The following testimonial was submitted by teacher Mark Grundel as part of Classcraft’s series on promoting physical activity in the classroom.
At the start of the school year, I began grouping the children into their “clans.” Since I am a bit of a Star Wars nut, the four clans in my classroom are Rebel Alliance, Galactic Empire, Jedi Masters, and Sith Lords. In order to build cohesion between the group members in the clans, we participated in a variety of team-building activities. Some of the activities involved academics while others involved puzzles, riddles, and physical activities.
For physical activities, I decided to take the students outside and compete in a few different challenges. Students worked cooperatively with their clans to complete physical assignments, such as relay races, ball tosses, and group juggles. These activities helped build unity among the students in their clans. To this day, I have not changed up the clans and students continue to enjoy working in them.
Thanks for sharing, Mark!