Carte AIAI

THE AIMS OF THE ACTIVITY: Page49
• to introduce new material at the beginning of a new topic
• to revise modals and tenses
• to revise material already learned at the end of a topic.

RESOURCES: the picture of a personality, strips of paper
PROCEDURE:
1. The students ask questions trying to guess who is behind those strips of paper sticked on the
picture.
2. The stickers are usually colored so that nothing can be seen.
3. After each correct sentence the sticker is taken away.
4. The more correct sentences, the more stickers taken away.

e.g. Is it a man or a woman?
Did he rule England?

Activity 9: HISTORY WITH GAPS
This activity helps students discover new historical facts and also makes them practice tenses,
question form and passive voice.

THE AIMS OF THE ACTIVITY:
• to introduce new material at the beginning of a new topic
• to revise passive voice, tenses and question forms.

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• to acquire new knowledge. Page50

RESOURCES: handouts cut in half, pen , paper

PROCEDURE:

1. Ask the students to name some famous presidents of the USA and rite some questions they
would like to ask about George Washington.

2. Divide the class into two groups, A and B. Explain that they have the same piece of writing
about George Washington but that some information is missing. The students are going to work
together to complete the text about George Washington. Tell them that A has the information
B is missing and vice versa.

3. Tell the students to work with a partner from the same group and write the questions that
they are going to ask for their missing information. Monitor and help as required.

4. When the students have written their questions, tell them to fi nd a new partner from the other
group. Tell them to take turns to ask their questions and write the answers in the appropriate
gap on their worksheet. Monitor and correct as required.
5. When the students have finished asking and answering questions, ask them to compare their
pieces of writing to make sure they are the same.

Student A: George Washington was born in (1)__________________________. He went to
school in Virginia but had no (2) ___________________ . His mother stopped him
(3)____________________________. After working as a surveyor, he served in the
(4)______________ from 1752 to 1758 and fought against France in the Seven Years’ War as
part of the (5) ______________. In 1759, he was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses,
where he spoke against (6) ______________. He was a member of the Continental Congress
and commanded American forces in the Revolutionary War. Washington was elected the first
American President in 1789 and he was re-elected in (7) ______________. He was a strong
federalist and he established the precedent of (8) __________________ of office for the
Presidency.

Student B: George Washington was born in 1732. He went to school in (1)_______________
but had no college education. (2) ______________ stopped him joining the British navy. After
working as (3) ______________, he served in the military from 1752 to (4) ______________
and fought against France in the Seven Years’ War as part of the Virginia Militia. In 1759, he
was elected to the (5) ______________, where he spoke against tighter British control. He was
a member of the (6) ______________ and commanded American forces in the (7)
______________ War. Washington was elected the first American President in (8)
______________ and he was re-elected in 1792. He was a strong federalist and he established
the precedent of a limit of two terms of office for the Presidency.

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Activity 10.1.: DICTAGLOSS Page51
This activity improves students listening skills and makes them more attentive.

THE AIMS OF THE ACTIVITY:
• to introduce new material at the beginning of a new topic
• to revise recently taught vocabulary.
• To acquire new vocabulary.

RESOURCES: pen , paper, handouts
PROCEDURE:
1. Tell the students they are going to hear a short text about “The rights of women”.
2. Tell them that they will hear the text twice only, and must not write anything down while
they are listening.
3. After you have finished reading it the second time, students write as much as they can
remember and check with a partner.
4. When they are done, hand out the text, check back a few examples and then re-read the
original text.
TEXT: After 1870 the situation for middle-class women began to improve. Women were
allowed to vote and to be elected. A very small number started to study at Oxford or Cambridge

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in separate women’s colleges. Instead, they could not receive a degree at the end. Middle-class Page52
women became increasingly determined to have equal rights.

Activity 10.2.: DICTAGLOSS
Dictogloss is a classroom dictation activity where learners are required to reconstruct a short
text by listening and noting down key words, which are then used as a base for reconstruction.

Time: 10’
Group size: 34 students
Space: classroom

THE AIMS OF THE ACTIVITY:
• To listen for gist and detail
• To reconstruct a text from the memory

RESOURCES: pen, paper, a text, 3 pictures
PROCEDURE:

1. Students are shown three pictures, one of which stands for the text to be read by the
teacher.

2. In lockstep, students describe the three pictures in detail.
3. The teacher reads the text at natural speed for the first time and asks students to put

down as many key words as possible.
4. The teacher reads the text for the second time while students add more useful

information on their paper.

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5. Students work individally and try to recreate the text relying on the previous notes. Page53
6. Students work in pairs and reconstruct the text entirely.
Activity 11: THINK -PAIR -SHARE

This is a technique first used in large university lectures in North America. It can be
used for pair work speaking activities or for comprehension task based on the texts.

THE AIMS OF THE ACTIVITY:
• to introduce new material at the beginning of a new topic
• to revise recently taught vocabulary
• to acquire new vocabulary.

RESOURCES: whiteboard

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PROCEDURE: Page54
1. Put up on the board or project the words: THINK-PAIR-SHARE. Briefly explain the
meaning:
2. Think individually about your answer to the question.
3. Pair with the person next to you.
4. Share your thoughts, in English.
5. Then ask your first question and point to the word THINK. Ask them to think quietly about
their answer.
6. Then point to PAIR and let them turn to a partner.
7.Then point to SHARE and gesture for them to share their answers – in English.

Activity 12: EVAPORATION/CONDENSATION

Time: 50’
Group size: 28 students, pre-intermediate
Space: schoolyard, classroom
THE AIMS OF THE ACTIVITY:

• To understand the importance of water conservation

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• To understand the processes of evaporation and condensation Page55
• To carry out scientific experiments

RESOURCES: puddles, a jug of ice-cold water
PROCEDURE:

At the start of the day, when it is sunny, take the class out to look at puddles. If there
are none, make some with tap water.
1. Ask the class to find one in the sun and one in the shade. Draw round the edge of each puddle
with chalk. Tell the students they will look later to see if the puddles have changed. Later,
compare the water in each puddle. T: ”Which puddle has least water? Where does the water
go?”. Talk about how the sun heats the water and turns it into vapour or steam, as in a kettle.
The vapour leaves the puddle and goes into the air. This is called evaporation.

2. Tell the students to do the experiment at home and time how long it takes for the water to
evaporate.
3. Inside, show a jug of ice-cold water. Leave it to stand in the warm room. After a few minutes,
ask the students to look at the jug and say what they can see on the outside (water droplets).
Explain that the water didn not come from inside the jug; it came from the air. When the water
vapour in the warm air touched the cold jug, it turned back to liquid. This is called condensation.
Explain that this is how clouds form in the sky: when water vapour in warm air cools, it turns
back to water droplets which collect and form into clouds.
4. Tell the students to do the experiment at home and time how long it takes for the water to
condense.
As homework, ask the students to notice how much water they use for different activities, e.g.
washing, brushing teeth, etc. They have to write down all the ways they can think of to save
water.

