Goal:  To have children work together in cooperative groups to discover the similarities and differences among them.

Abstract:  The project is basically a combination of a game and an art project.  What is learned from the game will be incorporated in to the art project, resulting in a permanent product for processing and evaluation.  This is a great project to do at the beginning of the school year when the children are just getting to know each other.

Materials:  You will need a large open space in your classroom, as well as enough chairs for each student.  You will also need large construction paper and drawing utensils such as markers or crayons.

Procedure:
GAME:
1. Arrange all of the chairs in a circle in the big open space of the classroom. There should be one less chair than you have students participating.  The child who is going to be the "I like people" person first does not have a chair and stands in the middle.
2. The "I like people" person makes a statement saying something they might like about their classmates.  It’s best to start off with simple things and move on to more conceptual or difficult things.  For example, the "I like people" person might say "I like people who are wearing red."  Later on in the game, they might say "I like people who can speak a foreign language" or "I like people who play soccer" or "I like people who like to read Harry Potter".
3. Once the "I like people" person has made their statement, everyone to whom that statement applies must stand up and find another chair.  They cannot sit in a chair immediately to their right or left, however, and the last person standing without a chair becomes the new "I like people" person.  They give the next "I like people" statement.
4. The game can go on for as long as you like.  Encourage the children to move on to more substantial statements as the game progresses.  Once you feel the children have learned enough about their similarities and differences, you can move on to the art project part of the lesson.
 
 

ART PROJECT:
1. Divide the children into small, heterogeneous groups, perhaps of 3-4 students depending on how big the class is.  You can divide the children in any manner you like but you want to make sure the groups are heterogeneous.
2. Once the students are in their cooperative learning groups, they should spend some time discussing what they learned about one another.  This discussion is very important so that they realize the things that they all might have in common or the things that make them uniquely different.
3. The art project consists of the children making a unified picture of a child that could represent all of them.  The physical features of the drawn child should include those of each member of the group, even if the drawing ends up half African-American, a quarter Caucasian and a quarter Indian.  The drawing might be playing basketball with one hand while reading with another and doing this on the beach surrounded by family.  The children should each individually draw the parts that represent them so that one person does not draw it all and artistic skill should not be emphasized.
4. After all of the groups have completed their drawings, the class should come together as a whole and each group should present their project.  Each child should individually report which parts of their drawing represent them.  Discussion should ensue and all of the groups should have equal time to present their work.  They should also talk about what it was like working in the group and if there are things that could make the experience better for them.  The drawings should then be hung up around the room.
 
 

 This is a good cooperative lesson to do with children because it has them work together cooperatively within their groups, as well as in the game, and it teaches them to accept differences while recognizes similarities.  It encompasses many of the elements of a cooperative lesson that will be discussed below.

Positive Interdependence:  This is promoted in this activity because the children are working towards a common goal in the art project and depend on each other in order for it to get finished.  They will also feel more connected to one another as a group after completing the project because they will have learned valuable things about one another.

Individual Accountability:  This concept is important in this project as well.  Children in each group need to bring something of their own to the table in order for the group to complete the assignment.  They need to individually draw their contribution to the picture as well.

Social Skills:  Social skills are very important in this cooperative lesson.  When the children are playing the game, it is crucial that they understand how not to let each other get hurt as they are rushing to find a new chair.  Therefore, their ability to care for one another is important.  Also, when they are in their groups they have to review the things they learned about one another and social skills are necessary to do this.  They will also have to share the materials that are given to their group and practice good listening while the other groups are presenting their drawing.

Face-to-Face Interaction:  This, too, is done when the children are working with each other in the group setting.  They have to discuss with one another what to include in their drawing and this would be done in a face-to-face manner.

Heterogeneous Grouping:  This should be done to the best of the teacher’s ability.  Randomization can work or it can be more intentional.  The lesson would need to be modified somewhat (especially the game portion) if special-needs children were in the classroom.

Processing:  This would occur when the groups come back together to discuss their drawings and the process of working in their groups.

Evaluation:  This is not the most important part of the project and does not even necessarily need to be done.  Evaluation of the final product should not be done on the artistic quality of the drawing.  If evaluation is to occur, it should be about how the children worked in the group to follow the directions for the assignment, as well as how much they participated in the game.