THEME: TEAM BUILDING/TRUST/ PROJECT ADVENTURE

NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards Content Standard Grade Strand CPI Area 2 2 9-12 A 3-4 2 2 9-12 E 1-5

OVERVIEW Throughout the duration of this Team Building/Trust/ Project Adventure unit, students will be able to demonstrate basic skills through lead up activities and be able to define their usefulness in specific situations. INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS Climbing walls ropes mats assorted low cost materials Rohnke, Karl. Silver Bullets. A Guide to Initiative Problems, Adventure Games, and Trust Activities. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co. Rohnke, Karl. Cowstails and Cobras II. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co. Webster, Stephen E. Topes Course Safety Manual. An Instructors Guide to Initiatives, and Low and High Elements. Project Adventure, Inc. Rohnke, Karl and Steve Butler. Quicksilver. Adventure Games, Initiative Problems, Trust Activities, and a Guide to Effective Leadership. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co. Project Adventure Kit (district owned) includes props, instructions, a list of corresponding activities, and a copy of Quicksilver. Sample Activities: 1. The books above list activities in the categories of icebreakers, warm-ups, games and initiatives, trust activities, and closings. They can be used in the curriculum as minilessons for the first part of a block or for typical unit activities. 2. A typical instructional day in a project adventure unit would include a. Warm-up. Example: loop tag, human knot, etc. b. Initiave or Trust Activity. Example: river Crossing, Cookie Machine, etc. c. Debriefing. Discussing leadership roles, how the initiative was solved, successes and failure, etc. 3. Trust activities a. Spotting/catching techniques b. Trust circle willow in the wind c. Cookie machine d. Trust fall e. Trust dive leap of faith 4. Initiatives: Initiative games are challenging cooperative games in which the group is confronted with a specific problem to solve. a. Group Juggling b. Electric Fence

c. Hazardous Waste d. Stepping Stones e. And many more referenced in Quicksilver and Silver Bullets above. Sample Initiative - All Aboard Materials: Gym mats or platforms that can support the entire weight of the group and the gymnastics rings lowered to position. Scenario: The groups ship is sinking and they are now in shark infested waters.

Objective: To get everyone onto a small support with no one being eaten by the shark that appears every once in a while. Rules: The entire group is located on the large support object (ship) and has to get each member to the small safe mat or platform. This small platform can only support the entire group if they work together to hold each other onto it. If anyone falls into the water (floor), the group has failed the challenge. Variation: The group is standing around the support object. When the teacher yells shark, the group has 60 seconds to get everyone onto the support object and hold it for 10 seconds before the shark gets there. When the shark leaves, everyone gets off the object and treads water until the next time. Debriefing: The debriefing or processing of the adventure experience is a time when participants are offered a chance to reflect on their own experience and benefit from any personal insight or other group member's perception. One useful debriefing technique for many adventure-based counselors is "The What, So What, Now What" (Schoel, Prouty, & Radcliffe, 1988Rohnke, 1989). "The What" is used to describe the group interaction and what happened to the individuals during the experience. The "So What" asks the group to describe the difference the experience made to them; the consequences and the meaning and the "Now What" provides structure for planning the next activity or relating the activity to behavior change in the future. It is very useful to focus on the feelings of group members when they first participated in the activity. What was it like to not know where you belonged in the group? What are other times in your life when you have felt similar? What was the feeling when you found your proper place in the group? What are other times in your life when you have felt similar? How did you as a group member gain power to find your place? Did you do it alone or were others involved? Sample Initiative - Acid River Materials: stepping stones and a long rope. Instructions: Mark off an imaginary river on the floor and get all the students on one side with the equipment. Tell each team that the river is acid and only the stepping stones can touch it. If anyone touches the floor (river) then the whole team must start over again. The winning team is the first to get their whole team plus equipment to the other side of the river.

Debriefing: A resource to help get the most out of activities is "Processing the Adventure Experience". This comprehensive book looks at the theory and practice of debriefing and processing, providing a philosophy and information regarding debriefing and sequencing activities. (www.pa.org) Sample Initiave - Electric Fence Type: Active activity that can be done anywhere. Group Size: Any group size although if the group is too large, over 20, there will be a lot of people standing around doing nothing. Equipment: Rope, trees, chairs, blindfolds. District owned electric fence.

Scenario: The group is being chased by a band of ferocious outer space pygmies. They have set up this electric fence trap to catch the group. Objective: To get the entire group over the electric fence without anyone touching it.

Rules: 1. A rope is tied between two trees or other objects at approximately belly button height of the average height of the group members. If the rope is made too high, it can become dangerous and if made too low, it will be too easy. The pre-made electric fence (project adventure kit) may also be used. 2. The group is on one side of the electric fence. The whole group must get over to the other side of the electric fence using only the resources available. 3. No part of your body, clothing or equipment may touch the rope. If it does, that person is returned back to the original side and must attempt the crossing again. 4. Although you may step or stand underneath the electric fence, no person or equipment may totally penetrate it, so you cannot send anyone or anything under the electric fence. 5. It is important to note that the trees the rope is tied to are also electrified and so touching them will also cause you to be blindfolded. 6. The area is pressure sensitive on both sides of the electric fence. Any jumps or hard landings will also trigger the alarm so you must carefully take off from this side and carefully set people down on the other side. This means no jumping or diving. Variations: 1. Everyone must be in contact with the entire group through at least one other person. In other words, everyone must be touching someone else and everyone must be connected at all times. 2. Any part of the body that touches the rope becomes useless and is welded to the body with a blindfold. 3. Any person that comes into contact with the electric fence is blindfolded and returned to the original side.

4. If you have a large number of people, a good variation would be to build more than one fence. You could even box the entire group in with four fences and their objective becomes getting out of the box. Note: As with some of the other tasks, there are some safety concerns. One of the most common approaches people will use to solve this task is to have some people go on their hands and knees and be used as a stairway so that others with some support can climb over top. You have to make sure that the kneeling person is on their hands and knees in a 90-degree formation so that their arms and legs form a locked and sturdy support. It is also important that the person stepping does not step on the middle of this persons back that is not directly supported below by legs or arms. It is probably best to step on the kneeling persons tailbone that will be supported by the legs and is the strongest point. You will also want to make sure that the person stepping is not too much larger than the person they are stepping on. You cannot allow anyone to be carelessly just thrown over for obvious reasons. Dont be surprised if they want to try this approach with some of their smaller members. Wall climbing Materials: harnesses for climbers and holders, climbing wall, rope, helmets

Climbers are attached to one end of a rope that goes around a pulley located at the ceiling of the gym. The climber is backed up by 5 other class members who have their harnesses attached to the other end of the rope. Safety is established as this team keeps tension on the rope by moving across the gym. Prerequisite safety rules include inspecting knots and safety equipment, establishing group leaders, defining team responsibilities, etc. OBJECTIVES A. Communication 3. Teach others how to use communication skills, including refusal, negotiation, and assertiveness. 4. Employ strategies to improve communication and listening skills and assess their effectiveness. E. Leadership, Advocacy, and Service 1. Assess personal and group contributions and strengths that lead to the achievement of goals and tasks. 2. Evaluate personal participation as both a leader and follower. 3. Discuss factors that influence intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and employ motivational techniques to enhance group productivity. 4. Evaluate a groups ability to be respectful, supportive, and adherent to codes of conduct. 5. Develop and articulate the groups goals, shared values, vision, and work plan.