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Activity 13: GO FIND YOUR PEOPLE

This activity is suitable when you want to revise a range of topics you have already
studied with your students. For instance, studying the fall of the Roman Empire, dealing
with different populations: the Romans, the Huns, the Byzantines and the Lombards
(Langobards).

Time: 50’
Group size: 28 students, upper-intermediate

Space: classroom

AIMS:

• revise vocabulary and topic: the Fall of the Roman Empire
• developing the speaking, reading and listening skills

RESOURCES: map, hand-outs (28 pieces of paper with one or two sentences each; 4 pieces Page56
of paper should refer to the king or leader of that people).

PROCEDURE:

Students are working in teams (4 teams, since they had studied 4 different populations).

Prepare 28 pieces of paper with 1-2 different sentences on each. The sentences dealt, often in
a funny way, with the populations the students had studied, who they were, how they lived,
what they did.

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Example: "I speak latin, I've been conquering the world and I call the Mediterraneum Mare Page57
nostrum. Unfortunately, at the moment I'm having problems with a bunch of dirty
barbarians..." (the student had to understand he was a Roman)
"I am a nomad, I live on raids, and I spend most of my life on horses. I know there are lots of
treasures in Italy and I'm heading there" (Hun)
" I took part in the invasion of the Po Valley in 568. My people conquered Italy defeating
those snobbish Byzantines and we chose Pavia as our capital." (Lombard)
"I consider myself a descendant of the Ancient Roman State, but I prefer Greek culture and I
speak Greek rather than Latin. My capital is Constantinople. I despize the ugly and filthy
barbarians." (Byzantine)
Steps:
1) Teacher: ”Pick a piece of paper, read it and discover who you are. Now, go make
groups.” Students have to move in the classroom, read their papers and those of the others and
try to understand how to make groups
2) Teacher: ”Are you in your groups? Now, who is the king? The king will be the team
leader. Starting with group 1, can the team leader please tell me: who are you? ”. The
student says for instance "I am Attila and they are my people, the Huns". And so on, for the 4
groups.
3) Teacher: ”Starting with group 1, can each member of the team please read their
sentence? ” This is just to be sure that all of the students are in the right place. If one or more
of them aren't in the correct group, they will hopefully realize it by reading (or their partners
will). Let them move to the correct group.
4) Teacher: ”Now, can the team leader tell me something about his people, culture,
actions? Which people in this room are your allies? Which people are enemies? ”

The teacher and the students get involved in the activity, discussing the characteristics
of the peoples, the culture and the way of living they learnt in the previous lessons.

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Activit 14: PLAYING KAHOOT Page58
Kahoot is a game-based learning platform used as educational technology in classrooms

and other learning environments. With this tool you can create game-like quizzes, discussions
and surveys to challenge your students learn and make them participate in their learning
process.

Time: 50’
Group size: 28 students, intermediate, upper-intermediate, advanced
Space: classroom
THE AIMS OF THE ACTIVITY:

• to evaluate students’understanding of the key concepts
• to get the students involved and excited about learning
RESOURCES: computer, internet access, screen monitor or projector, devices (smartphones,
tablets, notebooks, etc), not necessarily one for each of your students, you can make them work
with a partner or in a small group, a Kahoot game relevant to your class either made by the
teacher or others.
PROCEDURE:
1. Click on ‘Play now’.
2. Choose Classic if you prefer the students to combat against one another.

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3. Choose Team Mode if students have to answer the questions in teams.

4. (Optional) Game Options give the option to:
• Randomize order of questions.
• Randomize order answers.
• Display Game PIN throughout.
• Show minimized intro instructions.
• Automatically move through questions.

5. Click on start to run the quiz.

During and after the Quiz

1. A game PIN is generated randomly and students are asked to go to the site: www. kahoot.it.

2. Once students enter the game PIN they join the quiz.

3. When the participants entered the game, the techer can press the start button at the middle
right of the screen to begin the quiz.

4. After each student answers the question, the teacher can continue the quiz by pressing on
Next.

5. Finally, when the quiz is over, the results are shown immediately on the screen.

Example of a Kahoot game, targeting a Geography revision lesson:

1. Geography is related to...

a. Health b. Earth c. Chemistry d. Literature (correct: Earth)

2. How many continents are there?

a. 9 b.11 c.4 d. 7 (correct: 7)

3. Which country is NOT in Central America?

a. Guatemala b. Venezuela c. Honduras d. Costa Rica (correct: Venezuela)

4. Which country is NOT located in Europe?

a. Switzerland b. Russia c. Bulgaria d. Tanzania (correct: Tanzania)

5. Which is the longest river in the world?

a. The Yellow River b. The Amazon River c. The Nile d. The Congo River

(correct: The Amazon River)

6. Which is the population with the largest population in the world?

a. China b. U.S.A. c. India d. Brazil (correct: China) Page59

7. What is the population of the world?

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a. 8 billion b. 7 billion c. 6 billion d. 9 billion (correct: 7 billion) Page60

Activity 15: PITESTI TREASURE HUNT
Treasure hunt is a game in which the participants are given a list with a series of clues

or pieces of information to direct them to find objects or places. The goal is to be the first to
complete the list. In this activity, the students will have to locate the places and take photos in
order to accomplish their tasks.

Time: 100’
Group size: 28 students, intermediate, upper-intermediate
Space: open-space

THE AIMS OF THE ACTIVITY:
• To ask for or follow directions
• Student-student colaboration in order to identify the right place/building
• To raise interest in Ss’ home town culture and history
• To develop speaking skills

RESOURCES: a treasure hunt list, mobile phones or cameras
PROCEDURE:

The teacher devides the class into groups of 6-7 students. The leader of the group is
given a list with some important building/places in the centre of Pitesti. For each group, the
teacher can change the order of the places in the list or make lists with different buildings.
1. Find the statue of Mircea the Old and take a selfie with it!

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2. The Gate of the Heroes. Get a group photo under the Gate. Page61
3. Find the Art Gallery, where, in the past, the City Hall had its location. There is a souvenirs
shop behind it. Go and buy a post card of Pitesti.
4. Find the place where the historical church St. Nicolae used to be. It was demolished in 1962.
Take a group picture.
5. Find the Court of Appeal and take a picture near the colums, mark of neoclassicism.
6. In the vicinity of the City Hall, there is Vila Coanda. Ask for directions and take a group
photo on the stairs.
7. Go into St. George Cathedral and take a picture of the 2 founders: Mrs. Balasa and the ruler
Constantin Serban Basarab.

This treasure hunt activity is very entertaining. It is suitable for older students, since
they are not supervised. It can be used as a revision or as an introduction to a History lesson.

Activity 16: LOTS AND HOTS
As educators, we are promoting lower order thinking skills as well as higher order

thinking skills - or LOTS and HOTS - within our students.

These two concepts are based on Bloom’s Taxonomy.

