Upper Grades Mapping Activity

Overview:

Students are involved in many school teams, groups and organizations. These school-sanctioned groups help students find identity, increase academic commitment to school and give students friendships throughout their school experience. Still, these groups and teams often stay to themselves instead of reaching out to others. This activity asks students to consider ways they might “crosspollinate” in order to make their school experience more fruitful.

Objectives

Students will identify different organizations within their school and discuss what their organization can do for another group
Students will “cross-pollinate” by taking action to do a kind deed for another school team or organization

Time and Materials

On-going
Cross-Pollination Handout for each student

Explain to students that bees are important because they take the pollen from one plant and carry it to another to fertilize the plant. This is called cross-pollination. Without bees we’d be in serious trouble because many of our trees and plants would not be able to bear fruit. In the same way, our school bears more fruit (team spirit) if our teams/groups/organizations/clubs cross-pollinate and support each other.

Unfortunately, some school teams/groups/organizations/clubs get more attention than others. This is especially true of sports teams or teams that have a winning reputation.

First, use the Cross-Pollination Handout to aid students in brainstorming the different teams/ groups/organizations/clubs on campus. The teacher can lead this discussion on the front board while students individually copy the brainstorm session on their own handouts. Ask students what teams/ groups/organizations/clubs they’re involved in and start with those.

Once the Cross-Pollination Handout is filled out, invite students to consider which team/group/ organization/club would be most shocked and impacted by their kind support.

Everything rises and falls on leadership. Thus, this activity works best if you select the student president/captain of each team/organization to lead their group in this activity.

The leader tells group members that their team is a part of a larger community. As an act of kindness, they are going to reach out to another group, showing that team spirit reaches across social boundaries. The leader can explain the concept of cross-pollination and refer to this activity as “creating some buzz” with another team/group/organization/club.

For an example, see the Cross-Pollination Example. In this example you’ll see that the cheerleaders have decided to reach out to the chess team, band and GSA. That’s the object of their “buzz.”

Ideas they can do to “create some buzz”:

One group can have all team members sign a card telling them they support them, congratulating them for a recent victory or encouraging them after a recent loss. Have representatives take the card to their next meeting and give it to them.
Send the coach or team some flowers.
A lot of school groups throw a bake sale to raise money for their own team, but what if one group threw a bake sale and donated all the proceeds to another team?

The most simple act of kindness one group can offer another is to simply show up at their events.

Extension
Once students get comfortable with “creating buzz” inside their school walls, they might consider taking it out to the community. They could show great school spirit by offering any of the above “buzz” ideas to their rival school. Or they could find other community groups to encourage. Teams from high school could encourage their counterparts at the local middle school.

File(s):

Cross-Pollination Handout [1]

Cross-Pollination Example [2]