Bookmark

Sign up or login to use the bookmarking feature.

52 Using Group Skills

Page
457
from
Write on Course 20-20

Using Group Skills Opening Page

Start-Up Activity

Use the following activity to reinforce good listening skills and help students prepare to work in groups, :

Separate students into small groups (three to five people). Have each team member privately list two things that actually happened to him or her, and one thing that didn’t. Then each person should read her or his list aloud in random order, and the other members should try to identify the event that is made up.

As a class, discuss how successful students were at guessing the fictitious events. Ask students what clues helped them make their choices (body language, tone of voice, likely motivation, and so on).  

Think About It

“Cooperating means ‘working together’—using common sense and common courtesy to reach a common goal.”

—Dave Kemper

State Standards Covered in This Chapter

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.1

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.2

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.7.1

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.7.2

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.2

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.6

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.6

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.6

LAFS Covered in This Chapter

LAFS.6.SL.1.1

LAFS.6.SL.1.2

LAFS.7.SL.1.1

LAFS.7.SL.1.2

LAFS.8.SL.1.1

LAFS.8.SL.1.2

LAFS.6.W.2.6

LAFS.7.W.2.6

LAFS.8.W.2.6

TEKS Covered in This Chapter

110.22.b.1

110.23.b.1

110.23.b.1.B

110.24.b.1

110.22.b.10.E

110.23.b.10.E

110.24.b.10.E

TEKS Covered in This Chapter

Page 458 from Write on Course 20-20

Listening

Introduce the tips for listening during group work. Highlight the importance of active listening and respectful feedback.

Help students avoid interrupting a speaker unless it is necessary, and then understand when and how to politely interrupt. Also help speakers understand how to politely deal with interruptions. 

For more listening practice, refer to the tips and activities in the chapter “Listening Skills.”

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.6.SL.1.1
TEKS Standard:
110.22.b.1
NE ELA Standard:
LA 6.3.1.e, LA 6.3.3.e

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 6Grade 7Grade 8
21st Century Skills:
Listening
English Language Arts:
Listening

Page 459 from Write on Course 20-20

Observing, Cooperating, and Clarifying

Review with your students the bullet points for “Observing,” “Cooperating,” and “Clarifying.” Then have students work in small groups to complete the minilessons for “Seeing Emotion in Facial Expressions” and “Seeing Emotion in Body Language.” Point out that group members should practice observing, cooperating, and clarifying as they complete the activities. 

Related Minilesson:
State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.6.SL.1.1
TEKS Standard:
110.22.b.1
NE ELA Standard:
LA 6.3.1.e, LA 6.3.3.e

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 6Grade 7Grade 8
21st Century Skills:
CollaboratingCommunicating
Social-Emotional Intelligence:
EmotionBody LanguageTeam Building

Page 460 from Write on Course 20-20

Responding

Ask for volunteers to read aloud the information on “Responding.” Highlight the tips for communicating with respect.

Then use this discussion activity to allow students to practice their responding skills. Present one of these topics to your class:

  • Attending an all-boy or all-girl school
  • Wearing school uniforms
  • Having a 10:00 p.m. curfew in your community
  • Allowing cell phones in the classroom

Ask students to write freely for 5–8 minutes, expressing their opinion of the topic you chose. Then divide students into small groups to discuss their freewriting, following the tips for responding. Afterward, ask students to comment on the strategies that worked well (and did not work well) in their group discussions.

Related Minilesson:
State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.6.SL.1.1
TEKS Standard:
110.22.b.1
NE ELA Standard:
LA 6.3.1.e, LA 6.3.3.e

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 6Grade 7Grade 8
21st Century Skills:
CollaboratingCommunicating
Social-Emotional Intelligence:
EmotionBody LanguageTeam Building

Page 461 from Write on Course 20-20

Resolving Conflicts

Lead students through the different ways of resolving conflicts. Remind them to manage their emotions; when conflicts get too emotional, they become more difficult to resolve. Use the related minilesson to help them understand others’ point of view. 

To review the chapter so far, break your class into groups of three to five students and assign this group skills activity:

  1. Review pages 458–461 in your handbook. 
  2. Discuss within the group the importance of the following occupations: doctor, farmer, teacher, scientist, firefighter, artist, sanitation worker, entrepreneur (self-starting businessperson), soldier, and politician.
  3. Rank the professions from 1 to 10, with 1 being the most important and 10 being the least important. 
  4. Use the skills you have learned about in this chapter to discuss, negotiate, and determine your group's ranking. Listen to every group member with respect and come up with a ranking that everyone can support. 
  5. Compare your group’s list with those of other groups. 
  6. Discuss any difficulties you had in reaching your decisions. 
Downloads:
Related Minilesson:
State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.6.SL.1.1
TEKS Standard:
110.22.b.1
NE ELA Standard:
LA 6.3.1.e, LA 6.3.3.e

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 6Grade 7Grade 8
21st Century Skills:
CollaboratingCommunicatingListening
English Language Arts:
SpeakingListening
Social-Emotional Intelligence:
Conflict ResolutionEmotionBody LanguageTeam Building

Page 462 from Write on Course 20-20

Collaborating Online

Ask students about their experiences with different online collaboration tools. Then read through the tips on this page. Make special note of the “Helpful Hint.” Remind students to make careful choices about their actions online. 

State Standard Reference:
LAFS Standard:
LAFS.6.W.2.6
TEKS Standard:
110.22.b.10.E
NE ELA Standard:
LA 6.2.1.j

Related Resource Tags

Click to view a list of tags that tie into other resources on our site

Level:
Grade 6Grade 7Grade 8
Form:
Blog Post
21st Century Skills:
CollaboratingSocial SkillsInformation LiteracyCommunicating
Social-Emotional Intelligence:
EmotionTeam Building