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Bloom’s taxonomy is a powerful tool to help develop learning objectives, because it explains Page62
the process of learning:

• Before you can understand a concept, you must remember it.
• To apply a concept you must first understand it.
• In order to evaluate a process, you must have analyzed it.
• To create an accurate conclusion, you must have completed a thorough evaluation.
LOTS- lower order thinking skills. LOTS include remembering, understanding and
application.
HOTS- higher order thinking skills. HOTS include synthesizing, analyzing, reasoning,
comprehending, evaluation and creation.

Higher-order thinking is thinking that takes place in the highest levels of cognitive processing.

Time: 50’
Group size: 28 students
Space: classroom

THE AIMS OF THE ACTIVITY:
• to develop students’ interest in wild animals and their idiosyncracies
• to grow students’ analytical and critical skills
• to improve students’ writing skills

RESOURCES: poster, pen, paper

PROCEDURE:
1. The teacher projects an animal poster and devides the class into 2 groups:
The LOTS group: categorise the animals.
The HOTS group: create a new animal.
2. The LOTS group deals with identifying, comparing, discussing, spelling, classifying,
remembering, looking up a word, naming the animals.
They identify the animals (REMEMBER) and classify them into :
Mammals: bear, deer, skunk, squirrel, hare, fox, boars, hedgehog

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Birds: owl, woodpecker, swallow(UNDERSTAND) Page63
A representative comes to the poster and points to the animals.(APPLY)
3.The HOTS group deals with connecting with pre-knowledge, researching, adding, co-
operating, correcting, inventing. At this stage, the students may have to explain why lions have
sharp teeth or how many cubs they can have.(ANALYZE)
At the end, the HOTS students create a new animal: it may have the head of the deer, the legs
of the woodpecker, fur or wings. It may eat grass or meat, it can see at night only when the
moon is up, for instance. This part enables students to be creative.(CREATE). But, before
presenting it to their classmates, they have to judge their work, correct what is necessary.
(EVALUATE).

As homework, the students may determine if the new animal could adapt to the forests.
They bring arguments in order to justify their answers.

Activity 17: BEYOND THE POSTCARD
This activity can be used as a sprigboard for a narrative-descriptive essay or as a means of
revising senses vocabulary.

Time: 20’ - 50’
Group size: 16 students
Space: classroom

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THE AIMS OF THE ACTIVITY: Page64
• to create willingness to participate in the lesson
• to use appropriate vocabulary to express a wide range of senses
• to enforce recently introduced vocabulary
• to write a narrative-descriptive essay

RESOURCES: postcards, pen, paper/ notebook
PROCEDURE:

1. Students are divided into groups of five/eight.
2. The teacher places a pile of reversed postcards on a table in the middle of each students’

group.
3. Each student picks up a postcard and makes sure no one around him/ her can see it.
4. The teachers explains students that each of them has to concentrate on his/ her own

picture.
The teacher will next ask several questions which the students have to answer on a piece
of paper.
Questions:
What can you smell?
What can you hear?
What is above/ beneath you?
What do you feel like?
5. In ten minutes’ time, each student describes the picture using the answers to all the
teacher’s questions whereas the other mates in the group try to identify the scenary. The
activity finishes when all the postcards are identified.
6. (optional) The teacher may ask students to work together in the same group and write a
narrative-descriptive essay relying on one of the postcards they have earlier described
using senses vocabulary.

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Activity 18: MUSICAL INSPIRATION - SOUNDTRACKS Page65
This activity is quite complex one as it involves listening, writing, speaking, watching. It
addresses intermediate to advanced students. Not only can it serve as a starting point for a
review writing, but also as a support meant to introduce a certain historic period.

Time: 50’
Group size: 34 students
Space: classroom
THE AIMS OF THE ACTIVITY:

• to raise students’ expectations about the new lesson
• to create a positive atmosphere for the lesson
• to develop students’ listening and watching skills
• to develop students’ imagination
• to boost students’ writing skills while working in a group
RESOURCES: computer, overhead projector, screen, soundtrack of ”The Piano”,
loudspeakers, pen, paper
PROCEDURE:
1. Students work individually.
2. The teacher plays the music.
3. Students close their eyes and listen the soundtrack for the first time, trying to figure out

the answers to these questions: What can you see? What can you hear? What surrounds
you? Where are you? What are you doing?
4. Students listen to the same piece of music for the second time while writing down as
many hints related to the questions as possible.

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5. Working in pairs/ groups of four, students exchange ideas about their imagination Page66
results. Leaders of each group or volunteering students share their thoughts with the
class.

6. Students watch the video which is related to colonial days in New Zealand’s history.
7. Students make suppositions about the features of colonial times.
8. The teacher introduces new information about this era in New Zealand’s history.

Activity 19 : GUESS WHO?
This is an activity which does not require much preparation, can be played with a lot of students
either indoors and outdoors and what is more, it can be adapted so that students discover a
famous president, a river, a historic figure, a plant depending on the subject to be taught via
English.
Time: 10-15’
Group size: (ideally) 16 students
Space: classroom

THE AIMS OF THE ACTIVITY:
• to create a positive atmosphere for the lesson
• to raise students’ expectations about the new lesson
• to use suitable vocabulary to describe people

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RESOURCES: post-its, a list of personalities (in a certain field), Page67
PROCEDURE:

1. Students are arranged in a circle.
2. The teacher sticks a post-it having the name of a well-known personality on the back of

each student.
3. Students are told that they are allowed to ask only yes/ no questions while working in

pairs in order to reveal the name of the personality.
4. The teacher plays the music and students start moving randomly in the classroom. When

the music stops, each student must find a partner to work with.
5. The questioning continues until each student has discovered the personality on his/ her

back.

Activity 20: WORDLE

Time: 10’
Group size: 34 students
Space: classroom
THE AIMS OF THE ACTIVITY:

• to create a positive atmosphere for the lesson

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• to raise students’ expectations about the new lesson Page68
• to talk about music issues (musical genres, message beyond the lyrics, artists, musical

instruments, era)
RESOURCES: a list of random words taken out from a song ( wordle), a piece of paper, pen,
recorder, loudspeakers
PROCEDURE:

1. The teacher hands over a list of words from a song to each student and asks them to
guess if it is a positive or a negative one.

2. Students have to draw a grid and fill in each square with a word from wordle.
3. The teacher plays the music and students have to cross out the words they hear.
4. When any student has three words in a row, he/ she has to shout out ”Bingo!”

Activity 21: VOCABULARY GRAB

Time: 15’
Group size: 16 students
Space: classroom
THE AIMS OF THE ACTIVITY:

• to create a positive atmosphere for the lesson
• to revise vocabulary
RESOURCES: notebook, pen, recorder, loudspeakers, slips of paper with useful phrases/ word

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PROCEDURE: Page69
1. The students are divided into two groups.
2. The teacher gives each group a set of slips of paper.
3. Students have to arrange the phrases into two columns: known and unknown.
4. The teacher checks if students have already grasped the the meaning of the phrases.
5. Students in each group now become competitors.
6. After the teacher has played the music, students listen to the song and grab the phrase/
word they hear.
7. The winner is the student to have grabbed the biggest number of phrases/ words and is
able to form correct and meaningful contexts including them.

