Math Unit
2294608.pdf?fn=TeamBuildinginMathClassAFreeSpiralStudiesLesson.pdf&st=PASj3p6MitmVKmC8EAfhBw&e=1469060780&ip=71.252.167
2294608.pdf?fn=TeamBuildinginMathClassAFreeSpiralStudiesLesson.pdf&st=PASj3p6MitmVKmC8EAfhBw&e=1469060780&ip=71.252.167
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<strong>Math</strong> <strong>Unit</strong><br />
This activity is a team-building lesson for math class, focusing on<br />
collaboration, perseverance, communication, and problem solving. It<br />
can be used independently in the math classroom, or can be combined<br />
with other “Spiral Studies” team building freebies for an integrated<br />
experience! See the next page for more details on how to easily<br />
integrate this across your <strong>Math</strong>, Science, SS, and ELA curriculum.
SCIENCE<br />
ELA<br />
MATH<br />
SCIENCE<br />
SOCIAL STUDIES<br />
SOCIAL STUDIES<br />
MATH<br />
ELA<br />
Great News!<br />
This teambuilding activity is part of the Spiral Studies Series of integrated<br />
resources. That means that you can teach this teambuilding lesson in isolation<br />
in your classroom, or you can combine it with 3 other FREE lessons and provide<br />
students with a day of integrated teambuilding activities. So fun! So easy!<br />
About Spiral Studies<br />
As you know, integration leads to greater<br />
student engagement, deeper understanding,<br />
and higher-order thinking skills for our students.<br />
However, coordinating integration across<br />
multiple subject areas can be quite an<br />
undertaking. That’s where Spiral Studies<br />
comes in. We’re a group of TpT teacherauthors<br />
and we’ve combined our expertise to<br />
make absolutely turn-key integrated units for<br />
you and/or your team. If you’d like to turn this<br />
lesson into an integrated unit we’d suggest<br />
working with your team (or independently if<br />
you teach multiple subject areas) and<br />
checking out the Spiral Studies teambuilding<br />
FREEBIES in each of our stores.<br />
ACTIVITY<br />
Integrated Teambuilding<br />
Integrated Final Activity<br />
Each Spiral Studies teambuilding freebie includes a<br />
version of a Team Player Bookmark. When integrating<br />
the resources, students complete a final teambuilding<br />
activity by figuring out key components of teamwork.<br />
Then, you (and your team) can celebrate a culture of<br />
teamwork by rewarding/acknowledging students for<br />
exhibiting the characteristics of teamwork that they<br />
learned and practiced in each classroom!<br />
Other Integrated <strong>Unit</strong>s<br />
Check out these turn-key integrated units based on a study of the night sky.<br />
Spiral Studies<br />
Integrated <strong>Unit</strong>s<br />
Created By:<br />
Copyright © 2015 Brain Waves Instruction<br />
All rights reserved by author.<br />
For classroom use only by a single teacher. Please purchase one licensure per teacher using this product.
Spiral Studies Integrated<br />
Integrated<br />
Team Building<br />
Use this page and<br />
the bookmark on<br />
p.12 if students will<br />
be completing<br />
the teambuilding<br />
activities in all four<br />
subject areas.<br />
ACTIVITY<br />
Subject<br />
English<br />
<strong>Math</strong><br />
Social<br />
Studies<br />
Science<br />
Activity / Lesson<br />
Students learn the value of teamwork and collaboration when they work as a team to<br />
put a scrambled fable about teamwork into to the correct sequence. Then, they’ll work<br />
collaboratively to answer reading comprehension questions about the fable. Finally,<br />
they’ll reflect on their experiences as a team and use figurative language to express the<br />
value of teamwork while making a pennant banner.<br />
While working collaboratively to problem-solve with a seemingly impossible number<br />
puzzle, students learn to persevere, work together, and think outside the box.<br />
Ultimately, they will have to reach out to another team and combine card sets to<br />
complete the challenge. In a follow-up worksheet, students describe their problem<br />
solving approaches and team roles and then extend these skills into future applications.<br />
Students will work on communication by instructing a partner to draw a specific secret<br />
image using only directions about how and where to move the pencil. The activity is<br />
followed up with an analysis of how communication improved on each attempt and what<br />
they learned from the experience about speaking and listening in a collaborative way.<br />
While working to float, sink and suspend a single object students must learn to<br />
overcome communication difficulties, share responsibilities and take on leadership roles<br />
to help their group succeed. The hands-on challenge and follow-up discussion about<br />
teamwork in the field of science teaches students the importance of problem solving,<br />
along with the idea that teamwork is WORK and takes consistent effort and<br />
contributions from each person on the team.<br />
