Me in a Bag

Every teammate was fully engaged with this little guy.
He spoke loudly with expression as he shared his items.

Character building is a pretty big deal in my classroom.  Every year my students desks are formed into groups of three to four teammates.  After being trained in Kagan Cooperative Learning Strategies, I guess you could say that I was never quite the same.  Integrating group strategies and teambuilding into every aspect of our day was a lot of work but paid off in the end.

My little partners LOVED 'Me in a Bag.'  It was their first official homework assignment, which was taken home within the first few days of school.  Each child was instructed to bring a few items from home that would tell their team a little bit about themselves.  The only rule...it had to fit in the brown paper bag.

This activity also provided a fabulous opportunity to teach taking turns, listening, sharing, being polite, and when its appropriate to ask questions.

Notice the Kagan Mat in the center...each student had a number and would
keep track of taking turns with this simple resource.

We discussed always making eye contact with someone when
they are speaking to you.

This young man was asking a question pertaining to his partner's
item (practicing active listening!).