Activity 22: LADDER

Time: 15’
Group size: 20 students
Space: classroom
THE AIMS OF THE ACTIVITY:

• to create a positive atmosphere for the lesson
• to reinforce/ revise vocabulary on certain topics

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RESOURCES: board, chalk Page70
PROCEDURE:

1. Students are divided into two teams and lined up facing the board.
2. Students are provided with a topic.
3. In turns, a student from each team goes to the board and writes a word related to the

topic. The rule is to always add to the list a longer word than the previous one and never
repeat vocabulary already used by the other team. (eg: sun, beach, breeze, seaside, ice
cream, sunbathing, get a suntan, scoarching sun, seaside resort, etc)
4. The winner is the team with appropriate vocabulary ( collocations, idioms, well spelt
vocabulary) that also follows the rule ”longer and longer”, thus getting a ladder.

Activity 23: TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE: HISTORY EDITION
Two Truths and a Lie is a classic icebreaker game that is used to spark classroom discussion in
the target language. This adaptation allows you to teach history through the target language in
a fun and informal setting.

Time: 10’ - 15’
Group size: 34 students
Space: classroom
THE AIMS OF THE ACTIVITY:

• to create a positive atmosphere for the lesson
• to introduce the topic of the lesson
• to become more knowledgeable about the history of the culture or places they are

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studying Page71
RESOURCES: pen, paper

PROCEDURE:
1. The teacher gives students a hint (the name of a historic figure, an important historic
event)
2. All students write down three “facts” about a historical event or figure from the target
language culture. Two are true and one is made up.
3. The teacher names a student who has to read his 3 sentences. The other students write
down the “fact” that they believe is actually a lie. Everyone who was right gets a point;
the student with the most points at the end of the game wins.
4. The procedure is repeated until at least 8 students read their facts.

Here is an example setup:
Benjamin Franklin designed the first American penny
Benjamin Franklin was an avid butterfly collector
As a teenager, Benjamin Franklin wrote fake letters under the name Mrs. Silence
Dogood for his brother’s newspaper
Can you guess the lie? (The second Benjamin Franklin “fact” is the lie, by the way.)

In order to save class time, it is best to have students come up with their truths and lies as
homework. You can assign different events or historical figures to your students in order to
ensure that the game covers a diverse range of topics.

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Activity 1: HUMAN KNOT (Team Building) Page74
Starting in a circle, participants connect hands with two others people in the group to

form the human knot. As a team they must then try to unravel the “human knot” by untangling
themselves without breaking the chain of hands.

Equipment Required: None
Space Required: Small. Indoors or outdoors.
Group Size: 8 to 12 ideally. You must have at least 4 participants to play.
Total Time: 20-30 minutes

• 5 minutes to brief and set up
• 10-20 minutes to achieve outcome
• 5 minutes to review and debrief
Procedure:
1. Get the group to form a circle.
2. Tell them to put their right hand up in the air, and then grab the hand of someone across

the circle from them.
3. Then repeat this with the left hand, ensuring they grab a different person’s hand.
4. Check to make sure that everyone is holding the hands of two different people and they

are not holding hands with someone either side of them.
5. That they must now try to untangle themselves to form a circle without breaking the

chain of hands. Allocate a specific time to complete this challenge (generally ten to
twenty minutes)

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6. Get participants to take their time in order to limit injuries. Ask the group not to tug or Page75
pull on each other and spot participants as they pass over other participants. Monitor
throughout the challenge and stop them if you need to.

7. If the chain of hands is broken at any point, they must then start over again.
Suggested Learning Outcomes: Leadership; Cooperation; Time management

Activity 2: MINEFIELD (Team Building)
The team have come to a battle field that has been laid with mines. One person at a time

must attempt to cross the battlefield without stepping on a mine. Once a team member steps on
a mine, they must return back to the start.

Equipment Required: Minefield (8 x 8 squares) set out in giant chess/checkers mat, tarpaulin
(with taped squares), carpet tiles or even cones; Route Card/s
Space Required: Small. Indoors or outdoors.
Group Size: 2-30 participants. Works better with larger groups.
Total Time: 60 minutes

• 5 minutes to brief and set up
• 35-45 minutes to achieve outcome
• 10 minutes to review and debrief

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Procedure: Page76
• Lay out your Minefield on a flat area with plenty of space
• Organise the group and brief them on the task: The team have come to a battle field
that has been laid with mines. The entire team must cross the minefield without
stepping on a mine.

Minefield Rules
• Only one person is allowed on the Minefield at any time
• Every person must step on the mat and attempt to cross, if unsuccessful in their
attempt to cross they must go to the back of the line and the next person must try to
cross.
• Once a participant is on the minefield, the rest of the team must be silent.
• Active participants can only move one square at a time. A move can be in any
direction.
• Only the facilitator knows which squares are safe and will indicate appropriately
(download the map above for an example).

Activity 3: SNEAK A PEAK
This problem solving activity requires little more than a couple of sets of children’s

building blocks or duplicate lego. The aim of the challenge is for each group to try and build an
exact copy of a pre-built sculpture – the catch is only one person in each group can look at the
model at a time and for only ten seconds. They then return back to their team and describe what
they see.

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Equipment Required: Enough Children’s building blocks or duplicate lego for each group Page77
Space Required: Small. Indoors or outdoors.
Group Size: Minimum of 4

Total Time: 25 minutes

• 5 minutes to brief and set up
• 15 minutes to achieve outcome
• 5 minutes to review

Procedure:

• Before the challenge begins you will need to build a small sculpture with some of the
building blocks and hide it from the group.

• Next up, divide the participants into small teams of four (or similar). Each team should
be given enough building material so that they can duplicate the structure you’ve already
created.

• Place the sculpture in an area that is an equal distance from all the groups.
One member from each team can come up at the same time to look at the sculpture for
ten seconds and try to memorize it before returning to their team.

• After they return to their teams, they have twenty-five seconds to instruct their teams
about how to build an exact replica of your sculpture.
After one minute of trying to recreate the sculpture, another member from each team
can come up for a “sneak a peek” before returning to their team and trying to recreate
the sculpture.

• The challenge should be continued in this pattern until one of the team’s successfully
duplicates the original sculpture.

Suggested Learning Outcomes: Problem Solving; Communication; Memory; Strategy

Review - Suggested questions to ask in the review:

Did you have a strategy before attempting the challenge?
How did you decide who would go first?
Did anyone in your group struggle to memorise the sculpture and how did you help them?
How well did you communicate as a team? How could you improve?
Was everyone involved in the build?
What skills can you take away from the challenge and how can you apply these to (insert
subject) in the future?

