Synergizing Musical Style

Begin by playing musical chairs. Use https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=share&v=b53WaK71sMM  theme from Arthur.

Stop after a few minutes and tell them that the song may you think of a new way to play the same game. This time set up chairs in circle. 1 chair for each student. When music stops they sit down. Take 1 chair away.. but this time they all stay in the game and must sit. (see how they work together to make this happen and they work together.) After, elicit a discussion of the difference and how they were able to still play the game with less chairs. (teamwork)

Select  a couple students to model the next part. (sorting). Give them some items, pictures or words and ask them to sort them. (Time them)

Now, form 3 teams and ask them to do it. See if they were able to do the task quicker. Why?

Together is better.

Ask the kids to form synergizing groups and give them a task to do together. Give them items to build the largest tinfoil tower, puzzle to put together, or clean up a mess.

Synergizing is not about comprising. It is using your strengths and working together to make more, get more done, be more powerful than you were alone.

Tower Building: Give each group a different item to build a tower. (spaghetti, tinfoil, marshmallows, cookies, pipecleaners. Have them build the tallest tower with just what they were given. Then give them to option to work together and see what happens. It's like the company that owns the glue and the one that owns the brick. Alone they don't get much done, but together they build a house (brick and mortar)

Synergizing Musical Style

Begin by playing musical chairs. Use https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=share&v=b53WaK71sMM  theme from Arthur.

Stop after a few minutes and tell them that the song may you think of a new way to play the same game. This time set up chairs in circle. 1 chair for each student. When music stops they sit down. Take 1 chair away.. but this time they all stay in the game and must sit. (see how they work together to make this happen and they work together.) After, elicit a discussion of the difference and how they were able to still play the game with less chairs. (teamwork)

Select  a couple students to model the next part. (sorting). Give them some items, pictures or words and ask them to sort them. (Time them)

Now, form 3 teams and ask them to do it. See if they were able to do the task quicker. Why?

Together is better.

Ask the kids to form synergizing groups and give them a task to do together. Give them items to build the largest tinfoil tower, puzzle to put together, or clean up a mess.

Synergizing is not about comprising. It is using your strengths and working together to make more, get more done, be more powerful than you were alone.

Tower Building: Give each group a different item to build a tower. (spaghetti, tinfoil, marshmallows, cookies, pipecleaners. Have them build the tallest tower with just what they were given. Then give them to option to work together and see what happens. It's like the company that owns the glue and the one that owns the brick. Alone they don't get much done, but together they build a house (brick and mortar)

Constitution Day

September 17, 1787 is Constitution Day. The birthday of the United States Constitution. Here are some ideas that you can try as a class. Also, check out last year's September blog posts for other ideas.

Standards
K- Identify the flag, recite the pledge of allegiance.
This is a great time to study our flag and pledge and what they symbolize and then write our own mission statement (pledge) that we will live by.  They can also create a personal flag or family flag to add to the personal section of the Leadership Binders.

1. Examine how individual rights are protected.

2. Explain the importance of the Pledge of Alllegiance. Analyze how being a citizen of the US makes a difference in  your community. (tie to our rights/freedoms)

Here is a link of a song that shares the rights our Constitution gives us.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m0hUCG-RuY

 It is a great springboard for discussions, jigsaw groups, researching  and entering the poster contest. Even if you don't enter this contest, have one in your classroom, pod or grade level.