game.
  • Gather building blocks or disposable cups for the 'Build a Tower Together' activity.
  • Ensure a clear space in the classroom for the 'Cooperation Challenge Game'.

Step 1

Introduction & Warm-up: What is Cooperation? (5 minutes)

5 minutes

  1. Begin by asking students what they think 'working together' means. Use the prompts from the Cooperation Kick-off Discussion to guide the conversation.
  2. Introduce the term 'cooperation' and explain that it means working together towards a shared goal.
  3. Show the first few slides from Cooperation Power Slides to visually support the introduction.

Step 2

Exploring the Benefits of Cooperation (5 minutes)

5 minutes

  1. Continue using the Cooperation Power Slides to discuss why cooperation is important. Ask students for examples from their own lives (e.g., playing a game, cleaning a room, working on a class project).
  2. Emphasize how cooperation makes tasks easier, more fun, and often leads to better results.

Step 3

Cooperative Building Activity (10 minutes)

10 minutes

  1. Introduce the Build a Tower Together Activity. Divide students into small groups (3-4 students per group).
  2. Distribute building blocks or cups to each group.
  3. Explain the rules clearly, emphasizing communication and teamwork to build the tallest freestanding tower.
  4. Circulate among groups, observing their cooperative efforts and offering gentle guidance as needed.

Step 4

Cooperation Challenge Game (7 minutes)

7 minutes

  1. Transition to the Cooperation Challenge Game. Have students form a large circle.
  2. Explain the rules of 'Pass the Ball (or object) without Hands', focusing on the need for careful coordination and communication.
  3. Facilitate the game, encouraging students to cheer each other on and strategize together.

Step 5

Wrap-up & Reflection (3 minutes)

3 minutes

  1. Bring the class back together.
  2. Ask students to share one thing they learned about cooperation or one way they cooperated well today.
  3. Reiterate the main message: working together makes things better! Show the final slide from Cooperation Power Slides.
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Slide Deck

Team Up, Power Up! 🚀

The Super Power of Cooperation!

Welcome students and introduce the lesson's main idea: working together. Ask them if they've ever built something cool with a friend or played a game where everyone had to help.

What is Cooperation? 🤔

It means working together with others to achieve a common goal!

Think: Teamwork, helping hands, joining forces!

Explain cooperation in simple terms. Ask students for synonyms or phrases that mean 'working together'.

Why Cooperate? ✨

When we cooperate:

  • Tasks become easier!
  • It's more fun!
  • We come up with better ideas!
  • We make new friends and strengthen old ones!

Prompt students to think about why working together is a good idea. Encourage them to share personal examples. Connect it to classroom activities and friendships.

Cooperation in Action! 🏗️

Let's build something amazing TOGETHER!

Transition to the 'Build a Tower Together' activity. Explain that they will now put cooperation into practice. Emphasize listening to each other and sharing ideas.

Cooperation Challenge! 🤝

Time for a fun group game!

Transition to the 'Cooperation Challenge Game'. Explain that this game will require everyone to work together to succeed.

You are Cooperation Superstars! ⭐

Keep teaming up and powering up!

Conclude the lesson by praising their efforts and reminding them of the power of cooperation. Encourage them to continue using these skills daily.

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Discussion

Cooperation Kick-off Discussion

To start our lesson on cooperation, let's chat about what it means to work together!

  1. What does it mean to "work together"? Can you give an example?



  2. Think about a time you worked with someone to do something. What was it? (e.g., played a game, cleaned up, built something)



  3. What made working together easy or fun during that time?



  4. What do you think the word "cooperation" means? What does it look like and sound like?






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lenny

Activity

Build a Tower Together!

Objective: Work with your team to build the tallest freestanding tower using only the provided materials.

Materials: Building blocks or disposable cups (provided by teacher)

Instructions:

  1. Your teacher will divide you into small groups.
  2. Each group will receive a set of building blocks or cups.
  3. The Challenge: Build the tallest freestanding tower you can in 5 minutes!
  4. Important Cooperation Rules:
    • Talk to each other! Share your ideas for how to build the tower.
    • Listen to everyone's ideas. Even if you don't use an idea, it's important to listen.
    • Help each other. If someone needs a block, pass it carefully.
    • Only one person can touch the tower at a time to add a piece. (Teacher may adjust this rule based on class needs, e.g., "Everyone must use only their non-dominant hand to place blocks.")

Discussion after the activity:

  • Was it easy or hard to build the tower together? Why?



  • What did your group do well to cooperate?



  • What could your group do even better next time to cooperate?



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lenny

Game

Cooperation Challenge: Pass the Object Without Hands!

Objective: Work together as a team to pass an object around a circle using only specific body parts, without using your hands.

Materials: A light, soft object like a balloon, a beach ball, or a soft foam ball.

Instructions:

  1. Form a Circle: Everyone stands in a large circle, facing the center.
  2. The Challenge: Your goal is to pass the object all the way around the circle, from person to person, and back to the start.
  3. The BIG Rule: You CANNOT use your hands to touch or pass the object!
  4. How to Pass: Use your feet, shoulders, knees, backs, heads, or any other body part you can think of, as long as it's not your hands.
  5. Restart if it Drops: If the object touches the floor, the whole team must start over from the beginning (or from the person who dropped it, depending on teacher preference for challenge level).
  6. Talk to Each Other! Communication is key! Tell your teammates how you plan to pass and how you need them to receive.

Let's see how well we can cooperate to complete the challenge!

lenny
lenny