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Activity 4: BIRTHDAY LINE UP (Team Building) Page78
A quick and simple team building challenge to deliver. Participants line up in a straight

line side-by-side. Ask them now to get in order of their birthdays (month and day, year isn’t
necessary). The challenge is the group cannot talk at all. You’ll find they resort to sign language,
nudges, someone might try to start leading. Love this activity, especially when used with a
bench.

Equipment Required: None
Space Required: Minimal. Indoors or outdoors.
Group Size: 8 to 12 ideally.
Total Time: 10 minutes

• 1 minute to brief and set up
• 7 minutes to achieve outcome
• 2 minutes to review
Procedure:
1. Get the group to stand in a straight line (side-by-side).
2. Brief them that they will need to get in order by Birthday (by month and day).
3. The rule is that they can no longer talk. If they do start to talk then they need to start

again.
4. To make the challenge difficult, try blindfolding a couple of the participants.
Suggested Learning Outcomes: Communication; Cooperation; Problem Solving; Leadership

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Activity 5: BACK-TO-BACK DRAWING ( Team Building)
Working in pairs, one person must describe a shape without naming it, whilst their

partner must try to draw the shape they are describing to try and get as close the original shape
as possible. This activity focusses heavily on verbal communication and listening skills.

Resources: Various shapes printed, paper and pencils
Space Required: Small. Indoors or outdoors.
Group Size: 6 to 16 ideally (If you have an odd number allow for a trio)

Total Time: 20 minutes

• 5 minutes to brief and set up
• 2 x 5 minutes to achieve outcome
• 5 minutes to review and debrief

Procedure:

Divide your team into pairs, and have each pair organise their chairs so they are sitting

back to back. Give one person out of each pair a picture of a shape, and give the other person

some paper and a pencil. The person who is holding the pictures is now required to give verbal
instructions to their partners on how to draw the shape – they are not allowed to tell their partner

the name of the shape and can only describe the picture. Allow three to five minutes to complete

the picture and after, compare the shape with the actual drawing. Next get them to

discuss the exercise and review the following questions:

• How well did the first person describe the shape to their partner?
• How well did the second person understand the instructions and how close were they

to duplicating the actual shape of the picture?
• Did they discover any problems with the sending or receiving parts of communication

and how did they overcome this?

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Activity 6: HUMAN SHAPES (Team Building) Page80
Working together as a team, the group have to use their bodies to form letters and words.

This challenge is simple to deliver and can be done with no equipment.

Equipment Required: None
Space Required: Small. Indoors or outdoors.
Group Size: 8 to 12 ideally.
Total Time: 20-30 minutes

• 5 minutes to brief and set up
• 10-20 minutes to achieve outcome
• 5 minutes to review and debrief
Procedure:
1. Find an area free of obstacles and ask participants to spread out
2. Start out by asking the participants to make several letters of the alphabet with their

body e.g. B, C, D and E.
3. Next up, get them to form the words you say e.g. with groups of four people you would

do words that have 3 or 4 letters i.e. dog, bird, cat, step and groups of five people words
that 4,5 or even 6 letters.
4. Finally use a sentence or phrase that allows everyone to be involved.
5. You can also split the team into smaller groups and get them to compete against each
other.
6. Try to make this activity fast paced, so they don’t think too much and are kept energised.
Suggested Learning Outcomes: Creative thinking; Cooperation; Support and trust; Planning

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Activity 7: MAGIC CANE/HELIUM STICK (Team Building) Page81
Teams are given a magic cane (also known as helium stick) which they must lower to

the ground, using just their index fingers. All participants must remain in contact with it at all
times – what seems like a simple task, can become incredibly frustrating and funny for all
involved.

Equipment Required: 1 thin, light-weight, bamboo cane (can be purchased from a garden
store) or tent pole
Space Required: Minimal. Delivered either indoors or outdoors.
Group Size: 8 to 12 but can be done with 6 to 14
Total Time: 20 minutes

• 5 minutes to brief and set up
• 10-15 minutes to achieve outcome
• 5 minutes to review and debrief
Procedure:
• Split the group into two and line them up in two rows facing each other.
• Introduce the cane to the group.
• Ask participants to hold their arms out in front of them and point their index fingers.
• Lay the cane down on their fingers. Get the group to adjust their finger heights until

the cane is horizontal and everyone’s index fingers are in contact with the stick.
• Explain that the challenge is to lower the cane to the ground.
• The rule: Everybody’s index fingers must remain in contact with the cane at all

times. Pinching or grabbing is not permitted – it must rest on top of fingers only.
• Reiterate to the group that if anyone’s finger is caught not touching the cane, the

challenge will be restarted.
Suggested Learning Outcomes: Problem Solving; Leadership; Communication; Cooperation

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Activity 8: PHOTO FINISH Page82
The aim of the challenge is for the whole group to step across the line at exactly the

same time. If one person is out of sync, then they must start over again. This activity involves
planning, communication, timing and resilience.

Equipment Required: Straight line floor marking (can use cones or rope).
Space Required: Small. Indoors or outdoors.
Group Size: 8 to 12 ideally, but can be done with up to 20.
Total Time: 20 minutes

• 5 minutes to brief the group, allow planning and set up
• 10 minutes to achieve outcome
• 5 minutes to review and debrief
Suggested Learning Outcomes: Communication; Cooperation; Goal setting; Leadership;
Problem Solving

Activity 9: WILLOW IN THE WIND (team building)
One person in the team is selected to be ‘the willow’ and stands in an upright and rigid

position in the center of a circle. On your instruction, the person in the centre of the circle (the
willow) is gently passed around the circle in any direction by the spotters. The willow must
keep their feet absolutely still at all times and put their trust in the rest of the team.

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The objective of this exercise is to develop trust and improve teamwork through cooperation Page83
and support. It is important that you monitor safety closely throughout the exercise. Only use
this activity when working with calm and supportive teams.

Resources required: None
Space Required: Small. Indoors or outdoors.
Group Size: 5 to 12 max. For larger groups split into smaller teams (just ensure you have an
additional person to observe safety).
Total Time: 25 minutes

• 5 minutes to brief and set up
• 15 minutes to complete exercise (rotate between participants)
• 5 minutes to review and debrief
Procedure:
• Before you start, teach the proper spotting technique and explain the the importance of

maintaining this throughout the exercise. Spotting technique: one foot in front of
another in a t-shape position, arms outstretched, elbows locked, ready and alert.
• You must then demonstrate the willow position: feet together, arms crossed with hands
on shoulders, body straight and eyes closed.
• Aim for between eight to twelve participants in each group (if you have a larger group
then split into smaller sub-groups for this exercise).
• Organise the group into an inward facing circle and spread large and small
participants evenly to avoid any weak points in the circle.
• Select one person to be the “willow” and get them to stand in the middle of the circle.
• Ensure spotters are close together, should-to-shoulder and maintaining the correct
spotting positions. At this stage, the circle should be quite tight, with spotters hands
almost touching the participant in the middle.

