Team-Building Without Equipment: Communicate Clearly

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Health and Physical Education · Physical Education
SP-PE-010 · Free to print and use in your classroom · substituteplans.com
Page 2
Team-Building Without Equipment:
Communicate Clearly
Health and Physical Education · Physical Education · Grades 6-8 · 45 minutes
Time needed
45 minutes (one class period)
Prep
Copy the 2-page worksheet (one per student). Have scrap paper and a folder or notebook per
pair.
Technology
None.
Student
independence
Medium. Students work in pairs and as a whole class, then write individually.
Copies to make
One 2-page worksheet per student; scrap paper
Materials
Pencils, Worksheet, Scrap paper, One folder or notebook per pair (used as a screen)
Goal for today: Students will practice giving and following clear directions, identify what makes communication work,
and reflect on how teams solve problems together.
Before the bell
☐ Copy the worksheet, one per student (2 pages).
☐ Pick your option for Activity 2: CLASSROOM (students line up along the front wall or an aisle) or
GYM/OUTDOOR (students line up along one gym line or marked outdoor edge your school allows).
☐ Pairs sit side by side at desks or in the gym, with a folder or notebook standing between them as a screen.
☐ Keep the answer key on your desk.
Say this to start
Good morning! Great teams talk clearly and listen well. Today you will do two short activities with no equipment. First,
you will describe a drawing to a partner. Then the whole class will line up in order without speaking. After each one,
you will think about what helped or got in the way. Please be kind, patient, and respectful. We all learn at different
speeds.

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Health and Physical Education · Physical Education
SP-PE-010 · Free to print and use in your classroom · substituteplans.com
Page 3
Run of show
Minutes
What you do
What students do
0–5
Take attendance. Hand out the worksheet and scrap paper.
Read the safety rules aloud: move slowly, keep an arm’s
length of space from everyone, stop right away if anything
hurts or feels wrong, and tell the sub. Moving is always
optional; any student may sit out and do the written work
instead, and does not need to give a reason. For this
lesson: students walk, never run, and do not touch each
other.
Listen to the rules and find a partner.
5–12
Read the passage aloud. Review the four communication
skills.
Follow along and underline the four skills.
12–23
ACTIVITY 1: DRAW WHAT I SAY. Partner A draws a simple
picture on scrap paper made of five shapes and does not
show it to B. A describes it using words only. B draws what
A says, behind the folder screen. After 4 minutes, compare
the drawings. Then swap roles for a second round.
Students must not look at each other’s paper during the
describing.
Describe clearly, listen carefully, then
compare drawings and talk about what
went well.
23–31
ACTIVITY 2: SILENT LINE-UP. Say: “Without speaking or
writing, line up in order of how many letters are in your
first name, shortest to longest.” CLASSROOM or
GYM/OUTDOOR: same activity. Students walk, use hand
signals or fingers only, and must not touch each other,
close their eyes while walking, stand on furniture, or run.
Ties may stand in any order. Repeat once if time allows.
Hold up fingers, point, and move in place
with no talking. Anyone may remain seated
and help with signals.
31–43
Tell students to return to their seats and complete the
worksheet, items 1–10.
Match, fill in, answer questions, and reflect.
43–45
Collect all worksheets.
Hand in the worksheet.
If things go wrong
• If a pair finishes Activity 1 quickly, tell them to make the next picture harder, with more shapes or overlapping
shapes.
• If students get frustrated during the silent line-up, remind them that mistakes are part of the learning. They
can make a quick fix and keep going.
• If a student does not want to join a group, they can be a recorder who writes what the group does.
• If a student shares something that worries you, follow your school’s reporting procedure and tell the office
right away.
Early finishers
• Write three phrases a captain could say to keep a team encouraged.
• Invent a third no-equipment communication game and write the rules in three sentences.
Support and challenge
• Support: Students may use a simple pre-drawn picture of three shapes in Activity 1.
• Challenge: Students describe a drawing with no shape names, only positions and sizes, such as “a long line
near the top.”

SubstitutePlans.com
Health and Physical Education · Physical Education
SP-PE-010 · Free to print and use in your classroom · substituteplans.com
Page 4
Notes for the teacher (you fill this in)
Jot a few lines before you leave. A full Daily Sub Report is in the free Sub Survival Kit at SubstitutePlans.com.
How far the class got / what to pick up next:
Students who were especially helpful:
Anything the teacher should know: