Teambuilding activities

Activity: (1 hour virtual class)

Welcome! Review last week's plan. (5 minutes) Teachers first evaluate what they implemented from last week's lesson on Lesson Engagement. What strategies did they try? What worked, what didn’t work, what would they do in the future?

Rules and expectations for your class (10 minutes)

Go over rules and expectations in your online learning class. Explain to teachers the importance of setting up class rules. Rules are the first step in forming a class community. (Kennedy, 2022)

• Share class schedule. Have a schedule and stick to it!

• Set expectations. Let them know what is expected and how to do it.

• Show how to communicate. Show how to chat with each other and with the teacher, demonstrate how to ask questions.

• Watch Ted Talk on relationships with students. Online or in person find ways to connect with your students and show them you care. https://www.ted.com/talks/rita_pierson_every_kid_needs_a_champion?referrer=playlist-talks_from_inspiring_teachers&autoplay=true

Experience engaging as a student (30 minutes)

Teachers will be students, facilitators will act as teachers. Quickly go through activities so teachers can experience them.

1. First welcome students, attendance will be taken as the teacher asks a question for each student to answer - Ask anything - what is your favorite flavor of ice cream? What do you want to be when you grow up? What is your favorite snack? What animal is your favorite? Give every student a chance to talk, they can pass. Take attendance as they share.

2. Establish class rules & expectations. (this is done at beginning of course, not everyday)

• Share class schedule. Make a plan that can be the same everyday.

• Communicate class rules

• When to log in to join the class in person

• Show how to contact you for questions, chat and email

• Show how to chat with students in class, how to mute and unmute

3. Homework from last week - asked teachers to dress up for theme day (today!) Theme day is western day. (You can do a color every week, have students wear as much of that color as they can on Fridays)

4. Homework also included having a snack. Ask students to pull out their snacks. Lunch bunch works best as an invitation from the teacher with 4-5 students at a time. Have students share what they are eating, chat with students, during an actual class this would take time, for the teacher purposes they can eat as we move through more strategies.

5. Virtual Scavenger Hunt

• Ask students to find something with stripes

• Using chat, find a friend in class who wears glasses or contacts

• Ask students to find something something from their room

6. Class Story - have a google doc, place students in groups, have them take turns writing one sentence at a time to create a story.

7. Music - have students help create a shared Spotify playlist for the class.

Discussion and conclusion (5 minutes)

What did they like? What would they use? What ideas did this give you? What will you try next week? What could be done differently?

Here are some links to some more awesome online engaging tools. Or did these links lead you to other videos that interested you? Pick one to watch and be ready to discuss it for next class.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjvRd9_pGik

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eL4lfOk-o8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3wxsBFKcns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQp8ybvFfdo