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• The willow should then allow themselves to be passed around the circle by the spotters. Page84
• Once they feel more comfortable and have got over the initial fear of falling, spotters

should then gradually ease back to allow a longer lean.
• Allow a minute or two per willow then rotate between team members, ensuring

everyone has an opportunity to participate.
Learning Targets: Cooperation; Communication; Trust and support
Useful tips and guidance
The focus of the review should be on how they felt during the exercise and whether they trusted
the rest of the group to support them. Get them to individually rate out of 10 whether they felt
supported by the group and discuss what they could do support each other more. This will allow
you to facilitate the review better and draw out the importance of trust and support when
working with others.
Review - Suggested questions for review:
How did you feel when you were initially briefed on the exercise? Why did you feel this way?
Do you feel you were taken out of your comfort zone during the exercise?
How did you feel when you were first passed around the circle?
How important was it to support others in the the team?
What is a risk? Do you feel you were at risk during the activity?
Why did we do this exercise? How does this link to work you do everyday?
Can you give an example of when you have gone into a situation blind and have had to rely
on others to support and help you?

Activity 10: BRIDGE BUILD – problem solving
Using the materials provided, two teams must work together to build a bridge, with each

sub-team constructing half the bridge each. During the challenge, teams cannot see each other
and must rely on their communication skills to build an identical design. This is an excellent
activity for developing communication skills, problem solving and creative thinking.

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Equipment Required: (could be any of the following) newspapers, lego, toy bricks, straws, Page85
paper, cardboard; Tape, paper, pens, tape measure and tarpaulin or sheet.

Space Required: Small. Indoors or outdoors.
Group Size: 8 to 16 ideally. Enough people for at least two sub-teams of four or more. If you
have a large group, then you can get more than one team working on a build – just ensure you
have enough equipment including tarpaulins!

Total Time: 50 minutes

• 5 minutes to brief and set up
• 10 minutes group discussion and designs
• 30 minutes to complete build
• 5 minutes to review

Procedure:

1. Before to the start of the activity, setup the room or area with a divide so teams cannot
see what the other team is doing, use either a tarpaulin or sheets.

2. Explain to the group, that they will be split into two sub-teams and must work together
to create a complete bridge with each team building half a bridge each. At the end of
the time you need to put your bridges together to create your build. However, you will
be separated during the challenge and can only communicate verbally to ensure that
each build meets the design specification. You have just 30 minutes to complete the
challenge.

3. Split the group into smaller sub-teams (aim for 4-8) and separate them to either side of
the tarpaulin.

4. Provide each team with a bag of materials. Ensure that each bag contains exactly the
same items. Also provide each team with paper, pens and a tape measure.

5. Give the team ten minutes to generate ideas and come up with a plan for the design.
Remind teams to discuss ideas and communicate with their partner team on the other
side of the tarpaulin to ensure a similar design.

6. Each team then gets 30 minutes to construct their half of the design. It is essential that
each sub-team communicates effectively during the construction phase, failure to do
so will result in failure of the challenge.

7. Once the time is up, remove your divide separating the two teams and see how close
each build was to each other.

Suggested Learning Outcomes: Problem Solving; Active listening; Team communication;
Creative thinking; Cooperation and teamwork

Review - Questions to ask when reviewing:

• What did you find most difficult about his challenge? How did you overcome that?
• What did you do well? How did you decide on that method?
• Who was responsible for communicating the design between the teams? If you had

more than one person, did you find this difficult?
• Did you select a leader? Why was leadership important during the task?
• How did you work out the key responsibilities for the challenge? Did you delegate

based on strengths and weaknesses?

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• Did you miscommunicate at any point during the challenge? How did you get back on Page86
track?

• What surprised you most about the activity? What can you take away?
Activity 11: LIFT A BEACH BALL (Team Building)

In this team building activity, the team has to build a 1 meter tall structure that will hold
up a beach ball for at least 10 seconds, using only the materials provided.

Resources: 20 sheets of newspaper, 1 roll of masking tape, 1 beach ball
Space Required: Small to medium. Ideally indoors.
Group Size: 6 – 10 is ideal. If you have a bigger group, you may want to split them into
smaller teams of 4 – 6 people to make it more competitive.
Total Time: 30 minutes

• 5 minutes to brief and setup
• 15 minutes for the activity (planning & construction)
• 10 minutes to review and debrief

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Set Up: Page87

• Inflate the beach ball
• Prepare one set of resources for each small team, if necessary

Running the Activity

• Explain the activity: Using only the materials provided, the team has to build a structure
that will hold up the inflated beach ball at least 1 meter off the floor for at least 10
seconds. They will receive 5 minutes of planning time, followed by 8 minutes to
construct and test their structure.

• Once they are ready, start the timer for 5 minutes of planning time. Thereafter, the teams
8 minutes of construction time. Any testing of the structure must be done within the
construction time.

• At the end of the activity, the team has to place the beach ball on the structure. The
trainer(s) will measure the height of the structure and time how long the beach ball stays
on the structure.

Rules

• Only the provided materials can be used during the challenge.
• The beach ball cannot be changed in any way.
• The team is given 5 minutes of planning time, followed by 8 minutes of construction

time. Any testing of the structure must be done within the construction time.
• The structure must hold the beach ball at least 1 meter off the floor.
• The beach ball must stay on the structure for at least 10 seconds.

Suggested Learning Outcomes: Problem solving; Communication; Planning; Time
management

Activity Guidance and Notes

This activity encourages teams to come up with a creative solution to hold up the beach ball. It
can be done in small groups as a race or as a whole group with more focus on inclusion and
discussion. If you have a larger group, you can split them into smaller teams and get
them competing against each other to see who can solve the problem the quickest or whose
beach ball can stay on the structure for the longest.

Review - Suggested questions to ask:

• How much planning did you do before attempting the challenge?
• What worked? What didn’t work or hindered your progress?
• Did you identify a leader? If yes, how did having a leader help?
• What were the individual roles people played? Was everyone comfortable with their

role?
• How well did you communicate during the challenge?
• What did you learn from the challenge?

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Activity 12: ALL TIED UP Page88
In this fun team challenge, groups are required to work together to complete a simple

task. The problem is that they are tied together by their wrists. Problem solving, teamwork and
communication are essential for this challenge.

Equipment Required: Shoes laces, tracer rope strips or cloth strips or anything to tie
participants together.
Space Required: Small. Indoors or outdoors.
Group Size: 4 to 12 ideally.
Total Time: 25 minutes

• 5 minutes to brief and set up
• 15 minutes to achieve outcome
• 5 minutes to review
All Tied Up Team Building Challenge Brief
1. Organise your group into an inward facing circle. Ask them to hold out their arms to

the side and then tie them to both of their neighbour’s wrists.
2. The whole group should now be connected and “all tied up”.
3. Next present a simple task for them to complete. Here are some ideas:
• Wrap a present
• Build a bridge
• Make a square with rope
• Tidy up the room
• Create an art project linked to their workshop experience
• Pour a cup of water for everyone in the group
• Or add any other fun and creative team tasks you can think of

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Variation – Group Walk Page89
Instead of tying the participants together by their wrists, instead tie them together by

their ankles. Once they are connected, give them some simple commands to perform without
falling over, such as: walk forwards, backwards, left and right.

