Build Team Spirit with Class Poems – All In!
Engage students in activities that build team spirit, like writing Class Poems, with everyone contributing at least one word or phrase.
Hi and welcome back to Attentionology for K – 5 Teachers!
Looking for a quick way to boost students’ morale at the start of a school day?
Try engaging your class in activities that build team spirit, like composing short Class Poems.
Help kids set their personal problems aside when they get to school by inviting them to be part of a group effort…team writing time.
Explain that composing Class Poems to build team spirit supports the concept that a class is more than a room full of students.
A class is a team of its own.
See if students agree that each member of a class has something to contribute to everyone’s welfare.
Elaborate on this concept at a later time. It’s applicable in many areas of a curriculum. Students serving each other as mentors is one example.
Pump up some excitement about building team spirit with Class Poems by asking if anyone can guess what you are about to post on the board.
As you lead this activity, be sure that everyone participates…all in…no matter the varied skill levels, no matter how much kids enjoy composing poems.
All in!
Announce that each student is expected to contribute at least one word or phrase as you write what the class composes on the board for all to see.
Write a Single Word Start Poem – One fun way to write a short Class Poem is to begin by writing single words that students suggest.
Step 1. Write each word on its own line. The poem will look like a list of words down the board as you begin it.
For example, one poem that I helped a group of students write together in a short period began like this:
fun
hot
exciting
dry
exhausting
only
feel
blue
when
you
leave
Mexico
Step 2. Ask students who have not yet offered words to do so. Explain that you’re looking for words or phrases to follow the words already written.
“Who hasn’t yet offered a word or phrase to add to our Class Poem? We’re building team spirit by composing a poem together. All in!”
Note that the new words need to connect in some way with what is already written.
The line poem above developed into this:
fun, interesting days
hot, near the sun
exciting, took two days to get there
dry, many deserts
exhausting, so many activities
only, only then
feel many feelings
blue, very disappointed
when at the time
you, yourself
leave; didn’t want to leave
Mexico
Step 3. Applaud the team effort. All in!
As a teacher, I only served as the team spirit building leader and the class recorder.
My students joined in as the poets. I wrote down what they composed. Wow, what beautiful work!
How else can you build team spirit with Class Poems? (more…)
Barbara Cleary has been serving as a resource to hundreds of educators for more than 25 years.
An award-winning writer, producer, teacher, and trainer, Barbara’s focus is on offering easy, fun tools and tricks that support K-5 curricula and assist teachers with classroom management.
