Daily Leadership and Character
Development Resources
October 2010
Provided by the AACPS Office of Student Leadership Development and
Office of School Counseling
How can I use this calendar?
Whether you are a student, teacher, extra-curricular advisor,
or administrator, these simple activities and resources can be
incorporated, where appropriate, into curriculum, meetings,
or events. Opportunities for developing leadership and
positive character traits are ENDLESS. Use these tips to help
develop them in the classroom, on the playing field, in our
community… EVERYWHERE!
The tips presented in this calendar are merely a collection of resources and ideas for stakeholders
to consider when working with students of all ages. As always, it is important for those working
with students to know the abilities and maturity level of the group in order to select appropriate
activities. Content should always be previewed for appropriateness before presenting to students.
Friday
October 1 , 2010
Defining Teamwork
Teamwork is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary of the English
Language as a “cooperative effort by the members of a group or team to achieve
a common goal.” A simpler definition might be “working together to
accomplish a common goal.”
Cooperation is often used in place of teamwork when talking about people
working together to get something done.
Have students complete this activity to learn about teamwork:
It is common to think about teamwork in sports, but teamwork is an important
aspect of all parts of our lives. Have students think about times when they have
been a part of a team to accomplish something – perhaps with their family, in
school or as a member of a community group. What was their role in that
team? Did it contribute to the work of the team? Why or why not? What
would they have done differently next time to contribute to the team?
Monday
October 4 , 2010
Solve the Puzzle!
Use Art to Define Teamwork!
Puzzle images are often used to represent teamwork.
-Have students think about what they know about teamwork and discuss
with a partner or within a group why the image below is used as a symbol
for teamwork.
-Have students create their own image to
represent teamwork either on the computer
or using another medium.
Image from
http://www.manageyourlifenow.com/tabid/60/articleType/Catego
ryView/categoryId/2/Self-Improvement.aspx
Tuesday
October 5, 2010
Little Red Hen
Use a popular children’s book to teach about teamwork
In the children’s book, The Little Red Hen, the animals let the little red hen do
all the work, then they want to eat the bread that she has made!
-Have students read/listen to the story.
-Ask students if they have everyexperienced what Little Red Hen experienced
when working in a team. Have students discuss their responses with a partner
or in a small group.
-Together, brainstorm at least five things that students can
do if a group member is not doing his or her part to help the
team accomplish its goal.
-Encourage students to use these strategies the next time
they are working with someone who is not doing his or her
share.
Wednesday
October 6, 2010
Leadership Relay
Get students up and moving with this kinesthetic approach to putting
teamwork into action and evaluating group dynamics.
1. Divide the students into groups and have each group line up.
2. Inform the students that each person in the group will have a chance
to serve as the leader for a specific task.
3. The first person in the group will receive a task for the group to
complete. When that task is completed, the next person in line will
receive another task. This process will continue until every team
member has had the chance to serve as the leader for a task.
4. Tasks can be anything: have your team build a human pyramid; come
up with a team song; arrange your group according to shoe size; etc.
5. After each group has completed all tasks, have a
discussion about how the group worked together.
Did everyone lead the same way?
What made the leaders successful? What challenges
did the group encounter? What could the group do
differently next time?
Thursday
October 7, 2010
Let Go of My Lego!
Use popular children’s toys to teach about
teamwork
Test your teamwork skills!
Students will need Legos©, K'nex©, or some other building materials
1. Puts students into groups of 3 – 4 and have each group choose a leader.
2. While the rest of the group gets to know each other, the leader will build a
simple structure using the building materials.
3. Then, the rest of the group will construct exactly the same structure based
on the leader’s directions.
4. The leader cannot touch the group’s materials. He or she can only give
verbal directions.
5. The group cannot see the structure that the leader has built.
6. When students are done, have them compare the two structures. How
alike or different are they?
7. Have students discuss how they worked as a team. What would they do
the same way the next time? What would they do differently?
8. Have each group choose a new leader and try the task again.
Friday
October 8, 2010
Do We Measure Up?
Help students create a tool to measure
the success of their team
Have students answer the following questions in small groups:
-What behaviors do team members have when they are
cooperating or showing good teamwork?
-What does good teamwork sound like? What words are team members
using?
-What does teamwork not look like? What behaviors will you see when team
members are not working together toward the goal?
-What does teamwork not sound like? What words would you hear when
teamwork is not happening?
Have students use the answers to the above questions to create a tool
to evaluate teamwork. This could be a survey, rubric, graph, etc.