If they find this difficult, split into smaller teams or pairs and ask them to try again.
Once they are successful, you can increase the size of the group and try again. Keep adding
more team members until they can walk together without falling over

If you’re working with a very large group, it is a good idea to split them into smaller
teams of no more than twelve to start with before building up to a much larger group.
Suggested Learning Outcomes: Goal Setting; Teamwork; Problem Solving; Communication
skills
Review - Suggested questions to ask during the review

• Why were you successful (or unsuccessful) at completing the challenge?
• How did having a time restriction help or hinder you from the completing the

challenge?
• Was everyone involved and help each other?
• What happened when someone disagreed with the plan? Did you discuss it?
• What was the purpose of the challenge? What do you feel you took away from the

task?
• Have you ever been in a situation when you’ve felt, ‘tied up’ when working with

others? If yes, how did you overcome this?

Activity 13: TURNING OVER A NEW LEAF (team building)
With all members standing on a sheet of plastic, the group has to slowly flip the sheet

to the other side without anyone stepping off it. This activity is great for small groups, and helps
to promote cooperation, trust and communication.

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Resources: One sheet of plastic. It should be large enough to comfortably allow 8 – 10 persons Page90
to stand on it, but not too large that the activity becomes too easy.

Space Required: Small. Indoors or outdoors.

Group Size: 8 to 10. If the group is larger, split them into smaller sub-groups.

Total Time: 20 minutes

• 5 minutes to brief and setup
• 10 minutes for the activity
• 5 minutes to review and debrief

Running the Activity

• Explain the activity: The aim of the activity is for the group to flip the plastic sheet to
the other side while standing on it, and without any team member stepping off it.

• You can set a time limit for them to complete the task.
• Get every member of the group to step on the sheet. Once they are ready, they can

begin. If you have imposed a time limit, start the timer.
• The activity begins with one person flipping a corner of the sheet to the other side.

One by one, each team member steps onto the newly-flipped side of the sheet.
• The activity ends when the sheet is completely flipped over and everyone is standing

on the ‘new’ side.
• If the team is unable to complete the task without breaking the rules, you can allow

them to strategize and then restart the activity again.

Rules

• Each member of the team must have at least one foot on the sheet at all times.
• Stepping off the sheet is not allowed during the activity.
• Observe the group during the activity to ensure that no one slips or falls.

Suggested Learning Outcomes: Cooperation; Communication; Trust; Leadership

Activity Guidance and Notes
This activity works best with a group that already knows each other as it requires

participants to be quite physically close with each other. Observe the reactions of the
participants, and if anyone looks uncomfortable during the activity, you may want to pause the
activity or guide the team to give that person more space.

This activity helps to build trust as some participants may not be able to see what is
going on and they have to trust that their teammates are coordinating people’s movements while
flipping the sheet over. It also encourages communication between team members.

It is important that the plastic sheet is of the right size; too small and the activity will be
impossible to complete and if it is too large, it would be too easy.

Review - Suggested questions to ask:

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• What worked? What didn’t work and hindered your progress? Page91
• What problems did you encounter during the challenge?
• Did you identify a leader?
• What leadership was demonstrated during the challenge?
• What were the individual roles people played? Was everyone comfortable with their

role?
• How well did you communicate during the challenge?
• What did you learn from the challenge?

Activity 14: TOXIC WASTE
Equipped with just 2 ropes, the group must work out how to transport a bucket of ‘Toxic

Waste’ and return it back to the safe zone without tipping over the contents. This fun team
building challenge can also be known as ‘Bomb Removal’. This is an excellent team challenge
for highlighting the importance of teamwork, problem solving and leadership.

Equipment Required:
• 1 x toxic waste bucket (1 large bucket)
• 1 x rope for the radiation zone
• 2 x ropes of the same length to use to transport the waste bucket
• 1 x raised platform (can use a stool seat to place the waste bucket)
• 6 x tennis balls or you can use water (to represent toxic waste)
• Blindfolds (optional)

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Space Required: Medium. Indoors or outdoors (outdoor allows for water to be used as ‘toxic Page92
waste’ rather than tennis balls).
Group Size: 8-12 (Can be used with as little as 6 team members)

Total Time: 35-55 minutes

• 5 minutes to brief and setup
• 5 minutes for group discussion and planning
• 15-30 minutes for task completion
• 10 minutes for reviewing and challenge debrief

Toxic Waste Setup

• Create the toxic waste radiation zone by using the rope to create a circle of around 8-
10ft in diameter on the ground. The bigger the radiation zone, the more challenging the
activity becomes.

• Place your platform in the middle of the circle you have created.
• Fill the bucket with water or tennis balls and place on top of the platform in the centre

of the radiation zone.
• Put the 2 ropes on the outside of the radiation zone, ready to use.

Toxic Waste Team Building Challenge Instructions

• Explain that the challenge is for the group to work out how to transport the toxic waste
bucket in the radiation zone to the safe zone using only the equipment provided. The
team have just 20 minutes to complete the challenge, if they are unsuccessful, the waste
will blow up and destroy the world.

• Anyone who enters into the radiation zone will suffer a fatal injury and
possibly death. Therefore, the group should aim to remove the toxic waste and do so
without injury to any group members.

• The rope circle represents the radiation zone. Emphasise that everyone must maintain a
safe distance from the toxic waste wherever it goes, and stay out of the radiation zone.

• Allow the team 5 minutes to discuss and plan for the challenge. During this period, no
one is allowed to attempt to retrieve the toxic waste.

Suggested Learning Outcomes: Communication; Decision Making; Planning; Problem
Solving; Leadership; Teamwork

Review - Suggested questions to ask:

• How would you rate your team out of 10 for completion of the challenge?
• How did you respond to the challenge?
• How did you generate ideas for completing the task? Who’s idea did you choose?
• Did you have a leader? How important was leadership?
• Was everyone involved?
• What did you learn about yourself as a team member?
• What lessons did you learn from the challenge? How is this relevant and when would

it be used in future situations?

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Activity 15: STRINGED SHAPES (Team Building) Page93
Standing in a circle, participants hold onto a looped rope with both hands at waist-

level. The trainer will then call out different shapes, and the team has to form those shapes
without letting go of the rope.

