Team Spirit

6th Grade Oral Language Resources

Content Objectives

Students will:

• Learn about the concept of team spirit.
• Access prior knowledge and build background about teams and how they work together.
• Explore and apply the characteristics of teams and team spirit.

Language Objectives

Students will:

• Demonstrate an understanding of team spirit.
• Orally use words that describe items that teams use and attitudes associated with team spirit.
• Extend oral vocabulary by speaking about different types of teams and how they work together.
• Use key concept words [team, goal, spirit, cooperation, respect, compete, positive, position, sportsmanship, opponents, fan].

Other

Explain

• Use the slideshow to review the key concept words.
• Explain that students are going to learn about team spirit:
• How a team shows team spirit and how it helps the team.
• What kinds of things a team uses or does to show its spirit.
• The difference between good team spirit and poor team spirit.
• How team spirit helps a team perform better.

Model

• After the host introduces the slideshow, point to the photo on screen. Ask students: What is team spirit? (a positive attitude about your team, your opponents and your goal).
• Ask students: What are some characteristics of team spirit? (sportsmanship, teamwork, encouragement, etc.)
• Say: Being on a team is fun but it means that you have to work together and have a good attitude. How does team spirit help a team? (it makes the game more enjoyable for all, it fosters respect between teammates as well as opponents, it builds confidence).

Guided Practice

• Guide the students through the next four slides showing them various activities a team might participate in or various items a team might use. Always have the student describe whether or not those things can be attributed to good team spirit or poor team spirit and why.

Apply

• Play the games that follow. Have them discuss with their partner the different topics that appear during the Talk About It feature.
• After the first game, ask students about their personal experience with being part of a team. After the second game, encourage them to share stories about how they have used team spirit.

Close

• Ask students: Can only sports teams use team spirit? How can you use team spirit in other types of activities?
• Summarize for students that having great team spirit means you are a great team player. Once the team functions well, the team will play well. Encourage them to think about how they can encourage someone to have great team spirit.