Move Together Circuit

Overview

The Great Classroom Challenge
Subject: PE
Year level: Grades 7–8
Setting: Regular classroom with desks
Length: 45 minutes

Students work in small teams through four low-noise classroom challenges: silent line-up, paper tower/design challenge, category ranking or logic challenge, and communication drawing. The focus is teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and respectful participation. Teams earn recognition for collaboration—listening, including others, sharing roles, encouraging teammates, and explaining decisions—rather than for winning.

Learning intentions

Students will be able to:

• Perform safe marching, balancing, agility, and locomotor movements with control.
• Work cooperatively by taking turns, encouraging others, and following station directions.
• Ask and answer specific questions that help their group improve.
• Review what their group learned and identify one teamwork strategy that worked.

Success criteria

• I can move safely while controlling my speed, space, and body.
• I can follow station instructions and my assigned role.
• I can make a useful comment or ask a specific question.
• I can explain one way my group worked effectively.

Curriculum links

• Speaking and Listening — collaborative discussions on grade-level topics, building on others’ ideas and expressing ideas clearly.
• Speaking and Listening — preparing for discussion by drawing on practiced movement strategies and prior knowledge.
• Speaking and Listening — following discussion rules, carrying out assigned roles, and asking and answering questions.
• Physical education — development of locomotor, nonlocomotor, balance, fitness, cooperation, and safety skills.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Welcome, attendance, and substitute script. Take attendance and keep students seated at their desks. Say: “Today we are completing The Great Classroom Challenge. Your team’s goal is not simply to finish first; it is to communicate, include everyone, solve problems, and participate respectfully. Stay seated or move only as directed, use quiet voices, keep hands and materials to yourself, and stop immediately when I signal.” Assign teams of four to six and roles such as facilitator, materials manager, recorder, encourager, and reporter.

2. 5–8 min · Explain collaboration scoring. Tell students that the substitute will notice active listening, shared participation, respectful language, clear communication, flexible problem-solving, and responsible use of materials. Teams may receive collaboration points or positive notes; there is no winning team and no prize.

3. 8–15 min · Round 1: Silent line-up. Without speaking, teams arrange themselves by a category such as birthday month, first-name alphabetically, or distance from home to school. Students may use gestures and respectful pointing but may not touch one another. Afterward, the reporter explains how the team communicated and included everyone. If a line-up is not appropriate for the class, students arrange desk name cards or written first names instead.

4. 15–24 min · Round 2: Paper tower/design challenge. Using paper and pencils only, teams design and build the tallest free-standing structure they can in the available desk space. Allow planning, testing, and redesign. Students must share ideas, invite quieter voices, and keep materials on the desks. Pause halfway to ask teams to name one change that improved their design and one collaboration behavior they used.

5. 24–32 min · Round 3: Category ranking or logic challenge. Give each team a prompt to discuss and rank, such as ranking school supplies by usefulness for an emergency classroom kit, or ordering written clues to solve a simple logic problem. Teams must reach a shared decision and record the reasoning. Emphasize that explaining the process and listening to differing ideas matters more than having the same answer as another team.

6. 32–39 min · Round 4: Communication drawing. One student describes a simple shape, object, or design without naming it while teammates draw only from the verbal directions. Switch the speaker or repeat with a new drawer so more students participate. The speaker may not look at or touch teammates’ papers. Compare drawings respectfully and discuss which directions were clear and what questions would have helped.

7. 39–43 min · Collaboration reflection. Teams discuss: “When did we communicate well?”, “How did we include every team member?”, and “What problem-solving strategy helped?” Each reporter shares one specific example. The substitute highlights respectful participation rather than accuracy or speed.

8. 43–45 min · Exit response and dismissal. Students write or tell the substitute: “One way I helped my team was ____.” and “One communication or problem-solving strategy I will use again is ____.” Collect paper only if directed, return pencils, leave desks and floors orderly, and dismiss students when instructed.

Resources

• Paper
• Pencils
• Optional timer or visible clock
• Class roster and attendance information
• Emergency contacts and school procedures

No other equipment is required. If paper is limited, use the backs of existing worksheets or have students plan and sketch without building.

Assessment

• Observe whether students listen actively, share roles and materials, invite participation, use respectful language, follow no-running/no-contact expectations, and contribute to group decisions.
• During each round, note evidence of communication, cooperation, problem-solving, flexibility, and respectful disagreement rather than speed or winning.
• Ask: “How did your team make sure everyone had a voice?” and “What did you change after hearing another idea?”
• Collect or hear the exit response: “One way I helped my team was ____.” and “One communication or problem-solving strategy I will use again is ____.”

Differentiation

• Provide written and spoken directions, a model example, chunked steps, visual role cards if available, extra planning time, and frequent checks for understanding.
• Offer seated participation, desk-based line-up alternatives, drawing or pointing instead of speaking, speech-to-text or a scribe where available, and flexible roles such as recorder, observer, designer, or timekeeper.
• For English learners, demonstrate each task, preteach key words such as rank, describe, agree, and revise, allow rehearsal with a partner, and provide sentence starters: “I suggest…,” “I agree because…,” “Could you explain…?”, and “Let’s include…”.
• Respect sensory, communication, attention, and motor needs. Do not require eye contact, public speaking, or physical proximity.
• Early finishers may improve their design, create a second solution, write collaboration advice, or explain why their strategy worked. If materials are unavailable, use mental logic challenges, oral descriptions, silent gestures, or written planning.

Substitute notes

Keep students in the regular classroom and establish clear desk boundaries before starting. No running, climbing, throwing, chasing, or physical contact is permitted. Students should remain seated or move only when directed, use low voices, keep hands and materials to themselves, and stop immediately on the signal. Do not rank teams by speed or declare a winner; recognize collaboration instead.

Use this script: “This is a teamwork challenge. We are practicing communication, problem-solving, and respectful participation. Everyone should have a role and a voice. We score collaboration, not winning. If you are unsure, ask respectfully or suggest another idea.”

Take attendance before beginning and follow school emergency, medical, behavior, and dismissal procedures. If a student feels unwell, distressed, or unsafe, allow a quiet seated alternative and contact the appropriate school staff. If behavior becomes unsafe, pause the round, restate expectations, reassign roles, and restart only when students are ready.

For early finishers, offer a redesign, a second solution, a written reflection, or a peer-support role. If no materials are available, use oral logic prompts, silent gestures, mental line-ups, or communication drawing in the air.