Resources: A length of rope. When tied into a circle, it should be long enough for all members
of the team to hold on to with both hands while standing in a circle.
Space Required: Small, indoors or outdoors.
Group Size: 6 – 12 is ideal.
Total Time: 20 minutes

• 5 minutes to brief and setup
• 10 minutes for the activity
• 5 minutes to review and debrief
Running the Activity
• Explain the activity: Instruct participants to arrange themselves in a circle, then

introduce the circular length of rope. Participants have to hold on to the rope with both
hands at waist-level and cannot let go at any time during the activity. The trainer will
call out different shapes which the team has to form.
• Once they are ready, start the activity. You can use different variations, depending on
how well the team completes each shape/round.
Suggested Learning Outcomes: Communication; Listening skills; Cooperation

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Variations: Page94
• If the team has no/little difficulty forming the shapes, make the shapes progressively
more difficult, or try the activity without talking.
• You can conduct a few rounds with a time limit (e.g. the team has 2 minutes to form a
star)
• After a few successful rounds, you can also conduct the game with the participants
being blindfolded. This will challenge the participants to communicate in more detail
and listen more closely whenever someone speaks.
• When conducting the blindfolded version, another variation is to appoint a leader to
direct the team to form the required shape. This helps develop leadership and
communication skills.

Review - Suggested questions to ask:
• How important was communication? What’s effective communication?
• Did you identify a leader? If yes, how did having a leader help?
• How well do you feel you worked as a team? What did you do well? What could you
improve?
• What did you learn from the challenge?

Activity 16: ALL THE NEWS (Team Building)
In this activity, the group is tasked with creating a mock-newspaper with headlines

based on what they think the department/company will achieve in the near future.

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Resources: Flipcharts, markers; Stationery such as glue, tape, scissors and a big pile of Page95
newspapers.

Space Required: Small. Ideally indoors.
Group Size: 6 – 20 is ideal. Each small sub-team should have 3 – 6 participants.

Total Time: 60 minutes

• 10 minutes to brief and setup
• 35 minutes for the activity
• 15 minutes to review and debrief

Running the Activity

• Explain the activity: Each sub-team has to create newspaper headlines based on what
they think the department/company will achieve in the near future. They can be as
creative as possible and “predict” as many future events as they want to.

• If it is a large group, give each sub-team a different section of the newspaper (e.g.
international news, sports, classifieds etc). They can interpret their newspaper section
in creative ways, if necessary.

• Hand out the materials and stationery to each group.
• Once they are ready, they can begin the activity. They can use clippings from the old

newspapers and paste them on the flipchart or write their headlines on the flipchart.
• At the end of the activity, each sub-team is to pin up their headlines so that everyone

can read them.
• Once everyone has read all the headlines, discuss what they think about them, whether

they agree, and how they can work together to achieve them.

Suggested Learning Outcomes: Goal setting; Creative thinking; Cooperation;
Communication

Review - Suggested questions to ask:

• How did your team decide on the headlines?
• Did everyone agree with the headlines? If not, did you have to compromise?
• Did anyone emerge as an “editor”? What was his/her role?
• Did others in the team listen to your opinion? Did everyone have their input?
• Do you agree with the vision of the department/company that has been created? Why?
• What can you, as an individual, do to help bring this vision to life?

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Activity 17: DRAGONS DEN Page96
The groups’ task is to design and market a product to present to the Dragons Den. The
Dragons (managers, teachers or leaders) will ask questions about the product, its quality, and
money making prospects and after the presentation will decide which groups’ product they wish
to invest in.

Equipment Required: Pens, papers and any other presentation resources
Space Required: Small. Indoors or outdoors.
Group Size: 12 to 20 ideally. Split into smaller groups (3-5 participants).
Total Time: 80 minutes

• 5 minutes to brief and set up
• 50 minutes planning and preparation time
• 20 minutes for presentations
• 5 minutes to review
Procedure:
• Split into smaller groups (3-5 people). Get teams to come up with team name.
• Tell the group that they will need to design a product and deliver a final presentation

to the dragons to try and get them to invest in their product. Everyone must be
involved in the presentation.
• The presentation must contain the information listed below, this list is not exhaustive
and it is encouraged that more information is included:

1. Company Name

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2. Company Structure Page97
3. Slogan/ Tag Line
4. Jingle
5. Product Name
6. Target Market
7. Unique selling Points
8. Product Price
9. Benefits
10. Predicted Turnover
• After presenting your product you will have the opportunity to demonstrate its
effectiveness and quality by launching it on our purpose built test pad.
• Introduce the Dragons
• Explain that they have only 50 minutes to plan their presentation. Get them started.
Suggested Learning Outcomes: Creative thinking; Time management; Presentation skills;
Cooperation; Planning and delegation

Activity 18: JIGSAW PUZZLE PIECES – problem solving
Teams must work together to complete a puzzle as quickly as possible. Initially the

teams will be divided and given separate bags of puzzle pieces. They will think that they are
competing against each other and then come to realise that they have no way of completing the
puzzle unless they work with the other sub-teams as they hold the missing pieces of the puzzle.

Resources: 1 x large jigsaw puzzle and small bags to hold the pieces
Time: 30-45 minutes
Space Required: Small. Indoors or Outdoors
Group Size: 8-16 people

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Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces Setup Page98

• Divide up the puzzle and place an equal amount of pieces into each team bag
• Split the team into 2 smaller sub-teams (or more depending on the size of your group)

and hand each team a bag.

Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces Team Activity Instructions

• Provide each sub-team with a bag of jigsaw puzzle pieces. Instruct them to assemble the
puzzle as quickly as possible. Try to ensure that each teams puzzle pieces appear to be
an entire puzzle.

Introducing the exercise:

“The aim of the exercise is for each team to assemble the jigsaw puzzle as quickly as possible
using the pieces provided. All teams have the same puzzle. You will receive no
additional instructions”

• Teams will assume that they competing against one another, however there is only one
puzzle and the pieces have shared out between the two teams. They key point of the
exercise is for the team to identify the problem and resolve it by discussing it between
them and working together.

• Provide enough time for the teams to work on the puzzles. Generally, they shouldn’t
need any more than 30 minutes to complete, although this will change depending on the
complexity of the puzzle and group size.

Tips and Guidance

Try and stay clear from giving them the solution to the problem. If they ask you, reiterate the
introduction to the task as before and let them work it for themselves.

You can start the exercise with either the teams working in the same room or different rooms.
If sub-teams are working in the same room, they will discover the problem and solution quite
quickly and work together to assemble the puzzle. If you decide to start them in different rooms,
it will take them a little longer to realise and work out how to resolve the problem.

Try to use a jigsaw puzzle with enough pieces to keep all team members actively engaged
during the exercise. You should run the activity in a suitably sized space, big enough so that all
team members can view the puzzle and work together.

Larger teams that have more than five people will be challenged in how they organise the task,
leadership and teamwork (ensuring everyone has a role within the team).

This type of exercise demonstrates that all team members (or teams) make up the whole, and
often no individual or team can do it alone. Sometimes the missing piece of the puzzle is often
held by others.

Suggested Learning Outcomes: Strategy; Leadership; Problem solving; Communication
skills; Leadership

Innovative Approaches of Institutional Work 2016-1-RO01-KA101-023901