Cooperative Learning Lessons – Prince

COOPERATIVE LEARNING LESSONS

LESSON #1 DESIGNING AND PLANTING A RAISED BED GARDEN

ODE EARLY LEARNING STANDARDS: RELATIONSHIPS: PEER RELATIONSHIPS AND INTERACTIONS: STANDARD STATEMENT
Interact with peers in more complex pretend play including planning, coordination of roles and cooperation.With modeling and support, negotiate to resolve social con icts with peers
INITIATIVE:PLANNING ACTION AND REFLECTION: Develop, initiate and carry out simple plans to obtain a goal.Use prior knowledge and information to assess, inform, and plan for future actions and learning.
CREATIVITY: EXPRESSION OF IDEAS AND FEELINGS THROUGH THE ARTS:Express interest in and show appreciation for the creative work of others.

MATERIALS: 4 X 8 FEET RAISED GARDEN BEDS, SEEDLINGS FROM THE VARIOUS VEGETABLES, FLOWERS AND HERBS PLANTED, MEASURING TOOLS, POSTER BOARD, CRAYONS/MARKERS/COLORED PENCILS, YARN/STRING, PLANTING TOOLS

BEFORE: THE CHILDREN WILL HAVE CONDUCTED RESEARCH AND LEARNING ON SEEDS, PLANTS, PLANT GROWTH AND PLANTED SEEDS TO GROW SEEDLINGS IN THE 6 WEEK UNIT.

STEP 1) IN DISCUSSION WITH CHILDREN, LET THEM KNOW IT IS TIME TO PLANT OUR SEEDLINGS IN A RAISED GARDEN BED. LET THEM KNOW THEY WILL BE DESIGNING THEIR GARDEN BEDS INDIVIDUALLY FIRST AND THEN WORKING WITH A GROUP OF 3 CHILDREN TO COMBINE THEIR IDEAS INTO ONE GARDEN BED DESIGN.

SHOW THEM PICTURES OF RAISED GARDEN BEDS AND VARIOUS GARDEN BED DESIGNS. ASK WHAT THEY SEE, WHAT THEY NOTICE, WHAT THEY HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT.

4X8 Raised Bed Vegetable Garden Layout – Visual Designs for Raised Bed Vegetable Garden Layout Plans – ekaandoto.com

STEP 2: SHOW THE CHILDREN A SEED PACKET AND READ OFF SOME OF THE INFORMATION FROM THE BACK OF THE SEED PACKET. ASK CHILDREN WHAT THEY THINK IT MEANS AND WHY IT IS IMPORTANT INFORMATION.

STEP 3: GIVE THE CHILDREN A PIECE OF 8 X16 INCH WHITE PAPER AND ASK THEM TO DESIGN A GARDEN, USING THE INFORMATION THEY KNOW AND HAVE ACCESS TO AND USING THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS TO GUIDE THEM.

GUIDING QUESTIONS: WHAT PLANTS DO I WANT TO PLANT IN MY GARDEN? WHAT DO THE PLANTS LOOK LIKE AS SEEDS AND SEEDLINGS? WHAT DOES THE SEED PACKET SAY REGARDING SPACING OF SEEDLINGS? HOW MUCH SPACING WILL I HAVE BETWEEN MY SEEDLINGS? WILL I HAVE ENOUGH SPACE? OR TOO LITTLE OR TOO MUCH? HOW WILL I MEASURE TO MAKE SURE MY GARDEN HAS THE SPACING IT NEEDS?

STUDENTS CREATE THE GARDEN DESIGN INDIVIDUALLY AND ARE READY TO SHARE.

STEP 4: HAVE THE CHILDREN HANG THEIR GARDEN DESIGNS AROUND THE ROOM. DIVIDE THE CHILDREN INTO GROUPS AND HAVE THEM WALK WITH THEIR GROUPS AND DISCUSS WHAT THEY NOTICE ABOUT THE DIFFERENT DESIGNS. WHEN THE CHILDREN GET TO A DESIGN FROM SOMEONE IN THEIR GROUP, THAT PERSON SHOULD TALK THEIR GROUP THROUGH THEIR THINKING ABOUT THE DESIGN ( THIS SHOULD BE MODELED)

STEP 5: ON A CHART PAPER, AS EACH GROUP TO WRITE DOWN IDEAS THEY HAD NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT IN THEIR OWN WORK THAT THEY NOTICED IN OTHER STUDENT’S WORK, ONES THEY MAY WANT TO ADD.

