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Time

30-45 minutes

Level

Primary / Junior / Intermediate

Material

Pool noodle sliced into thick rings, markers, string, chart paper

Purpose

To help students develop collaboration and problem-solving skills, while learning about others’ strengths and enhancing communication skills

Discuss:

  • The importance of interconnectedness and the idea of working together toward a common goal.
  • What would it take to be successful?
  • What skills or behaviours would be necessary to achieve the goal?

Practice:

  • Divide students into small groups.
  • Provide each group with a slice of pool noodle that has a marker through the center and strings attached on the end of the marker.
  • Instruct the groups to draw an object on the chart paper (i.e. house, car, tree) by having each group member hold one of the strings attached to the marker.

Debrief:

  • How did it go?
  • What did you learn?
  • How can you improve?

Reading: The Invisible String, Patricia Karst, 2000

  • After a few times trying this practice, ask students to compare their first attempt vs now. Do they notice any differences? Did they do anything differently? What do they feel they contributed to the group? What did others contribute?
  • Images created can be kept and compared. Teams can be changed to add more reflection/discussion opportunities.

As children learn to work together in the classroom, their communicative abilities become increasingly important. Developing the skills required to communicate emotions and express needs allows students to more confidently navigate social situations (Beck, Kumschick, Eid, & Klann-Delius, 2012). Giving students the opportunity to practice expressing needs and resolving conflicts, in a supportive environment, improves the quality of their interactions, and the emotional climate of the classroom (Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor, & Schellinger, 2011).

Beck, L., Kumschick, I. R., Eid, M., & Klann-Delius, G. (2012). Relationship between language competence and emotional competence in middle childhood. Emotion, 12(3), 503-514. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0026320

Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The Impact of Enhancing Students’ Social and Emotional Learning: A Meta Analysis of School Based Universal Interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405-432. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01564.x

Discuss the idea that through our baptism we are infinitely connected to God, and that God is always there to love and protect us. Brainstorm ways we can strengthen our connections with God on a daily basis.

(4b) A self-directed, responsible lifelong learner who demonstrates flexibility and adaptability.

Belonging and contributing: to develop a sense of connectedness with others