Lisa Driggers’ Cooperative Lesson

EDP 621, Summer, 2001

Dr. Sherman

Appropriate Level: This activity works well with all ages, Kindergarten - Adult

Groups: With younger children, 8 to 10 students in a group works well. Older children can handle this as a whole class activity.

Materials: At least 5 balls of varying shapes and weights are used per group. Examples would be a tennis ball, football, softball, ping-pong ball, playground ball, basketball, small rubber ball, etc. The older and larger the group, the more balls will be needed.

Time: The time required for this activity can be manipulated by the teacher. The larger the group, the more time will be required. If the groups are small, 20 minutes should be the approximate length.

Objective: This cooperative activity is a great ice-breaker or getting to know you activity for the first few days of school. It can also be used as a test review game or math facts review game.

Procedures:

1. Group members form a circle. If this is being done as a whole class activity, this may be difficult to do in the classroom. The playground or gym would work better. 2. Choose a ball to start the game with; a tennis ball works well.

3. Explain to the group that they need to remember who they throw the ball to and who threw the ball to them and listen when others introduce themselves.

4. The group member who has the ball first says their name and one thing about themselves and tosses the ball to someone on the other side of the circle.

5. The person who catches the ball also says their name and something about themselves. This pattern continues until everyone in the circle has had the ball.

6. Once everyone has had a chance to catch the ball and introduce themselves, the last person with the ball introduces the person who had the ball first and throws it to them.

7. The ball then continues in the same pattern at least two more times, with each person introducing the group member that they are throwing the ball to.

8. Once the group is familiar with the pattern of throwing and everyone has been introduced, the cooperative game begins.

9. As the tennis ball is being thrown in the pattern, the teacher gradually adds one ball at a time so that balls of various sizes and shapes are all being tossed around the pattern at the same time. This may take a little practice, but students will find themselves working cooperatively to be sure that no balls are dropped and that the balls donít collide in the center of the circle. One very positive thing about this activity is that the mistakes are funny, so they cause laughter instead of frustration!

Variations: Other than being used as an ice-breaker, this game works well as a review game. For example, with just one ball going around the circle, students can answer a math fact or review question from the student who is throwing them the ball. Student 1: 2 + 3 is... Student 2: 5, 4 + 6 is... Student 3: 10, 7 + 2 is...

Evaluation: There is no formal evaluation for this game. Group goals for the class could be to get faster, to add more balls to the pattern or to get in bigger groups. Any of these goals will promote class cooperation.