STEP 6: LET THE CHILDREN KNOW WE ARE GOING TO WORK AS TEAMS TO COMBINE OUR IDEAS AND CREATE A GARDEN DESIGN THAT INCORPORATES IDEAS FROM EACH OF THE THREE PEOPLE IN OUR GROUP.

STEP 7: PASS OUT POSTER PAPER FOR CHILDREN TO SKETCH OUT THEIR IDEAS. CHILDREN SHOULD USE THE SAME GUIDING QUESTIONS TO GUIDE THEIR TEAM PLANS. THE TEACHER ROTATES FROM GROUP TO GROUP GETTING CHILDREN STARTED AND ASKING GUIDING QUESTIONS ALONG THE WAY.

STEP 8: AFTER ALL PLANS ARE COMPLETE, SHOW THE FOLLOWING VIDEO AND DISCUSS WHAT’S NEEDED TO BEGIN PLANTING.

STEP 9: CHILDREN GATHER MATERIALS NEEDED FOR PLANTING AND PLANT THEIR RAISED BED GARDENS.

ASSESSMENT: CLASS DISCUSSIONS, INDIVIDUAL GARDEN DESIGN, OBSERVATIONS DURING GROUP WORK, GROUP GARDEN DESIGN, PLANTED GARDEN

AFTER: CHILDREN WILL WATER OBSERVE GROWING PLANTS DAILY, WATER, WEED AND PROBLEM SOLVE AS NEEDED AS SEEDLINGS GROW INTO PLANTS. PRODUCE WILL BE HARVESTED AND EATEN BY THE CHILDREN.

https://www.facebook.com/lacasitalanguagecenter/photos/pcb.1019785261410469/1019785158077146/?type=3&theater

LESSON #2 – TEAM BUILDING GAME

GROUP JUGGLING: THIS GAME IS INTENDED TO DEMONSTRATE TO CHILDREN THE NEED FOR COMMUNICATION, FOCUS AND CONCENTRATION WHEN A GROUP HAS MANY TASKS ALL HAPPENING AT THE SAME TIME.

MATERIALS: 5 PLASTIC OR FOAM BALLS 5″ IN DIAMETER

STEP 1: INTRODUCE THE RULES OF THE GAME

1) WE ALL SIT IN A CIRCLE.

2) THE TEACHER WILL BEGIN BY CHOOSING SOMEONE IN THE CIRCLE, CALLING THEIR NAME, MAKING EYE CONTACT AND THEN PASSING HIM/HER A BALL.

3) THE PERSON THE TEACHER THREW THE BALL TO WILL THEN DO THE SAME AND THEN THE NEXT PERSON AND NEXT PERSON UNTIL EVERYONE HAS HAD THE BALL THROWN TO HIM/HER AND A PATTERN IS ESTABLISHED, WHICH WILL END IN THE TEACHER RECEIVING THE BALL BACK FROM THE LAST PERSON ON THE FINAL TOSS.

4) THEN THE TEACHER WILL BEGIN THE SAME PATTERN OF PERSON TO PERSON BALL THROWING UNTIL ALL KNOW WHO IS PASSING THE BALL TO THEM AND WHO THEY PASS THE BALL TO.

5) THE TEACHER WILL REPEAT THIS PATTERN SEVERAL TIMES, EACH TIME TRYING TO COMPLETE A LITTLE MORE QUICKLY.

6) THEN THE TEACHER WILL SAY WE ARE GOING TO ADD ANOTHER BALL SO THE GROUP WILL BE JUGGLING TWO BALLS AT ONCE. BEGIN WITH ONE AND THEN ADD THE SECOND.

7) AFTER THE GROUP GETS FLUENT WITH TWO BALLS, THEN ADD ANOTHER AND SEE HOW MANY BALLS THE GROUP CAN JUGGLE AT ONE TIME.

8) THERE WILL BE LOTS OF BALL DROPPING, LAUGHING, REFOCUSING, ETC.

9) AFTERWARDS, ASK CHILDREN WHAT THEY THOUGHT ABOUT THE GAME? WHAT DID THE TEAM NEED TO DO IN ORDER TO BE SUCCESSFUL? WHAT THINGS MADE IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR THE GROUP?

10) THEN RELATE THIS TO THE TEAM WORK THAT WILL HAPPEN IN CLASS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. PLAY THIS GAME AT VARIOUS TIMES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR RIGHT BEFORE COOPERATIVE LEARNING LESSONS TO REMIND STUDENTS AND GET THEM WORKING TOGETHER.