Wrapping it Up & Bringing it Together:<br />
To finish off the integrated experience, students will complete a bookmark-style punch card that reflects the<br />
key ideas they have learned in each class. You will need to print a mix of all 4 different bookmarks (one<br />
version appears in each subject’s file – Download the files free on TPT) and distribute them to each student.<br />
(FYI – Students only need to receive a bookmark and complete the teambuilding activity in one classroom.)<br />
• In one classroom, give each student a bookmark. (You will be distributing an equal number of each<br />
version of the bookmarks.) The bookmark version included in this file is on page 12.<br />
• Allow students to find teammates who have a different bookmark. (Note how the decorative lines on the<br />
bookmarks are different.)<br />
• When they have assembled a team of four students (all with different bookmarks), have students begin to<br />
combine the letters provided on their bookmarks and begin to form the words that note what team<br />
players do. (Listen, Encourage, Collaborate, Communicate)<br />
• Explain to students that they have created a Team Player Bookmark. They should bring this bookmark to<br />
each of their classes throughout the week.<br />
• When a teacher notes that a student is demonstrating the characteristics of a team player, he/she<br />
should punch one of the four “TEAM” letters on the bookmark.<br />
• You might consider offering a prize or reward for students or classes that receive all their “TEAM” punches.
Team Building Activity<br />
for <strong>Math</strong> Class<br />
OVERVIEW<br />
INTEGRATED<br />
UNIT<br />
This team-building lesson focuses on skills that students need<br />
throughout math class (and throughout life!) when problem<br />
solving and working collaboratively. While working on a<br />
seemingly impossible puzzle, students learn to persevere,<br />
and are ultimately guided to reach out to another nearby<br />
group to get the pieces they need that are still missing. It<br />
turns out that the challenge can only be completed by<br />
combining two teams’ card sets!<br />
The puzzle challenge and follow-up worksheet teach<br />
strategizing, problem solving, communicating a specific<br />
approach, thinking outside the box, asking others for help,<br />
and group roles & leadership. Students then link these skills to<br />
bigger ideas in math class and describe how they can apply<br />
these skills in future problem-solving situations or when faced<br />
with a difficult new math concept.<br />
This mini-unit can also be used as part of an integrated<br />
lesson to connect team building skills and ideas across the 4<br />
main subject areas.<br />
(Read more about the integrated unit back on pages 2-3)<br />
SKILLS<br />
DEVELOPED<br />
• Perseverance during problem solving<br />
• Collaboration<br />
• Describing problem solving strategies<br />
• Thinking outside the box<br />
• Communication<br />
© Copyright 2016 <strong>Math</strong> Giraffe
Lesson Plan<br />
OVERVIEW<br />
In this lesson, students will work collaboratively on a problem solving puzzle. While working students learn to<br />
persevere, but then must be guided to reach out to another nearby group. In order to complete the<br />
challenge, it is necessary to combine two groups’ card sets! Students then complete a follow-up worksheet<br />
that helps them to identify the team skills they used and link these skills to bigger ideas in math class.<br />
PREPARATION<br />
STAND ALONE UNIT: If you are not teaching this mini-unit along with the other courses, you’ll want to copy<br />
the following materials:<br />
o A set of 9 number cards for each team of 2-3 students (Be sure that half of the teams have the<br />
first set of 9 cards, and the other half have the second set. Also, without making it obvious to the<br />
students, make sure they are evenly distributed throughout the room, so a team with the first set<br />
can reach out to a nearby team that has the 2 nd set when they collaborate.) The best way to do<br />
this is to print pages 7 and 8 of this file on two different colored papers. Students will hopefully not<br />
notice that the two sets work together (at least at first), but you will easily be able to differentiate<br />
between the sets. Once the sets are combined, the two different colors will also help you to resort<br />
them into separate sets for next year.<br />
o A class set of follow-up “Team Building Activity” worksheets (p. 9-10)<br />
o “Hint Cards” if you want to use them (p. 11)<br />
INTEGRATED UNIT: If you are teaching this mini-unit along with the other courses, you’ll want to copy the<br />
following materials in addition to the items listed above:<br />
o<br />
A set of the bookmark version included in this file (p. 12) along with the versions in the other files<br />
(links to those are back on p. 2). Distribute the bookmarks so that each student in a team of 4<br />
has a different version.<br />
LESSON<br />
