Cup-tower-challenge-empowerment-activity

Cup Tower Challenge

Cup Tower Challenge

Topic: Teamwork

Empowerment Lesson Video: Importance of Teamwork

Supplies:

  • 10 red plastic cups
  • 2 straws per person (pack of straws)
  • 1-2 feet of string per person (ball of yarn)
  • Pack of rubber bands (1 per person)
  • BONUS ROUND: 1 lego figure per team

Video Discussion:

Invite students to share examples of teams they’ve been members of or are aware of – in sports, school, their community, and so on.

After watching the video Importance of Teamwork, ask your students the following questions:

  • What is something you learned about teamwork that you didn’t know before?
  • What can you add to our understanding of teamwork that wasn’t in the video?

Activity Instructions:

  • Divide the students into groups of 3 or 4. They will need a hard surface for this activity and make sure each team is a good distance away from each other. Pass out the materials to each group.
  • Students need to work together to come up with a way to move the cups. Some students might lift the cups with the straws, others may tie the string to the cups and then lift the string ends to lift the cups. Another team stretched the rubber bands to place them around the cups, then lifted the cups as a team.
  • Before the bonus round ask students to share what worked, what didn’t work and their experiences of working together as a team.
  • Bonus round: Students need to get the final cup with the lego figure on top to finish the pyramid.