Beacon Lesson Plan Library

Your Behavior Determines Your Success

Daniel Shaw

Description

Students will go on a challenge course to learn how individual behavior affects individual and group goals. Objectives and guidelines will be given for the activity (rappel-tower). Hold a group discussion afterward on behaviors vs. outcomes.

Standards

Florida Sunshine State Standards
PE.B.2.4.3
The student demonstrates responsible behavior while playing sports (e.g., respecting opponents and officials, controlling emotions, and accepting victory and defeat).

Florida Process Standards
Responsible and Ethical Workers
05 Florida students display responsibility, self-esteem, sociability, selfmanagement, integrity, and honesty.

Cooperative Workers
08 Florida students work cooperatively to successfully complete a project or activity.

Materials

- Challenge/Ropes course rappel tower, or recreation area.
- Appropriate safety equipment for your activity, to include proper staffing.
- Pencil/pen and paper for recording behavior, progress, note taking, etc.
- If using Challenge/Ropes Course, the following equipment will be needed:
- Appropriate number of spotters (at least two, more is better)
- Helmets for participants/awaiting participants, spotters, and facilitator(s)
- Harnesses for participants/awaiting participants, and facilitator(s)
- Appropriate length Dynamic kern-mantle rope
- Appropriate length Static kern-mantle rope
- At least two Static lobster-claw belays
- At least five aluminum locking carabiners.
- At least four steel locking carabiners
- At least one fully equipped safety/rescue bag
- One A.T.C. belay device
- One figure-eight belay device

Preparations

1. There must be a certified challenge course instructor present to do challenge course activities. (40 hr. certification courses available online; see Web Link.)
2. Know your students so that you can appropriately pick warm-up leaders, group leaders, etc.
3. Participants should be pre-trained in safety equipment and procedures.
4. Obtain weather forecast for day you plan to do activity.
5. Allow 20 min. for setting up equipment (ropes, helmets, harnesses, etc).
6. Know what warm-up exercises you need to do for your specific activity.

Procedures

1. Ask the students to form a circle or line up in rows, keeping arms length between each other.

2. Pick a student or students to lead in several pre-selected warm-up exercises.

3. Warm-up exercises should target main muscle groups to be used; for rappel tower, arms and legs would be your target areas. (Ex: arm and leg stretches - 3 each, jumping jacks, and push-ups.)

4. After exercises are completed ask each student to set a goal for the activity.

5. You may then choose a goal for the entire group or let students set a group goal.

6. Have first set of participants and spotters to put on safety equipment.

7. Begin activity. Encourage everyone to interact and give positive support/feedback to one another. Cease all activities if a student's behavior becomes negative or unsafe, until he/she can be removed or corrects behavior to rejoin group.

8. Continue activity until all participants have had ample chance to complete his/her personal goal.

9. Have a brief group discussion concerning group and individual behavior and accomplishment.

10. Continue to do the activity frequently until students' behaviors allow them to complete their personal and group goals.

Assessments

Student will display responsible behavior by giving and accepting encouragement during activity to reach goals (personal, others, or groups). Student's level of participation and progression through the activity directly correspond to reaching their own goals or helping others reach their goals. Student's behavior should become less self-oriented, more considerate, supportive, and positive. Each time the activity is done progress in individual behavior should show, as well as individual and group accomplishment.

Extensions

Lesson can be extended into a competition between two or more teams; individual behavior ultimately determines success of the group. For those with anti-social behavior in their history, begin with low-level trust building activities such as interactive warm-up games, ice-breakers, or low element initiatives (see Web Link #2).

Web Links

This site gives description of challenge course objectives, components, and various associated activities. Training is also available through this site.
The Challenge

This site gives examples of icebreakers, low-energy games, high-energy games, name games, team builders, etc.
High Energy Games