1. Distribute the card sets, ensuring that each team has a different set from the group beside them without<br />
pointing it out. Ask students to cut apart the cards if you have not already cut them. Explain the goal of<br />
the puzzle. You can display / project the directions and sample photo for students to review (p. 6) Allow<br />
students to begin working.<br />
2. After about 10 minutes, ask everyone to pause and listen (or start distributing “hint cards” at your<br />
discretion, using the first hint for groups who need it, then the second if they still do not reach out to<br />
combine with another group). At this point, they are probably getting frustrated at the seemingly<br />
impossible challenge. Ask a few students or groups to share a strategy they have tried. Some may<br />
express frustration that they wish they could just trade a number 2 card for a 3, and then it would all work<br />
out, or something along those lines. Compare different strategies and approaches as a whole class (or<br />
continue giving hint cards as needed). Subtly suggest that although they cannot trade a single card,<br />
there is no restriction on the number of rows or columns. Show them that nearby groups are having the<br />
same struggles, and maybe they can find a way to work together….<br />
3. Once students are led to think outside the box in terms of a little bigger collaboration, they can team up<br />
to combine two sets of cards and complete the puzzle successfully. Discuss.<br />
4. Distribute the follow-up worksheets and allow students to complete them in class or as homework.<br />
© Copyright 2016 <strong>Math</strong> Giraffe
SAMPLE<br />
Team Building Puzzle<br />
Your task is to arrange the numbered squares so<br />
that each row has the same sum AND each column<br />
has the same sum.<br />
sum = 8<br />
sum = 8<br />
sum = 8<br />
sum = 8<br />
sum = 16<br />
sum = 16
2<br />
2 3<br />
© Copyright 2016 <strong>Math</strong> Giraffe<br />
4 5 3<br />
3 4 3<br />
© Copyright 2016 <strong>Math</strong> Giraffe
3<br />
2<br />
4<br />
© Copyright 2016 <strong>Math</strong> Giraffe<br />
2<br />
3<br />
3<br />
2<br />
4<br />
2<br />
© Copyright 2016 <strong>Math</strong> Giraffe
Team Building Activity<br />
Answer each question using at least 2 complete sentences.<br />
1. Describe your initial strategy. What was the mathematical thinking behind your<br />
initial approach to the puzzle?<br />
2. Did members of your team take on different roles while working? Explain.<br />
3. Did you or a member of your team ever want to give up? Did you suspect at any<br />
point that the task was impossible? Did any particular team member show more<br />
perseverance than others?<br />
4. Describe a moment when you had to change tactics. What made you change<br />
your approach? How did you adjust your strategy? Describe in detail.<br />
© Copyright 2016 <strong>Math</strong> Giraffe
Draw a representation of your solution here:<br />
5. What did this activity show you?<br />
6. How does this relate to learning a new math idea? Extend your thinking to explain<br />
how aspects of this activity apply to a new challenge or a new lesson in math class.<br />
7. Describe the number one strategy that most stood out in your mind during this<br />
activity, the number one challenge that you faced, and the number one collaboration<br />
skill that you learned.<br />
© Copyright 2016 <strong>Math</strong> Giraffe
Hint<br />
Card<br />
#1<br />
Hint<br />
Card<br />
#2<br />
possible answer<br />
Optional “Hint Cards” – Cut & distribute as needed if you would<br />
like to guide certain groups in different ways at different times.<br />
Remember, the only “rules” are<br />
about the sums of rows and<br />
columns. There is no restriction on<br />
the number of rows and columns!<br />
Think outside the box! Check in with the<br />
group next to you to see if they have<br />
any strategies that you have not tried<br />
yet. Are their cards the same? Does<br />
this give you any crazy new big ideas?<br />
© Copyright 2016 <strong>Math</strong> Giraffe
__ __ __ T__ __ E__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ A __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ M __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __<br />
I U E L I<br />
TEAM PLAYERS<br />
Name _______________________________________<br />
__ __ __ T__ __ E__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ A __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ M __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __<br />
I U E L I<br />
TEAM PLAYERS<br />
Copyright © 2015 Brain Waves Instruction<br />
All rights reserved by author.<br />
For classroom use only by a single teacher. Please purchase one licensure per teacher using this product.<br />
Name _______________________________________<br />
__ __ I __ T__ __ E__ __ __ __ U __ __ __ __ E __ __ __ L __ A __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ M __ __ __ __ I __ __ __ __<br />
TEAM PLAYERS<br />
Name _______________________________________