Monday
October 11, 2010
Kickin’ Teamwork
“I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and
sacrifice for it, because the team,
not the individual is the ultimate champion.”
-Mia Hamm
Ask students to reflect on the above quote by selecting a team or group that
they are a part of.
Have students create a chart to show what they rely on from the team/group
and what they sacrifice or give to the team/group.
Then, have students discuss
what happens when
members don’t fulfill their
responsibilities in a group
or team.
What I rely on my
team for
What I
sacrifice/give to the
team
Tuesday
October 12, 2010
Tangram Teamwork
Engage in a computer activity that helps define
what diversity means!
As a teamwork practice activity, have students
make a tangram set using this pattern
(http://math.about.com/od/geometr1/ss/tangram.htm)
OR have students go to www.logicville.com/tangram.htm
to use online tangrams.
 In groups of 3-4, have students work together to create certain
shapes. Ideas for different puzzles are listed on the bottom part of
the Logicville webpage.
 After each group completes a tangram puzzle, have them evaluate
their teamwork. What did the group do well? What could group
members do to make completing the next puzzle easier?
Wednesday
October 13, 2010
Puzzling Pieces
Try this activity to help students learn to overcome challenges and work
together as a team:
1. Break students into groups. Provide each group with a different 50 or 100
piece puzzle.
2. Prior to the activity, remove one piece from each puzzle and place it in the
bag or box of another puzzle, so that each puzzle is missing a piece.
3. Tell each group that their goal is to put the puzzle together as quickly as
possible. DO NOT TELL THEM A PIECE IS MISSING.
4. Once students figure out they have a missing piece, observe how each group
handles the situation- Do they try and figure out where the piece went? Do
they trade or negotiate with other groups?
5. Lead the students in a discussion about the activity:
1. What did your group do when you found that you were missing a piece?
2. How did you solve your problem?
Adapted from
Laird
3. What skills did your team need to complete the activity? Larry/Joanne
Leadership for Student
Activities, March 2006
Thursday
October 14, 2010
It’s Going…Going…
Gone!
“The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest
bunch of individual stars in the world,
but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime.”
-Babe Ruth
Help students connect teamwork in sports to teamwork that they may use in their
every day lives by having small groups of students discuss the following questions:
-Why is teamwork necessary to be successful in sports?
-Think of your favorite sports team. When are some times that teamwork helped them
win a competition? What did team members do that showed
teamwork?
-Think of a time that your favorite sports team did not display
teamwork. What were the results? How could team members
have worked together to get a different result?
-Think of a group or team you are a part of that is NOT sports
related. How does the quote from Babe Ruth relate to your team
or group.
Image from
www.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/.../10/10/index.htm
Friday
October 15, 2010
Team Games Book
Check out this ready-made resource!
Looking for some interactive and fun ways to teach students about
teamwork and group dynamics?
Visit the Anne Arundel County Public Schools’
Student Leadership Ready-To-Go Resources
Page (http://tinyurl.com/AACPSLead) and
download the Team Games Book. This
printable book, designed by students, contains
a wide variety of team games with step-by-step
instructions. Use them with co-curricular
activity groups, sports teams, or even as a team
building exercise in the classroom!
Monday
October 18, 2010
Teamwork Soup
Use Stone Soup to teach about teamwork…
with some culinary flavor!
The story of Stone Soup has its roots in folk tales from the 19th century, but has been
told in many different ways in many different cultures. It is often used as a classic
example of what can be accomplished with teamwork or cooperation. The basic story is
that of three individuals who begin a pot of soup with water and a stone, add
contributions from all the villagers, and end up with a delicious soup that feeds all with
left-overs!
Students can practice their teamwork skills by creating their own stone soup
-Have each student bring in an edible ingredient for soup.
-Then, have students work together as a whole class or in small groups to design a
recipe for soup using their ingredients.
-If possible, have students combine their ingredients and cook their soup.
-Afterwards, have students evaluate their soup and how well they worked
together.
Tuesday
October 19, 2010
Teamwork Challenge
Let students “SHOW WHAT THEY KNOW” about teamwork
Have students use their knowledge of group dynamics and teamwork to
create their own team building activity.
-Divide students into groups of 4 to 5.
-Give groups about 15-20 minutes to come up with a challenging small group
activity that the group believes it can do better than any other group. For
example- building a human pyramid, doing a dance routine, etc.
-Have each group present their activity and have the other groups take turns
trying to replicate the presented activity. Groups earn points if:
-No other group can do their activity (+2)
- They can do another group's activity (+1)
-At the end of the activity, have groups process how well they worked together
to accomplish the task.
Activity adapted from http://wilderdom.com/games/InitiativeGames.html
Wednesday
October 20, 2010
Shape Shifters
Can students get into SHAPE?
-Divide the class into small groups and have each group designate a leader.
-Show each group leader the picture of a shape (circle, diamond, square, etc.)
that they must get their team to re-create using their bodies.
-The leader and group members cannot speak or physically move anyone and
the leader cannot show the picture to the group members.
-After the first shape is completed, have each group process how well they
accomplished the task:
-What worked really well? What would we do
differently?
-How did our group communicate? How could we
communicate better?
-Repeat with another shape and different group leaders.
Thursday
October 21, 2010
Give ‘Em What They
Need
Group members need…
-a sense of belonging.
-to have a share in planning the group goals.
-to feel that what I’m doing contributes to human welfare-that its value extends
beyond the group itself.
-to share in making the rules of the group- the rules by which we shall live and
work toward our goals together.
-to know in clear detail just what is expected of me so that I can work confidently.
-to have responsibilities that challenge, that are within range of my abilities, and
that contribute toward reaching our goals.
-to see that progress is being made toward the goals we have set.
-to be kept informed.
-to have confidence in our leader, confidence based upon assurance of consistent
fair treatment, of recognition when it is due, and trust that loyalty will bring
increased security.
From the Middle Level Leadership Handbook
Friday
October 22, 2010
Go Team Go!
Vince Lombardi said “People who work together will win,
whether it be against complex football defenses, or the
problems of modern society”
-Break students into small groups and have them think about a
problem they see in today’s society.
-Then, have students design a “game plan” on how they can work
together to help solve this problem. For example, if students
chose world hunger, they could organize a food drive.
-Each group’s “game plan” should include:
the “players” (who will do the work),
“equipment” (what resources and materials
they will need), and a “schedule” (timeline
for completing their plan).
Monday
October 25, 2010
Link Us Together
“The strength of the team is each
individual member...the strength of
each member is the team”
-Coach Phil Jackson
Have students create a paper chain to
show the strength of their team.
-Give each student a strip of paper.
-Have students write one strength that they
bring to the team.
-One by one, have each student come up and
share his or her strength and add it to the
paper chain.
-Remind students that a team is only
successful when they stick together and use
everyone’s strengths.
Tuesday
October 26, 2010
The Sound of…
Teamwork
“I love to hear a choir. I love the humanity... to see the faces of real
people devoting themselves to a piece of music. I like the
teamwork. It makes me feel optimistic about the human race
when I see them cooperating like that.”
-Paul McCartney
Use music to help students understand teamwork
-Break students up into small groups.
-Have each group create a song of their
choosing about teamwork and what makes
a successful team.
-Have each group present its song.
Wednesday
October 27, 2010
Group Dynamics
Lesson
Teach students the basics of group dynamics using a
kinesthetic approach!
Visit the Anne Arundel County Public Schools’
Student Leadership Ready-To-Go Resources
Page (http://tinyurl.com/AACPSLead) and
download the Group Dynamics Through
Team Games lesson. This interactive
lesson, designed for ALL students,
contains step-by-step plans to teach
students about group dynamics using fun
games such as the human knot, hula hoop
relay, and Amazon River crossing.
Thursday
October 28, 2010
Flag of Leadership
Try this engaging lesson to help students understand teamwork and
group dynamics:
1. The day before the activity, provide participants with red, white, and blue
paper. Instruct participants to trace their hands on the paper as many times
as possible and to cut out the hands before the next day.
2. On the activity day, have participants lay out all their cut-out hands and
provide tape.
3. Give the following instructions: “ You have 15 minutes to create the
American flag on one wall of the classroom using these hands. Go!”
4. When the activity is complete, process the event using the following
questions:
-Who took charge and why?
-How did your flag turn out?
-How did you develop a plan?
Adapted from Ann Bolzenius,
-What would you do differently?
Leadership Lessons: Lessons to
Lead By
Friday
October 29, 2010
What’s Next?
Thank you for viewing the October Leadership and Character
Development Calendar. We hope that you have gained valuable
resources and ideas regarding student leadership and character
development.
Don’t forget to download next month’s tips by visiting:
http://tinyurl.com/AACPSLead
Submit your own resources by emailing hjenkins@aacps.org
Please share this calendar with family, friends,
students, etc.